As a wedding photographer, I get to experience venues from a very unique perspective--and Ethereal…read moreGardens in Escondido truly lives up to its name. From the moment I arrived, I was struck by how intentionally the space is designed. It was a rainy November day and the gardens felt lush and intimate without being crowded, and every corner offers beautiful, natural backdrops that photograph effortlessly. Even though it was raining the greenery and gray sky created the softest light that felt romantic and dreamy. What really stood out to me was how smoothly the day flowed. The layout of the venue makes transitions--from getting ready, to ceremony, to cocktail hour and reception--feel seamless, which is a huge gift for both couples and vendors. The team at Ethereal Gardens was wonderful to work with. They were organized, calm, and clearly experienced, which made it easy for me to focus on capturing genuine moments rather than navigating logistics (This is HUGE for a photographer). Not all venues experiences are created equal and this team stood out. They were ready with umbrellas and fresh drinks for the Bride and Groom at every moment. As someone who photographs weddings regularly, I can confidently say this is a venue that supports both the couple's experience AND the creative process. I am honored to get to photograph another wedding here in May and HIGHLY recommend Ethereal Gardens to couples looking for a naturally beautiful, well-run venue in North County San Diego.

Ethereal Gardens delivered an absolutely incredible wedding experience. The venue is stunning, the…read moregrounds are impeccably maintained, and both we and our guests felt very well cared for throughout the day. The food deserves a special mention.. from cocktail hour to dinner to late-night bites, everything was delicious and widely raved about. The dining experience to choose our menu was such a fun highlight and something we highly recommend. Bar service, valet, and overall guest experience were seamless and elevated. We selected our DJ from the venue's preferred list and Greg with SD Party Time DJs was phenomenal -- he live spun our wedding and somehow blended Taylor Swift with heavy metal flawlessly. The dance floor was packed all night. While there were a few things we wish we'd known ahead of time (design option clarity, food not being boxed at the end of the night, and end-of-night teardown logistics), none of these detracted from how magical the day was, but would have been nice to know before hand.. With a bit of advance planning, these are all easily managed. Overall, Ethereal Gardens felt like a true luxury wedding experience. We're so grateful for our day and would absolutely recommend this venue to future couples. Posted some personal images but the Professional Photos from Sierra Dawn Photo. Please do not download or reuse images for personal or professional page use/advertising. Reach out to sierradawnphotos@gmail.com for permission or better, hire her as your photographer she's fabulous!

We recently stayed several days at this venue, with a wedding party. First off, the grounds are…read moreabsolutely lovely. Unfortunately, everything else was subpar. When we arrived, we couldn't help but notice how filthy this place was. There were cobwebs in every room, including the bedrooms. There was filth behind the pedestal sink, in our room as well as others and the floor beneath the trundle bed had not been vacuumed in ages. The windows, kitchen floor, oven range hood, range top and dishwasher were filthy. I had to wash the coffee maker because it had old dried out coffee grounds inside. The kitchen floor was so filthy, I wiped up a small bit of water, with a paper towel and was nearly black. The oven would not close properly, which rendered it nearly useless. We were only able to use it by propping a trach can against the oven door, to keep it closed. The seal, for the freezer drawer, was literally hanging out of the bottom of the drawer. There were no dish towels and insufficient washcloths, bath towels and face towels for guests. Several bedroom smoke alarms still had the yellow "REMOVE TO ACTIVATE" plastic strips in them, which meant they were inoperable. I removed those strips, from several smoke alarms, only to find the batteries were dead and expired 22 months earlier. The pool was too cold to swim in. It was supposed to be heated and it was not. We had to request paper towels for the restrooms, in the reception hall, because both dispensers were empty. Several guest rooms smelled of sewer gas. We contacted the owner regarding the odor however, maintenance personnel were unable to resolve it. For the prices this place charges, they should be ashamed.

A great place for reunions, a wedding venue, company retreats, weekend getaway, or a trip with…read morebuddies. The property is in the middle of an orchard, has plenty of rooms across different houses, kitchens, a pool, pickleball courts, near Temecula to go wine tasting, and not that far from San Diego. Stayed for a couple nights and looking forward to come back.

