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As a Valentine's Day celebration, my husband and I used the Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa gift card that he gifted me last November for our 7th anniversary yesterday.

We had our very first couple's massage together at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa. After our spa time, we had brunch at The Gardens of Avila Restaurant, also part of Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa's property. When we came here for the first time, we were a bit clueless on how things work around here and hopefully, after reading about our experiences on this blog will help you navigate around here better.
(each private mineral spring tub has green wooden walls like this that you'll scattered on the hilltop see as you come up the path)

Made a Reservation by Phone

I had called a couple of weeks ahead to book our spa reservation. Our couple's massage comes with a 30 minute soak in the mineral spring. It's a private setting so my husband and I will get to enjoy the soak with just each other. The reservationist also said that we get to go in the 'hot tub' for another 30 minutes after the massage too. I was a bit confused about that so I asked her to confirm if I was hearing this right: 30 minutes in the mineral spring before the couple's massage, 50 minutes of couple's massage and then 30 minutes in the 'hot tub' after the massage. She said yes, I heard right. Well, we didn't get to do the 30 minutes of the "hot tub after" as I expected, which I'll get into detail. You can also just book a reservation for just the mineral springs hot tub only if you don't want to book a massage or other spa services. If you just book for the mineral springs hot tub, you can do it online on their website and book the time slot. You pay by the hour in that case.


Coming here, it may be a bit strange but you have to go through the gift shop (different building from the hotel lobby) in order to get to the glass doors of the spa. However, after coming here a couple of times, it makes sense! If you are going straight to their hot tub and wanted to enjoy wine, you can buy wine here and bring it up with you.

To find out your designated hot tub, you give the gift shop personnel your name and then they check the reservation list. After they've verified our name, we were then instructed to go through the back door and through a little cute path, we found our glass door entrance to the spa on the right. Upon entering, the front desk spa personnel asked us to fill out a double-sided form and then we waited to get further instructions for our locker room numbers. If you're not booking a massage or spa service, you can bypass the spa are and go up the steps on the hillside to find your designated hot tub for your party.

Massage Spa Entrance

While waiting for our locker room designation, I sat on the bench and stared at this wonderful lay out of water and teas. It was really relaxing just sitting here and I had an inkling that I was going to really enjoy this experience with my husband. 

When the personnel came out to tell us our locker room numbers, she held out a lock in front of us to instruct us what to do. I proceeded to ask if I had to hit the "#" button at any point because it's there and many other key locks have prompted me to do that in the past and she said "no". Do not hit the "#" key at any point while you are locking and unlocking with the 4 digit code of your choice when using this. Then, my husband and I split into our restrooms. He went to the men's and I went to the women's. We went through different doors to get to our different restrooms from the waiting area and after we're done changing into our robes and locking our clothes and belongings away, we met back in the waiting area again. After a few minutes, the spa personnel said we may enter outside and we'll see flights of stairs directly across from the glass entrance.

Hot Tub Spot Named "Gemini"

Our mineral spring area was the one labeled "Gemini". We climbed the stairs and passed by a few other private springs until we've found ours. Be careful when you're climbing the steps and if you have trouble climbing stairs, I really don't see any other way to get to the mineral springs because there are no elevators that I saw as an alternative route and it's all uphill outside. 
(Gemini hot tub was ours for 30 minutes)

After we've found our mineral spring and went behind the entrance wall, we've discovered that it's not completely covered with walls around our mineral spring. There's no wall facing the woods so we immediately thought, "wow, hopefully no one can see us and there's no hidden camera" because under our robes (they give you robes to use if you're using their spa services as well), my husband and I were naked. We'd brought our bathing suits but we had left it in the lockers after we've been told that it's a private spa. I guess it is private in the sense that no one would be able to see you if they're coming up the path. This was an interesting and thrilling experience at the same time. 
(You can see the woods while sitting in the mineral spring of "Gemini")

The spa was hot with jets and perfect for a chilly February morning.

When it got close to our appointment time, a staff member knocked on our wall and alerted us that we have 10 minutes to get back to the waiting area for our 11AM couple's massage. My husband and I were ready so we put our robes back on and walked down the path to return to the glass spa entrance. The front desk personnel said we can go back to our locker rooms if we needed to change towels, etc. and we would come back to the waiting room when we're done. So my husband and I split again to go to our gender assigned restrooms, women and men, and returned back to meet in the waiting room. The splitting and meeting again was exciting to me because I felt like each time we did this, it's like another date. Is that weird?

