Pachenga RV Resort

When we wine taste in Temecula, staying at the Pachenga RV Resort is what we call a “double no brainer.”  For us there simply is no other place to stay.

The RV resort is located at the Pachenga Indian Casino right off Temecula Parkway, the gateway to many wineries.  The campground itself it a short walk to the casino with ample shuttles in case you’d rather ride.  The shuttles run through the campground enough that you won’t wait long but not so often that you’re annoyed by them.

Our first time camping here was for my mother in law’s birthday.  We’d heard rave reviews from friends and family for a while and when she decided she wanted to go wine tasting for her birthday, we knew this was the place.  Mark called and told them our plans, the person he talked to happily set us up all together next to a group BBQ area complete with a large lawn and several picnic tables under a large patio.  After wine tasting during the day, we rendezvoused back at camp for an evening of fun.  The shuttles brought guests that weren’t camping in from the casino parking lot.  A campground employee checked on us many times, asked if we needed anything and quickly took care of the trash.  It was a great way to celebrate her birthday and as she said, “just as I wanted it.”

That was a bit of a whirlwind trip for us.  Mark was in Dallas all week and we didn’t leave our Arizona home late afternoon, rolling into our campsite about 9.  I didn’t get to see the pretty grounds until my Saturday morning walk.  Growing up in California, one of the things I miss most is the pretty landscaping.  Lots of green everywhere with pretty flowers and lush bushes.  Don’t get me wrong, I love our pretty Arizona colors but there is something about real blade grass.  Give me a tall fescue over bermuda any day.

The sites are large and level with a gentle slope.  We did see two rigs with their front tires off the ground, eek.  Each site is concrete so there is no need for a camp mat, just a broom to brush off the occasional leaf or acorn.  Most sites have two trees, which are positioned correctly for me.  Nicely spaced, not too close to the concrete slab and for Mark, easy to work with for perfect satellite reception.  There are several deluxe sites that come with a covered patio and/or picnic table.

They’ve recently added on and there are now 41 brand new sites.  Almost all are pull through and many are buddy sites where you camp face to face with your friend.  The new section also has nice grass and landscaping in between sites and brand new trees that will make great shade before you know it.

Part of their park expansion included an upgrade to the pool area and an improved horse shoe pit.  There are two jacuzzies in the pool area; we sat in one of them one night.  It was a great temperature, not burn your skin hot.

I don’t know if the dog run is new or not, I don’t remember seeing it before.  Holy cow, it’s probably the best one I’ve ever seen.  There are things for dogs to climb and play on and two benches for relaxing.  Our Marlee dog just walks around the grassy area of any campground dog run.  She didn’t even give the playthings a second look.

We really like the ease of camping here for wine tasting.  If driving to the wineries, there are good ones only a few miles away.  Every Uber or Lyft driver we’ve called knew exactly where the campground was and all they needed to know was our site number.  RV pickup and drop-off is a huge plus for us.

Making reservations is easy on their website with one caveat.  They don’t require a credit card when making reservations which means no penalty if you no-show.  If you try to make a reservation online, especially for a weekend, you will encounter sold out conditions.  Don’t fret, simply call them and get on their waiting list.  The staff answering the phones are very nice.  Spots open up every single time.  On our last visit, we were number 15 on the waiting list.  Thursday afternoon we received the call that all three nights we wanted were now available.  There were also several empty spots the entire weekend.

After looking at these pictures again, I’m ready to go back.  After all, we didn’t buy any wine on our last tasting weekend.  I think we NEED to go back just for a purchase.  Right?