Los Olivos

Los Olivos is the most perfect little town.  Charming architecture, lush gardens and wine tasting rooms on every corner.  I feel like I’m on Gilmore Girls, except with drinking tons of wine.  🙂

This place is our favorite in this entire area.  Los Olivos is quaint and peaceful, which truly defines wine country getaway in my mind.
There are not a lot of hotels in the area, so house rental is your best bet.  We stayed at the most perfect spot for our group size – 3 bedrooms complete with a gazebo and wine grapes growing overhead.

If you’re planning a trip, here are some of my faves:

To Stay:

 Los Olivos Style Cottage #1

Wine Country Cottage – Sleeps 6

Cuatro Vientos Vineyard Hacienda – Sleeps 8

To Eat:

Sides Hardware & Shoes – The name is misleading.  It sounds like their menu would read something like Home Depot’s but don’t be fooled, it is one of the best restaurants in the area.  In addition to their regular menu, they also have a list of just awesome burgers.  I mean…so good!

Wine Merchant – A must-stop for every trip!  Food is awesome and of course, the wine selection is divine.

General Store – A great place to stop for salads and sandwiches to go for a winery picnic.  

To Drink:

Sarloos & Sons – Wine and cupcakes.  Period.

Carhartt Winery – One of the best tasting rooms in Los Olivos.  The outdoor patio is small but oh so charming.

Zinke Wines – As many times as we’ve been up to Los Olivos, we only stumbled upon it during this trip.  The outdoor area is just too cute.  Great place to buy a bottle of wine, chill out back and play a little corn hole.  

Byron Tasting Room – The wine is amazing here.  The vineyard is a short distance away if you feel like driving, but you can get everything you need here in the downtown locale.  

So many more favorites, but this rounds out some of the best!  The only downside to Los Olivos is that everything closes around 5p.  There is not much of a nightlife scene, which is fine with us.  We mostly just grilled out and enjoyed the warm summer nights in the backyard with amazing wine and great company!