Couple's Massage Experience at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa

After reuniting again in the waiting room to wait for our masseuses to come get us, a masseuse called out my name and then said we're going to be in room #1. She asked me if we've done this before while my husband's masseuse asked him the same question as we walked towards our assigned massage room. As we entered our private room, there were 2 massage beds side-by-side and we were instructed to lie down, face down in between the sheets. The masseuses left the room for 5 minutes while my husband and I disrobed and slipped into our respective beds. When they came back, they started our massages. My masseuse started massaging my arms, shoulders and back first, then my legs and feet and lastly, my head. It was a wonderful 50 minutes experience. My body was all relaxed with essential oils. The masseuses stepped outside for a few minutes so that we could put our robes back on after it was all done. As we're saying our 'thank you's", my husband asked where the hot tub is and the masseuses were confused. He said we thought we're supposed to get the 'hot tub' for 30 minutes after the massage. Then, they asked if we've already went into the mineral spa and we said "yes" and she said that was it. I was so totally confused but also, really relaxed already and I was okay with not going into the 'hot tub'. My husband was really hungry at this point so he was okay with not going into a 'hot tub' after our massage as well. So, we split again for the third (also last) time during our spa session and went to our respective restrooms to put our clothes back on.

After we were both ready, we met in the waiting room and checked out at the front desk at the spa. I don't know why but I didn't think about asking about the 'hot tub' post-massage session for clarification but both my husband and I were so relaxed and hungry. We were just anxious to eat at the Gardens of Avila on the property so maybe that was why it just didn't cross our minds.

My husband and I were clueless on how much we're supposed to tip a masseuse so we went with standard the 15 - 20% and tipped each our masseuse $25. Our total came out to $330 with tip. I don't think we'll be doing these Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa visits very often! It was a very special spa experience, however, the post-massage 'hot tub' question somehow lingers in the background. More on that actually comes up unexpectedly again while we're brunching at the restaurant!

The Gardens of Avila Restaurant at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa

As we stepped out of the beautiful glass spa doors, exited the gift shop, made our way up the path towards the resort lobby and into The Gardens of Avila Restaurant, we've discovered that the quaint and unique lay out of this restaurant was definitely a perfect ending to the 3 hours we've allotted to this Valentine's Day date before we'd return to our precious little boys and relieve my parents of their babysitting duties.

We didn't make a reservation for our brunch at The Gardens at Avila Restaurant but there was no wait so we were seated at the two-top by the window immediately. It's always easier when you're just dining as two, isn't it? They had pink napkins laid out. I don't know if the napkins here are always pink or if it's because of Valentine's Day weekend but they really brightened up the room.r
(Inside of The Gardens of Avila inside of Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa)

I loved the ambiance right away. The bar is especially interesting because the bar counter was not high like other typical bars. However, the staff behind the bar looked little because they had to step down when they entered the back space. That was very memorable and I like that uniqueness. I would like to sit at the bar in the future someday. For our Valentine's Day celebration, I was happy to sit at a table by the window with my husband to enjoy a rare brunch with just the two of us.

The food menu is small but appropriate. The drink menu has local craft beers, wines and specialty cocktails. I ordered the SLO Manhattan but they were out of the 1776 whiskey, so I ended up enjoying just a "Manhattan". It came with two cherries and was a powerful drink. One was plentiful.
(Manhattan cocktail at The Gardens of Avila Restaurant)

For food, I ordered the blue crab & avocado benedict and my husband ordered the chicken & waffles. They were both very delicious. I'm a fan!


Service was attentive but not overbearing which is perfect for us. As we were finishing our meals, I overheard a lady patron at the bar saying that they're about to do a couple's massage and how she was excited about it because they will get to do a 30 minute pre-soak before the massage and then a 30 minute "soak" after the massage. So, there it was, even she got that same information as well, somewhere.

