Johnsonville's The Sausage Dome Champion, Competitive Home Cook (2017 & 2018 World Food Championships Top 5), World Food Championships E.A.T. Certified Food Judge, KCBS Certified BBQ Judge, Tillamook Brand Ambassador, JOI Ambassador, Culinary Researcher, Food & Travel Blogger/Vlogger, and Recipe Developer
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Weekend Getaway at Pechanga Resort & Casino: Day 3 – Spa Pechanga and Journey’s End
The services in this post were provided by Pechanga Resort
& Casino but the opinions expressed here are my own.
A beautiful, brisk Sunday morning emerged as the sun rose over
the horizon It was time to get ready and head downstairs to the Spa Pechanga.
This new 25,000-square foot, 2-story spa and salon is the largest day spa in
Temecula. It features 17 treatment rooms, outdoor cabana massage services, a
state-of-the-art fitness studio, a dedicated spa pool, two indoor hydrotherapy
pools, and a hair & nail salon.
Since I was the first appointment for the day, I pretty much
had the whole spa to myself. There is a waiting area on the second floor with refreshing
fruits, healthy nuts, water, and tea to start your relaxation experience. I
grabbed some fruit-infused water, some berries, and headed out to the terrace
to wait for my therapist. It was cool outside which equalized the warmth of my
bathrobe. I could see golfers starting off their early tee time on the golf
course.
Credit: Pechanga Resort & Casinoc
I opted for the Traditional Massage. It is a classic massage
that promotes relaxation with gentle, long strokes. The therapist focuses on
areas that require the most attention, improve circulation and relieve stress.
My therapist found that I had a lot of tension in my back, neck, and arms. She said
that I must work on the computer a lot. She was right. I also liked that she
worked on the problem areas as she found them instead of just doing a
broad-range massage. She gave me a bottle of water at the end of my session to
help alleviate the lactic acid from my sore muscles. My body appreciated it so
much!
I had a few minutes until my next treatment and decided to
relax outside on the terrace again. If I had gone back to my room, there is no doubt
I would have fallen back to sleep. The cool air on my face kept me just
conscious enough to hear my name called for my facial.
Credit: Pechanga Resort & Casino
The therapist looked over my face and recommended The Cure. It
begins with a deep-cleanse that detoxifies the skin and relieves stress. A
steam-activated enzymatic detox process uses heat to open and soften pores
while botanical extracts purify and minimize the pores. It pampers the skin allowing
it to reach maximum purity. This treatment was probably the most relaxing and exhilarating
facial I have ever had. There were no harsh abrasives and the one of the treatments,
using oxidation, felt like raindrops falling on your face when the bubbles popped.
I noticed an immediate difference in my face. It was glowing and felt like
velvet.
After my spa treatments were over, I changed back to my
clothes and took a very slow walk back to the room. I couldn’t lay down because
we had to pack up for check-out. We stored our luggage at the Bell Desk and
rode a shuttle to Journey’s End for brunch.
Journey’s End is in the golf course clubhouse. With both inside
and outdoor patio seating, diners are treated to a beautiful view of the
world-class course and Temecula Valley’s spectacular rolling terrain. Chef
Ronnel Capacia is an employee that has grown with the company. While working as
a busser at the resort’s employee cafeteria, he attended San Diego Culinary Art
Institute. His hard-work and perseverance carried him through numerous culinary
jobs within the resort from line cook to sous chef and now head chef of Journey’s
End and the Coveside Grill.
Here is what we ordered:
Seasonal Fresh Fruit served with banana nut bread. This was
a great starter for brunch with fresh blackberries, blueberries, strawberries,
pineapple, honeydew, and cantaloupe. I love that there were slices of bananas
in the banana bread which gave it a textural contrast and sweet tropical flavor.
Rating: 5/5
Shrimp Cocktail served with cocktail sauce. The shrimp was
cooked perfectly - no tail meat stuck in the shell when the tail shell is removed.
The cocktail sauce was bright with a slight sweetness and kick from the
horseradish. The arugula salad was added a nice touch of bitterness and light
acidity from the vinaigrette. I would have probably presented this a little
differently, maybe more traditionally with the shrimp hanging from the glass of
cocktail sauce. The plate used was too big for this dish. Rating: 4.5/5
Grilled Ribeye is served with roasted organic fingerling
herb potatoes, grilled broccolini, and port wine demi. From wherever Pechanga sources
its beef, it is amazing! This ribeye was well-marbled and grilled to a perfect
rare. It was tender and juicy with just the right amount of charred flavor. The
port wine demi was slightly sweet but paired well with the ribeye. The potatoes
and broccoli were also cooked to perfection with a tender texture on the potatoes
and crispness on the broccolini. Rating: 5/5
Chile Verde is made with pork and green sauce topped with
queso fresco and served with pico, rice, beans and choice of flour or corn
tortillas. My mom absolutely loved this version of chile verde! The pork was tender,
and the green sauce had a tangy flavor that paired well with the pork. The rice
and beans were good side items to stuff into the tortillas with the pork.
Rating: 5/5
Tiramisu was the perfect ending to our brunch. I loved the
giant chocolate curl on top. The tiramisu itself was perfectly made with whipped
sweet mascarpone cheese, espresso-soaked ladyfingers, and cocoa powder dusted
on top. Rating: 5/5
With our tummies full, we waddled to the shuttle stop in front
of the clubhouse to return to the hotel entrance. The bell desk brought our
bags out to the valet and we were off on our return trip home. This was such an
amazing weekend to spend with my mom and I can’t wait to have another weekend
getaway adventure at Pechanga Resort & Casino!
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