17/08/2020
Just thought I’d share a review from one of our guest that stayed at the Pied Piper Ranch!! Thus guest experienced the magic of this beautiful place!!
Did u ever look at a Thomas Kinkaid print/jigsaw puzzle, and daydream about what it would be like to transform urself into that scene? And then the daydream dissipates as quickly as it came, because you realize his work is pure ‘la la land’....well, I have experienced this—except that My day dream existed—-and this paradise sits on a beautiful hillside, 5 miles up the road from Route 1, in Cambria, California. It’s called the “Pied Piper Ranch”, which I discovered here on airBnB. I’ve traveled around the world, and airBnB has never disappointed us; but this one exceeded all my expectations. This ranch is a true fairytale—beautiful beyond words, magical, and, well, pretty surreal.
In mid-July 2020, we flew across country, and landed at the San Luis Obispo airport (I lived in LA for 20 years, and never knew that there was an airport—serviced primarily via American Airlines—in San Luis Obispo, which places you right in the center of the GORGEOUS Central California Coast. We picked up our car rental, and discovered that the ranch was just 50 minutes away (the best harbinger, considering CA traffic. NO traffic in these parts.)
After about 45 minutes of postcard perfect California/Route 1 scenery, we turned up a windy canyon road, surrounded by golden hills, wild flowers, and fresh air which you’d swear was manufactured by CA Chamber of Commerce—the scent in the air was a combination of lavender, rosemary, jasmine and eucalyptus. As we proceeded up the hill, there were cows, dairies, all under a cobalt blue sky, puffy white clouds, sunshine, and 71 perfect degrees. It turned out that over the next 11 days, we experienced perfect 71 degrees daily, no humidity—coming from a particularly hot Florida summer, we couldn’t be more comfortable (and relieved.)
After about 5 miles, we arrived at an iron gate—the ranch is protected by two separate gates, accessible only by gate clickers, which were left for us by the host, at the entrance to the property. Once we drove through the first gate, we took the driveway up towards the cottage. En Route, we were greeted by two extremely friendly cows, two curious donkeys, entered another gate, and, there, in the midst of rolling golden hills, deep purple flowers, multi-colored roses, citrus and apple trees, sat this picture perfect English cottage. We just stopped the car, and sat there for a few seconds, mouth opened, awestruck by the what was in front of us: this aesthetically perfect English-style cottage, pearched on its own hill, overlooking miles and miles of rolling green and golden hills, mountains of rock and spruce, surrounded by flower and herb gardens, and an enclosed farm area with goats and chickens....seriously, we were blown out of the water. We parked our car (a mustang convertible—which I strongly recommend), and instantly hugged one another—out of pure joy, due to the realization that this magical land would be our home for the next 11 days.
We walked into the house—fully stocked, fully furnished—all the comfort one could wish for. We decided to use the bedroom on the first floor (there are two floors—the first floor master bedroom was amazing—especially the bathroom...that bathroom is Architectural Digest beautiful ) We walked into the kitchen. Again, my jaw dropped. Fully equipped—huge Viking stove, massive white/grey marble block in the center...there’s a game room, which is designed like classic a English pub —pool table, dart board, bar, smart TV, piano—-and, as if this sensory overload wasn’t enough, u step up to the French doors, which lead outside...
Outside...where to begin? a full outdoor dining area (we ate outside every night)—this one is like those we’ve seen in the Greek islands, a huge deck overlooking miles and miles of Central California’s rolling hills, mountains, and endless sky, and paths of more gardens, technicolor flowers, fresh herbs (and abundance of French lavender and rosemary). As if this weren’t enough, I look to my left and notice goats and chickens, all tastefully and safely fenced in (they are fed each day by Jose, the caretaker—I will get into that in a second...) So, this is what we experienced day 1–and we had 10 full days to enjoy this paradise. We have been around the world—I’ve never been to a destination Before where I didn’t want to leave our accommodations for anything. And for the next 10 days, we only left for the market in Cambria, our daily walk on the beach (the San Simeon Creek Beach—at the intersection of Route 1 and the road where the cottage is located)—one of the most beautiful beaches in Central CA. Don’t miss it.
We also spent time driving further up the mountain, just so we could appreciate the views from a different angle—and see the cottage from the other side of the hill. From that perspective, you truly realize just how lucky you are to be tucked away in the Pied Piper cottage—it’s magnificent looking from across the hillside.
I could go on and on and on about how extraordinary this place is, and what a once in a lifetime experience this was for us. But, take my word and book this place, and experience all of this for yourself. We all deserve a getaway in a perfect English cottage, on a 160 acre ranch, on the central coast of California, between glorious Cambria and San Simeon.
At night, you have the full pub on the first floor (billiards, darts, tv, poker table (chips and cards provided), a real” working stone fireplace, the piano—-but the best, most entertaining and memorable activity you can do, and must do—bring out your blankets, turn off all the lights in the house, and just look what’s going on up there in that sky—it’s your own planetarium—and considering the closest cities are 200+ miles away, and the house sits on the side of a canyon—you don’t ever see stars the way u so up there on the ranch.
NOTE: Jose, the care taker....we met Jose the second day of our stay, while he was feeding the animals and tending to the garden. Jose gave us all sorts of great things to do and see, hikes he recommended, the best local beer (805), but never did we imagine that his wife would turn out to be the best Mexican chef I’ve experienced (We’ve travelled all throughout Mexico, and we are such fans of authentic Mexican food that we actually took cooking classes in San Miguel de Allende a few years ago. Jose’s wife cooked us a dinner one night—fresh, homemade enchiladas verdes, with beans, and Spanish rice, which turned out to be the best Mexican meal I have ever eaten. We enjoyed that meal so much, she cooked it for us a second night —she offered to make us fresh tacos for dinner on another night, but once we discovered it was her son’s birthday, we couldn’t allow her to spend the day cooking for us...). If you get up to the ranch, you must arrange for her to cook a dinner for you at least one night of your stay—-and I strongly recommend the enchiladas verdes dinner (In fact, if it’s not the best you’ve ever eaten, I will cover the cost for your dinner!)
This entire experience up there at the ranch is one we will never forget. No question, we will return next summer. My only advise: book now, because this place is new to airBnB and will not be available once word gets out about it. And don’t forget about SLO airport—u will save ur selves HOURS from LA or Bay Area traffic, and avoid tsa/car rental lines. Plus, there is a Whole Foods right down the road from the airport, so you can load up on groceries before you head up to the ranch (as I said, once u get up there, you won’t want to leave for anything.)
Book and enjoy— I do urge you to contact the host before your getaway to make sure who will be up there, and times, etc., as they have gardeners/animal feeders coming and going a few times a week—just confirm schedule, if this is something you’d want to know during ur trip.)
