Meadowlark Inn, Solvang

My boyfriend and I just returned from our 7th anniversary getaway at the Meadowlark Inn and our experience was...well... WHAT WE LIKED: We opted for the "Romance Package" which included a couple's massage (awesome, thanks to Bai Ling and Charlie!), wine tasting (very nice), and dinner for two at the Vineyard House (absolutely delicious; try the peppercorn filet mignon & butternut squash ravioli). Basically we liked anything that the inn did not have a direct hand in. WHAT WE DID NOT LIKE: The website calls Meadowlark, "A Wine Country Retreat" spread out on two acres of land. In reality, we rolled up to what looks like any other one story U-shaped motel, only this one featured really nice foliage which apparently upgrades it to "inn-like" standards. The room was small and taken up almost entirely by the king size bed (not to mention that they downgraded our initial reservation to a smaller, cheaper room--which we didn't have a problem with--but they did this without a courtesy phone call). Our wine and fruit "welcome" featured freshly picked grapes from their garden--romantic in gesture and utterly organic since I found THREE types of bugs enjoying the fruit too. My problem were not the insects, but the promise that they would amend the situation by bringing bug-free fruit immediately. Despite several apologies, my fruit never came. The toilet leaked and left a pool of water (very romantic!) by our feet. The inn's solution: extra towels to mop it up since they couldn't call maintenance on Saturday. Hey, I'm a fairly understanding person, I don't want to work the weekends either but coupled with the shower that couldn't decide between hot and cold, the bugs, the downgraded room and the price tag for this mess...definitely NOT WORTH IT. The moral: Save your cash and splurge on Best Western. At least you won't find bugs in your fruit.