It's Not Where You Go, But Who You Go With

After spending the last two days at Warner Springs Resort, just about 25 miles from Ramona, I can honestly say it's not where you go on vacation that matters, but who you're with. I went with 12 amazing women, some of whom I already knew well, others I had a chance to get to know better. We had the BEST time imaginable, spent very little money, had a million dollars worth of laughs, and came home refreshed.

Warner Springs is known for its hot springs. The sulphur water comes up from the ground at 140 degrees, then it is cooled off to 105, and pumped into a very large pool. They have two side by side pools, one a regular cholorinated pool at about 80 degrees, the other the hot sulphur pool. People sit around the pool and relax in the hot water for hours. It is super relaxing. Our group brought some games to the pool, so in between dunks we played a game called Sequence.

Accommodations are how should I say, rustic. To quote my friend Meena, "Don't expect too much." Actually, we stayed in the newer, upgraded casitas, which were adequate. What do you expect for $96 per night per person, including breakfast, a $5 voucher for dinner and unlimited golf? If you were staying more than one night, you get the second night free. You can hardly afford to stay home at those prices.

We arranged in advance to all bring wine, cheese and munchies and meet for a pre dinner cocktail party at 5:00. What a rowdy bunch. We ate and drank (several bottles of wine) and made a mess of the room, but had a really great time. Then it was off to the lodge for dinner and games (again). This time we played Shanghai, a rummy type game. We were all exhausted from a full day, so many laughs, stories and jokes. No one wanted to walk back to the room and we probably wouldn't have found the room anyway. There were only two cars there, so a bunch of us piled into Regina's car. I said it looked like a clown car at the circus, stuffed with people, and you could never figure out how they all fit.

Although we were exhausted, our day was not finished yet. Our resident astronomer, Jan, insisted that we look at the stars. Boy was I glad I did. Living in the city we rarely get a chance to see a dark sky, but at 3,000 feet and no lights around the stars really came alive. Jan pointed out the Milky Way, Venus and many other constellations. We saw shooting stars, and literally thousands of stars that looked like you could reach out and touch them. This was a real treat.

The next day started with a hearty breakfast at the golf grill, golf, and then we said goodbye to Warner Springs. We headed toward home, with a quick stop at the Julian Pie Shop, for some declicious pie. It really was better than what you get in the markets around San Diego. I think it was the incredible smell when you walked in the shop that enhanced the flavor. Yum.

It's all about who you're with, and this trip proved that to me in spades. An average place became a five star experience with the right group of ladies. Thanks all for a wonderful time.