In 2017, Tim and I were wiped out after 10 trips. We vowed to stay home more in 2018.
The trouble with that resolution is our addiction to booking travel when we find a good deal. Last month, we spent a few days in Tempe, Arizona when we found a good deal on a flight and needed to fly Frontier to maintain our frequent flier miles.
Those deals keep coming! Frontier and Southwest promotions keep hitting our inbox. How could we turn down a $40 round trip from Denver to Los Angeles? We couldn’t. A two-night trip snuck its way on to our calendar.
Airfare booked, lodging was next on the to-do list. I tried to find a hotel in (or near) Los Angeles using a nice points redemption. There wasn’t one that made sense. Plus, overnight hotel parking in the city is expensive.
I called on the Grand Poobahs of travel advice (my parents) to help us pick an affordable getaway city close-ish to LAX. My dad didn’t skip a beat.
Dad: “Temecula.”
Me: “Temecula? Where’s Temecula?”
Dad: “Temecula is the Napa Valley of Southern California.”
Me: “Done. Temecula it is.”
Discovering Temecula
We found a terrific hotel redemption at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Temecula Valley Wine Country (that’s a mouthful!) using our Hilton points. Free parking, free wifi, free breakfast. Booked!
A bedtime arrival meant our exploring started the next morning. Cooked-to-order eggs and a full hot breakfast was a good start to our day. Most of Temecula’s vineyards are scattered along a loop. We hopped out at South Coast Winery Resort & Spa and soaked up their gardens and grounds. At 11:30 AM, we weren’t feeling the $15 tasting ($20 on the weekends!) but it was tempting.
At the South Coast Winery Resort & Spa
With the winery drive behind us, we made our way to Old Town Temecula. Charming doesn’t begin to capture this sweet stretch of retail and restaurants. A friend urged us to visit EAT Marketplace for lunch. The Grilled Chicken Pesto sandwich could not have been more delicious. More sandwiches should be served on a pretzel roll. We chatted with Chef Leah and asked for her top picks. Even though Leah took great pride in her savory menu, the gluten-free, vegan, low-sugar baked donuts were her top suggestion. Yes, we were skeptical but rewarded with a dense, flavorful and moist dessert. It was hard to stop at one.
Grilled Chicken Sandwich on a Pretzel Baguette – Perfection!
Farmhouse Chop Salad – We try to work our veggies in when we travel
Maple Pecan Gluten-Free Vegan Low-Sugar Bit of Heaven at EAT Marketplace in Temecula California
The Old Town Spice & Tea Merchants had a magnetizing effect on me. I love to cook all varieties of cuisines and find gourmet spice blends and rubs can enhance my food. Also, I’m a tea fanatic. I figure it’s a cheap and healthy thing to collect. Spending nearly 15% of our trip’s total in this store made sense to me.
Terrific Teas at the Old Town Spice & Tea Merchants in Temecula, California
Dinner with a Denver friend who recently moved to a neighboring town was the cherry on top of a perfect day.
Around Temecula
The weather was expected to be rainy on our last day but it held out for an educational tour of the California Citrus State Park (free tour, $5 to park). After our nearly-private walking tour of the groves, we were treated to a free citrus tasting in their visitor’s center. Incredibly sour lemons to start, juicy and sweet Cara Cara oranges to end. My first time trying a kumquat! Do you know that you eat the whole thing? The peel is sweet, while the flesh is sour. Bonus…they sent us home with a few pieces of free fruit.
Delightful 50s kitsch at the California Citrus State Park in Riverside.
The groves are surrounded by dramatic palms at the California Citrus State Park in Riverside.
Free samples of lemons, grapefruits, oranges, and kumquats at the California Citrus State Park in Riverside. We tried many different varieties.
Glorious oranges!
Old school Visitors Center at the California Citrus State Park in Riverside.
Lemons!!! My favorite!
The Mission Inn in Riverside, California. A historic beauty!
The Mission Inn’s courtyard.
More of The Mission Inn’s courtyard.
A decadent lunch at Kimchichanga in Riverside was colorful but off-the-hook unhealthy. Thank goodness we shared it!
KIMCHICHANGA…it’s fun to say!
Kimchichanga!
Back to LAX and our mini getaway was over. Two nights with direct quick flights is the way to go!
What We Spent on our Temecula Vacation
| Frontier Airlines | $0 | Roundtrip Denver-Los Angeles (LAX) for 2 people – $79.96 was “erased” with our Capital One points |
| Embassy Suites Temecula | $4 | Redeemed 48,000 Hilton points – $4 in tips |
| Hertz | $0 | Redeemed 7,036 Chase Ultimate Rewards points |
| Gas for rental car | $24.26 | Reduced thanks to Kroger fuel points and to Gas Buddy app for helping find a cheaper location |
| Denver Airport Parking + shuttle tips | $3 | Used Top Airport Parking for best pricing then erased $11.98 with Capital One points – $3 in shuttle driver tips |
| Food | $84.65 | |
| Shopping | $21 | Spices and tea |
| Activities | $5 | California Citrus State Park – free tour, $5 to park |
| Trip Total: | $141.91 | I thought our last trip was cheap! |
As I look above, the only category that wasn’t “hacked” is shopping. The items I purchased help make our food at home taste better. This makes us happy to eat at home so, in a way, that’s a bit of a hack if I’m pushing it!
Can you recommend fun weekend getaways? Are any on your list?
I love the idea of a weekend vacation! So many people think they “can’t afford to travel” because they are only thinking of faraway places for long periods of time. Mini-trips can be quite rewarding and refreshing. In fact, we are on a mini-vacation right now! After living in remote areas of Mexico for 6-months we are spending a few days in a big city. Internet and Netflix have us feeling fancy!
Thanks for commenting, Robin! Technically, our trip was a Wednesday through Friday but our itinerary made perfect sense for a weekend getaway. We found that 2 nights gave us the “get away from it all” feeling but kept the cost down. Plus, we found $20 that worked for a quick trip!
Nice job. Not a bad adventure for a little over $141 🙂 I wouldn’t have been able to resist bringing home delicious tea either. Of course, for David, it would have been coffee from somewhere. LOL. It does suck that parking is so expensive in Callie! It’s one of the reasons we always use Airbnb, free parking!
Have you ever had milk tea, Heidi? It’s insanely delicious! And, we’re with you on Airbnb and its free parking. We have points in hotel programs so it’s a tradeoff.
Thanks for the memories. I grew up in So. Cal. and got so excited to see Temecula featured in your article. I rode a British-made Raleigh 10-speed bicycle (purchased in Seal Beach) through there in the 70s. I was impressed by an old drug store that served sarsaparilla! E-gads. I don’t suppose that’s still there, but your adventures take in the latest specialties, and I’m happy to see they are still homespun fun.
A bike trip through Southern California sounds like a fun time! I love nostalgia so I’d be happy to find the drug store and its sarsaparilla anywhere.
Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for sharing details. I will be adding Temecula to our list of stops in the California area.
I think you’ll love the wineries!