Paso Robles is a small California town located about 3 hours north of Los Angeles. Paso Robles is known for boutique wineries, craft breweries, an adorable town square and family-owned restaurants and bars. I like to think of Paso Robles as Napa Valley’s younger sister. It’s significantly less touristy than Napa, but has just as delicious wine!

I celebrated my birthday in Paso Robles and stayed at The Piccolo, which is the newest hotel in the area. The Piccolo opened in 2019 and features the only rooftop bar in Downtown Paso.

Hotel Details

Clientele: All ages

Number of Rooms: 24

Wifi: Yes, property wide

Location: Downtown Paso Robles

Walkability: High, you can walk to the Paso Robles square

Dog Friendly: Yes, with additional fee

Drone Friendly: No

Potential Social Media Content: Yes, but opportunities are limited. Champagne Vending Machine is the most “Instagram” friendly amenity in the hotel.

Hotel Vibe: Modern Farmhouse

Amenities

  • Paso Robles’ only rooftop bar, Tetto
  • Piper Wine Bar Lounge
  • Veuve Champagne Vending Machine
  • Pool and Hot Tub available at Piccolo’s sister property, Paso Robles Inn

Check In & Lobby

The Piccolo only has 24 rooms, all housed in one building. When you walk into the lobby, you’ll see the Piper Wine Bar Lounge, the check-in area and my favorite part, the Vueve Champagne Vending Machine. You can purchase “coins” for the champagne vending machine, which are $25, right from the front desk.

The Luxury King Room

I stayed in the Luxury King Room, which is their standard room. The room featured a beautiful brick wall, wine fridge, walk-in shower, stand-up steamer and a small juliet balcony overlooking the downtown square. The room had a contemporary design – somewhat of a farmhouse feel – with sliding barn doors and locally designed furniture.

While the clothes steamer was a nice touch, I did have to call the front desk to request an iron and ironing board. They don’t seem to come standard in every room.

I was really surprised to see a small note and gift card on the bed when I arrived. The gift card was $10 to a local coffee shop across the street. Love that small surprise & delight!

Because The Piccolo is located just off the Downtown Square, this isn’t the most quiet hotel. You will have noise from the street, the cars.. just the hustle and bustle. I was actually woken up in the middle of the night because a bar down the street was getting rowdy and a fight brought out.

If a quiet room is really important to you, I would suggest requesting a room that overlooks the courtyard vs the square.

There is also one larger room, the Somm Suite, which is the penthouse suite. If you want a bigger room with better views, you may want to look at the Somm Suite.

Food & Drinks

The Piccolo has a beautiful rooftop bar, Tetto and it was one of my favorite places to relax. They have speciality craft cocktails, a great local wine list and small appetizers.

One thing to note is that the Piccolo does not have an on-site restaurant. That also means, no room service. They recommend checking out a few restaurants right next door.

Their sister property, Paso Robles Inn, does have a restaurant, but the rooms are pretty outdated and it’s such a different vibe than The Piccolo (not in a good way). Check out my Paso Robles Travel Guide to read my favorites restaurants in the area.

Is The Piccolo Boutique or Busted?

The Piccolo is BASIC

For Paso Robles, The Piccolo is by far the most modern and contemporary hotel in the Downtown area. I love its location. You can walk to all the great restaurants and bars! Unfortunately, it lacks a lot of amenities… no restaurant, no spa, no pool or hot tub on-site.

Tetto, the only rooftop bar in Paso, was the highlight of my stay. You just have to manage your expectations that The Piccolo won’t blow you away because it simply doesn’t offer many amenities that other hotels do. It doesn’t completely suck either.

It’s just, well.. basic.

Have you visited Paso Robles before? If so, I would love to hear your experience in the comments. Where did you stay.. what was your favorite wineries/restaurants? And if you’re looking to plan your future Paso trip.. Check out my Paso Robles Travel Guide and my other blog post, 4 Wineries with a View, that you must visit when you’re in town! Cheers friends!