Pechanga Resort and Casino, Temecula, California - Review

After we bid good night to the family and waved to them as they drove away, my daughter and I went back to the casino to try some more slot action before heading up to bed. I had walked past a woman who had won $20,000 in a dollar slot, which inspired me to find the perfect 25-cent machine. Alas, I was not lucky, nor was my daughter. We gave up and went back to our suite.

While we were at dinner our room had been "turned down," so we returned to soft classical music, closed drapes, and some awesome chocolate truffles on the pillow. For some reason it was the only turn-down service we got in our three nights, which has baffled me ever since. The bed was extraordinarily comfortable, the linens and down comforter luxurious. We slept very well.

Unfortunately my daughter had scheduled a job interview for the following morning back in Los Angeles, so she had to get up and on the road very early. I ordered room service breakfast: A pastry basket, hot chocolate, and juice. It arrived precisely on time at 5:15am, with freshly-squeezed orange juice, REAL hot cocoa, a bowl of whipped cream, and warm pastries. It was really impressive.

THE SPA AND FITNESS CENTER

The resort's well-equipped fitness center is located adjacent to the spa on the second floor of the resort, and is free to use for all hotel guests.

At this time, the spa at Pechanga Resort and Casino is limited to full-body massages. I would have loved a manicure or facial, but those aren't offered yet; the resort is planning to expand the spa services. Both my daughter and I got Swedish massages, which are priced very competitively. The skilled massage therapists were excellent. Both of us found the experience very relaxing and soothing. We met afterwards in the sauna, sitting in our robes and "reflexology spa shoes," enjoying the dry heat on our already-relaxed muscles. Getting dressed again was hard; we could have stayed there for hours.

THE POOL AND HOT TUB

Located behind the hotel with the mountains as backdrop, the pool itself is nothing special. No fantasy waterfalls or swim-up islands here. It's set in the middle of a concrete patio, surrounded by flowering shrubs and pleasant landscaping, with a semi-circle hot tub just in front of it and a pool bar off to one side. Comfortable chaises and chairs rim the pool, but the redeeming grace of the patio is the white tent-like cabanas that surround the outer perimeter. Shade, blessed shade. Anyone who wants to can choose one of these Arabian Nights-like cabanas as though it's their own private castle. Otherwise you are left to the devices of the brutal desert sun, reaching a midday temperature of 106^of on one of the days we were visiting. It's so dry though that you can be fooled into thinking it isn't as hot as it is. Heavy-duty sunscreen is required.

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