When I was a kid, my family did the legendary vacation drive up the Pacific Coast Highway. I wasn’t yet ten years old, but even then I was aware of the San Luis Obispo’s Madonna Inn and desperately wanted to stay there. No such luck. Dad was all for the Fairmount Hotels of the world but wasn’t on board with a restored motel with 109 over-the-top theme rooms. Most famous is probably the Caveman Room, but other choices include The Currier & Ives Room, The Sir Walter Raleigh Room, Barrel of Fun and Floral Fantasy. Okay, it’s all just a bit kinky, and I can see where Dad would get the impression the place wasn’t for kids…but still! I’ll never cease to be disappointed about not getting to choose a theme room.
While lots of restored, historic hotels claim to transport you to another time, the Madonna Inn delivers on the promise. So what if the time it transports you to is the kitsch-laden 1950s? It is a bit remarkable to think of a young couple checking into the Fleur-Di-Lies Room and exclaiming “How classy!” and “How French!” without a touch of irony. I’m sure they also admired the red leather banquets and gilded mirrors in the Gold Rush Steak House.
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