Blog

A few years ago, I took a friend to enjoy a ReSiprocal experience for the first time and thought it was a such a great incentive to be a member of a winery that is Sip-Certified. It's a sustainability badge for wineries to show that they care about the environment with ethical methods. Living on the Central Coast and taking advantage of this in February is something I've started to take more advantage of. I look forward to this at the beginning of the year now and have even bugged my wine membership team about it for a copy of an email or postcard to show as my ticket!

This year, for the first week of February, I enjoyed the ReSiprocal perk with my husband. The ReSiprocal program wonderfully offers two complimentary tastings at each winery that is a participant of the program. For the first weekend of February, we decided to go to Stephen Ross Wine Cellars at their new location in Edna Valley and Chamisal Vineyards. These two wineries are located only 5 minutes drive from each other.

Stephen Ross Wine Cellars

The first time we tasted a Stephen Ross wine was at their former location, but they have moved for 2026! At a temporary space located at address: 2585 Biddle Ranch Rd, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401, we walked upstairs to enjoy a view of the hills of Edna Valley and an intimate tasting experience poured by Maureen. We didn't have a reservation. However, there were no customers there when we showed up so they took us in enthusiastically. I'm not sure if it's required but it's probably best to call them ahead, in case there are particularly busy hours. They also have a reservation system online on their website if you're tech-savvy with that. Also, remember to have your email or postcard that you received about a ReSiprocal invite from your club membership. This particular wine tasting room asked for it to ensure that we could enjoy the complimentary tastings perk. To begin our tasting flight, Maureen poured a couple of white wines and then, continued on to their reds. I particularly enjoyed the albariño. 

The wind was quite strong that day and it shut the door with a slam a couple of times. That surely woke us up, but we can't complain. It's been quite a nice and warmer February this year. To see a reel of my visit here at Stephen Ross Wine Cellars, go to this instagram link. We bought a bottle to take home as a memento and then continued on to our next wine tasting adventure.

Chamisal Vineyards

Chamisal Vineyards has always been one of my top places to visit for wine tasting. I've been here twice before during ReSiprocal month so it's becoming tradition for me to visit here every February. Chamisal Vineyards has a large and spacious patio area that feels very relaxing.

I had bought lunch to-go earlier from a Mexican restaurant called Burrito Loco in Arroyo Grande and decided to bring it in with me to enjoy with their wine. The team and our wine attendant, Matthew, were very cool with me eating my lunch that I brought. My chicken taco, beans and rices paired well with the wine.

It got a little chilly from the strong winds and again, the team was very accommodating with allowing us to move inside their cozy tasting room. See a video reel of my visit here at Chamisal Vineyards while I was out in the patio via this instagram reel. When we sat inside, we were surprised to see a wall full of souvenirs and gift shop merchandise. It's a great place to find different souvenirs for those who are visiting from outside the area.

The address of Chamisal Vineyards is 7525 Orcutt Rd, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. We also bought a bottle of wine here from Chamisal Vineyards as a memento. Then, we climbed in our car to head back to the beach suburbs. To my surprise, I got an email copy of our receipt immediately after closing our tab. Since I have been to Chamisal Vineyards before, there is a profile of me with my contact information in their POS records. We didn't have a reservation for our ReSiprocal tastings, but when we showed up in the tasting room, they took my first and last name and probably found my profile right away! Oh, that's slick!

For week 1 of February, we were able to take advantage of complimentary tastings for two different wine tasting rooms through our ReSiprocal program because we are wine club members of Tolosa Winery. We're not sure if we'll have time to visit a few more before the month ends. Perhaps, for the latter half of February. To see an entire list of wineries who are participating in the ReSiprocal February 2026 program, go to the Sip-Certified link here.

I've visited over 50 wine tasting rooms all over San Luis Obispo County. See my reviews and pictures that I took of my top 10 favorites wineries in a dedicated blog post.

For Valentine's Day, there are many different restaurants that serve special menus in San Luis Obispo County. There's also wine tasting as an option at many wineries. For Valentine's Day, here are our top suggestions!

• Lunch or Dinner at Madonna Inn.

  Don't forget to make reservations! The Madonna Inn has their famous pink champagne cake on their menu every day! You can get a slice from Copper Cafe or at their Steakhouse. They have two different restaurants on their property. They also have two cute gifts shops: one in the cellar area and another one upstairs, above the restaurants! View all of my blog entries about Madonna Inn.

• Wine tasting in Edna Valley or Paso Robles. 

  If you're 21 years old and older, you can take advantage of our amazing wine tasting rooms and wineries all over San Luis Obispo County. See my top favorite wineries in the area.

• Picnic at the Beach!

