Recently the Hooked On Golf Blog World Tour spent some time at Pechanga Resort & Casino, located in Temecula, California. My stay was fabulous and I enjoyed as much of the amenities, food, and golf as I could squeeze in. I didn’t get to it all, so I hope to return and finish the job soon! Let’s take a look at Pechanga Resort & Casino.
Pechanga Hotel Left – Golf Clubhouse Right
Overview
Pechanga is a resort/casino which features 517 luxurious rooms of varying levels. The casino area is enormous, as big as any mega-resort in Vegas. As one walks in the main entrance, indoor waterfalls and interesting interior design please the eye.
Within the casino areas just about any form of gaming one would like to experience is there, from blackjack, craps, slots, to a massive bingo parlor. It’s all there.
It would take a week of three-meals per day to scratch the surface on Pechanga’s dining offerings, from fine dining to a food court which rivals large malls.
After a long day of recreating, work, or winning megabucks at the casino, Pechanga offers a full spa with various treatments and services.
Last but not least, “The Journey” at Pechanga is the on-site golf course which features fantastic views, elevation changes, and prime golf conditions. Check out the Hooked On Golf Blog Journey at Pechanga review here.
Location Location Location
What would a perfect golf/casino/resort location be? I’d say somewhere warm with access to major international airports, perhaps close to major metropolitan areas. And to put it over the top I’d say it would be located in a great area for vineyards wine. Pechanga fits the bill on all accounts. The resort is located almost exactly halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego in Temecula, California. When I was flying in I was able to choose flights by comparing cost to LA or San Diego airports. This time around, it was the best deal to fly into San Diego and take the 45-60 minute drive north to Temecula.
Temecula is a nice area, inland, with some hills and not too much traffic or congestion like the bigger California cities. Access to so many local attractions is easy. I even took the 40 minute drive to the beaches in Carlsbad and Oceanside.
Rooms/Suites
There are a few different levels of accommodation at Pechanga, depending on how much space and what the budget of the visitor is.
Pechanga One Bedroom Suite – Premium Floor
Bedroom…
The Deluxe Rooms are the most economical. At 500 square feet the rooms feature one king or two queen beds along with the following:
Sealy Plush Pillow-Top Mattress with 300 thread count linens
Floor-to-Ceiling Windows with Mountain, Valley or Golf course Views
Custom made Italian furniture throughout
2-Line Cordless Telephones with Voice-Mail
High Definition flat screen LCD televisions, featuring on-demand movies
Guest Link connects your personal electronic device to the HD televisions
Fully stocked mini bar
AM/FM Alarm Clock Radio with MP3 connectivity
Turndown Service upon request
Make-Up Mirror & Hair Dryer
Iron & Ironing Board
Personal coded safe
Video Account Review and Check-Out
Tarocco™ bath amenities with 100% Egyptian cotton towels
24-hour Room Service
Complimentary Valet parking
Complimentary wireless internet
Heated pool and hot tub with private sun-deck cabanas
Sauna
24-hour fitness center and business centers
In room movies
Below is a video courtesy of Pechanga, of the Deluxe King room:
The One Bedroom Suite is 800+ square feet and includes a separate bedroom. The bedroom features a TV and king sized bed. In the living room is a TV, sofa and conference table. The bath has a separate shower and soaking tub.
Below is a video showcasing the suites at Pechanga:
At about 1300 square feet, the Two-Bedroom Suite is a family affair. The setup is essentially a combination of a One Bedroom Suite and a Deluxe Room. Inside are four TV’s, 3-4 beds, living room, two mini-bars (very important), and more.
Jacuzzi Studio
For the more romantic occasion, the Jacuzzi Studio might be the ticket. Inside of course is a two-person jacuzzi, one queen bed, TV, his and hers sinks, master bath and glass shower.
Below is a video showcasing the Jacuzzi Studio:
Premium Rooms
I was priveleged to experience the Premium offerings at Pechanga during my stay. There are a couple of premium floors at the resort which offer higher security and more personal touch and service, along with perhaps the most important thing to me, no smoking. All room types are available on the premium floors which guarantee no smoking, higher security (for you high rollers and movie stars), robes/slippers, bottled water, turndown service.
I had perhaps the best combination of room type, the One Bedroom Suite on the premium floor.
Gaming
Any games or machines one would expect to see at a Las Vegas mega-resort can be found at Pechanga. The wife and I took our shot at a few games of chance, and she came out ahead for the trip.
I had better luck on the golf course, where I belong.
Pool
When not gaming or golfing, we were enjoying the swimming pool and hot tub. This was definitely the 3-year-old’s favorite place.
Dining
Wow where do I start on this one? Do you like sushi? Italian? Best steaks in the region? You can find it all at Pechanga Resort.
On our first night we dined at Umi, the sushi bar. Chef Kiyokuni Ikeda was fantastic, making beautifully crafted sushi and delivering them by hand to our table (picture below).
The wife was in heaven with the sushi while I enjoyed a gigantic lobster feast.
The second fine dining offering at Pechanga is the Great Oak Steakhouse, a AAA 4-diamond award winning steakhouse. The fabulous atmosphere in the steakhouse was only rivaled by the incredible steaks we enjoyed. Our waiter was without a doubt the most knowledgeable steak guru I’ve ever met and made fantastic recommendations for us while taking care of everything we needed, especially keeping our wine glasses full.
One night for dinner we experienced Paisano’s italian fare. That was perhaps my favorite, while the wife would certainly go with Umi sushi. I’m a little more simple I guess. Our host and waiter were fantastic, the food was wonderful, and the atmosphere was like an italian village (below).
In the mornings we would venture over to the golf course for breakfast at Journey’s End restaurant. Journey’s End has some great outdoor seating with views of the hills and golf course. They make a super eggs benedict and my 3-year old can vouch for the awesome pancakes. Along with the great food, the atmosphere at Journey’s End made the experience our favorite every morning.
The Pechanga Buffet was impressive. The buffet featured a huge selection of salads, entrees, and desserts from across the globe. For a picky eater like me it was paradise, and the 3-year-old loved it too. Great mac-n-cheese.
For our lunches we enjoyed Blazing Noodles and its Chinese and Thai offerings, along with the Pechanga Cafe which offered standard fare.
The food court (below) at Pechanga is quite amazing. Many many selections. We didn’t get the chance to experience them all.
We would frequent the wine and coffee bar Blends in the mornings and evenings. Coffee in the morning of course.
Spa
The lovely bride is not a golfer. When we are at golf resorts so she likes to hit the spa when I’m on the links.
She enjoyed a fabulous facial at the Pechanga Spa.
Golf
The main attraction for me was Journey, the golf course at Pechanga Resort. Journey is a par-72 course designed by world famous architect Arthur Hills. I spent two days on the course and had a fabulous experience. Some of the elevation changes and views are spectacular.
Pechanga has all the key elements needed to be considered a great golf resort: a great golf course, excellent rooms/suites, dozens of dining options, and other fantastic amenities like spas, pool and of course gaming.
Pechanga has it all. I loved my Journey and hope to have another Journey there soon.
Expansion
As great as Pechanga is, it is about to get a whole lot better. Video below:
HOGWire – Golf Industry News
