Temecula Valley wine country is not exactly a well-kept secret here in Southern California.
Most Southern Californians know the joys of having the rolling hills of Temecula within their reach for an easy weekend getaway filled with wine, wine, food, and more wine! For the casual weekend warrior, there are a variety of hotels, resorts, and vacation rentals to rest your bones after a full day or two of exploring some of the 30+ wineries in the area.
However, as avid campers and lovers of the outdoors, there are times when a hotel room just won’t do. On this particular weekend, in which I was celebrating another trip around the sun, we sought to stray away from the normal wine country experience, looking beyond the normal accommodations offered. How could we get our nature fix, while also being an uber ride away from the action? I know! How about booking a PENTHOUSE?!?
A penthouse? Absolutely!
However, this isn’t your fancy b’day and tv in the bathtub experience. We booked the Pioneer’s Penthouse in the Intrepid Wild. This rustic country boho getaway is located in the hills outside of the city of Temecula and the buzzing wineries, on a pistachio farm named Wolf.Feather.Honey.Farm. We headed out to the area the day after Thanksgiving, for a birthday getaway weekend. As we drove through the main artery of wine country, we passed through the fields of grape vines and mansion-like tasting rooms, and continued along the county road into local farms and open space. We turned onto a dirt road and toward our destination. As we pulled onto the property, which has a separate gate and driveway from the main house/farm, we instantly fell in love with this secluded haven. Upon walking up to the glamping site, we noticed a table decorated for us to have a Thanksgiving dinner, table cloth and candles included! On the table was a basket with a beautiful greeting note, along with instructions and the necessary components make your own sage smudge stick. The owners also provide a hand-drawn map of short hiking trails you can take on the property, in which one of the trails will take you up to the ridgeline for a killer view of the sunset. As we arrived a little before sunset, we grabbed a couple of cold ones from the property’s awesome vintage cooler and walked up the hill to watch the sun go down while toasting to the beginning of a great weekend.
As evening arrived, we hung at the hilltop for a while listening to some tunes and breaking out into a happy dance or two, before we headed back down to the tent. In the generous space provided by the owners sits a Bell tent with a daybed, and enough pillows and blankets to keep you warm on a chilly night. The owners also provided incense and candles to further enhance the magical ambiance. The décor has an adorable bohemian touch! For much of the night, we hung out by the fire sipping cranberry mules and listening to music, while occasionally looking up whenever the stars we able to shine through the partly cloudy sky. Shout out to the owners for placing an old wood furnace do use as a fire pit!
The next day, we headed into town in the morning for a horseback ride through the grapevines.
Luckily, the weather cooperated during our ride, so we only had to worry about enjoying the stroll and keeping Davis and Squirrel (horses) from plowing head first into every damn vine for a snack. We then met up with our friends for lunch at the jump-off point for our afternoon of wine tasting at Wilson Creek. At this point in the day, the rain arrived and continued for much of the night. After making stops at Monte De Oro, Weins, Ponte, Miramonte, and Ballast Point Brewing (and feeling pretty good I might add!), we couldn’t wait to get back to the tent. We ordered an uber, and headed back to the Pioneer’s Penthouse to relax in the tent and listen to the rain.
If you are looking for a private unique getaway with a rustic, secluded country/bohemian vibe
while also being close enough to all of the diversions Temecula Wine Country has to offer, this place should be added to your destination list. We didn’t get a chance to meet the owners, but I do follow them on social media and they seem absolutely cool, and very kind. They also have a wedding venue on the property, not far from the glamping site, so I enjoying seeing pictures from all of the weddings, along with the other fun things they do on their farm.
