Weekend in Temecula: Where To Wine, Dine, Stay & Play
Are you ready for an escape from the ordinary? Do you think you could handle some wine tasting among California’s rolling hills bedecked with garlands of grape vines and studded with citrus groves? How about enjoying a hot air balloon ride that lets you peacefully drift over a colorful canvass of vineyards, olive orchards, farms, and wildlands? Could you use a spa day?
The more questions you answered “yes” to, the more reasons you have to take a much-needed weekend getaway to Temecula! Tucked into the southwestern corner of Riverside County, this Inland Empire jewel is ideally located an easy drive away from Los Angeles, Orange County, Palm Springs, and San Diego. This proximity makes it so simple for so many to travel to Temecula and enjoy Southern California’s Wine Country.
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Yet as wonderful as Temecula’s vineyards are, there are so many other attractions to enjoy during your stay—and that’s not even including the special events generously sprinkled throughout the calendar. Indeed, any time of year is a great time for a weekend getaway in Temecula!
So, I’m going to unpack some of the expertise I’ve picked up on my many Temecula getaways and share with you the best options on where to stay and how to play, with tips on where to eat throughout the day.
Where To Stay on Your Weekend in Temecula
From where I live in La Jolla, I’m blessed with options for amazing San Diego staycations incredibly close to home, but I also love to relax and rewine in Temecula, only an hour drive away. And because it’s such a great place, a day trip doesn’t really do it justice.
Luckily, I have two wonderful places to stay that not only offer great things to enjoy on their own premises, they are also close to even more of the most popular things to do throughout the Temecula Valley.
Temecula Creek Inn
Temecula Creek Inn’s Cork Fire Kitchen is a great restaurant to enjoy during a Temecula weekend getaway.
Nestled within a 300-acre expanse of wooded hills, with towering oak, magnolia, and eucalyptus trees providing a shady, picturesque retreat from the outside world, Temecula Creek Inn is the perfect place to settle into for a Temecula weekend getaway.
With its secluded peaceful beauty, the Temecula Creek Inn may seem like a world away, but it’s not just one of the most charming Temecula hotels, it is also close to local wineries, downtown Temecula, and equestrian and hiking trails. The Inn is also home to an award-winning 27-hole golf course, recognized as one of the finest in the entire Temecula Valley.
Gorgeous greens to get away to during a weekend in Temecula
My husband Michael and I recently spent a splendid 2 days in Temecula here, and we’re not even golfers. But even though we didn’t get a single stroke in on the golf course, we enjoyed practicing our backstroke and relaxing at the property’s lovely pool.
The rooms are spacious, and each offers a private patio or balcony. We happened to have two patios, and we loved the views from both. While lounging on them during the course of our stay, we saw 3 herons and 2 eagles!
Our spacious room and verdant views on a recent Temecula Creek Inn getaway
We also loved Cork Fire Kitchen, the great restaurant at the Inn. We had two remarkable dinners at CFK, with gorgeous sunset views overlooking the lush greens. Chef Matt Steffen and his team turn out deliciously creative farm-to-table California cuisine, with many of the ingredients coming from the restaurant’s garden adjacent to the golf course.
Seared Diver Scallops at Temecula Creek Inn’s Cork Fire Kitchen
Among our favorite items were the diver scallops. They were amazing—one of the best scallops dishes I’ve had in years. In addition, the crispy duck and ribeye fillet options were both top notch! And the ricotta doughnut holes are out of this world! It’s no wonder they’re one of the most popular things on the dessert menu. Even if you don’t stay at the Inn, definitely come have a meal at CFK. It’s certainly one of the best restaurants in the entire area.
Prime Ribeye Filet with a view, at Cork Fire Kitchen
Just a slice of Pechanga’s expansive water retreat, The Cove
If your Temecula itinerary includes some combination of hitting the slot machines, swinging on the links, indulging in a spa day, splashing around a 4.5-acre pool wonderland, or dining from a menu of more than 10 on-site restaurants, Pechanga Resort Casino is the perfect spot for you!
One of the finest luxury hotels in Temecula offering the most popular things to do, Pechanga is one of the best places to pack your Temecula wine tasting weekend with amazing options! In fact, Michael and I felt like big winners just scoring our lovely, spacious, corner suite with birds-eye views of the resort’s Journey at Pechanga Golf Course and the mountains beyond!
Mountain views from our stylish suite at Pechanga Resort Casino
Between the spa, the pools, the bars, the concerts, and the restaurants, this is one of the ultimate girl getaways in California, boy getaways in California, girl-meets-boy getaways in California, and fill-in-the-blank getaways in California!
On one of our recent Temecula winery weekend getaways, my boy and I spent a sunny day at our cabana at The Cove pool complex with food and drinks delivered directly by our friendly server. I loved swimming my long laps in between orders so that I could remember my indulgent escapade as a healthy workout.
The swim-up bar is a great place to reward yourself after some long laps at The Cove.
