Madonna Inn San Luis Obispo Valentine's Love Rooms! Famous Urinal too?

Hi, it's Pat Patterson and I'm so excited to be here with Amanda Rich and we are at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, the famous Madonna Inn. And Amanda, tell me a little bit of the history of why this incredible rock structure is behind me. I'm Pat Patterson and I love California. Yeah, so Alex and Phyllis Madonna, they established the Madonna Inn in 1958. Mr. Madonna was in the construction business and would travel up and down the coast and would stay at different places that were all, you know, cookie cutter, all the same. And so he and his wife decided they wanted to create this amazing place that is unique, that is different, that everybody could come and be a part of and feel at home. So we have 110 different rooms. We have two restaurants. We have gift shops. We have horseback riding. We have tennis courts, hiking and biking trails. So we have, you know, a little something for everybody. It's really evolved over the years, but Mr. Madonna had this brilliant idea. He came up with it and wrote it down on a napkin and then ran from there. Is it true that the rock theme was because he kept coming up with rocks? Oh yeah, he would move those rocks with boulders and he's like, you know what, I might as well use these. You got to see it because, I mean, the restroom's made out of rocks. I mean, it's, but it's very beautiful. I mean, is there a type of rock this is? That's a good question. Granite. The rocks. The California rocks. Our favorite. But I was going to say, some of the rocks that you'll actually see in the rooms, they actually would like put the rock there and then build the room around it. We're going to take a look around. We're going to see some of the themed rooms. What's I got to find out, what's the most popular themed room? I would have to say the caveman, which is completely rock. Rock floors, rock ceiling, rock walls. There's a waterfall shower. That room will rent like a year in advance. So you got a high demand for that. Yes. And we're talking about romantic getaways. So for, is there a honeymoon suite or? Oh, we got lots of romantic rooms. We have love nests, love birds, romance. If you can think it, we probably have a room that features that style. What's the biggest change you think this hotel has seen over the years? You know what? I think the popularity has changed from, you know, people looking just for a place to stay to more of a place like with social media nowadays, everybody wants to come and take their pictures with the themed wallpaper. And I think just in the last couple of years, we've really noticed that transition of just people coming specifically to come take photos. Is it true? There's a famous urinal hidden here somewhere? There is. Yes. What's the story behind that? So the men's urinal, which is located downstairs, has a waterfall urinal. So as the men step up, the waterfall will come down. We're talking about romance. So I digress. And so in terms of people coming in here for a honeymoon, a wedding, who do they get in touch with? Well, we have our, you know, our main line, which is 805-543-3000. Yeah. And we'll, that just basically will take you to the front desk. They'll tell you and direct you to exactly the people. We have a whole banquet department, like if you're wanting to have a wedding that would handle that. We also have, you know, our steakhouse that does dining reservations. Obviously, when you first walk into the steakhouse, you'll see it's like all pink and very romantic. So no matter what time of year, the pink is what kind of stands out. And Mr. Madonna felt that pink was a romantic color and that made everybody look good. This is incredible. This is the steakhouse and it's decorated. We're here at Christmas time. But Amanda, tell me what other themes happen throughout the year. So we like to go along with the seasons. So if you come in February, you'll see hearts hanging on the tree, lots of valentines, everywhere you look, we'll have hearts and red and pink. Then at Easter time, we have our Easter bunny and our Easter eggs all around. And then in October, we do a little Halloween decoration and then right into Christmas. So Christmas decorations are always up before Thanksgiving. So I just got the most exciting news. Amanda's mother watches the show on the Central Coast CW5. So give a shout out to your mom. Hi, Sandy. Hi, Mom. Sandy, thank you for watching the show. OK, we got that out of the way. So which room are we in now? We are in old fashioned honeymoon right now. Now, what makes it old fashioned? I mean, is it just the style of the motif or only old people get to go? Oh, no, it's the style of the motif. On the walls, we have kind of a fleur de lis, old fashioned style wallpaper. Yeah, so that's kind of what makes it, you know. And so, you know, in terms of honeymoons, I mean, do people come and stay a week? Do they stay a weekend? Is it all over the map? I think it's probably more like a week stay or depending on if they're having their wedding and they stay here for a couple of days. But there are so many things to do. You can't just be here one day. Amanda has brought me to hearts and flowers. Tell me about this place. Yes, this is one of the definitely lovey dovey rooms. If you look around, you can see this fun red wallpaper. We also have, you know, heart furniture. There's hearts on the front door when you walk in. It just oozes love. This is unbelievable, just in terms of the theming and the coziness of these rooms, even though they're large, they just feel very cozy. And I don't know if that was just the time that they were made, if it's the rock. What do you think that is? I think it's probably a little of everything. I think it also has to do with the furniture and just the aesthetics. Mrs. Madonna and they were really into that. You