Apple Farm – Trellis Court Motel

This is my first time staying overnight. I have had breakfast in their restaurant here many times (it is always delicious). To start with, the room rate is very competitive with the other hotels in the area. We got a $ 15 credit to use in the restaurant or gift shop for sharing on Facebook that we had booked a room. When we checked in we got a $ 5 credit for the dining room, complimentary glass of wine and fresh baked cookies! The room is clean, the towels are soft and the shower is awesome. We had an icky problem with a plugged toilet when we arrived in the room, they came within minutes to fix it and apologized for it. I would defiantly stay here again.

This review is for the motel. Our room (a queen and two doubles) was very spacious. It was quieter than I expected at night (no noise from the road or adjoining rooms). However, there is traffic noise from Hwy 101 in the morning since the property is right next to the freeway.
Staff were friendly, but customer service was lacking. The motel advertises complimentary wine at check-​in. I arrived around 7:00 and there was wine in the lobby. After I took my bags to my room and returned 10 minutes later, it was gone. When I inquired, the clerk said it was only available until 7:00. No offer to get me a glass.
The other customer service issue was that I did not receive an iron and ironing board when I left a note for housekeeping. When I called the front desk someone brought them promptly, but the clerk said that many of the housekeeping staff do not read English. It is probably common for Spanish-​speaking staff not to read English, but for most motels their strategy is not to just ignore the notes.
Finally, it was not clear to me until I received the bill that the $ 8.00 night «facilities fee» is in addition to the room rate. The Apple Farm is a basic roadside motel, yet they implement these fees as if they are a Las Vegas hotel. The fee covers things such as wifi (should be free), daily cookies (delicious, but I would have gone without rather than pay $ 8) and wine (again, nice, but I would skip). Some reviewers praise the free cookies and wine, but they are not free.
If the Apple Farm had lower rates and no fees, it would be fine – despite the problems, our stay was ok – but I would recommend staying elsewhere in San Luis Obispo.

This review and rating are primarily for the hotel. I had stayed here once before and was in the main house. This time we were in the Trellis Court. If you want to save money and stay in the TC, I would suggest against it. The room was extremely small, smaller than some I have stayed at in NYC. Toiletries were falling in the toilet since there is no room at all. Bed was not real comfortable. Clock radio did not «set» so we had to use an iPhone.
Restaurant is okay, but would not stop there just for the food. Better buys, better food at other places.
Staff was friendly, but overall the place is a tourist trap.

I was extremely impressed with the Apple Farm, both as a guest in their hotel and a customer at their restaurant. I’ll separate my review into two sections, beginning with the former and ending with the latter.
Hotel:
I stayed in the Trellis Court of the Apple Farm, and took advantage of booking my room online for $ 99 a night. The Trellis Court is on the outside of the hotel, with access to the rooms from the private lot, in the style of an old-​fashioned drive in motel. The entire property is charming and gorgeous, with the Trellis Court being no exception.
My room was absolutely perfect for me, and frankly I never wanted to leave. It was small but not cramped, with a full bathroom and a sizable little closet, writing desk, queen bed, a TV hidden away in a cabinet, and the star of the room, the gas fireplace. SLO is usually mild/​warm to straight up hot most of the year, so I was really happy that this past weekend was unusually chilly, which allowed me to use the fireplace every time I retired to my room. The rooms are done in a charming country cottage motif, but not the style that’s nauseatingly kitschy; white trim, subtle floral accents, and white furniture and linens make up the room. There’s a coffee maker with complimentary coffee as well (which I utilized daily), just pay attention to the fact that the bottles of Aquafina on the desk aren’t free, but are $ 3 a bottle.
Upon checking in you’re given a $ 5 dining credit to use at the Apple Farm Restaurant, and from the morning until around 5:30 there’s free coffee, tea, hot cider, and lemonade in the reception area for guests. Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and wine are provided as well.
The staff here are super professional, courteous, and on top of everything. I was extremely happy with my stay here and really don’t want to stay anywhere else the next time I’m in SLO. It’s such a charming, quiet, peaceful place to stay and totally worth every penny.
Restaurant:
The Apple Farm Restaurant serves classic comfort food and American fare, and I had heard that their breakfast was top-​notch. My boyfriend and I went to breakfast here twice in my stay this past weekend and both times were really great.
I ordered the biscuits and gravy for $ 7.95 the first morning, with hot tea, and my boyfriend ordered the cowboy breakfast with two eggs made any way, sausage, bacon, and the house potatoes, with a choice of either a muffin, biscuit, or scone (he went with the apple fritter muffin). Both of our meals were delicious, and my biscuits and gravy were amazing. It was also a huge serving for so cheap.
The next morning I ordered the huevos rancheros for $ 13.95, and my boyfriend got the full breakfast plate (I can’t remember what it was called), which came with eggs, pancakes, sausage, and potatoes for $ 15.95, along with the complimentary muffin (this time he got the blueberry). Again, very impressive meals, a TON of food, and everything was hot and fresh. The tortillas in my meal were a little overcooked and too hard to cut through, but it didn’t ruin the meal, I just inhaled everything else.
I can see why this place is so popular for breakfast (and every other meal, for that matter). Service was fast even with it being packed both mornings, especially Sunday, and the food is great. Will return.