The next morning, I had a delicious breakfast at Journey’s End restaurant overlooking Pechanga’s gorgeous golf course. Afterward, I had a deeply relaxing massage and enjoyed the private pool and whirlpool at the spa.
A decadent Bananas Foster French Toast at Journey’s End before luxuriating at the spa
The other meals during our stay were also marvelous. At Umi Sushi & Oyster Bar, the menu extends well beyond the raw. In addition to truly tasty sushi, sashimi, and maki, we also enjoyed a perfectly prepared Chilean Sea Bass and ended with a rainbow assortment of creative mochi ice creams.
Hamachi Crudo at Pechanga’s Umi Sushi & Oyster Bar
At Paisano’s, you can take a culinary tour of Italy, with scrumptious specialties of Tuscany, Bologna, Rome, and Milan all on the menu.
Both of Chef Amanda Colello’s house specials are amazing! The Scampi’s shrimp were large and flavorful, the linguini cooked to perfection, and the sauce excellently executed. The Short Rib & Three Cheese Ravioli combination was a knockout. The generous portions of delicious beef with pillowy ravioli plump with a threesome of delicious cheeses were both super satisfying and fantastically filling.
Paisano’s Short Rib & Three Cheese Ravioli
For a more casual meal any time of day, Pechanga also features Temptations, a food court with specialized restaurants offering everything from American classics to Chinese, Mexican, and Italian favorites, in addition to an all-day coffee shop.
Our Room Service breakfast spread at Pechanga on a recent weekend getaway in Temecula
Taking comfort and convenience to the highest level, room service offers a mouth-watering array of menu items 24/7!
A stay at Pechanga is always a sure bet! You’ll never go hungry or thirsty, and you’ll never grow bored! Before you go, make sure to check all their specials, including gaming and golfing deals and Temecula romantic getaway packages.
How To Play During Your Weekend in Temecula
With Temecula such an ideal place to enjoy so many great things, it’s time to explore what makes it so much fun.
Temecula Wineries
You get spoiled with vineyard views on Temecula winery weekend getaways.
Among the many reasons to travel to Temecula, enjoying delicious wines in beautiful Southern California Wine Country usually finds its way to the top of people’s lists. With a wealth of award-winning wineries in spectacular settings, it’s no wonder. However, the sheer number of wineries can also make your first trip to Temecula wine country a bit intimidating, so let’s take a look at some of the best wineries to make sure you have a memorable time.
South Coast Winery Resort & Spa
After seeing the movie “A Walk in the Clouds” in the mid-1990’s, Jim Carter was inspired to start a winery on some of his 400 acres of land in Temecula. Among its many accomplishments, South Coast Winery became the only wine-making operation to ever win the title of California Winery of the Year 5 times at the prestigious California State Fair Wine Competition!
This Temecula winery and hotel is also home to the Vineyard Rose Restaurant. This crowd-pleaser has been named a USA Today’s Top 10 Winery Restaurant for 3 consecutive years. It’s also one of the restaurants we feature in our article on the best restaurants in Temecula wineries.
South Coast Winery makes a great stop on a Temecula wine tasting weekend.
With the success of South Coast, Jim Carter set out to capture lightning in a bottle a second time—Carter Estate Winery & Resort is the result. The impressive 112-acre estate is a lovely place to have a great time enjoying their wide variety of offerings.
With its long list of award-winning wines, tasting room, guided tour offerings, restaurant, extensive outside picnic grounds, and live music events, this place is always abuzz. To ensue that you have it made in the shade, consider a courtyard cabana rental. Otherwise, keep in mind that the lower garden offers tons of additional seating on a complimentary first-come-first-serve basis.
Part of the expansive grounds at Wilson Creek Winery
Thornton Winery opened its doors way back in 1988, choosing the Methode Champenoise process (or official French Champagne-making method) of making their California sparkling wine. This combination of old-world style and new-world taste has won Thornton more medals in tasting competitions than any other sparkling wine producer in the United States. If you love bubbly, you’ve got to pop on over.
Ponte is a boutique winery, with each of its varieties typically producing only about 1,500 cases per year. Wine tours provide a fascinating look at the entire wine-making process, including a visit to the vineyards and the wine-making facilities. The winery is part of the Ponte Vineyard Inn, which is also home to The Restaurant at Ponte, one of my favorite winery restaurants in the Temecula Valley.
Doffo is the only winery mentioned so far that is not located along Rancho California Road, Temecula’s main winery thoroughfare. But the long road that led to Doffo wove through both Italy and Argentina before ending up at this family winery making some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon in Temecula.
The winery’s founder, Marcel Doffo, has a literal love of the road—and of the motorcycles he’s ridden on roads around the world. That’s the story behind the vintage motorcycle collection Marcel has amassed over more than 2 decades and now displays at the winery. So, make your first stop at the tasting counter or at an indoor or outdoor table, then enjoy your wine while cruising the collection of two-wheeled wonders.
Some vintage motorcycles at Doffo Winery in Temecula wine country
Europa Village is an ever-evolving homage to the wine, food, and culture of Europe. With 30 acres of vines now planted, Bolero and C’est la Vie varietals salute Spanish and French viticulture, respectively. Vienza Italian varietals are yet to come.
