Pea Gravel Patio

For the first few years that we have lived in our house we have mainly focused on indoor projects. Besides painting the front door and shutters and installing a screen door,  we haven't done too much to the yard. My mother and father built Madeline a beautiful garden for her first birthday that I love looking at every day from my kitchen window. Next spring/summer we plan to focus our attention on landscaping and gardening. I would LOVE to add a small patio/type area with an arbor and maybe a small table and some plants and flowers surrounding. I really had my heart set on a pea gravel patio like this one below (ours would be much smaller...but you get the idea.)

 image via San Francisco Chronicle

However, I have been reading that pea gravel is a terrible choice for a patio!!! Ugh, does anyone have any opinions/experience with pea gravel that I should know about???