Madonna Inn Greets the Season in Merry Maximalist Style

IT'S A VERY MADONNA INN CHRISTMAS: Explaining the Madonna Inn to someone who has never been to the Madonna Inn may involve the words "sparkle" and "pink" and "cave rock" and "glitter," and a few dozen other terms that signify a certain extravagant over-the-top-ness. But all of the sparkle and pink that you can easily find at the Central Coast landmark, throughout the calendar, gets even more sparkly and profoundly pinker when the holidays arrive. For the think-pink, dream-big team at the roadside landmark, which is famous for imaginatively themed hotel rooms, breaks out lots and lots of baubles, bows, and bulbs, when it comes time to festoon Alex Madonna's Gold Rush Steakhouse.

THE DINING ROOM... is incredibly colorful all year long, with touches of gold and red, but now that December is here, it is a mondo maximalist wonderland beautifully brimming with seasonal touchstones. Trees of all sizes grace various perches, gnomish characters add charm, snowy deer gaze upon the diners, lollipops up the cute factor, and the life-sized Sugar Plum Fairy gracing the area near the restaurant's entrance? She is a new addition to the happy hubbub of hue and glow. The hotel shared some snapshots showing the elaborate decorations coming together, as well as shout-outs for the talented staffers who create the dining room's singular style. And, of course, when you're done dining? If you're staying at the hotel, you'll return to a one-of-a-kind room festively themed to the Alps, cowboys, Ireland, or an old-fashioned carousel.

SPECIAL CELEBRATIONS: You can book dinner on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, as well as seating for the New Year's Eve festivities now.