San Luis Creek Lodge

To call it a bed and breakfast would be accurate, but frankly wouldn’t do it justice. San Luis Creek Lodge combines an intimate, low-key residential-style concept with the kind of design you typically only find in a proper luxury boutique hotel. And with 25 rooms divided among three distinct buildings, it’s larger and more varied than the typical B&B. The setting, right in the heart of San Luis Obispo, is as convenient as it gets, but of course this charming town is no great metropolis — here the heart of town is still a perfectly relaxing place to be.

The lodge’s disparate spaces can thank designer Nina Freudenberger of Haus Interior for their cohesive aesthetic, which is part whitewashed farmhouse, part ultra-casual surf shack, and full of effortless bohemian-rustic detailing and layer upon layer of classic Californian design history. The bedrooms are luxe without being ostentatious, full of comforts like Fili d’Oro linens, Aesop bath products, minibars full of well-chosen upscale snacks, and stylish little tea and coffee sets. Breakfast, naturally, is the extent of the meal service here, though given the location you’re surrounded not just by San Luis Obispo’s best but by the whole bounty of the Central Coast wine country.