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Apple Farm Inn
The Apple Farm Restaurant and Bakery: If the food could be called basic with its signature comfort foods such as meatloaf and mashed potatoes, it could also be considered perfect for a young family. Most families do not visit resorts seeking elegant cuisine, but rather, food that the kids will really eat. The Apple Farm Restaurant is precisely perfect for this objective. The kids' menu includes pancakes and bacon, French toast and Belgian waffle boats for breakfast. Lunch and dinner offers good old favorites such as hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken strips, macaroni and cheese, and a soup and salad bar. After 5:00 p.m., turkey with dressing and meatloaf are served. Mom and Dad will be happy that the entrees range affordably from about $5.00 to $7.00.
An array of unique and colorful souvenirs in the Apple Farm gift shop A new Spa and Wellness Center: While maintaining its old-world style, the Apple Farm happily updated itself so that parents of the rushed modern world can recharge with massages and facials. Their selections are quite affordable; a Swedish massage for 55 minutes runs $75.00; Aromatherapy massage is $85.00 for 55 minutes. The spa also offers some trendy packages such as Sea Salt Body Scrub with Aromatherapy; Drybrush Exfoliation with Aromatherapy; and Deluxe Sea Spa Package.
Apple Blossom Days: Christmas time is always a big to-do at the Apple Farm with Santa and all the seasonal Christmas festivities. Now springtime brings a charming reason to visit the Apple Farm for the Apple Blossom Days, which commence in late March and run through the month of April. The kick-off day, which is an annual event, includes booths with floral and gardening demonstrations, wine and beer by the glass, and a barbeque with entertainment by local artists, such as Louie Ortega. This first year, the hotel hosted local vendors, a petting zoo, a photography contest, and a boysenberry dessert contest. What fun! Check website postings annually to plan for the next Apple Blossom Day launch. If you should miss this fun day, the spirit of this event continues throughout April; the restaurant offers several floral delights such as a special salad with edible flowers and the bakery provides floral themed cupcakes and cookies, and daily golden apple treasure hunts will be available to guests. At the time of my stay, the Apple Blossoms Package was being introduced, running March 30 to May 1, 2008. Check annually for the dates of this seasonal package as springtime approaches, to enjoy this beautiful season in San Luis Obispo at the delightful Apple Farm. Priced at $139.00 per night, this package is available Sunday through Wednesday nights and includes one-night accommodations in a deluxe Victorian styled room; a baby apple tree as a souvenir; $20.00 shopping/dining voucher to be used anywhere on the Apple Farm property; daily wine reception (a new hotel feature); a packet of Apple Farm seeds upon checkout.
Guest reception: This was the final new addition I discovered at the hotel upon my 2008 visit, and it contributes to the general hospitable atmosphere of the property. Each afternoon, wine, coffee, and bakery treats were served in the reception area by the pool near the Old Mill. Clearly, this is a feature that appeals to all members of a traveling family, parents, and kids alike. My kids enjoyed the bakery treats before dipping in the pool. Additionally, warm cookies and coffee are available in the lobby. The Apple Farm is a destination within itself, but for the kids in the family and the kids at heart, the hotel is central to many interesting and relaxing places to visit including Avila Beach, Morro Bay, and Pismo Beach. Nearby Sycamore Mineral Springs is a lovely place to visit for the gardens Labyrinth, and trails to the beach, even if you are not staying there on this visit. The downtown Mission, founded in 1772 by Father Junipero Serra includes a museum, gift shop, and walking garden, in addition to daily services. For further drives (approximately 45 minutes each), Hearst Castle is to the north and the Danish village of Solvang resides to the south.
The illustrious Hearst Castle is only 45 minutes north of the Apple Farm I have always treasured the warmth and charm of the Apple Farm, which does not feel a part of the fast-paced world. Those seeking a quieter, gentler touch, and want their family to feel it too, need only to seek refuge in this comfortable Victorian Inn. Read on for more information about the Apple Farm from my earlier visit.  Old-fashioned comfort and warmth are the hallmarks of the Apple Farm Inn 2000 Visit The Apple Farm Inn, with its AAA four-diamond rating, contains sixty-nine guestrooms, and, for those on a budget, the sister lodge, Trellis Motor Court Motel offers thirty-five rooms. Our room was on the top of the two-story inn, which posed no inconvenience for accessibility. The very wide elevator easily contained baby Mandalin in her stroller, four adults, and plenty of luggage. The fine attention to detail in Victorian decór grabbed my attention as I walked through the hallway, which was decorated with various floral wallpapers and borders, stenciled lamps, colorful china displays, cheerful hatboxes, and country crafts. In decorating the various rooms, the designers most impressively employed no fewer than 200 wallpaper patterns, 100 fabric patterns, twenty-seven colors of paint, and 600 pieces of art, to ensure that no two rooms would be alike.
Children are especially intrigued by the Apple Farm's fourteen-foot water wheel which operates a set of pulleys and belts that churn homemade ice cream, press fresh apple cider, and grind wheat. Samples of the apple cider are given on the adjacent patio. The two-story gift shop gratifies both children and adults with its kitchenwares, stenciled pieces of china, apple butter, boysenberry spreads, flavored coffees, soaps, bath items, and cookbooks as well as a large selection of toys and children's books.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Hearst Castle750 Hearst Castle Road San Simeon, CA 93452 Phone: (805) 927-2020 www.hearstcastle.org
The Danish village of Solvang is 45 minutes south of San Luis Obispo
The fishing village of Morro Bay is a fun nearby destination from the Apple Farm |
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THE APPLE FARM INN
The expansive room with its king-sized canopy bed, turreted seating area with love-seat and chairs, fireplace, armoire, desk and chair, decorated all in crisp white and various shades of blue, met every expectation. This room was clearly not part of a mass-decoration effort but carefully pieced together with beautiful details not typically found in a room in this price range. At only $165.00, plus tax, this room felt like a much pricier room you might pay for in a bed-and-breakfast, with its little candles in decorative holders, colorful framed prints, and window seats set off by crown molding and chair rails. All guests are given a red, wooden apple to take home. Our room was situated above the San Luis Creek, and my husband, Mandalin, and I all fell asleep that night listening to the authentic country sounds of crickets and frogs.