I think what happened was our masseuses were probably not regular staff members here during Valentine's Day weekend and I will ask the front desk spa personnel when we come back next time, whenever we can afford that again. Learn from our lesson and make sure you get any clarifications needed with the front of the house staff, in this case front desk spa personnel.

So, after 2 blissful hours with my husband that included a private mineral spring sit-in, 50 minutes of couple's massage, a wonderful brunch at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa, we were ready to go home to see our sons. We were so relaxed. Scroll down to see our more recent experience. 

Address of Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa: 1215 Avila Beach Drive, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
(Steps to the mineral spas)

All photos were taken by SanLuisObispoMom.com. This is not sponsored in any way by Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa and they did not know I was planning on writing a personal experience so it is non-biased.

2022 Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa Experience Update

We came back here at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa for a mineral soak again to celebrate our anniversary! It was a different spot from where they put us before the pandemic. The view of all of the sycamore trees from up high was phenomenal! They placed us at Shangri-La hot tub, which is at the very top of the hillside. You don't get to pick which one they put you in but we were happy with this designation as the view from up high was wonderful. It was also a well-needed hike for me.



I also made a an extended video collage of this experience at Shangri-La hot tub at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa. See this 1 minute extended video reel of our mineral soak experience and the view we got to see for being further up high at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa. After having done this before, this mineral springs hot tub experience was much more chill and since it was a Monday, we felt the tranquility that this place is known for.

Staycations around San Luis Obispo County:
• Read about my staycations (I've stayed at two different rooms) at the famous Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.
• Read about my staycation at Granada Hotel & Bistro in Downtown San Luis Obispo.
• Read about my staycation at The Carlton in Atascadero.
• Read about my staycation at La Quinta Inn in San Luis Obispo.

To see other pictures of restaurants that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County, go to the Restaurants Page. Read about my romantic adventures and dining experiences on the Central Coast.

Read About All of Our Travel Adventures and Reviews:

• Birthday Weekend at LEGOLAND Castle Hotel Review and LEGOLAND California Amusement Park Review


• Birthday Celebration at Great Wolf Lodge in Southern California


• Universal Studios Hollywood Family Trip During Spring Break


• Ensenada Cruise on Carnival Cruise for 3 Days


• Ensenada and Catalina Island Cruise on Royal Caribbean for 4 Days


• Alaska Cruise on Princess Cruise for 11 Days


• Moon Palace The Grand Family Summer Vacation in Cancun for 5 Days


• Cabin Trip in Monterey


• Staycations at the Iconic Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo on the Central Coast of California: Madonna Inn’s San Francisco Room Review OR Madonna Inn’s Antique Room Review


• Staycation at the Granada Hotel & Bistro in Downtown San Luis Obispo


• Staycation at La Quinta Inn in Downtown San Luis Obispo


• Staycation in Atascadero at The Carlton Review

Tropical Hawaiian BBQ is located in the same shopping center as the Smart N' Final in the Arroyo Grande (AG) area and I'm happy to say that Tropical Hawaiian BBQ is exactly what I think a Hawaiian restaurant would be like. The menu includes katsu chicken, loco moco, kalbi ribs and other Hawaiian entrees. I ordered the Daily Special B which include katsu chicken, one scoop of white rice and one scoop of macaroni salad and I did not finish my meal. The portions were huge! 

The katsu chicken reminded me of the ones I would get from L & L's and that's saying a lot! We don't have an L & L's around here in SLO but this is a great alternative!

My husband ordered the Loco Moco (regular size) and that usually comes with 2 scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad but since he doesn't like macaroni salad, he omitted it. This size seriously is enough to feed two regular eaters.

They slap a lot of gravy on top so if you don't want it, tell them to skip the gravy or put it in a different container.

I also liked the cleanliness of Tropical Hawaiian BBQ. The gray countertops were sleek and the staff was eager to serve. They had balloons out in front of the restaurant when we came. 

All in all, I'm happy that we have a new Hawaiian restaurant here. I can't wait to come back and try their shrimp! They also allow you to order online on their website, but you would still have to pick it up yourself. I've already seen someone pick up a big catering order from here so ordering large portions for family meals or parties can be done here! Tropical Hawaiian BBQ Address: 1436 E Grand Ave, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
 

See more restaurant reviews under the SLO Restaurants page.

To see other pictures of restaurants that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County, go to the Restaurants Page.

