Pechanga Resort and Casino, Temecula, California - Review

I was skeptical. When a member of management at Pechanga (pronounced puh-chong-uh) Resort and Casino, in Temecula, California, told me that the new hotel was "elegant and luxurious," and "a destination resort," I had a hard time believing it. Those words did not -in my mind- dovetail with "California Indian gaming facility," so I really thought it was just some PR puffery.
But then she told me that the resort had been awarded four stars by AAA, and that the Temecula valley was becoming renown as southern California's newest wine district, and my interest was piqued. Since I have a lot of family in North San Diego County and since my daughter has moved to Los Angeles, I visit southern California fairly regularly. I said I would check it out.

I am so glad that I did.

I wasn't just surprised, I was WOWED.

Temecula is located inland, about 45 minutes north of San Diego, an hour and a half south-east of Los Angeles, in a high-desert valley known for being very hot, for having a cute Western-themed "old town," and for its antique stores. I had driven through it a couple of times and found it charming (and sweltering.) The areas around the downtown core are becoming suburbanized, with stucco houses and apartment complexes, mini-malls and Target stores, but the region is still pretty open and expansive with sage-covered mountains to the east and west. The wineries span a swath of several miles along a highway heading east. The Pacific Ocean is located about 15 miles over the mountains to the west.

THE RESORT

My daughter and I drove down from Los Angeles at midday, arriving at check-in time. I had invited the San Diego County contingent of my family to dinner at the resort so we wanted to settle in before they arrived. Following the signs from the freeway, we had no trouble locating Pechanga. The parking lot alone covers several acres, with a selection of golf carts, air-conditioned step-vans and trolleys circulating to pick up casino and hotel guests before they suffer heat stroke en route to the building.

Using dusky colors that blend with the backdrop of mountains, the hotel itself isn't an architectural masterpiece, but the wide-angled V of the design is pleasing and the entrance is enchanting. A glass-covered portico is centered over the reception doors; off to the left is a pond with bronze statuary of Native Americans obscured by foliage, with a backdrop of rocks marked with Indian communiqués of some sort. The air-conditioned lobby is anchored by a huge (fake) oak tree, with a tiled cascading water feature behind it. The effect is pleasing, cool, soothing. In the background we heard the calliope sound of slot machines, whetting our appetite for some casino time. First, though, we wanted to unload our bags and wash off the grit of the long hot drive.

We entered the elevators with another couple who told us that the rooms were "gorgeous, and quiet." Wheeling the luggage down the corridor with its brightly patterned carpeting still had me skeptical. The lobby was nice, but this carpet was... not garish, but bright -- with lots of oranges and reds and teals. We found our room at the very end of the hallway, opened the door and...

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