Sundance Bed and Breakfast has three suites available to the public and can be found in Paso Robles, California—a few towns to the north of Santa Maria. One of the biggest draws to the area is the abundance of wineries, breweries, and distilleries located within close vicinity of the bed and breakfast. A number of popular festivals occur nearby throughout the year, culminating with a more constant event near the end of the year called Sensorio—a light festival that is spread out over about 15 acres of fields. A majority of the surrounding companies, establishments, and restaurants are heavily influenced by French and Italian culture. One highlight that the owners take pride in is the three-course breakfast they make for guests in the mornings.
The building that makes up Sundance Bed and Breakfast is two stories tall and has a total of three suites—one of which comprises two rooms. The suites are all found on the second floor of the building. The first floor consists of the common room and dining room, as well as the back patio outside, where breakfast is typically served. The building itself sits on top of a hill that overlooks a number of vineyards, one of which is even owned by the B&B. The house is an authentic Tuscany Villa, described by the co-owner, Neil, as being "a large yellow box with a tile roof." While there isn't an official store on the property, Sundance Bed and Breakfast does sell several items that guests can purchase and take with them when they leave or even have them shipped to their homes. Some of these items include an apron with the Sundance Bed and Breakfast logo, a tote bag, a cookbook, and a pan that is specifically used to make a Danish treat called Ebelskivers—round, jelly-filled pancakes. This treat is something the B&B is well known for amongst its guests. The three guest accommodations available to rent out are called The 50/50 Suite, La Dolce Vita, and Le Reve. These rooms are each uniquely decorated and vary in size. Regardless of which room a guest decides to choose for their stay, all of the rooms come with things like a hairdryer, an on-suite private bathroom, walk-in closets, flat-screen television with a Blu-ray DVD player, a ceiling fan, an iron with an ironing board, a mini-fridge, access to WiFi and more. All guests have access to the bocce ball court outside, which has overhead lights for those who want to use it later in the evening. The 50/50 Suite is made up of two different suites, the first one being called The Empire Room and the second being called Las Puertas al Sol. What is unique about these two suites is that they are the largest of the rooms—at least when they are used in tandem—and can sleep four people. However, guests who don't need the extra space may just rent The Empire Room and save an additional 90 dollars per night if they have no more than two people staying. This possible extra room makes the 50/50 Suite more suitable for those who have groups of up to 4 people. Of these two accommodations, the Empire Room has twinges of British-themed décor, while Las Puertas al Sol has Latin American themes. The second room is called La Dolce Vita. This suite has a larger bathroom than the others that is complete with a two-person jacuzzi and a two-person, dual head shower. La Dolce Vita is noted as catering more toward guests that are looking for a romantic getaway. The decorations in the room are Italian-themed. Le Reve is the final room that guests can choose between the three available rooms. This space has large windows that face the north and west, providing views of the vineyards as well as a view of the evening sunset. Le Reve is a French-themed living space. Breakfast is typically served at about 8:00 and goes on until about 9:30. The meal is proudly made by the co-owner, Alma, who also serves as the property chef. Before guests receive breakfast, they are usually offered French roast coffee, various teas, and juices. Once they have their beverages in order, a three-course meal begins. These courses typically consist of a fruit course, a pastry item, and the main entrée. In the past, they've had things like grilled pears with raspberry Coulis, vanilla cream, and almonds, cranberry-orange scones, and waffles with four kinds of Italian cheese. Other dishes served are Norwegian smoked salmon and poached eggs topped with lemon beurre blanc sauce. Alma does her best to create a breakfast that everyone can enjoy. She is also able to prepare a number of dishes that can accommodate special dietary restrictions, as long as she is given enough time beforehand. Guests also have the option to reserve time on Saturday evenings to have a special dinner served to them, also made by Alma. It's a more formal dinner that serves relatively fancy food and wines. A minimum of four guests must sign up for it. Otherwise, the owners are happy to recommend restaurants that would be able to suit their guests' needs. Outside of the property, there are an abundant amount of wineries, distilleries, and breweries in the vicinity. One such winery that is recommended by Neil, the owner of Sundance Bed and Breakfast, is Cass Winery. At Cass Winery, visitors can not only walk through the vineyards and go wine tasting, but they can also go horseback riding. Additionally, there is also a restaurant at the winery. Tablas