Other Suggested Hawaiian Restaurants:

• Pono Pacific Kitchen in Grover Beach (serves high end fusion Hawaiian and 1 block from the ocean)
• Shin's Poke in Pismo Beach (2 blocks from the ocean)
• Poke Morro in Arroyo Grande
• Red Dirt Coffee House in Arroyo Grande (coffee shop and have Hawaiian Plate Lunches)
• PCH Shave Ice & Boba in Pismo Beach (Hawaiian shave ice, boba and special desserts)

See other restaurants that I recommend in San Luis Obispo County.

(Note: Their Grover Beach location is now at a different address and most of these photos were captured when we went to their older Pacific Flips Grover Beach location.)

We planned a birthday party for our 6 year old at Pacific Flips Gymnastics at the Grover Beach location and it was fantastic! Our son and his guests had an amazing time. 

You can pick from 2 packages: 90 minutes or 2 hours and we went with the 2 hours for $205. (Rates may have increased over time.)
(tables and chairs set up already by them upon my arrival)

The $205 package (probably costs more now) that we picked included 90 minutes of playtime led by a party host (we had two) who guided them through games and instructions and then another 30 minutes were spent finishing the party with pizza and cupcakes that we brought. This package covered 10 participating kids and the birthday child is free. For any additional kids, it's only $10 more. I thought that was a good deal considering it covered the space, games and instructions, bathrooms, seating area and a lot of fun.

I brought my table cloths, plates, napkins, utensils, pizza, cakes, drinks, party favors, balloons, etc to decorate the tables. My son has been really into Minecraft so we did a bit of a Minecraft theme. We got square-shaped balloons from the Dollar Tree store, bought Minecraft napkins from Party City in Santa Maria, baked our Minecraft-themed cakes, made a Creeper center piece using cardboard and a green tablecloth and also TNT-themed party favors for our guests to take home.
(how table looks after decorating)

I had forgotten to take a picture of my tray of TNT party favors at the party but thankfully I had taken a picture right after I had finished making them a couple of weeks before the party. What's inside of this pretend TNT (dynamite) are two chalk sticks. I just wrapped red wrapping paper around them and created a personal message on white paper to thank the guests for coming. See image below.
(TNT party favor I created as part of our Minecraft birthday theme)

There were two rooms where the kids got to play in. 
(This was one of the rooms.)

They gave me 30 minutes to set up ahead of time and meet the party hosts to go over the plan of our 2 hour slot. Both of the party hosts were very welcoming and easy to talk to. The kids listened to them well and followed their game instructions. After the kids seemed tired and it was getting close to our last 30 minutes, the party hosts led all the kids to the bathrooms and instructed them to wash their hands before eating pizza and enjoying some cake. This was very helpful. As they all sat down, they all got so quiet. The obstacles, games and jumping got them really tired and they devoured their pizza while they sat and rested. That's very telling for a dozen kindergarteners and we chose a peaceful moment to light up the candles and sang happy birthday to the birthday boy. As a mommy, I was very satisfied with this party event space. The timing and activities were appropriate for this age group. Even though it was only two hours and I didn't do any jumping like the kids did, I was also very tired. The birthday boy fell sleep early that night after the party. It was 6:30pm when he decided that it was time to go to sleep, on his very own. The jumping and playing for those 90 minutes were high energy and fun and our kindergartener had spent all his energy for the day. It was a very happy birthday.

2024 New Location Update

In 2024, the Pacific Flips in Grover Beach moved to a new located to Huston St. It's a much quieter area but it is located next to the Natural Healing Center and sometimes the smell of weed carries over so if you don't mind that, it's much easier to find parking and it's away from all the hustle and bustle.

Address of the Pacific Flips Gymnastics at the Grover Beach location: 998 Huston St., Suite E, Grover Beach, CA 93433. To see other places to have kids' birthdays in San Luis Obispo county, go to: http://www.sanluisobispomom.com/family-friendly-events.php#birthdayparty

Planning an organized birthday is helpful when gymnastics and other venues give you a limited timeline with activities. Some places provide some birthday decorations, but you can easily purchase some from Walmart, Target or even online. There are birthday sets that come with balloons, signage, confetti and more.

