![\"Central](\"http:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/CentralCoastMap-500x469.jpg\" "\\"CentralCoastMap\\"")
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We just returned from a great weekend trip to the California Central Coast. \u00a0We spent Friday and Saturday nights in a house my parents rented just above Edna Valley, a wine producing region just south of San Luis Obispo. \u00a0The area has a lot to offer–probably one of the best year-round climates around, beautiful picturesque landscapes, an excellent beach, and amazing seafood. \u00a0It’s also a little hard to get to for most people (the nearest major airport is over 80 miles away), which might make it a little less touristy than other locations in California. \u00a0Still, there were plenty of crowds on the beach and at the wharf in Morro Bay.<\/p>\n
The undisputed highlight of the trip was actually the rental house. \u00a0We choose the house after researching for a place to stay (a little bit last minute) on vbro.com<\/a>. \u00a0Renting a place can be cheaper for couples traveling together. \u00a0Often times, rentals are especially attractive when the rental period is at least a week. \u00a0We found a great looking place that was competitive with hotel prices for just 4 nights (my parents stayed the other two alone), even after considering the cleaning fee. The house we rented was called Casita Las Brisas<\/a>, and is situated above the Edna Valley. I included a snapshot below of the view from just outside the house.<\/p>\n In the view from the house, you can see the Nine Sisters<\/a> in the distance, a chain of volcanic peaks and hills in the area. \u00a0In the foreground is a sample of the many flowers that were planted around the house to attract hummingbirds. \u00a0I’ve never seen so many hummingbirds in my life!<\/p>\n During our short stay there, we managed to cover the area fairly well. \u00a0We started our first day off with wine tasting at Wolff Vineyards<\/a> in the Edna Valley below our rental. \u00a0We were pleasantly surprised with their “Old Vine” Chardonnay, which is actually grown without irrigation. \u00a0<\/p>\n We then travelled north to Morro Bay. \u00a0We were very surprised by the large crowds at Morro Bay, but with the help of the local Tourist Information office, we found an excellent eatery in Tognazzini’s Dockside Restaurant<\/a>. \u00a0They had plenty of local fish on the menu, and the Halibut Cheeks Picatta they served as a Special when we visited was very memorable. \u00a0Yum!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A great activity for all travelers to Morro Bay is kayaking. \u00a0The water is very calm in Morro Bay, and there is plenty of scenery and sea life (including a sea lion dock) to make an hour of paddling very interesting. \u00a0At $12 for the first hour, kayaking is pretty affordable as well. One fun adventure is to travel to the sand spit across the bay, which is somewhat of an uninhabited island.<\/p>\n Another day was spent at Pismo Beach. \u00a0In addition to more good seafood and white sandy beaches, Pismo also has an impressive pier. \u00a0We noticed plenty of fisherman and several domesticated pelicans on the pier. \u00a0Looking back, the pier has an excellent view of the beach, including the houses situated on the hill right above the town.<\/p>\n Even with all the great things to do and see in the Central Coast, we found it to be an excellent destination to just relax. \u00a0The perfect climate and picturesque views make a morning or afternoon outside very refreshing. \u00a0We had one very exciting bonus, in that our rental had a breezeway that could be completely opened-up (shown below). \u00a0It allowed us to take refuge from the sun, but enjoy the cool breezes and wildlife sounds from outside. \u00a0We can’t stop thinking about how relaxing our short little trip to Central California was! \u00a0We can’t wait to come back!<\/p>\n We just returned from a great weekend trip to the California Central Coast. \u00a0We spent Friday and Saturday nights in a house my parents rented just above Edna Valley, a wine producing region just south of San Luis Obispo. \u00a0The … Continue reading ![\"Edna](\"http:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/EdnaValley1-500x341.jpg\" "\\"Edna")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Pismo](\"http:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Pismo-500x362.jpg\" "\\"Pismo")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Casitas](\"http:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Casitas-500x333.jpg\" "\\"Casitas")
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