know, they wanted people to feel at home. So I think that you that really comes across. It does. And I think, you know, modern hotels, very stark and very kind of, you know, minimalist. This is not minimalist. I mean, there's a lot of stuff going on here. And so do you when you recommend to a friend that might be having a honeymoon, what room do you recommend? This is definitely one of my favorites, hearts and flowers. I also like Romance, which is kind of like the sister room to this, but the wallpaper is more blue. I also love Nest. That's one of my favorites. It has a spiral staircase in the center of that room. Yeah, it's one story, but there's a little pergola at the top so you can go and peek out. But I mean, there's so many rooms here that you can't help. Yeah, you can't go wrong. So that's our look at the Madonna. And I'm so thankful to Amanda Rich. That was a wonderful tour. Thank you for having us. We're excited to share this beautiful place with everybody. So check it out. Here's the information. Book your honeymoon, wedding, anything amidst the beautiful rocks and the pink hearts up here at the Madonna Inn. My favorite themed room at the Madonna Inn was that hearts and flowers room. So much to do on the Central Coast. So I'm excited to be here in the Bay Area. We booked the Queen Anne Boutique Hotel, historic up here in Pacific Heights, Southern Octavia. And it's a little bit different in the fact that after I booked it, I found out it might be one of the most haunted hotels in San Francisco. Mary Lake, the headmistress of the girls school that it originally was back in the 1890s, may or may not have had an affair with Senator John Graham Fair, who the Fairmont Hotel was named after. Tom Stockload, one of the richest guys in the world back then, and pretty notorious. So Mary's ghost supposedly haunts suite 410, the old office, but she's a benevolent ghost. Going through the doors of the Queen Anne is like stepping into 1890s America. On our visit, the holiday decorations are still up. The lobby and salon area are like what it must have felt like waiting in a millionaire's waiting room to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. Clocks, paintings, and heavy cardboard furniture give it a warm and cozy feeling. And this couldn't be any more romantic or cozier. I feel like I'm staying in the Lincoln Bedroom at the White House here at the Queen Anne. Beautiful furnishings, all from the period, right in the middle of Pacific Heights. You can't beat this place. So this is the fourth floor. That's the Mary Lake Suite. Just below her is the Senator Graham Suite. So this is supposedly the haunted suite. We're just down the hall. So excited to have run into the McCune family, and you guys are from Folsom. And it's Jim, Nathan, Zach, Maddie, and Tricia. And Tricia, I talked to you this morning in the lobby. Why did you guys come to the Queen Anne? We just think it's a beautiful area. We like to get away over the holidays, see the lights of the city. And this is a special place because the kids really like paranormal activity. And it's a beautiful hotel decorated for Christmas. Couldn't miss it. This is incredible. And Zach, tell me a little bit about the paranormal part. I'm very interested in paranormal anything. And so I just heard a lot about the history of this hotel, and I really wanted to come. So that's pretty fun. That's great. And Maddie, did you hear anything? Anything happen last night? Very late. I didn't hear anything in particular last night. I actually had a friend who had been here as well, too, and he was texting me saying, tell me if you see any ghosts or anything. So we were on the lookout for sure. That's kind of fun. And Jim, you have a big crew here. So, and I understand you've been in Folsom a long time, and we're going to come check out Folsom. Tell me what your favorite part of the hotel. I think the lobby and just the decorations. And we've come here and met family here in years past to exchange gifts and just kind of spend time in the hotel and in the lobby with the Christmas tree and the decorations. And that's just kind of nice to still feel the season. Like Christmas is just past, but still feeling the spirit of the season. No pun intended. Let's take a quick break and check out my best in California feature getaway. I'm so excited. We're in Oxnard. Look at this incredible beach. And I'm so happy to have Julie Bufo, president and CEO of Visit Oxnard. And Julie, this is a true hidden gem. I love this place. We are nestled right in between Malibu and Santa Barbara, California, where the 101 meets the PCH. That's amazing. So this is really the fork in the road. Come around the corner of Malibu or Blainville and book your time. Tell me a little bit about what's going on here in Oxnard. Sure. Let's start with the Channel Islands Harbor, since that's super close by. It's about an hour boat ride to get to Anacapa Island right out there. And then actually in the Channel Islands itself, the Channel Islands Harbor, you can do an array of fun activities. Of course, we have a ton of stand up paddle boarding, jet skiing, duffy boat rides. And you can do all those rentals right out at the harbor and just spend a day on the water. And we're at the Zucari Dunes Resort. Tell me about this. Zucari Dunes on Mandalay Beach just went through a multi-million dollar renovation. And they are the only all suite property in Southern California located right on the beach. If you're driving through on the 101, you'll blink a couple of times and you might have driven by us. You just need to exit and drive a couple of miles down to the beach or to downtown Oxnard, where there's a bunch of culture, history, breweries, distilleries, wineries, you name it. We have it. We have a little bit of everything for everybody. Are you the best? 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