One of the more popular things to do in San Luis Obispo County is visit the Monarch butterflies at Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach. It's free to visit and free to park.

It also leads to a walking trail that is parallel to the ocean. You could go towards the Grover Beach side and see amazing views of Grover Beach and Pismo Beach by going on the Meadow Trail or go North and walk near the RV's and continue along that route until it leads you to the boardwalk and Pismo Beach Pier. Either direction will lead you to the beach. 

If you only want to stick to the Monarch Butterfly Grove main area only, you can also enjoy a picnic there because there are many picnic tables and benches. 

There's usually a porto potty there for visitors to use. During the busier seasons, there are usually quite a few.

The Monarch butterflies usually come here during the fall and then leave when winter ends. However, you are welcome to visit the Monarch Butterfly Grove year-round! It's always open as it's a public state park. Parking can be really hard during the busy tourist season. You park in the dirt in front of the grove or you can parallel park on the other side of the road. Many can just walk here if they don't mind walking from their hotel if it's within a reasonable distance.

Here are the pictures of the Meadow Trail that connects from the Monarch Butterfly Grove to Grover Beach. The views going this direction are phenomenal. 

I've taken my son on the Meadow Trail using a jogger stroller. I would not recommend bringing a side-by-side double stroller as it can be narrow and people do come from both directions.

This is the view of Grover Beach walking on the Meadow Trail. Grover Beach is a smaller beach in comparison to Pismo Beach but Grover Beach is the beach that connects you to the famous dunes. It's the starting point from this end. 

This is the entrance sign you can find as you enter the Meadow Trail from the Grover Beach side instead of the Monarch Butterfly Grove side. You can also park in Grover Beach for free right by the Fin's Restaurant on Grand Ave.

If you were to turn around and head back to the Monarch Butterfly Grove on the Meadow Trail, this is the Pismo Beach view you would see. It's breathtaking and I enjoy this walk every time I come here. 

In the middle of the Meadow Trail is an uphill path to go to the shady trees. Past these trees is the ocean and it's a great picture taking spot and a good stopping point to rest your knees too. The Meadow Trail is free and open year round.

All photos were taken by SanLuisObispoMom.com.
See other beach pictures in San Luis Obispo County taken by SanLuisObispoMom.com.

Don't forget to bring some water in a reusable water bottle as you can get winded on a hot day. However, the walking trail at Monarch Butterfly Grove is very easy to walk through for the most part. Sunscreen and a hat are also very helpful to have for sun protection.

To see pictures of restaurants that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County, go to the Restaurants Page.

Read about my staycation at the famous Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.

We visited Talley Vineyards in Arroyo Grande today. Arroyo Grande (AG) is part of San Luis Obispo county on the Central Coast of California. Talley Vineyards is one of the more popular vineyards in AG. It's located in the middle of a lot of farms and wineries so you won't find a lot of restaurants or other types of businesses nearby. 

This vineyard hosts a lot of events throughout the year with some that are family-friendly. Their wine member lounge is not, however. Although their wine member lounge is adults only, their tasting room is kid-friendly so there are toys in the back corner for them to play to keep them occupied while you do a taste. Inside of the tasting room, a lot of the decor is brown wood so there is a rustic feel to this, compared to the other wineries in Edna Valley that are only 5 minutes away. Do visit Edna Valley if you are in Arroyo Grande because it is very close by and has dozens of wineries for you to try! See other wineries that I've visited over the years. 


Their patio area is very inviting and although they can't have wedding receptions at this winery, baby showers and bridal showers have taken place here. You would need to arrange a special party date with Talley Vineyards ahead of time to figure out the right set-up. 

The cost of the tasting that my husband and I shared was $20 (probably costs more over time) and it included 5 tastings. Here is the list we were presented with when we came in (see image below). Although Talley Vineyards is not my top 10 favorites wine tasting rooms, it's still fun to be on their farm because they are known for growing a different variety of produce!

Address of Talley Vineyards: 3031 Lopez Dr, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420

Reading Suggestions

• Read about other wineries that I've visited in Edna Valley and Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County.


• See my top 10 favorite local wineries in Edna Valley and Paso Robles, as a local.


• See this IG reel of different wine tasting rooms that I've personally visited.