We’re checking in at a full-service resort The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa (westinmissionhills.com).  Heading to the desert isn’t our norm for the Christmas holiday but since we’ve added golf to our regular activity list all bets are off.  After a “ton of fun” on the roadways at rush hour we have arrived.

Westin Mission Hills: Pete Dye’s 18th Hole

Westin Mission Hills: Bathroom

Surely the 525 square feet feels HUGE based on the nominal square footage of the hotel room we recently left in Taipei City.  In the four-star hotel arena I often prefer Westin over competitors such as Hilton or Hyatt.  Our room features a 16-foot vaulted ceiling, a large closet, a bar area with coffee maker, a huge desk space, a love seat with ottoman, additional seating and a big balcony.

Francesco’s: Seafood Linguini

I’m not sure I would normally dine at a restaurant (Francesco’s: 760-202-4425) specializing in both Italian and Persian cuisine.  I’m still traumatized after “riverboat-gambling” via ordering manicotti at an Italian-Chinese restaurant in Santa Cruz in 1991.

But with endless logical explanations coming to mind and solid Yelp reviews — “we’re all in”.  The seafood tastes good with hefty prawns, white fish, mussels, scallops, clams and lobster.  The pesto sauce is more of a broth and light in consistency and flavor (other than garlic) but overall the dish is quite good.

Francesco’s: Antipasto Salad

This individual antipasto salad is finely chopped and delicious with a creamy, tangy orangish-pink colored Italian dressing.  Their garlic bread is just “okay”.

Francesco’s: Cannolo pastry

The cannolo is very boring visually but has a firm shell with mostly smooth cream.  There is a minor taste of cinnamon with the ricotta cheese.  It lacks the hint of sourness I enjoy but is pretty good with moderate sweetness.  It could really benefit from the addition of pistachios, candied orange peel, citrus oil, liqueur or at minimum MANY more chocolate chips with vanilla extract or amaretto extract.

Westin Mission Hills: Night Heron

We walk the resort grounds which feature a couple of ponds with various birds congregating throughout.

Westin: Waterfowl on the prowl…

Excluding checking the sidewalk for “bird mud” this feature is pretty cool.

Westin: Christmas tree

It took a “minute” to get my Christmas spirit on in the desert but there are some assists.

Westin Lobby: Indoor Aquarium

What is it with golf, us and snakes…

Westin Lobby: Senior frog…

Westin Lobby: Chameleons

Westin: Driveway

Westin: Pinzimini Restaurant

The dark rich woods, decor and super high ceilings make this room an enjoyable dining spot.

Breakfast: Brulee yogurt, berries and granola

The Elf elects to go healthy for her pre-golf meal.  I follow suit opting for oatmeal with pecans, banana, brown sugar and milk.

Westin: Gary Player Course

Our golf partners for today include two locals, 80-year-old Jerry and Charles who appears to be in his early fifties.  Both are kind, helpful and easy-going.  Jerry is from Michigan but this “Buckeye” won’t hold that against him.  😉

This hole is on the back nine.  The weather is in the mid to high eighties which is warmer than anticipated.

Westin: Gary Player Course

Another hole on the back nine.

Gary Player Course: Back nine

They let areas which naturally absorb more sun burn out and keep the tee boxes, fairways and greens lush.

Gary Player Course: Front nine

Charles generously provides us with our distances frequently throughout the day via the GPS golf rangefinder feature in his phone.

Gary Player Course: Front nine

Gary Player Course: Front nine

Beautiful mountain views.

Westin  Workout Fitness Studio

After golf this serves as a great place for my yoga, pilates and cardio work.

Fresh Agave Mexican Bar & Grill

This is a more Americanized Mexican restaurant but the food is mostly above average in quality and taste.  This meatball soup is very tasty with homemade meatballs.

Fresh Agave: Seafood & Meat Fajitas

Bella opts for this odd “surf and turf” combination which proves well seasoned with delicious caramelized onions.  Their carnitas quesadilla is shy on ingredients which is good for my gutler but not-so-great for my wallet.

