Down the Rabbit Hole at the Madonna Inn

In my last post, I shared all the preparation and safety precautions we took to enjoy a birthday weekend away from home – along with the steps The Cliffs Hotel and Spa in Pismo Beach took to keep us feeling safe. For part two of my trip, we traveled further north into San Luis Obispo and the world-famous Madonna Inn, for the themed birthday celebration I’d always dreamed of having.

I can't believe I had never had an Alice in Wonderland-themed birthday until this year! An Alice in Wonderland themed wedding, home, looks, costumes and countless other things, but never a birthday! And the Madonna Inn seemed like the perfect place for that. Now, I am pretty much always thinking about Alice in Wonderland, but what really pushed it over the edge in figuring out a birthday plan was this dress from Silver Lake Owl:

It's the most perfect Cheshire Cat bound I've ever seen!! The Cheshire Cat dress of my DREAMS! So, now I had my birthday dress. Add to it a playsuit for lounging, a swimsuit for swimming, some pajamas for sleeping and – gosh, I really spoiled myself on my birthday. I love planning for a trip or a bound – it's my favorite part! Searching on Etsy for that perfect piece, imagining the backgrounds – the when and the where! I just love it!

Anyway, we arrived at the Madonna Inn on my birthday. First things first, we picked up a signature Pink Champagne Cake from the bakery that I had ordered ahead of time. I chose their smallest size because, well, it was just the two of us. But I had made a special request – some white piping around the outside of the cake, to make it look like the cake in Alice in Wonderland. I'll be honest, it was a request I wasn't sure they would meet – you always know what you're getting with the Madonna Inn, and especially their Pink Champagne Cake, which tastes equally delicious every time! SO imagine my surprise when they DID IT!!!! I was even contacted by the bakery manager to submit a photo so they could get it juuuuuuust right! They really delivered to make my birthday dream come true! Add a couple of flowers and a candle from Bake My Day Alex and my birthday cake was PERFECT! Oh, and did I MENTION I had some "eat me" cookies made by Marinold Cakes? Because of course I did!!

The night of my birthday, Adam and I enjoyed an evening in the Madonna Suite taking pictures (pink outfit from Rose Cabbage MD, blue peignoir set from Guava Tree Vintage) sipping champagne and cuddling up by the fireplace. I will forever be dreaming of this fireplace. Hoo-boy!

The next day we woke up, ordered breakfast from the Copper Cafe and enjoyed the room some more as we ate. Did I mention the shower in the Madonna Suite’s bathroom is a WATERFALL? Yeah, we enjoyed that, too. Showers have now been spoiled forever.

After getting ready for the day, we did a room swap and moved upstairs into Just Heaven. We'd stayed previously in the Love Nest, its counterpart room across the hall, and fell in love with the style and the layout of the room, so we had to check this one out, too.

Wow. It really stood up to the hype that had built up in our heads. It had everything – spiral staircase that led up to our own private cupola, bountiful comfy seating, cherubs hovering among chandeliers and light fixtures, including one over the bathroom bidet. It really was Just Heaven.

It was a windy day, so we postponed our plans to go for a bike ride and checked out the pool instead. Curious to see what safety precautions were being taken, we noted that they were very similar to The Cliffs'. Chairs were removed to help with distancing, the hot tub was closed, and towels were issued and collected only in-room. I ordered a Pink Cloud Cocktail from the pool bar to enjoy in my pink flamingo (what else would the Queen of Hearts drink from?) and we sunbathed.

As dinnertime approached, we remarked how grateful we were to have such a fine, luxurious room to eat in. So we ordered our favorite item for takeout from Alex Madonna's Gold Rush Steakhouse – the prime rib salad, along with cheesy garlic bread and fingerling potatoes.

One of my favorite things about visiting the Madonna Inn in the midst of a global pandemic is the layout. All rooms are accessible via outdoor walkways, so you never have to be concerned with someone walking into your elevator or passing you in an indoor hallway. We always wore our masks when walking through the inn’s shops and other common spaces.

After dinner, we made our way up to the cupola and watched the cars whiz by on the 101 freeway in the distance before calling it a night. That dinner was so good, it put us right to sleep.

The next day, despite a steady breeze, we enacted our plan to bike into SLO. From our last trip, I remembered that the Madonna Inn offers rental bikes to its guests for $15 per hour. At first, I was concerned the trip into SLO would cost us a small fortune, but the kind folks at the front desk informed us that SLO was about a half mile away, and we'd be there in no time. After the front desk host kindly sanitized the bike seats and handlebars, we hopped on and made our way up the beautiful bike trail. The wind had died down and it was an absolutely perfect day. While enjoying the ride, we scoped out some choice dinner spots and settled on an incredible-smelling pizza joint – again, to be eaten in our room!

After a leisurely ride back, we returned our bikes, walked back to our room and put in a delivery order while we relaxed. Pizza arrived in no time, and it tasted just as good as it smelled! We were ready to call it a night, but it was our last, so we could not let that incredible room go to waste. So, you guessed it – another photo shoot! I would be lying if I did not admit that photo shoots are my favorite things to do in hotel rooms.

I think it's safe to say that this was the best birthday ever. It was relaxing, socially distanced, and felt safe in every way.

UPDATE: Since our visit, the Alex Madonna Gold Rush Steak House has extended their dining outdoors! Visit their website to see how they are complying with local health ordinances.