THE STINKY BUTTHEADS

For 2017, I wanted to take a trip every month just to keep my work-life balance in check. For April, we decided to take a road trip from San Diego up to Paso Robles. We decided on Paso because we wanted to bring along our dog and Paso ended up being super dog friendly.

When we mapped out the trip, it was only supposed to take 6 hrs but it took us much longer. We left San Diego around 8:40am on Saturday and got to Paso at around 5pm. We made a stop at McDonald's for breakfast and in Solvang for lunch. Traffic in Los Angeles was pretty horrible (on the 110 and on the 405) so if you plan on trying to avoid that, you may want to leave around 5am or 6am.

For lunch we ate at a cute little place called The Succulent Cafe.

Pictured above is their Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich.
There really wasn't very many choices and if you really want to explore Paso, I would skip Solvang.

We walked around the little town for a bit before driving to our hotel in Paso.

When we arrived at our hotel, it was close to 5:30p.

Most tasting rooms at wineries close at 5pm so it was too late to anything that day.

I headed to the pool to sunbathe for a bit.

I made a reservation for dinner at Thomas Hill Organics which I would highly recommend.

And again, make sure you make a reservation.

They were not taking any walk-ins the night that we went.

To start we got the oysters.

We got the 2015 Albarino from Bodega de Edgar.

We thought it was pretty good for a white wine. Not too sugary.

You can actually visit this particular winery.

We want to go but didn't end up having enough time.

For our main courses Tony got the Duck Duo and I got the Scallops.

Both dishes were very tasty. I especially LOVED the couscous that came with the duck.

After dinner, we were pretty exhausted from being in the car all day so we headed back to the hotel and planned our which wineries and tasting rooms we wanted to go to.

We started off fresh on Sunday morning at 10am at Eberle Winery.

We had a coupon for 20% off wines and it was right next to our hotel.

This actually ended up being our favorite winery not only for their delicious wines,

but also for their breathtaking views of the rolling vineyards.

We happened to go when they were having an event and the parking lot was full of super exotic cars.

Can you say super heart eyes?!

The wines we tasted are marked.

The 2014 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was by far the best red we tasted the entire trip!!

A must try! My 2nd favorite was their 2016 Muscat Canelli dessert wine.

We actually ended up getting 2 bottles of the dessert wine and 4 bottles total.

The great part is that because the tastings were free and we had the 20% off coupon, we only paid $77 dollars for 4 bottles of wine plus the 5 tastings. This was comparable to purchasing the tastings and only 2 bottles of wine at another winery that we went to.

Another awesome thing about Eberle is that they offer a free tour of their wine cave.

There's even a place where you can hold a private wine and cheese event in the cave.

The outside was also extremely gorgeous and perfect for large parties.

After Eberle, we headed to Calcareous.

Yet another winery with beautiful views of the entire city.

We ended up having lunch here. We got the cheese plate and the beef sliders.

Dogs are not allowed in the tasting room but it was beautiful outside anyways.

Beautiful view at Calcareous.

Next stop was Chronic Cellars. Young, fun and friendly workers here.

$10 for a tasting but you get to keep the glass.
The have a pool table and outside seating and our dog was welcome in the tasting room.

Dutchie loved the nice cold floors.

Last stop of the day was at Adelaida Vineyards & Winery.
Very beautiful outside area to lounge around and beautiful views.

You can opt to sit outside and they bring you each of the tastings.
$15 tasting fee.

We got to enjoy this view while sipping on our wines.

After Adelaida, we went back to the hotel to take a small nap.

Right before dinner, we decided to make a stop at Barrelhouse Brewing Co.

We were told to stop by Tin City as well which showcases a few different tasting rooms and cider

but unfortunately it closes early on Sunday so we missed out.

For dinner, we decided to go with Fish Gaucho.

I'm still thinking about the mole right now. Sofa king good!

Duck Confit Empanadas. BOMB DOT COM.

Chorizo Torta

Braised Short Rib Chile Verde

Bread pudding. A must!
I would probably share this because it's pretty big.

Overall, we had a great time in Paso and we can't wait to go back!
Next time we'll definitely skip out on Solvang and hit up more wineries.
We may try to hit up Paso before the holidays because who doesn't love wine?!
Thanks for reading!
xoxo

Here are some links to the websites we used to research what and where to go in Paso:

Pet-Friendly Activities (link)
Travel Paso (link)
Reasons to Drive to Paso Robles Wine Country - Zagat (link)
Dog Friendly Wineries in Paso Robles (link)

Day 2: Exploring the Island

For our first breakfast, we chose to have a Greek breakfast.
The amazing breakfast at our hotel made getting out of bed a little easier.

For our second day in Santorini, we decided to go on a group tour of the island.

First stop on the tour was at Megalochori. Our tour guide Katy was super informative.

After our stop at Megalochori, we went to Akrotiri.

This was an optional tour and it was definitely one that we didn't regret.

I was always obsessed with Pompei and Mt. Vesuvious when I was younger so seeing "the Pompei of Greece" along with our informative guide was an awesome experience.