CHECKING INTO THE MAGNIFICENT MISSION INN HOTEL AND SPA
Hello and thanks very much for visiting After Orange County. Today we’ll be checking into the magnificent Mission Inn Hotel and Spa, a historic hotel located in Riverside, California. It’s where Brad and I recently stayed in celebration of our wedding anniversary.
The Clock Tower & Ornate Four-Story Courtyard
As a Southern California native, I’ve been visiting the historic Mission Inn since I was a young girl. I can see the Mission Inn of my childhood in my mind’s eye, as the memories were so vivid. When you journey to such a special place as a child it becomes simply unforgettable. I felt like I was visiting a Spanish Castle, and for good reason, because the Mission Inn’s breathtaking Spanish Mission Revival Style architecture is about as authentic Spanish as it gets outside of Spain. In fact, it incorporates architectural features from more than 20 different California missions.
The Mission Inn Restaurant With Dining on the Spanish Patio Below
As a Spanish American who has spent a lot of time exploring my ancestral homeland of Spain, I can vouch for its authenticity. In fact, my husband and I kept commenting on how transported we felt being at the Inn. For a hotel that’s located a little over an hour from our home in Lake Arrowhead, we could actually imagine that we were far, far away. We really felt transported, and during our short stay, actually felt like we had escaped.
Although in truth, The Mission Inn is a composite of many architectural styles, it is generally considered to be the largest Mission Revival Style building in the United States. It is a member of Historic Hotels of America, and of the National Trust for Historic Preservation whose motto is: “Save the past. Enrich the future.” It has also been designated as a National Historic Landmark.
The Mission Inn has a very long and storied past which spans nearly 150 years. That’s simply ancient for Southern California! It began as a quaint adobe boarding house in 1876, and blossomed into a full-service hotel in the early 1900s thanks to California’s economic citrus boom and warm weather, which attracted wealthy travelers and celebrities from all over the world. In fact, The Mission Inn is famous for having hosted 10 presidents and vice presidents since it first opened in its current form in 1903. And, to commemorate that fact, in the hotel’s lobby is the not-to-be-missed, Presidential Lounge.
Presidents Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Herbert Hoover, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Gerald Ford, and George W. Bush have been guests at the hotel and their portraits decorate the lobby walls. Nancy and Ronald Reagan spent their honeymoon night together in the Alhambra Suite, and Pat and Richard Nixon were married in the Presidential Suite.
Outstanding social leaders such as Susan B. Anthony, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Huntington, Albert Einstein, Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, Hubert H. Bancroft, Harry Chandler, Booker T. Washington, Helen Keller and John Muir have all visited the Inn.
The long list of celebrity guests includes Lillian Russell, Sarah Bernhardt, Harry Houdini, Ethel Barrymore, Charles Boyer, Eddie Cantor, Mary Pickford, Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis (who was married at the Inn in 1945), W. C. Fields, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Glen Campbell, Merle Haggard, Fess Parker, James Brolin and Barbra Streisand, Raquel Welch and Drew Barrymore. Starlet Bette Davis wed William Sherry in the hotel chapel and Judy Garland and musician David Rose spent part of their honeymoon here. So Brad and I were in good company choosing The Mission Inn as the place to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.
The Saint Francis Chapel
Over the years the Inn fell upon disrepair and closed for a period of time. Riverside businessman Duane Roberts and his wife Kelly came to its rescue, and after a seven-year, $55 million renovation, the Roberts reopened the hotel in 1992. Brad and I have had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with the Robert’s, as our children attended the same high school, where we served together on the Development Committee. During that time we were guests of the Roberts a number of times, enjoying dinner parties with them on the beautiful courtyard of the Inn.
The Inn’s fine dining restaurant is called Duane’s Prime Steaks and Seafood Restaurant. Duane made his fortune in the meat packing business and consequently, his namesake restaurant serves some of the finest steaks I’ve ever tasted.
Entrance to Duane’s Prime Steaks and Seafood Restaurant
In total the hotel features 4 award-winning restaurants. We love Las Campanas Mexican Cuisine & Cantina located in the beautiful landscaped garden.
Because we were going to the theater later, we opted for an early dinner in the garden on this visit which, consisted of an assortment of delicious appetizers and mango margaritas.
The Mission Inn has 238 guest rooms, including 27 suites. They offer a wide variety of room options, each featuring unique décor which highlights each wing of the hotel’s history and character. There are many different wings of the hotel, with each wing being built over another, addition upon addition. The result is a complicated and intricately built structure that is an amalgamation of many styles. So, now let me escort you up to our room, located on the 4th floor of the hotel in the Spanish Wing, just above the magnificent St. Francis Chapel.
The stroll to our room was breathtaking and I snapped many photos of the pretty courtyard and lovely fountains.
Imagine how excited I was when we arrived at our Mission King Room #425.
It’s not often you find the door to your hotel room ornamented by pretty statues and intricate brick work.
The carved wooden door was also beautiful, inside and out.
Stepping inside the very spacious room we found a cathedral ceiling and a stunning floor to ceiling stained glass window draped in heavy curtains.
Out the impressive window was a pretty garden view.
The decor was somewhat dated but the king bed was dressed in high quality bedding and was comfortable.
Unique architectural features such as fireplaces can be found in some of the rooms in the hotel. They have all been preserved, and although the fireplaces are no longer used, they offer a glimpse back in time when they were a source of heat during the early days of the Inn.
Adjacent to the spacious bedroom was a large bathroom. While it could benefit from an update it was very clean and in good repair.
Off of the bathroom were glass doors that led to a sweet, Juliet balcony.
Stepping back into the bathroom we enter a tub/shower/toilet area separated by another door with hardware embellished with The Mission Inn’s bell logo.
The hand-painted Spanish tile floor was lovely.
As I mentioned in this previous post, we attended a performance of The Jersey Boys at the Fox Theater that night. Our evening stroll back to the Inn after the performance gave us a chance to see it beautifully lit up at night.
The next morning we dined in The Mission Inn Restaurant for breakfast where I enjoyed my daily Cappuccino and a yummy bagel served with smoked salmon and creamed cheese.
Although I am acquainted with the owners of The Mission Inn, they were not aware of our paid stay and this was not a sponsored post. I can genuinely say that I would encourage everyone to experience this hotel. While there don’t miss a visit to Kelly’s Spa and her daughter’s shop, Casey’s Cupcakes. Casey, who went to school with my son, won a competition on Cupcake Wars and was also married in the Inn’s beautiful St. Frances Chapel. I’ve attended a couple of beautiful and memorable wedding there and would recommend it as a wedding venue. For a more extensive history of The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa you can visit the Mission Inn Museum or schedule a docent-led tour by calling (951) 788-9556. Visit at Christmas for their magnificent Festival of Lights.
3649 Mission Avenue Riverside CA 92501
Tel: 951-784-0300
www.MissionInn.com
“It is the most unique hotel in America. It’s a monastery, a museum, a fine hotel, a home, a boardinghouse, a mission, an art gallery and an aviator’s shrine. It combines the best features of all of the above. If you are ever in any part of California, don’t miss the famous Mission Inn of Riverside.”
Will Rogers
So there you have it: CHECKING INTO THE MAGNIFICENT MISSION INN HOTEL AND SPA
Thanks so much for dropping in!
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All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission.
