A Perfect Weekend at Mission Inn Resort - Guest Review

Today I'd like to welcome a very special guest poster to The World of Deej...My amazingly hot wife, MJ! 

The Thanksgiving holiday week is always a busy time for our family. Between family gatherings, worrying if we'll be able to waddle our way through the local Turkey Trot 5k, the beginnings of Christmas advertisement overload, and of course - my military-level pre-planning of the all important Annual Black Friday Bonanza (did I mention I'm one of the crazies out at midnight??) we tend to get a little stressed. So this year my darling hubby decided we should treat ourselves to a quiet weekend away at a local resort the weekend after the big holiday. The spot: Mission Inn Resort.

The San Angel Inn Building

Needless to say, I was in. Deej had already visited the property and had reported back (as you saw here on the blog) that it was gorgeous, peaceful, and a great place for a weekend away. Then he said 'and on Saturday we'll be playing a round of golf'. Oh, and he added that we would be playing said round of golf on one of the state's oldest and most challenging courses: El Campeon. Fun! Did I mention I've never played a full round in my life? And I've only 'rode along and hit a few' twice before?? Oh boy, relaxation was not looking promising.

The Inn as seen from El Campeon Golf Course

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we got up early (ahem...to make our 'tee time'. Do men not understand the whole 'sleeping in' thing??) and headed to Mission Inn Resort. It's a short drive for us, and I used the time to annoy my husband to the utmost limits, hoping he'd eventually get the hint and send me to the spa instead of the golf course. No such luck.

One of the many gorgeous holes on El Campeon.

As we pulled in to the property I was awe struck. The grounds were immaculate and I felt so removed from the world. It was a little oasis. After a smooth check in we were directed to our room in the San Angel building, second floor. As we walked to our building I commented to my husband how quiet it was. It was so peaceful, a big difference from the usual screaming and stress-inducing noise levels of our typical retreats.

The resort's gorgeous courtyard

After getting settled in to our gorgeous room it was time....*dun dun dun* ...for golf. We took the car around the property to the club house and got started on El Campeon. The course itself was beautiful. We were lucky to not get paired up with anyone else and had no one behind us for a while, so we could take our time as I took 5 hits to get to the green...err...I mean take our time to enjoy the scenery. :) We enjoyed lunch from the cart girl and had a good 3 hours together. Ok, maybe this golf thing wasn't so bad.

I'm getting this golf thing down!

Back on the resort side of the property we decided to head over to the pool bar and enjoy a beverage. On the way there we spotted an adorable herb garden. It was growing in pretty good too.

My herbs never come out this good at home

Next to the herb garden was a shuffleboard court. The competitive side of our relationship came out and after grabbing a refreshing margarita we started a heated match. This was probably one of my favorite moments from the weekend. Maybe because it was just so beautiful outside and we were having tons of fun, maybe it was because I won. Heehee.

Deej playing what he called "Floridian Curling."

Once the shuffleboard showdown was complete we went to get ready for the culmination of our romantic/relaxing day: dinner at El Conquistador. Our reservations were set for 6:30, which at first we thought would mean we would be the only ones there due to it being so early. However, we quickly remembered some of the older clientele on the golf course, and 6:30 was prime dinner time!

Heading to dinner at El Conquistador.

After taking some photos of the gorgeous grounds in the Plaza de la Fontana we headed upstairs to enjoy a beverage prior to dinner at La Margarita Lounge. The bar was pretty empty, but the bartender was very warm and friendly. We stayed there for a little while, watching a handful of couples come and go, then we headed in for the main event.

La Margarita Lounge

My first impression of the restaurant was a little sour due to a hostess that acted as if she had something stuck up her conquistador. Luckily, we didn't see her again for the rest of the evening. Our server was wonderful, never hovering but always there when we needed him. I have to say, we usually have bad luck with timing at some point in our meals, but this time everything was perfect. Granted, the fact that we were 1 of only 4 filled tables in the small restaurant may have helped the impeccable service.

My awesome tomato and mozzarella salad.

Every part of the meal was delicious, and the serving sizes were more than generous. I started with a tomato & mozzarella salad followed by french onion soup. Deej started with a mango shrimp cocktail followed by the lobster bisque. For our mains I chose seared scallops with risotto, Deej opted for the 9oz filet with a side of potatoes. No complaints from either side of the table. For dessert I went with bread pudding while Deej ordered a special request: vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. 

Conquistador shaped butter!

Two awesome notes from our meal: 1) the butter was shaped like a Conquistador, and 2) when we asked for the dessert menu our server brought over an old-fashioned dessert tray! (Pretty easy to amuse me.) We left the meal full, happy, and pleased with our experience.

Deej's Filet Mignon...he was happy.

Overall I was very pleased with our stay at Mission Inn Resort. I wouldn't recommend it for a family with teens due to the lack of activities (they do have bicycle rentals on the resort property and a marina nearby). But for a couple, or even someone with young children that will be satisfied swimming in the heated pool or playing on their playground, it is a wonderful place to visit. For us it was the perfect mini-retreat to de-stress. I'm already trying to convince Deej to book us for a visit in January as a 'post holidays spa weekend'. This time I might actually look forward to the golf!

Special thanks to MJ for stopping by, and to the Mission Inn Resort for hosting our amazing post-holiday weekend...we can't wait to return. As always, all opinions are our own.

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