Madonna Inn- San Luis Obispo's Glowing Gem

Over the years, the iconic hotel Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, California still has the magic of catching one’s eye up to this day.

Since the 1950's, the Madonna Inn has had a remarkable reputation of being extremely popular because of the elaborately picturesque interiors and unique vibe themed rooms.

It sits across over 1000 acres of property with the first twelve rooms completed back in December 12, 1958. Due to high demand from travelers all over, the hotel constructed a few more rooms to up its total to one hundred and ten exquisite themed rooms for visitors to explore in awe of its magnificence and splendor. 

Alex Madonna

The legendary Alex Madonna, whose highway construction, cattle ranches, philanthropy works and the Madonna Inn itself made him popular in the Central Coast. He once was quoted saying "Anybody can build one room and a thousand like it. It's more economical. Most places try to give you as little as possible. I try to give people a decent place to stay where they receive more than they are entitled to for what they're paying. I want people to come into Madonna Inn with a smile and leave the place with a smile. It's fun." I definitely couldn't agree more.

Alex Madonna’s Gold Rush Steak House

Madonna Inn’s dining area covered with a flamboyant pink hue will surely capture your imagination.

The floral pink carpet is an iconic flooring cover of the dining area, as well as the 16’4 tall gold tree fixture, made from electrical conduit leftover from building projects and from the leftover remnants of a copper. Another reused material highlighted in the dining area was the hand-carved marble balustrade from Hearst Castle. Now that's what I call recycling - the highest form of sustainability! 

The Ren Room

One of the rooms in Madonna Inn’s famed REN-DEZ-VOUS trio is the “Ren room,” which dominates with its deep, rich color palette of green, gold and brown.

The French-inspired wall coverings and the lavish gold crystal chandelier perched at the fern hue vaulted ceiling, adds soft touches of unspoken romance. They say this is a perfect venue for an unforgettable rendezvous.

Look at these pieces! The vintage rococo style furniture are widely known for their weird "animal feet" popularized around the 18th century. Adding these historic beauties definitely give a pure classiness and elegance in the entire space.

Plain coincidence or mind-blowing facts?

When I was doing my research about Madonna Inn, I learned that aside from opening the first 12 rooms in December of 1958, there was absolutely no connection between Madonna Inn and the legendary pop music icon. But feeling like a cat covered with curiosity, I dug further and discovered that perhaps the only connection between the popular music diva and Madonna Inn was the year 1958, the first time it opened its doors to the public and the same year Madonna (the singer) was born, August 16, the same day we went to Madonna Inn.

So perhaps that explains why on the road to San Luis Obispo, we kept playing Madonna’s songs. From thereon, we decided that this is going to be a yearly thing for us, a trek to Madonna Inn every 16th of August and definitely it will be as thrilling as the first visit, because there are only one hundred and nine rooms left to explore. Probably, the pink Carin room for 2021.