The village architecture is infused with Spanish style, and Bolero Restaurante features flavors that would be at home on any Spanish menu. For breakfast, expect Spanish Toast, Tortillas Españolas, and the most popular potato dish from Madrid to the Basque Block in Boise: Patatas Bravas. For lunch and dinner, you’ll find an extensive list of Spanish specialties, including 4 versions of one of the most famous foods of Valencia, Paella. On Tapas Tuesdays, fill up on small bites like you’re feasting on the street foods of Barcelona, with the discounted happy hour menu available from 5 to 8 pm.
Hot Air Baloon Ride
Take your Temecula weekend getaway to a whole new level with a hot air balloon ride!
For an incredibly unique experience, one of the best things you can possibly do in Temecula is take a hot air balloon flight that soars above the kaleidoscopic landscape of Temecula Valley.
California Dreamin’ Balloon Adventures offers a jaw-dropping morning balloon ride in which you greet the rising sun while drifting along in the basket of your balloon. After landing, you’ll toast your adventure while enjoying a European breakfast in a private rose garden. Talk about taking your Temecula weekend getaway to a whole new level!
Old Town Temecula
Old Town Temecula began as a stagecoach stop in 1859. Today, the town bustles against the backdrop of architecture evoking the Old West, with buildings housing antique shops, art galleries, bars, and, of course, restaurants.
Town highlights include Temecula Lavender Co., which, befitting its name, features all things lavender. Just walking through the shop is a relaxing dose of aromatherapy. Old Town Spice & Tea Merchants feature two of my favorite things. Or, more accurately, with over 350 spices and blends and more than 100 loose-leaf teas, they offer hundreds of my favorite things.
If you work up an appetite or thirst walking the town, a great spot to fuel back up is PUBlic House. Focusing on local, seasonal, sustainable ingredients, the results are delicious. And if you’re wined out, cocktails and craft beers are here to help. If wine is still fine, there’s plenty of that too. The Goat & Vine is another favorite spot in town offering creative concoctions in both the food and drink categories.
A stroll through Old Town Temecula is a fun activity during a weekend in Temecula.
Live Music
There’s some kind of alchemy that occurs when you pair a live band with flowing wine amid the picture postcard backdrop of a gorgeous winery setting. Luckily, that alchemy is not a rarity in Temecula wine country. Many wineries offer live entertainment, typically on the weekend and especially during the summer months. Check winery websites for schedules during your stay.
If country music is your thing, Temecula Stampede is a sure thing year-round, every Thursday through Saturday. It’s the largest country music venue on the West Coast, featuring a 4,000-square-foot dance floor. If you’re rusty or a novice, consider the line dancing lessons offered Friday nights at 6:30 before strutting your stuff during prime time.
Olive Oil Tasting
Since wine country climate typically means olive tree climate, it’s no surprise that there is olive oil to be enjoyed in Temecula. The premier producer in the area is Temecula Olive Oil Company. Book a 90-minute tour of their olive groves and your tour guide will teach you all about the olive-growing, crop-harvesting, cold-pressing techniques that result in the fresh-pressed extra virgin olive oils you’ll be tasting during your visit.
Alpaca Hacienda
One of the most fun things to do in Temecula, especially on a family vacation, is to visit Alpaca Hacienda, a working alpaca farm since 2005. Take a tour on which you’ll feed these friendly, gentle animals, learn their qualities and quirks, and have an opportunity to purchase products made from their unique fleece, known for its soft, luxurious feel, warmth-conserving properties, and durability.
Horseback Riding
Experience the scenic hills of Temecula up close and personal with a horseback ride along the wine country trails that crisscross the countryside and serve up ever-changing vistas. Sunset tours, private rides, and special-occasion itineraries are all available at select stables, and no riding experience is necessary.
California poppies brighten a trail in Southern California Wine Country.
Hiking
If you’d rather experience area trails on your own two feet, you’ll find plenty of hikes along a spectrum of difficulty levels. Two big draws in the area are the Dripping Springs Trail and Vernal Pools Trail. Depending on how far you want to go and time of year, Dripping Springs offers views of four of the region’s mountain peaks, while—you guessed it—vernal pools are the seasonal highlight of Vernal Pools Trail. Due to high temperatures and lack of shade, neither of these trails should be attempted during the summer months.
Cheers to Your Weekend in Temecula!
If fear of a one-dimensional weekend has been holding you back from an exploration of Temecula wine country, I should hope your concerns have now been put to rest. In fact, there is so much to do and enjoy in the area that the biggest mistake would be to think that a Temecula day trip itinerary would come anywhere close to giving you enough time to do Temecula right.
With great places to stay, a myriad of ways to play, and plenty of tasty places to keep you well fed throughout each day, give yourself at least a weekend to explore the many sides of Temecula. And if you can’t fit in everything that you’d like in just one weekend getaway in Temecula, have no fear—you’ll always be welcomed back with open arms!
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