  On the rare month that February is warm out here, a picnic at the beach is the most relaxing way to enjoy some romantic time together. San Luis Obispo County has so many amazing beaches like Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Oceano, Cayucos, Cambria, San Simeon, Morro Bay and Los Osos! See all of my pictures and read my reviews about the beaches out here.

• Soak in a Spa at Sycamore Mineral Springs

  A few years ago, my husband took me to the Sycamore Avila Springs Resort & Spa in Avila area for a soak in the hot spring and it's still one of the more romantic things we did in celebration for Valentine's Day. You can get a bottle of wine at the front registration/gift shop area and they will pour the wine in plastic cups for you to safely enjoy up there. Beware that you may need to take a bit of a hike upstairs to get to your assigned tub! Read about my hot spring experiences here.

Pismo State Beach has the best sunsets. We can drive on the beach on the Grover Beach and Oceano side and just camp out for a few hours before heading back home. Here are some pictures of our life here while hanging out at Pismo State Beach.

In autumn, it can get cold and cloudy

To do a campfire on the side where you can park on the beach, please be responsible about your fire when you leave. Have buckets to fill the ocean water to put out the fire. Never just bury the fire because it could still stay hot and if someone walks barefoot on that area, they can get seriously injured.

Things to bring to a campfire:

• Firewood
• Lighter
• Paper or tinder
• Lighter Fluid
• Buckets to fill with water

Earlier this month in December, we stayed at the LYFE INN & SUITES by AGA in Beverly Hills in Los Angeles. They had a Christmas tree inside of their lobby. What I found most fascinating was their large live tree inside. I was very satisfied with my stay for the $160 rate that I booked. Check out their currents rates now for LYFE INN & SUITES Beverly Hills. I discovered that if I had waited the day before to book this hotel, I would have saved $10 as they had many rooms left. However, that is a gamble that you'd take if you plan to wait too last minute.

We booked a double bed room and they put us on the second floor. There were only two floors. We checked in quite late around 8:30PM and I had to ring the doorbell in the lobby to get assistance. A man appeared from behind a door within seconds to assist me and checked me in. There were only several parking spaces available to park in the back and we happened to snatch one. I asked if we needed to get a parking pass to put on our dashboard while parking at the hotel parking lot and the man at the front desk said "no". The parking spots were very narrow, so park on your own risk! We had to back up and adjust our position many times in order to park without hitting the side pillars.

Even though they asked me how many people were staying at the hotel and I said "four", they still only gave me one key card to the room! No matter, one was enough. We walked upstairs to get to our room and when I opened the door, I was pleasantly surprised to see how modern the room was! The one intriguing part about our room was that our bathroom door was a sliding door with no lock! So, you'll just have to be very aware that when the door is closed, to not enter for privacy reasons.

I'm starting of getting into a habit of bringing my own loofah to vacation stays. It makes it more comforting for me and I get peace of mind knowing that I scrubbed my back really good while on a trip Above is a picture of my loofah hanging inside the bathroom of LYFE INN & SUITE in Beverly Hills while I was staying there. To quickly pack it, I'd put my loofah in a plastic bag and then throw it in my suitcase. And when I'm ready to leave to go back home, I'd put that damp loofah back in the same plastic bag (so it doesn't get my other stuff damp) and put it back in my suitcase. Game changer!

LYFE INN & SUITES in Beverly Hills did not offer complimentary continental breakfast but they had a coffee machine in the lobby all day. I wasn't a fan of the coffee, but if you're not picky, you may take advantage of this complimentary coffee and tea area.

With the Christmas tree there for the Christmas holiday, I was put in a really good mood whenever I made my way to their lobby. Here is a video clip that I recorded while I was walking downstairs to their lobby area to check out their large live tree that they had growing along the wall.

Address of LYFE INN & Suites by AGA in Beverly Hills: 7575 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036

I went to Ensenada, Mexico a few days ago and today after returning to the U.S.A., I checked my credit card statement and was puzzled what "REST HUNTER" is for a $9.37 charge. I corresponded with the date and realized I was in Ensenada that day and ordered two lattes! 

So, if you're trying to figure it out for yourself, it was a coffee purchase if you happened to be visiting Ensenada, Mexico like I did and ordered a coffee there. This was one of my port stops on the Royal Caribbean Cruise on the Quantum of the Seas, but I have also visited here by Navigator of Seas. Read all of my cruise reviews to Mexico here. I've been on the Carnival and Royal Caribbean before to get here. 

Compare cruise prices for different cruise lines.

What to bring on a cruise:
• Badge Holder/Lanyard for your SeaPass or Key (cheaper than buying there if you buy at Ross)
• Sunscreen
• Waterproof Phone Pouch or Cover