Napa and Sonoma get all the name recognition — their wines are on every menu, every gift list, every “bucket list” wine trip. Paso Robles doesn’t play that game. It’s Central Coast wine country, and it has never needed to shout. It whispers. And a few years back, that whisper is what got me.
Long-time readers already know part of this story. My first Paso trip got hijacked by a wildfire near Buellton — Los Olivos was the original plan, and Hotel Cheval ended up hosting us for the whole stay instead. DAOU still stole the show that trip, and it’s the one winery I tell everyone not to skip. If you want that full itinerary, it’s here.
This is the trip where Los Olivos finally got its night. Four days, three towns, and nothing rushed — just a tank of gas (or a charge) and a drive up from Los Angeles or Orange County.
Day 1: Huntington Beach → Los Olivos, via Summerland
There are a lot of exits along the 101 before you hit Santa Barbara, and most people take the Funk Zone one. I don’t. Summerland is the exit right before Santa Barbara starts, and it’s small enough that fifteen minutes there feels like enough — until it isn’t. It’s worth more than a leg-stretch: a stop at The Well, the home-and-garden shop by Big Daddy’s Antiques, a strip of antique shops worth poking through, and lunch at Field + Fort — part café, part curated home goods boutique, with a patio worth lingering on before you’re back on the road north.
We checked into Fess Parker Wine Country Inn, right in the middle of Los Olivos’ one main street — you can walk out the door and be in the thick of the tasting rooms in under five minutes. It’s a rustic-luxe kind of property: vineyard-view rooms, a pool to come back to after a day of tasting, grounds that feel more ranch than resort. It’s not the budget option in town. But for a first night settling into wine country pace, it earns what it costs.
That evening was an easy stroll through Los Olivos itself — tasting rooms, a few small galleries, the kind of unhurried browsing that’s hard to build into a trip until you’ve already checked in somewhere for the night.
Day 2: DAOU Vineyards → Paso Robles → Hotel Cheval
The centerpiece of the whole trip. DAOU Vineyards sits at the top of DAOU Mountain in the Adelaida District, and the first time the view opens up in front of you, it actually takes your breath away — I’m still talking about it years later. The winery itself has a story worth knowing: brothers Daniel and Georges Daou fled Lebanon’s civil war as kids, eventually built and sold a tech company in the U.S., then spent years searching the world for the right mountain before they found this one in 2007. That’s the kind of backstory that makes a wine taste different once you know it.
Lunch and a tasting on the patio here is, hands down, the answer whenever someone asks me where to go in Paso. One warning if you’re following this itinerary: DAOU is by-appointment, so book ahead rather than showing up and hoping for a table.
From there it was on to Hotel Cheval, downtown Paso’s boutique standby and an old favorite of mine — half a block from the town square, which makes the evening simple: dinner nearby, a slow stroll through downtown, done.
Day 3: Paso Robles Farmers Market → Ojai
Saturday mornings in Paso mean the farmers market downtown — produce stands, local honey and olive oil, the kind of browsing where you end up buying more than you planned because everything’s from someone standing three feet away — before the drive south to Ojai.
Ojai was mine alone this trip — one night, solo, and exactly the kind of pace that town is built for. I checked into the Su Nido Inn, then spent the rest of the day doing nothing more ambitious than walking the town: in and out of shops, no agenda. I ended up at Julia Rose and Company longer than planned and walked out with a hat I still wear years later — the kind of purchase that outlasts the trip itself. Dinner was at Ojai Pub on E Ojai Avenue, the kind of low-key spot that suits a solo night exactly right.
Day 4: A Slow Ojai Morning → Home
Coffee, one last unhurried walk through town, and the easy drive home to Huntington Beach — no traffic to fight, no flight to catch, just four days that felt like more.
That’s really the thing this loop taught me: you don’t need a passport or a red-eye to slow all the way down. Sometimes it’s just a few hours up the coast.
A quick note for EV drivers: if you’re doing this same loop electric, it maps easily. Buellton has a Supercharger right on the way into Los Olivos, and Paso Robles has one on Golden Hill Road that covers both your arrival and your departure a couple days later. The stops fit naturally into the trip’s own rhythm since you’re stopping to eat or explore anyway — check your charging network’s app before you go, but this loop doesn’t ask for much extra planning either way.
If you’re planning your own Central Coast trip, my full reservations checklist is linked below.
Central Coast Road Trip: Reservations Checklist
Everything worth booking ahead for the Paso Robles → Los Olivos → Ojai loop — in the order you’ll need it.
Lodging
- Fess Parker Wine Country Inn (Los Olivos) — Night 1. Books up on weekends, especially in-season; reserve as soon as your dates are set.
- Hotel Cheval (downtown Paso Robles) — Night 2. Walkable to the town square; request a courtyard-view room if available.
- Su Nido Inn (Ojai) — Night 3. Small property, limited rooms — reserve early if you want a specific one.
Wine & Dining
- DAOU Vineyards — by-appointment only. Book your tasting (and lunch reservation, if doing the patio menu) 2–3 weeks out, especially for weekend slots.
- Dinner reservation for Night 2 in downtown Paso, if you have a specific restaurant in mind — town square spots fill early on weekends.
- Ojai Pub (E Ojai Avenue) — casual, but worth a call ahead on weekend nights.
Timing
- Plan Day 3 around the Paso Robles Farmers Market — Saturday mornings, downtown. Arrive early for the best selection.
- Leave a flexible window for The Well and Field + Fort in Summerland on Day 1 — both are worth lingering at, so don’t over-schedule the morning.
EV Drivers
- Confirm charger availability on your network’s app before you go.
- Buellton Supercharger — on the way into Los Olivos.
- Paso Robles Supercharger (Golden Hill Road) — covers both arrival and departure.
Shopping
- Leave room in the car (and the budget) for Julia Rose and Company in Ojai — small shop, easy to walk past if you’re not looking for it.
Before you go — the ShopMy essentials:
👉 Shop My Travel Essentials
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Freedom Always Blog celebrates slow travel, artisan culture, and the hidden gems that make a journey unforgettable. If this post resonated with you, share it with someone who needs a reason to book that trip.
About the Author
Marie Leiter is the voice behind Freedom Always Blog — a slow traveler with a passion for hidden gems, authentic experiences, and life well-lived between two coasts.