Vacation, Leg 2

And then we headed over to the grandparents’ where once again we were shooed away so that they could have the kids all to themselves. Who were we to argue? So away we went for a little getaway. You knew this was coming, right? 😉

On our way to our final destination, we stopped over for lunch at the Apple Farm Restaurant. We got there just in time to dine with the senior crowd. But it’s a very cute location, the food was good, and there’s something very sweet about seeing an older couple sitting together over a quiet, companionable meal. I only hope that we will be blessed with so many years together. 🙂

Thanks to Grandma’s full breakfast, we weren’t totally hungry for lunch and so decided to share a couple “smaller” dishes. This Shrimp San Luis Salad turned out to be Phil’s favorite and I have to agree that it was pretty tasty. Except for the black olives. He got my share of those.

Along with this yummy little number (turkey pot pie).

It was in the chilly mid-60s when we were at the beach with the kids, but suddenly zoomed up to the 90s mid-week. Phil went with the hot spiced cider in spite of the heat. Also really good, but likely even better in the days leading up to Christmas.

So here’s our standard m.o. when it comes to vacations/getaways/date nights/what have you- Phil makes the plan, I pack us up, Phil loads the car, we enjoy the drive/flight/trip, and end up where we end up. I am perfectly content not knowing where we’re going until we’re there. Why? Because that guy up in the picture has yet to let me down when it comes to planning something for us. And this time was no different. We ended up at the Avila La Fonda hotel, which is just a few miles down the road from Pismo Beach.

A peek into our lovely room.

Where we were greeted by this basket of complimentary snacks and drinks. Woo! But see that “Kirkland” brand fruit bag? We quickly discovered that this hotel might well have been called the “Costco Hotel” since everything from the towels, the coffee maker, and the items in the “chocolate pantry” were all Costco items. Not a bad thing since we love Costco and especially enjoyed the fluffy towels, but still… Costco everything. Pretty much.

Ready to step out and do a little exploring.

But first a quick stop to sample some of the hotel’s “Wine Reception” offerings. Again, unmistakably Costco.

The hotel’s entrance.

We found ourselves back in San Luis Obispo (a ten-minute drive) enjoying an evening stroll and doing what we always do- window shop then ultimately end up in Ross-for-less (as Phil calls it) to pick out new clothes for our dinner date.

Dressed and ready for our kid-less date night. Please excuse our giddy expressions. I did mention kid-less, right? 😉

By the hotel fountain.

There was a bit of a wait even with a reservation, so we did a little more strolling.

Most of Avila Beach is just that one street behind me so it didn’t take too long to walk it. Very cute little area, and mostly empty while we were there. This is in STARK contrast to the weekends when it’s completely packed with nary a parking spot to be found anywhere. Ask me later how I know this.

We ate dinner in the outside patio area of the Custom House restaurant. No pictures though because it was dark by then, I was hongray!, and was too busy enjoying the delicious food. And the delightful company, too. 😉 (And yes, Phil’s going to love that I called him delightful.)