Creek Vineyard is another recommendation that Neil likes to pass along to those who want more options. At Tablas Creek Vineyard, guests can take a tour of the vineyard and wine taste as usual. They may also see some of the free-roaming alpacas and sheep that graze on the property. Neil also likes to recommend restaurants to guests that are looking for a location to eat food outside of their own establishment. In particular, he likes to mention Il Cortile, an Italian restaurant located in the central part of Paso Robles. Another recommendation would be Fish Guacho, which Neil remarks that they specialize in margaritas, Mexican food, and seafood. La Cosecha is a Latin American-themed eatery that is also on Neil's list of favorite restaurants. The area is also known for its abundant amount of festivals that happen over the course of the year. One festival called Sensorio has recently become a more permanent attraction for visitors to explore during the end of the year. Sensorio takes place in a field that is north of the property and east of the central city of Paso Robles. The Sensorio Lights are an evening attraction that was created by an artist named Bruce Munro. The lights are spheres and cylinders of glowing glass bottles that change color throughout the evening. Another festival that takes place in Paso Robles is called Vintage Paso Zinfandel. This festival used to be called Zinfest, but the celebration has remained the same. Many of the local wineries take part in this three-day festival that highlights a lot of the wine-tasting culture of Paso Robles.
The culture that Sundance Bed and Breakfast attempts to create is one that is relaxing and comfortable. The owners want guests to feel like they are in a place that is luxurious, but not to the point where it feels "stuffy" so that they can be in a nice place to kick back in comfort without having to worry about their lives at home. One thing to help give off this atmosphere is doing things like providing breakfast on the patio in the mornings. No events are held at the Sundance Bed and Breakfast, but Neil mentions that the vineyards and wineries nearby will often have events. Another way that the owners of Sundance Bed and Breakfast try to create their desired environment is through the policies they have put in place. One of the more important of these that they ask guests to follow is their no pets policy. They explain that they don't currently have the room to accommodate pets and ask that their guests don't bring their animals with them. Another policy that they have in place is their no-smoking policy. Guests may be subject to a fine of a minimum of 250 dollars if they smoke inside or around the Sundance Bed and Breakfast property. Another policy mentioned to help promote the idea of having a luxurious and peaceful stay is that children under the age of 12 years old are not allowed to stay at the property. Sundance Bed and Breakfast has received a number of reviews since they opened. Many of the reviews mention the quality of the breakfast that was served, both in taste and in the display. One guest that previously stayed at Sundance Bed and Breakfast says, "Beautiful Tuscan villa in the Paso Robles vineyard-covered hillsides. Alma & Neil were wonderful hosts, and the breakfasts were out of this world. Fresh, organic, farm-to-table, and delicious." A few of the reviews also mention the quality of the upkeep that the bed and breakfast maintained during their stay. Another review reads, "Big room with luxury furniture and huge bathroom, quiet in the night, lovely and clean."
Sundance Bed and Breakfast has been around for about seven years, with its first month of full operation occurring in July of 2013. While Neil and Alma are the original owners of Sundance Bed and Breakfast, they aren't the original owners of the building. Initially, the building was being erected by a man to be his dream home for when he retired, but it didn't work out the way he planned. The building itself is very well-constructed, to the point where the handymen's work went "a little over the top." For example, the pipes were upgraded to a more robust metal so that water traveling through them is nearly soundless. In their time owning the property, Neil and Alma have made several changes over the years, but nothing large-scale. Most of the changes they have made were just to improve and readjust some of the designs. Neil explains that the most significant change they've made is turning one of the small rooms upstairs into a storage space. Neil and Alma purchased the property in early 2012 and spent the better part of a year turning it into what it is today. Before they lived in Paso Robles, their home was located in Los Angeles, where they owned their own wine club. Alma explains that she enjoys the creative aspects of the job and loves being able to use the culinary art skills she learned in school to help people enjoy their time in Paso Robles. Neil says he enjoys the location of the property and the fact that many people who come here are able to relax and feel at peace. The fact that Paso Robles is a wine-oriented city is one of the reasons why they chose to purchase the Sundance Bed and Breakfast when they saw that it was for sale.
7735 Sundance Trail
California, United States
Bed and Breakfast
Neil & Alma
