Rainbow Spotting: Madonna Inn, California

My visit to the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo was partially necessity but mostly curiosity. Driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco had been the plan, but somehow managed to blow a tire on the freeway while heading up north. A rest stop to call the rental car company and make arrangements couldn’t have been timed better; any excuse for a slice of pink cake is alright with me.

Opening back in 1958, the Madonna Inn has been a long-term love affair for lots of Californians. Named for the Madonna’s (nothing to do with the other Madonna) , the motel originally just with 12 rooms, which quickly grew to 40 the following year — demand was great from the get-go! A fire in 1966 led to the whole thing being rebuilt, as they are today, all 110 rooms. You don’t need to stay at the property to visit, anyone can visit the restaurant on-site (which we did, for coffee and a ridiculously huge piece of cake) and make sure you see the gift store too, for the rainbow spotting pay-off of the glass goblets lining the walls. I was too overwhelmed with choice to make a decision on which colour to choose, so am hoping I’ll get a chance to visit again!