How many times have you longed for an incontestably gorgeous gathering ground, a sprawl of nature so serene, so spectacular, where you could lounge and lavish in the laughter with friends, steeped in a sea of lavender, fire pits and fireplaces and marble countertops, high ceilings and higher expectations all exceeded? San Luis Obispo is no secret to anyone on the west coast – it’s small-town welcome, winemaking heritage, hills to hike, and homage to California’s gilded age has charmed masses for pretty much ever. But in 2021, a visionary duo purchased a piece of this land, and created a benison of bucolic abundance so magnificent it managed to elevate everything I ever admired about this already desirable destination. Welcome, friends, to Cavalli Estates.
My initial lure: the lavender. You’ve read about me chasing these purple majesties all over the globe; southern France to the English countryside. But this, one of the largest in all the domestic land, roving and regal, was but a tiny little road trip away. To my great delight, it was but the beginning of a landscape destined to hold us all in the palm of its impossibly generous hand.
Such is the feeling of staying at Cavalli Estates.
We were here to celebrate Ingrid’s 50th. And the reason the entire experience felt custom created for us, is because that is exactly the intention Gio and Lisa had for Cavalli when they decided to share their Xanadu with the world. A central coast calling that answers with 70 acres of warmth, wellbeing, and bespoke preparations, all nestled within a working lavender farm.
The horses. The tangerines. The mercantile of fresh picked lavender. I’m getting ahead. Stay with me.
With as vast and as glorious as our sunshine state is, it always surprises me how hard it is to find a destination that does exactly what this one does. It is easy to get to, outstanding to experience, and feels as extraordinary as it does accessible. An endless field of fragrant vines, where horses are home, alpacas roam, chickens lay eggs you can enjoy the next morning. An intimate weekend, a girls getaway, a full-fledged family reunion, or a grand scale retreat. All steeped inside fifteen acres of lavender abloom.
The land is majestically vast, the vistas, lavender laden, and the lodging, so many tasteful moments of design, modern and mindful of all your vacating wants. It’s such a sensory pleasure.
There is a ranch house. A vineyard house. Private suites. A platform atop the trees (cocktails amongst the branches, anyone?). An enormous barn draped in billowing flowers (honeysuckle? Jasmine?) with Adirondacks and sweeping café lights inviting a twilight party.
We had the poetic, pulse-racing, and possibly havoc-wreaking (for every future group getaway that isn’t here), pleasure of making Villa de Cavalli our home for the weekend.
Villa de Cavalli is a true modern farmhouse. Up a windy road it sits, unvarnished by any obstruction in the visible distance. Vineyards out every window, cows grazing in distant pastures. Lisa’s design eye is undeniable and her execution a downright inspiration. Gorgeous natural light flooding through gargantuan windowed doors. A private pool, pergola, garden, pizza oven (pizza oven!) and inside, room for sixteen, with six bedrooms, eight beds, and five and half baths. An enormous TV and game room to spend the night in (plus giant TVs in each room). And enormous fire pit (or two) to S’mores the night out. The space. The décor. The giant showers and the heated marble floors (and toilet seats!). And that backyard is the gift that keeps on giving… Vines and vistas and multiple firempits (two plus a fireplace…for real). I cannot overly emphasize how decadent and divine it is playing house here for the weekend. The singular downside is leaving.
If you are looking for a destination to house a retreat: gold, done, arrived. If you are looking for a wedding venue to that will house your guests and create a ballad inspiring backdrop, done, done, and done. If you are looking to get away in any capacity, with any quantity of people, if you need a reset, a recharge, or just a refresh of your inspired soul, I cannot emphasize enough what a find Cavalli is.
And to anyone who is looking to experience a Nancy Meyers movie come true, get in that kitchen. Any of them, they’re all spectacular, with their open shelving and design driven pendants and marble islands the size of Kauaii. Open the carton of coop-to-table, hand-gathered eggs, and behold a half dozen beauties in the softest sages and ecru you thought only existed in Martha Stewart magazines. It’s difficult to keep track of how many fantasies come to life just being here.
Horses are home here; very much so. Lisa is a die-hard for them, so the equine theme runs throughout, in addition to the galloping real deal, in all their majestic grandeur. Alpacas. Chickens lay fresh eggs that are delivered to your room (see aforementioned Nancy Meyers mental montage). Citrus grows abundantly and you are encouraged to pick at will. It is an organic fantasyland every which way you look.
And after sundown, the pathways and trails light the night fantastic.
If you can pull yourself to leave at any point, the surrounding towns abound with charm. Little, understated beach walks with antique stores (good ones!), wine to taste, massages to be had. It’s all so easy and accessible, and such is the intention at Cavalli. Come and be catered to. Come and commune with nature, with the animals, the lavender, whatever calls to you. Come and find your creativity. It’s as if owners Lisa and Gio have opened their magnificent home, made you a bed in the clouds, offered you a sprawling Nancy Meyers kitchen, and dedicated a space designed for inspiration to flourish. And with the aromatics of that lavender, calm is quite literally in the air you breathe. All you have to do is arrive, inhale, and absorb the irrefutable magic of your very good choice.
