Day 5 – Travel Day: Santa Barbara to Paso Robles

We woke up to another cloudy morning in Santa Barbara. I guess June Gloom really arrived early in Southern California. We had a bit of a later start than expected since we had to pack up everything and check out. Jeannine’s had no line again so we decided to eat there since it was quick and easy. I ordered the Avocado Eggs Benedict with a side of fruit, Stelios had a Tri-Tip Omelet, and we bought some scones for the road.

We were headed to our second destination: Paso Robles.

I have been wanting to do a trip to Paso for a few years now after having some excellent wines from the region the last time I was in Cali and even from some restaurants back home. The drive to Paso took about 2 hours and was very scenic as we drove through the mountains and passed a few lakes. We couldn’t get over the difference in climate just from a 2 hour drive. Santa Barbara was chilly & windy and Paso was warm & sunny.

THIS was the Cali weather I had been craving – HELLO PASO!

We checked into our Airbnb – a cute 2 bedroom, 2 bath house just a few blocks from the main downtown square. I knew we’d need to do laundry at this point in the trip which was the main reason we chose an Airbnb over a hotel, but it’s also nice to change it up on vacation and each have their own perks.

We had a 3pm wine tasting reservation at Hope Family Winery – most prominently known for their Austin Hope Cabernet. Upon arrival we were greeted with two glasses of sauv blanc and escorted to our private outdoor cabana area with a wonderful view of the vineyards. It’s such a different experience tasting wine at the vineyard compared to the tasting rooms. It feels much more relaxed, and the views are incredible.

There was only one tasting option, so we each did a flight and ordered a cheese & charcuterie box to share. Our sommelier, Ashley, did a great job telling us about the different wines and history of the vineyard as we tried each one. We thought about joining the wine club here but sadly they do not delivery to New Jersey (most wineries here don’t since it’s a separate license and NJ has stricter liquor laws 👎🏼) At the end of the tasting Ashley brought out a complimentary bottle of Austin Hope Chenin Blanc that said “Happy Birthday Stephanie” on it – how sweet !

After finishing up at Austin Hope we went back to our Airbnb to put the wine in the fridge and then walked downtown. We had 6:45 dinner reservations at a Mexican restaurant called Fish Gaucho & met up with Julie, one of my old customers from Drift that I worked with virtually for almost 2 years. When I found out that she lived in Paso Robles I emailed her when I was planning the trip and she was happy to give me local recommendations. She was so excited we were coming out and I think we were both glad that meeting up in real life actually worked out! It’s always funny meeting people from work in real life and not knowing how tall or short they are – to each others surprise, we were both short!

We ordered a round of margaritas & chips and guac to start as we chatted and caught up on life. The conversation was so good that the waiter came over 3x and we still hadn’t picked out our entrees – woops! So we had to pause the convo while I perused the menu and we were ready to order when he came back 5 minutes later. Stelios & I shared the Short Rib Tacos & Fish Tacos , while Julie had Enchilada soup. The short rib tacos were both our favorite. After spending a few hours at Fish Gaucho we said goodbye to Julie – it was so lovely meeting her in person and hanging out.

We walked back to our Airbnb around 9:30 and were tired from the travel day. So like the soon to be married couple we are we changed into our pajamas, put on the TV, watched an episode of Ted Lasso and went to bed. Tomorrow was a packed day and I was looking forward to a good night’s sleep.