Paso Robles: Allegretto Vineyard Resort; hotel review + restaurant review

101 South

Allegretto Vineyard Resort  

2700 Buena Vista Dr./east side of Hwy. 101, (805) 369-2500.  171 rooms.  Restaurant.  Pool; hot tub; fitness room; full-service spa.  Complimentary valet and self parking.  Pets ok.

blooming garden at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles, California

Spending the night at Allegretto Vineyard Resort was like taking a weekend escape to rural Europe!  Situated on 20 acres featuring vineyards and olive groves and fruit trees, this Tuscan villa-style resort is the first full-service luxury property to open in Paso Robles.  The drama begins when you drive up the long entry.  And the atmosphere gets serious when you enter the two-story lobby and look up to see the dramatic two-sided curved staircase, and then look down to see the limestone floors imported from Bordeaux, France.  Feng sui has been considered throughout.

two-sided curved lobby staircase at Allegretto Vineyard Resort
in Paso Robles, California

Facilities include a swimming pool with a bank of cabanas (fee) available for extra privacy and a bocce ball court.  More amenities include a couch swing, a ping-pong table, and bright-yellow tandem bikes for loan.  Warming fire pits are found in several areas.

swimming pool and cabanas at Allegretto Vineyard Resort
in Paso Robles, California

bocce ball court at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles, California

fitness room at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles, California

Additionally, some of the resort owner’s extensive art collection is displayed, including paintings, artifacts, and ancient sculptures, as well as a giant crosscut of a 2,000-plus-year-old Sequoia tree.  A free guided tour is available most days.

ancient Indian figure at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles, California

repurposed ancient doorway by elevators at Allegretto Vineyard Resort
in Paso Robles, California

crosscut of ancient Sequoia tree at Allegretto Vineyard Resort
in Paso Robles, California

The resort also features a French-inspired abbey, two labyrinths (one is the world’s only labyrinth with sound), and a re-creation of Romeo and Juliet’s tunnel.  Olive oil-tasting and live music are among the special events that are often scheduled.

interior of abbey at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles, California

carved wood statue of Virgin Mary in abbey at Allegretto Vineyard Resort
in Paso Robles, California

labyrinth at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles, California

Additionally, a wine-tasting room that is also open to non-guests provides a congenial setting, with comfortable chairs to relax in while sampling the 100% varietal house-label Allegretto wines.  My favorite was the 2016 Viognier, described as having “aromas of jasmine, pineapple, and peach brightened by subtle notes of lemongrass, honeysuckle, and Asian pear.”  It was so divine that I ordered it to accompany my dinner in Cello--the resort’s restaurant.  The Viognier grape and the more unusual Tannat grape are both grown on site.  (The red Tannat is a thick-skinned grape that is prized for being tolerant of drought and heat.)  You’ll want to taste these two for sure.  Note that there is a tasting fee.

wine-tasting room at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles, California

Guest rooms and resort event spaces surround a central courtyard square featuring colorful plantings, chairs fashioned from wine barrel staves, and a fountain known as the “Womb of Creation” that displays a large river-formed stone from China.  Most guest rooms have a balcony or patio allowing you to enjoy the usually good weather, and all have white Carrera-marble bathrooms  plus a unique amenity--a disinfected “microbe-free” TV remote control.

guest room at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles, California

view from guest room balcony at Allegretto Vineyard Resort
in Paso Robles, California

Cello restaurant’s chef features a Mediterranean-inspired menu and makes use of mostly organic produce, much of which is grown on property.  I was thrilled with the tiny red, red tomatoes that accented my delicious wedge salad, made unusual by the use of delicate butter lettuce instead of iceberg.  I selected a salmon main course prepared from a catch that came in that same morning from nearby Morro Bay, while my dining companion enjoyed an outstanding full-flavored risotto.  Oak pit-grilled Angus beef is among more options.

dining porch at Cello restaurant at Allegretto Vineyard Resort
in Paso Robles, California

wedge salad at Cello restaurant at Allegretto Vineyard Resort
in Paso Robles, California

fresh catch salmon held up by sous chef Ben Lugo at Cello restaurant
at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles, California

salmon dinner at Cello restaurant at Allegretto Vineyard Resort
in Paso Robles, California

risotto at Cello restaurant at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles, California

desserts at Cello restaurant at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles, California

At breakfast, the beautiful French toast topped with fresh berries that my husband ordered is hard to beat, though I was quite pleased with my basic American eggs over easy and their delicious side of spectacular, crispy potatoes--all enhanced by super-tasty Applewood bacon.  Dogs are welcome at this resort, and when I dined outside on the sheltered patio for dinner, I saw three or four well-behaved small dogs enjoying it all with their relaxing owners.  Pleasantly, should a guest desire to stroll out to a nearby fire pit for dessert, they need only alert the waiter.

American breakfast at Cello restaurant at Allegretto Vineyard Resort
in Paso Robles, California

French toast at Cello restaurant at Allegretto Vineyard Resort
in Paso Robles, California

More Ayres Hotels in Southern California.

More things to do in Paso Robles. 

More things to do along Highway 101.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.

images ©2019 Carole Terwilliger Meyers; except image of salmon by Rich Verruni