I stayed in August 2018. Me and my two teens. I loved it and I tend on returning for Thanksgiving…read more. What I loved I chose this hotel for its unique style it is a hidden jewel 20 minutes outside of town in the foothills. Beautiful view beautiful landscape beautiful Mediterranean style hotel. Wilderness dont be surprised if you see a few creatures after all you are in the mountains. The rooms are beautifully decorated spacious clean vaulted ceilings. Fridge TV microwave patios and balconies. Did I mention the landscape again I must reiterate the grounds are absolutely beautiful for walking for hiking for little adventures for a romantic get away says it's quiet you hear the birds chipping and the running water around you. My favorite part I must say is that the pool and the cascading Jacuzzi's are open 24/7 which is a wonderful feature. Sometimes I have a late check in and I I'm looking forward to getting in that pool no matter what time it is to wind down so that is very very important to me. It's right next to golf course in there is a restaurant and bar in the golf course or clubhouse so that is convenient. Last but not least the owners were very sweet they were there as I was checking out making sure that we had a great stay staff was polite available and met all our needs Can't wait to come back for Thanksgiving and possibly for my anniversary in February with my husband it will be 25 years. Thank you for an enjoyable state and can't wait to come back again soon. Sincerely Darlene esquivias

This hotel was decently priced on Groupon and was a nice getaway from the busy city life…read more My boyfriend and I only stayed for one night, but overall, we enjoyed our stay. Upon checking in, I think the manager was there helping us, and she was super welcoming. We had a king sized bed suite that had a lot of open space and a pretty large bathtub, which was nice to sink into after sitting in the hot tubs. In my opinion, the room could have had a little more decor or upgrade in furniture. The room was a little bare and felt far from being "romantic" as Groupon had described it. What stood out to me the most was that the chair at the desk had a few stains on the seat cushion. Other than that, the room was well kept. Because the hotel was a little further from the city, it had a great view of the sky at night! Not used to seeing the sky so clear without all the light and smog pollution.

Jenelle, Mark, and their team were absolutely amazing and helped make my wedding the perfect day…read more For months leading up to the day, Jenelle was so responsive to emails, helped us figure out how to bring our ideas to life, and was honest about what she thought was the best way to make everything work out. Jenelle was also able to make some great vendor recommendations that worked out wonderfully. The venue itself was beautiful and many of our friends told us during the night that they would have gotten married here if they had known about it for their weddings. Every member of the staff was so helpful and two steps ahead of every single one of our needs for the day before we even knew we needed them. Jenelle was the ultimate star of the show and truly made the day run so smoothly every step of the way.

Parents of the Bride, here. This was an amazing venue. But even better than the venue, was the…read moreamazing wedding team lead by Janelle and Mark. Every step of the way, they made sure my wife and I were just able to enjoy our daughter's wedding, and that the bride and groom had no worries during the entire event. Thank you for making our daughter's wedding day perfect.

Took a tour of this venue for our future wedding to see if this was the one. Alas, no, too many…read morepractical issues, but we liked the property, it would cater to some exclusive groups, just misses some marks with us as the space and layout is an issue. But here's my notes on the property: overnight accommodations, great place, only issue would be parking. For 3 days and 2 nights you rent the guest cottage as well as the ballroom/main kitchen and terrace areas of the main house for about $8,500 for all the events. The only thing they would like is to not use both locations for any particular one event. But you can have the rehearsal at either, the wedding/cocktails (pretty much anywhere food or beverage is served) at one or the other, the ceremony at one and Sunday brunch at either. More than likely, it works the best with the cottages being the place for a rehearsal dinner, maybe ceremony, the main house for ceremony and reception, and guest cottages for Sunday brunch. They are flexible on outside vendors, but do have a preferred list. Outside vendors must be insured and licensed. This place reminds me of much of Montecito except Bonsall is re-surging from strictly old rural areas to newer neighborhoods so there are still pockets of rural/horse farms in between nice properties. The view is country hillsides. The roads as of 2012 were undergoing construction. Would have to check back and see what progress has been made to make the trip there more beautiful and to see what Saturday afternoon, Friday evening, Saturday night and Sunday morning traffic would be like. May cost about $2000 to solve the parking issue. Not sure what the costs are going to be for on site transport. Overall the customer service was good, but it definitely seemed for a property that wants to do weddings on an exclusive basis there is way too much DIY costs here to accommodate it. It's just a great house on a tree filled property that originally wasn't meant for events. The layout alone provides conflicts and at first they seemed flexible but as I asked further questions about working around the issues there seemed to be less flexibility. Couple that with the owners living on site and you essentially borrowing their space, it just feels awkward and less exclusive to me. The lose a star for that, but other than is a great property. If you aim low, have a small guest list, your guests won't mind a shuttle or carpooling, can do without a valet, do not mind sharing a property with someone, do not need to accommodate disabilities/elderly much or require more than 2-4 peoples worth of overnight accommodation, you should be fine.

