30 Dec Western Landmark: Allegretto Vineyard Resort, Paseo Robles, California

A personal crisis in 2006 prompted developer Douglas Ayres to embark on a global journey in search of wisdom and understanding. When he returned to his home in Paso Robles, California, it was with renewed vigor and a passion for art inspired by the natural formations, sacred spaces, and ancient architecture he had seen along the way. So inspiring was his journey that he decided to build Allegretto Vineyard Resort. “All that I learned,” he says, “I painted across this canvas of land.”

Imported cooking vessels from Rajasthan are repurposed as fire bowls.

The canvas in this case is the green and gold rolling hillscape of Paso Robles, a place that takes pride in its rich ranching and agricultural heritage. In fact, cattle once grazed on the acreage that has become Allegretto. Ayres had fond memories of visiting the Central Coast to see the famed Hearst Castle and dreamed of one day living on a ranch and opening a bed and breakfast in the Paso Robles region.

After returning to California, he purchased a ranch and vineyard, stretched his vision for a resort on the property, and began working with a French designer and Italian architect. The Allegretto took five years to build and was completed in 2015.

Art-filled spaces can be used for parties and banquets.

Dreaming up and then actualizing a resort is a skill passed down through generations of Ayers, beginning in 1905 when Frank Ayres, Douglas’ great-grandfather, launched a prosperous land development company in Los Angeles. Frank’s son, Don, joined his father, and then Don Ayres Jr. joined the company, continuing the tradition that expanded to include building European-style boutique hotels. By 1998, Douglas came on board as the fourth-generation developer in the Ayres Group. The Allegretto is one of more than 20 hotels in the portfolio, with the majority in Southern California.

Swimming by the vines is a signature Allegretto experience.

Now in its eleventh year, the Tuscan-styled resort near the Central Coast is home to hundreds of prized works of art. “It is a museum of sorts,” says Ayres, who grew up going to museums with his mother. “I love museums and thought I might as well build one.”

Indeed he did. Some people have even called it a little Hearst Castle. Each item at Allegretto, including its collection of Western art, has a backstory. One of Ayres’ favorite artifacts is a massive sequoia cross-section dating back to 214 B.C. He discovered the slab, which dominates a wall in the common living room, in 2013 when he was on his way to crush grapes at a nearby vineyard and happened to see it on the ground. Overwhelmed, he contacted the owner and asked to buy it, then had it gently milled and installed in a place of prominence.

The property touts 171 rooms and suites. Photos courtesy of Allegretto Vineyard Resort

Throughout Allegretto are wall and ceiling murals, carved doors, detailed chests, marble angels, giant amethyst geodes, an obelisk, and mythic gods and goddesses carved of wood and stone. A commissioned design — Seed of Life, an emblem of interlocking circles signifying peace and harmony — can be found on carpets and towels.

Douglas Ayres is the key decision-maker in everything from landscaping to art placement, as well as furnishings and decorative accents that are either custom-made or imported — like the outdoor fire bowls that were once giant cooking vessels from Rajasthan, and the modern fiber optic chandelier made with Swarovski crystals.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, a work of craftmanship from a single tree trunk.

Themes of balance and harmony are echoed throughout. In the lobby, the grand staircase forms a perfect “Y,” splitting into two sets of stairs at mid-landing. Twelve unique outdoor rooms, each named after a Zodiac sign, are part of the Star Garden Trail, designed for meditation and stillness.

The stained-glass abbey beckons all to enter and discover Our Lady of Guadalupe, carved from a single piece of wood and blessed by the bishop at Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Mexico before delivery to Paso Robles. The South Labyrinth, the first of its kind in the world, is a short walk from the abbey. Passersby trigger the motion sensor, causing speakers to emit a series of sounds created by wind instruments, which adds a sense of grounding.

The giant sequoia cross-section dates back to 214 B.C. Photos courtesy of Allegretto Vineyard Resort

While Allegretto may sound more like a religious retreat than a hotel, it also offers amenities rivaling those of other luxury hotels: a cabana-rimmed swimming pool and hot tub, the Italian Cello Ristorante featuring a wood-fired oven for pizza and meats, eight acres of vineyards, a tasting room where you can buy wine and gifts, and cruiser bikes for exploring the property. There are also olive oil tastings, and guests can visit with George the alpaca in the vineyard.

Guests can also sign up for an art tour at the Allegretto. “I don’t feel like it’s too much,” Ayres says, acknowledging there is a lot to take in and that people probably can’t absorb it all in one visit. His solution? Plan your return visit before you leave. And he says all the positive feedback further validates his vision. “People say their blood pressure and heart rate go down,” he says. “They tell me their thoughts expanded while they were here.” One guest wrote Ayres, telling him that a single day at Allegretto changed the course of their life.

Whether visitors see Allegretto as a hotel or museum, Ayres believes that the experience of resort, art, and wine make one’s stay an experience that will last long into the future. “I always ask myself, how can we add more to our guests’ experience? How do we give something special that will connect on a deeper level?”  And he adds, “Offering something special is the joy I get from all of this.”

Kathy Chin Leong is an award-winning journalist with works published in the New York Times, National Geographic Books, and many other publications. She lives in Sunnyvale, California with her husband Frank and daughter Gwen.