San Luis Obispo | The Butler Hotel

Wine country weekends are wonderful, no matter which "wine country" you choose. On my first trip to California's Central Coast I fell in love—with the people, the wine, and most dramatically, the gorgeous scenery. My partner and I trekked up and down the coast for several days, but our first stop was San Luis Obispo (SLO as the locals call it) and an overnight at the charming Butler Hotel.

Situated in a repurposed building from the 1950s, this six-room hotel does things quite differently than a typical chain. There's no front desk, so you get a code to enter and let yourself into your own room. Each well-appointed space features either one queen or one king bed, so this is not the place you want to bring a gaggle of friends and pile into one room for a bachelorette weekend. And because of the one-bed-per-room setup, the Butler is an unofficial kid-free property because there are no crib or rollaways available and who wants to travel to wine country and bring their kids, let alone have them sleeping in the same bed? Hopefully no one, so I'm giving The Butler Hotel honorary 100% kid-free status. Cheers to that! - Steven Lindsey

thebutlerhotel.com

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5 Reasons to Visit The Butler Hotel

Boutique in the truest sense
Even by boutique hotel standards, the Butler Hotel is about the boutiquiest I've ever encountered. With only six rooms in the whole place, you'll feel like you're nestled in a quiet corner of someone's beautifully designed home rather than a cookie-cutter corporate hotel.

Wining encouraged
Tucked in the hallway between the entrance to the hotel and the Vinyl Library Lounge, you'll find a cute little bar set up with a few bottles of local wine. Pour a glass, kick back in your room or the lounge and get ready for a few days of much more wine. MUCH more.

Rooms built for two
You can bring your dog, but please don't bring your children. That's the unofficial policy of the hotel and it's a good one. Though kids can technically stay here, it's not something that's encouraged or shown in the marketing materials or anywhere for that matter. So hopefully parents will take the hint and come on their own for a romantic weekend. And if that's truly the case, leave the pooch at home, too.

Showers built for two, too
What happens in wine country should stay in wine country, but you never know when you might want to brag. The spacious bathrooms have everything you'll need to refresh and recharge, but the shower is one that's hard to not spend hours in. And it's big enough for two (just sayin') should you need a little help soaping up those hard-to-reach places. Or simply wish to help conserve precious H20.

For the records
Grab a glass of wine from the bar and head right to the cozy Vinyl Library Lounge, a hip enclave with a record player and plenty of record albums to choose from. Throw one on the turntable and travel back in time to an era from your past—or an era before you were born. Either way, it's a fun place to visit.