From the owner: Bonsall Jardins (Bonsall Gardens) is a private, four acre, gated, avocado grove with a romantic…read morecottage available for vacation rentals and event space for private, corporate, social events and more. The cottage features 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, a gourmet kitchen, a rustic wood burning fireplace and beautiful views from every window. Perfect for 1 or 2 couples or a family of 4. Bonsall is conveniently located in North San Diego County, 15 miles from the coast, 20 miles from Temecula wineries and 50 miles from the San Diego airport. Available by appointment only.

We celebrated my husband's birthday with a large gathering of some of our friends…read more Working with Tristian Bonillla, Tasting Room Manager, was a pleasure. The setting, food, and service were all very much appreciated by everyone in attendance. In addition to extra special occasions, we enjoy lunches and winery events. We are happy it's part of our friendly village.

Came here with my daughter and grandson for an early dinner. Walking up to the front entrance was…read morevery pretty with flowers and trees. We sat outside because it was a beautiful day and it was very peaceful and relaxing. The service was good. Got our food quickly. We ordered a few things to share. Started off with the crisp pear salad which was very fresh and flavorful. Loved the pomegranate and candied walnuts in it as well as the thinly sliced pears. We also ordered the crispy brussels sprouts. They were probably the best brussels sprouts I've ever had and I loved the pork belly in it and pickled red onion on top. My grandson had the kids cheese pizza. We also split the Monserate classic burger and opted for truffle fries and OMG best fries ever! Nice and crispy on the outside. The burger was top notch. Cooked perfectly and was so tasty and juicy. For dessert we had vineyard delight cake. Never had a dessert quite like this. It was good. The whole meal was excellent. No complaints. I need to come back here when I'm in town.

Absolutely an amazing place to work. I am an event planner and can't wait to keep showing my…read moreclients this awesome little ranch. Great communication, great venue and great people to Work with.

Upon walking onto the property, we fell in love with the quaint and unique mini farm. Our guests…read morewere amazed by the different event spaces on the property and the animals are an additional source of entertainment that all ages enjoyed. Kim and Kiva are wonderful hosts, easy to work with and very accommodating. The trailers and tents around the property are beautifully decorated, very clean and comfortable. We plan to go back again for a little staycation in the future. We were overjoyed by our experience and will never forget where we got married. Thank Wishing Well Mini Ranch!

What an incredibly awesome setting! If you're looking for a great place to hold an event, then the…read moreranch is the place to be. To overlooking a beautiful pond, to rowing across the water, relaxing with friends and family was as comforting as ever. The venue was set for a peaceful lit up evening on the patio, with a bar-b-que and cold drinks in the fridge. All this while the kiddos enjoyed a game of horse shoes, and even petting the beautiful horses that are boarded at the ranch. Oh, and did I mention this was after a wonderful egg hunt for those kiddos . White Horse Ranch Productions is the place to be .

From the owner: White Horse Ranch is a private ten acre farm nestled amongst the rolling hills of Fallbrook in…read moreSouthern California. I purchased the property in 1998 and to say that it was in desperate shape, would be to woefully understate the reality. It had sat on the market for over a year without an offer due to its condition. Nobody seemed willing to take on the massive task of clearing the land of wild scrub brush and refuse that had been dumped over years; but after two and half decades of hard work, how lucky am I to be in a position to host so many milestone celebrations for my friends and network. It’s a wonderful life!