Kaleidoscope Inn & Gardens

We arrived to an empty house, however, Kevin came quickly and set us up with locations of interest, directions, reservations adn everything we needed to enjoy our stay and the area. The rooms and bathrooms were very comfortable, the gardens and grounds astounding adn inviting. We would definitley return. The breakfast and the cook were great starts to each day that we were there.

A good value in a town that is mostly forgotten by travelers.

My girlfriend found the Kaleidoscope B & B online and read several reviews, previewed the beautiful property and we thought it would be a charming place to stay. However, nobody mentioned that the house was right in the middle of a Low-income neighborhood. Their brochure showed the lovely 1880’s house and beautiful gardens, but failed to mention that their appeared to be a “Title 8 apartment” right across the street (I own two Title 8 properties so I’m familiar of low-end rental properties). Upon arrival I spoke with the owner Kevin and told him this was not what we expected and didn’t want to stay here. His response was “it’s not the first time he heard that comment but give it some time and you will appreciate the charm” and politely told us that if we cancelled we would have to pay for the first night, so we stayed the first night and cancelled the second night. I’m only 5’9” and I banged my head twice going up the stairs and once in the shower, so I feel sorry for anybody taller than me. I expected more than scrambled eggs and fruit for breakfast but that’s all that was served. Lesson Learned: PREVIEW THE PROPERTY ON GOOGLE MAPS! I’m not sure why the other people writing reviews were not as honest?

The cook meet my gluten problem with no problem. She also big help in thing to do around the area. The only negtive when call to find out arrival time. Was not told about wedding going on so could not get in room on arrvial .

Nice rooms and a great breakfast. Bathrooms are private, but down the hall.

Kaleidoscope Inn rocks! This is a nice, clean B&B which has been very nicely restored by the owners. They have several different types of rooms to choose from, including some detatched units, like a standalone stone-built cottage. The grounds are nicely maintained and manicured; they have a gazebo in back and a nice patio area to relax. I think they even host weddings on the property. They're just down the road from so many great things to do, like wine tasting in Edna Valley, Oceano Dunes, Pismo Beach, and more. They put on a great breakfast in the morning. It's not a fancy, elegant place - which is a good thing in my book. They're a little more casual and laid back, in a good way. The owners seem very nice and went out of their way to ensure we had a good stay. I highly recommend Kaleidoscope in next time you're passing thru the Central Coast!

Our wedding at the Kaleidoscope Inn was perfect! The first time we saw the gardens we both knew it was the place for our wedding, but we looked at more places and then came back and were lucky to get the date we wanted. They were really helpful in our wedding planning meetings and on the day of the wedding. Everything looked beautiful and everything went just as planned. So much so that my new husbands cousin is getting married there next year. We did a fake getaway from the reception and then snuck back to stay over in one of the suites for our wedding night. We stayed in the suite in the garden, forgot its name, but it was big and cozy and we loved every minute of it. We didn't go to the dining room for breakfast, so can't talk about the food, but we will always remember our perfect wedding and the first night of our honeymoon at the Kaleidoscope:)

This B&B was such a treat! They should really put more photos on their website because the intricate Victorian architecture and the amazing gardens blew our socks off – we didn’t expect it to be so nice. This location was perfect. Close to home but yet so different than the city. This B&B is close to lots of things we wanted to do (beaches, wineries, hiking), with about a ten minute drive to get back to the hotel in the evening. Not being right in the middle of a bunch of hotels or busy Pismo Beach meant the place was nice and quiet. Our room was great. We stayed in the Carriage House. Our bed was soooo comfortable. The mattress was great and the sheets were super soft. It did get a little nippy in the evening, but we were able to find extra blankets. The gardens are very pretty and serene. We saw three hummingbirds and a monarch the first day. There is a fountain in the garden too, which is a great place to sit and watch the birds since they gather there to drink. We had our coffee there both mornings before breakfast. Coffee was good and strong. Breakfast was very good too. We had a full breakfast each day - a baked egg dish with potatoes, fruit, toast, juice, coffee. The cook was also very helpful with directions and advice. We also liked the way everyone ate together in the morning. Some of the other guests passed on some information on a nice hike that they had done the day before. This B&B was just right for us. Not too big, but with five rooms it was big enough so that we did not feel like we were intruding on someone’s home. We felt like we had as much privacy as we needed, which is generally the one thing we don’t like as much about B&Bs versus hotels. We will definitely visit again and will likely invite our best friend couple to meet us there (they are from LA). Almost forgot about famous Jocko’s. We highly recommend Jockos too - we had the Spencer, which is what most people call a Rib Eye!

My husband and I stay here nearly every time we visit the SLO area. The rooms are clean and beautiful, the place is in a residential neighborhood so it's very quiet, and did I mention the food? Maryanne is quite the chef and never disappoints with her company and reccomendations on what to see and visit during our stay. We would go up every weekend if we could!

What a pleasant surprise when we stayed at the Inn. Everything was so homey and pleasant the food was delicious Marianne does a beautiful breakfast. The rooms were each unique and so clean. We will be back again soon I hope.

My husband and I had the pleasure of staying in the stone cottage this summer. It was just what I wanted--an enchanted summer break. The room was delightfully quaint, the food was wonderful, the staff was incredibly kind and generous with time, information, (and even some chicken feathers for my project collection). Jocko's, just down the street served the best steak either of us had ever had. With the adventure package we enjoyed sea kayaking and hiking in the local area. We learned about the wineries from the chef, who is also a local pourer and provided excellent advice to the serious wine lovers staying at the inn. It was a wonderful stay and we look forward to returning!

Our stay at the Kaleidoscope Inn was very pleasant. The home has been kept up wonderfully and the breakfast was AMAZING! The pictures and history of the home were quite interesting as well. We could literally spend hours in their gardens just relaxing and would definately return to visit again if we go through that area.

We arrived at the Kaleidoscope 10 minutes after our scheduled arrival time. Based on a message from the owner stating that if they were not home, they would be back in 5-10 minutes, we waited for over 30 on the front porch. We finally called the owner, he told us he would be there in 15 minutes. So we continued to sit. He finally arrived, but did not even apologize for leaving us sitting on the porch. We got settled into our room, and wandered down to the common area to see what was available, and we came upon a prominently displayed note asking the morning caretaker to charge our credit card. The evening passed uneventfully, and we got up for breakfast. The morning caretaker greeted us with "I suppose you want breakfast" and grudgingly handed over two plates. The food was admittedly pretty good, but my partner and I felt pretty uncomfortable eating it after that reception. We paid the lady, who seemed irritated to be troubled to take our money. After breakfast we took a stroll around the neighborhood, and, well, the inn is not in a great neighborhood, to say the least.

The Kaleidoscope Inn was a wonderful retreat. We found the staff to be amazingly helpful and warm. The breakfast was delicious and the room clean and very comfortable. We booked the spa package and couldn't believe what a great deal it was. We're planning another visit this month.