The hook
A highway builder opened a hotel in 1958, painted nearly all of it pink, gave each of its 110 rooms a different over-the-top theme, and put a rock waterfall in the men's urinal.
01Why it's worth it
Alex Madonna made his money building highways, and in 1958 he and his wife Phyllis opened a roadside inn in San Luis Obispo that has been California's high temple of kitsch ever since. The pink runs everywhere, down to the lamp posts and the trash cans. Each of the 110 rooms is its own fever dream, no two alike, some carved out of solid rock, some with their own waterfalls. The single most-visited feature isn't a room at all but the men's restroom, where a Hollywood set designer built a urinal that's a rock waterfall, tripped to flush by a beam. You don't have to stay to see it: people pull off Highway 101 just to walk the pink dining room, eat a slice of the famous pink champagne cake, and gawk. It's tacky on purpose and completely committed to the bit, which is exactly what makes it worth the stop.
02How to experience it
It's just off Highway 101 in San Luis Obispo, about four hours south. The public areas, dining room, and shops are free to wander; the rooms and the cake cost. Staying in one of the themed rooms is the full experience if you're inclined that way, and it pairs easily with Morro Bay or the Central Coast wineries for the rest of the trip.