San Diego Staycation: Temecula Getaway

After recently moving back to San Diego, the husband and I treated ourselves with a little San Diego Staycation. We headed to the beautiful Temecula wine country to check out some wineries, breweries, cool bars and more. I love staycations… you get the ultimate vacation feeling, but at a much cheaper cost and you maximize your time relaxing and not stressing about getting there. 

Of course, we had been to Temecula a few times when we lived in San Diego, but back then, we only visited wineries and only went for the day. I was really surprised how many other options Temecula has to offer, including cool breweries and cocktail bars. So a Temecula Getaway is a perfect San Diego Staycation option, even if you don’t like wine! 

For this trip, I was invited by Visit Temecula and Travel Massive San Diego to check out some of the trendy new spots that make Temecula a great weekend getaway from San Diego and I am sharing my favorite ones with you. 

First up were a wine tasting and some fancy food truck food at Vitagliano Winery. The Tuscan inspired winery has stunning grounds and is a popular wedding venue in the Temecula Valley.

And I can understand why! The Mediterranean villa overlooks a beautiful lake and there are plenty of marvelous spots to hang out, sit in the sun with a glass of wine and enjoy the day go by. 

The Food Truck Craze has not skipped over Temecula and I am so glad we got to experience some of their best.

For lunch, we were treated to some delectable sandwiches by Devilicious. I had a Duck Confit Grilled Cheese and it was heavenly and a great foundation for all the wine/beer/cocktail tasting that was to follow. We also visited their restaurant/speakeasy bar in Old Town Temecula, so stay tuned!). 

For dessert, we had scrumptious ice cream sandwiches from The Baked Bear. The best part? You can pick your favorite ice cream and add your choice of cookie/brownie. Their selection went from traditional (vanilla, chocolate, etc) to innovative (strawberry cheesecake) to crazy sounding (and crazy looking) inventions like their bright blue Bear Batter ice cream. I had a brownie-strawberry-cheesecake-sandwich and it was sooo good! 

On our way to Old Town Temecula, we had a quick pit stop at Wilson Creek Winery, where we tasted a selection of their Bubbly. They have quite a variety and some specialty sparkling wines, including a Mimosa sparkling wine that has hints of Orange, a Tahitian Vanilla and even a Bellini Peach one. If Bubbly is your thing, then you have to check out Wilson Creek Winery on your Temecula Getaway!

Nothing puts me in vacation mode quicker than a cocktail in my hand, especially if it is before 5 o’clock! Our next stop took us to a really cool Speakeasy Bar in Old Town owned by the guys from Devilicious. After passing through the secret passageway, we enjoyed the glitz and glamour of a prohibition era joint.

According to the theme, I went for a classy cocktail to fit the atmosphere, a Gin Fizz. The drink has gin (duh!), simple syrup, lemon juice and club soda, as well as a stiff egg white that needs to be shaken for 4-5 minutes continuously. While my drink of choice first stumped the bartender and he wasn’t sure if they had all the ingredients, he pulled it off and did a great job. 

 
The best part of being a travel blogger is that sometimes you get a sneak peek and behind the scenes. During our San Diego Staycation and Temecula Getaway, we got to visit a winery that is not open to the public yet. The winery is called Akash Winery and will open later in 2018.

What I really like about the winery is that they did their own thing. Instead of copying the Mediterranean look and feel of almost all the wineries in Temecula Valley, they decided to go with a modern, shabby-chic farmhouse look. Located in the middle of their vineyards, the white metal barn is an Instagrammer’s heaven. Their wines are exquisite and they even designed a new style for their bottles. I can’t wait to return to this winery, once it is open to the public. 

Our last stop of the day was Refuge Brewery, where we had a tasting and a quick tour of the brewery. Their owner is a huge fan of Belgian beers, so they have a nice selection of Sessions, Triples, and Quads on the menu. But being in Calfornia, there is still a huge list of IPAs, Double IPAs and whatnot for all the Hop Heads out there. He gave us a quick tour and we tasted their flagship beer: The Blood Orange Wit. I am usually not a big fan of Wits, but this one was great – easy to drink and the perfect beer for a hot summer day. We enjoyed the brewery so much, that the husband and I actually went back the next day to try some more of their beers. 

There are a bunch of accommodation options in Temecula for (almost) every budget. Some wineries offer Bed and Breakfast type accommodations and of course you can find some neat apartments on AirBnB. 

A big Shoutout to Best Coast Tours, who brought us safely from one venue to the next, so we could enjoy the wines, beers, and cocktails and not have to worry about drinking and driving. If you want to go and experience Temecula, this is the way to go. 

Before you go, take a look at the video by Untethered Together that shows you a fun summary of our San Diego Staycation in Temecula. 

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