You probably have never heard of Temecula, CA before, but let me tell you it needs to be on your bucket list. Especially if you love wine!
I had never heard of Temecula until I saw an influencer I follow do a trip there looking for wedding venues. I was very interested in it because it was a California wine region I have never heard of, so I started doing some research and figured it would be the perfect place for a birthday girls trip.
Temecula is located about an hour and a half south of LA and an hour north of San Diego. Because Tampa had no direct flights to San Diego we opted to fly into LAX and make the drive south. Minus the unprecedented rain, the drive was super easy.
Temecula is a small town, and the wine region is nestled right along the border of Old Town. I like to describe it like we were visiting a friend’s hometown and they just happen to have over 50 wineries. While most people who visit are local to the surrounding southern California area, it has all the amenities you would want in a vacation destination.
With a variety of hotels to choose from, we got a great deal at Ponte Vineyard Inn and we couldn’t be happier with our choice. This small boutique hotel has 2 restaurants on property, a pool, a winery, and amazing views of the vineyards. It is also located within walking distance of several other wineries.
Upon check in we were please with how spacious our double queen room was, we had a giant bathroom with a walk in shower as well as a private patio with vineyard views. I highly recommend checking out this property.
To make sure we were able to experience all we could in Temecula and try as many wineries as possible we opted for a Jeep tour through Sunrider Jeep Tours and it was the best experience ever. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable and because it was a private tour we were able to go at our own pace and he catered our stops to our taste preferences. On the tour we stopped at Frangipani Estate Winery, Palumbo Winery (my personal favorite), and Akash Winery which as the perfect atmosphere to hang out with friends or make some new ones if you are out of towners like us. And I can’t forget to tell you to order the pizza. Not sure if it was all the wine or if it was truly the best pizza I have had!
Other notable wineries we stopped at on our trip were Ponte Winery located on our hotel’s property, Oak Mountain which has the only caves in Temecula, Doffo which has an awesome motorcycle collection, and Altisima Winery which has million dollar views and the ideal place in Temecuala for lunch.
Speaking of food, Temecula is home to some great local restaurants, besides Gaspar at Altisma Winery, I would recommend Goat & Vine and Small Barn for dinner and EAT Marketplace and Toast for breakfast. Every meal we ate felt fresh and was incredibly delicious.
While we didn’t get to experience it, Temecula also has a very popular brewery scene if you get tired of wine…. But who gets tired of wine?
However, we were able to check-out a local speakeasy which there are multiple in Temecula. Apparition Room was the one we chose and we loved the small atmosphere and were able to cap our night with some yummy chocolate martinis. You will need to get a reservation about a week in advance as these speakeasies are very popular and offer limited availability.
Outside of drinking and eating there is so much to do in Temecula. One of their novelties is hot air balloons. While we were unable to go on our hot air balloon tour due to weather, I highly recommend adding it to your agenda. It will be an early wake up call but sunrise over the vineyards will be 100% worth it.
If you are looking for a bit more relaxation on your trip, we hit up the Pechanga Spa and were treated to massages and all the amenities like a sauna, steam room, whirlpool, and outdoor pool. I find that it is the perfect recovery after a full day of drinking delicious wine.
Now if the wine, the food, the hot air balloon, and spa haven’t made you add Temecula to your bucket list I will convince you with the people. The people in this town were some of the friendliest I have met while traveling. Everyone from our tour guides to the wine makers were so incredibly welcoming and eager to show off their hidden gem of a town. You could truly tell how proud they were of their growing city.