We stayed in a Motel room, which was the more affordable option. The room had a king size bed, a fireplace and very cute furnishings. The downside was that there was no refrigerator and a really old TV, although somehow the old TV tied into the overall charm of this place pretty well. For $ 79 we quite satisfied with the room however, although I really could have used a mini refrigerator. I am assuming the hotel rooms in the other building are a bit more luxurious and have refrigerators.
The property is very charming, with incredibly easy access to the 101. The restaurant is also charming, and our waitress (Kate I think) was very friendly and attentive. The food is what you would expect, and the prices are quite reasonable. I was disappointed with how long the hostess took to seat me however. The restaurant was practically empty and I was standing in wait holding a baby in my arms, and several staff members walked by and did nothing. The server made me quickly forget about that however.
We were going to stay at the Super 8 down the street, but decided to check this place out instead. It was far worth the extra $ 10 and really set the tone for what was a very nice visit to San Luis Obispo.

Since this is an inn, a millhouse, and a restaurant at this location, I guess I will review all.
Inn — There is a main inn and the motel style trellis court on the outside. Trellis is ½ the size of the inn rooms but have an option of getting a room with your own hot tub on the patio. I personally like the extra space with the main inn rooms which has the extra turndown service and refresh in the evening if you choose and the beautiful decorations in the corridors especially during the holidays. All guests are welcome to the amenities like evening reception in the garden or gardenroom in the winter, wine in the lobby in the afternoons, the cookies which are now given at checkin vs. in the evenings at the lobby since people taking way too many left some guests without, and the coffee and hot apple cider available during most of the day. The inn reminds me of a large scale B&B without the breakfast.
Restaurant and Bakery — If I don’t stay at the Apple Farm Inn, I have to at least eat here which is what we did this time around. I was a bit wary since they changed the menu and after reading the mixed reviews. However, I have to say that I was satisfied with the lunch/​brunch we had here. My mom and dad both had the open faced sandwich with mash potatos (one with turkey and one with beef) which they both liked, hubby had the chicken sandwich which I guess was okay since I didn’t get much comments either way from him, and I went for the brunch menu which was going on until 1 that day. I got the eggs benedict but requested them hard poached and while one of them was, the other was even less poached than normal where even the egg white was undercooked. For me, I completely understand that sometimes things may not come out perfectly as expected so how the situation is handled is a true testament to how I feel leaving there and whether I come back. When our server Alicia was made aware of the situation, instead of taking my plate away to recook the eggs, she left it with me so I can start my lunch and had them repoach me two new eggs while coming around to make sure everything was fine with the replacement. Now that is an excellent way of turning what could be a bad situation into a positive one. Apple Farm is lucky to have someone like Alicia who has initiative to make a great customer service decision.

My wife had always wanted to stay here. We decided to get away from LA for a weekend. Cute little motel. We stayed in Trellis court in a room with private patio hot tub. Room was a little dated and small, but comfortable. Reminded us of a small French country provincial hotel room. Apple cider and coffee in lobby until 10pm was a nice treat & cookies upon check-​in. We walked to downtown, about a mile. We took it nice and slow and window shopped. Front desk was very friendly. Overall a very nice getaway.

Me and my hubby decided on a quick weekend get away and someone recommended us to the Apple Farm. We did not get a room in the inn, but in the more motelish end. Our room was a little smaller, however it had a fireplace and a personal secluded hot tub, which was really one of those massage therapy tubs, where the jets really don’t go very hard. Even with that I have to say the atmosphere and décor was so cute and country style. We enjoyed our room as it was quaint, and we were really not looking for extravegant, we liked soaking in the hot tob with the trees all around and nature. It was pretty. We ate breakfast in the restaurant and both times really enjoyed out meals. We would for sure stay there again. Again we are not razzle dazzle folks and just enjoyed the simplicity and cute décor.

We tagged 2 extra days on our vacation and spent them both here. For a hotel that is not a resort there are little places to walk around and enjoy the property. Lovely «country-​style» rooms from the 80’s, the 1980’s not the 1880’s but it’s clean and charming. They really go out of their way to make you feel welcome, a guest reception in the afternoon gives you a glass of wine or cup of tea, very nice if you’ve been in the car awhile and want to recharge before the evening. They put our two huge baskets of free cookies at 7pm. This is both a destination in itself and a great stay if you’re passing through. We stayed in the trellis court which I guess is cheaper, but some of those rooms have private hot tubs and we really enjoyed that.

This is for the trellis court part of the hotel. We stayed in a queen room with a hot tub and the room was quaint and decorated in a very nice fashion. The Room was comfortable and the hot tub was very nice on a cool SLO evening. I would stay here again. The lobby has coffee and tea in the morning and cookies, cocoa, and Apple cider in the evening. I would stay here again. Easy to book online.

We stayed at one of the the Trellis Court rooms at the Apple Farm this past weekend. The warm cookies, cider and coffee are great complimentary treats. The size of the room we had was excellent and overall very clean with the exception of the carpet, which was pretty dirty. This might have something to do with the smell. The rooms are decorated in frilly, victorian themes with LOTS of wallpaper and LOTS of prints. I have to admit it was sensory overload and felt a bit overwhelmed by so much gingham! The thing that got me about this place is the strong awful smell in the hallways and to a lesser degree, the room we stayed in. We had a window open all weekend just to try and clear it out. The smell was of cat or dog urine and it wasn’t a temporary thing. The strong smell persisted throughout the weekend. For this reason, I will not return.