The fried ice cream is loaded with cinnamon, has a nice firm crisp cereal crust and hard vanilla ice cream (as it should be).  The price is high but it is nearly worth it.

Westin: Pinzimini Restaurant

Golf is big in many Asian cultures and that must explain why congee is on their breakfast menu.  They are out of century eggs so Bella adds chicken.

I have the date french toast with maple syrup (possibly dark amber from Vermont).  The dates are chopped up and blended into the bread.  It is pretty good with only a moderate date flavor.

Westin: Pete Dye Driving Range

Mountain view from the range.  Today we golf with Rob and Tracy from Vancouver, Canada.

Westin: Pete Dye Course (playmissionhills.com)

On both of our golf days they have us begin on the back nine and finish on the front nine.  Re-VER-sla!

Pete Dye Course: Back nine

The homes are often fancier on this course versus yesterday’s course.  This is a pretty and enjoyable course but for some reason I had more fun on Pete Dye’s “The Dunes” course in La Quinta.  These greens aren’t quite as challenging as “The Dunes” either but there are some pretty water holes here.

Pete Dye Course: Front nine

Tracy has an unbelievable knack for being only remotely near the green yet digging out a sweet high iron shot and placing her ball within 10 feet or so of the hole.  Anyone whose played a Pete Dye course knows that the rough areas around the green aren’t easy to get out of.

Room: Christmas stocking

Bella is excited as housekeeping has left this filled stocking for us on Christmas Eve.

Catalan Restaurant: Bread w/pesto sauce

This pesto sauce is heavy-handed with garlic and we’re loving it!

Catalan: Mussels

This tapas restaurant has AMAZING food.

Catalan: Garlic shrimp

Sweet be-Jesus!  Enough said…

Catalan: Pork Belly & Melon Salad

Another dish features mini chorizo skewers in a green sauce.

Catalan: Rigatoni & Spicy Sausage

I can barely “handle the heat” so Bella handles this dish almost exclusively.  The Renacer “Puntal” Malbec wine goes splendidly with many of these dishes.  It possesses nice fruit, nominal alcohol on the nose or in the mouth and a medium body.

Catalan: Grilled Veal Skirt Steak

The sauces and salad on top are nice accents to this tender meat.

Catalan: Cappuccino ice cream

The taste is more chocolate than coffee or cappuccino.  It tastes good but isn’t anywhere close to what it was advertised as.  Bella observes one spoonful of a miniscule taste of coffee but I detect nothing of the sort.

Catalan: Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

It is moderately moist and tastes more like a muffin than bread pudding.  The chocolate sauce isn’t enough to save the lack of ice cream here which hurts this tremendously.  These desserts are “barely, barely” earning a rating of B-.

Room: Christmas day

From our balcony we have a spectacular view of the 18th hole on Pete Dye’s course.

JB’s Condo: Leo with toys…

I haven’t spent a Christmas with Jared since our childhood in 1984.  Thirty years later we are celebrating Christmas together once again.  “Good times”…

JB’s Condo: Lunch being prepared

A Chinese meal is being prepared by Shirley’s mom and dad.  It includes green onion pancake, goose in plum sauce and green veggies.

JB’s Condo: Green onion pancake

Slightly sticky, chewy, dense and delicious.

Goose and Potatoes in Plum Sauce

This is soooooooooooo good!

At The Mission Inn (missioninn.com) they go deep with decor around the holidays.  We pile into our vehicles and venture over just before dark.

The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa

The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa

The “cattle” arrive just after us and pack the streets.

The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa

The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa

There are many appealing restaurants and cafes.

The Mission Inn Resort & Spa

The Mission Inn: Handsome Carriage Ride

Where is Cinderella?  These look great but don’t get too close or you will earn a waft of hot, fresh and smelly “horse mud” (caught in a bag attached to the horse’s behind) which will leave you punch-drunk.

The Mission Inn Resort & Spa

The lights really are spectacular.

The Mission Inn Resort & Spa

JB & Leo: “Choo choo”…

The Mission Inn: Penguin display

I say goodbye to my birdie friend and JB and family before we head home.

THE END!!!