Hotel at a Glance: Santa Maria Inn

When movie stars such as Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe needed a break from Los Angeles, oftentimes they’d stay at the historical Santa Maria Inn. Just like the Hollywood royalty of cinema’s golden age, guests today can lounge amid palm trees and fountains in the rose garden or bask in the old-school elegance of the interior, which features historical photos and period furnishings. 

• Take a dip in the heated pool.
• Indulge in a massage or skin treatment in the spa.
• Year the inn was built: 1917
• Sample local wines in the onsite Wine Cellar & Martini Bar, or try the draft beers in the Olde English Tap Room.
• For a romantic meal and casual California cuisine head to the Garden Room Restaurant.

Santa Maria, California: Central Coast Wine Country and Hearst Castle

Situated along California’s Central Coast, Santa Maria lies in an enormous valley carpeted with rows of grapevines and olive trees. The wine country is the oldest in the state, predating both Napa and Sonoma. Visitors will find some 58 wineries scattered amid the rolling hillsides, offering a wide variety of wine tours to choose from. But variety comes not at the sake of quality, as the grape-growing conditions here are stellar, with an unobstructed path between the valley and the ocean for overnight sea fog. “The Santa Maria Valley may well have the highest overall quality of grapes and wines of any appellation in California … it is an insider’s secret,” wrote Steve Heimoff, the West Coast editor of Wine Enthusiast.

Another local flavor is Santa Maria–style barbecue, a tradition stretching back more than 150 years. Prepared at a number of restaurants in town, the recipe involves a sirloin in a special dry rub cooked over indigenous red oak and served with pinquito beans.

Just over an hour’s drive up the coast stands the famed Hearst Castle, an enormous estate that once belonged to newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. The building took more than 28 years to complete and has more than 100 elaborate rooms filled with Spanish and Italian art and antiques. Numerous tours crisscross the property’s 127 acres throughout the day, acquainting visitors with its grand rooms, cottages, kitchens, and fitness room wallpapered with Hearst’s collection of Family Circus comic strips.

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