Nestled between the hills and the coast in central California, Paso Robles remains isolated and pastoral enough to feel like California Valhalla.

Paso Robles is one of those places you want the rest of the world to completely ignore. Midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, bordered by Highway 1 on the coast and the 101 Freeway, the small town somehow remains isolated, pastoral and undeveloped enough to feel like hidden California promised land.

Keeping that secret is getting tougher. Years ago, my elderly neighbor in Los Angeles would sneak off for weekends to his mysterious property in “Paso,” and I’d always say, “Wait. Where?” If only I’d gone in on the real estate with him. Today, Paso Robles is among California’s fastest-growing wine regions (with more than 300

wineries), with beach access, Michelin stars, truly mind-blowing art, and a cowboy-country-vibe unlike anything else in the state.

To keep things simple, I’ll give it to you straight. Here are the three ingredients to a perfect weekend in Paso Robles.

STAY

With 16 Euro-chic rooms and 20 more on the way, Hotel Cheval remains top pony when it comes to Paso Robles luxury accommodations.

There aren’t any actual horses at Hotel Cheval but the equestrian-themed boutique hotel in the center of town is top pony when it comes to Paso accommodations. The original 16 rooms are built around an inviting courtyard with fire pits (there’s even a s’mores butler). And the Euro-chic rooms are stunning: High wood-beamed ceilings, glassed-in showers for two, giant beds with goose-down comforters that are soft-as-a-cloud. Each room has a fireplace and a few have sundecks and outdoor patios. Breakfasts are included and so is the penny candy in the hotel library. Twenty new rooms are scheduled to open in a second building across Pine Street in 2024. More reasons for Cheval guests to say, “Whoa, Nelly!”

DO

So-not-overrated: Bruce Munro’s Sensorio will blow your mind, plain and simple.

True confession: I kept avoiding Bruce Munro’s Light at Sensorio exhibition because everyone kept telling I had to see it. Stubbornly, I took that as a signal that Sensorio was overrated. What’s the big deal about a few outdoor lights anyway? Reader, I was wrong. Way wrong. The immersive walk-through bathes you in a candy-colored dreamscape of more than 100,000 illuminated orbs that change color across the undulating fields. It’s more than an art exhibit; it’s a transformative experience. A mushroom trip without the mushrooms. A celebration of light and technology and nature. Even if you’ve seen it before, it’s worth seeing again. Two new Munro exhibits, Gone Fishing and Fireflies, opened this year, making it one of California’s most innovative and engaging contemporary art installations.

EAT

Inventive, whimsical and off-the-charts delicious: In Bloom is worth a detour even if you do nothing else in Paso Robles.

Even if you don’t do anything else in Paso Robles it’s worth making a detour to In Bloom. Founded last year by restaurateurs Chris and Nicole Haisma, the place embodies laidback Paso sophistication at its finest. Executive Chef Kenny Seliger is a talent on par with anyone you’ll find in those two megalopolises to the north and south, and Michelin has already signaled out his inventive ever-changing menu for “perfectly executed branzino,” and dishes, cocktails, and wine that “reflect the spirit of California’s Central Coast.” I’ll go so far as to say our recent meal at In Bloom was our best meal of 2023. Think I’m overselling the place? That’s fine. I’m all about keeping Paso Robles under-the-radar as long as possible.