I have to say that I loved my stay at the Mission Inn. It is in downtown Riverside California. It is the largest example of Mission Revival architecture in the United States. As we all know the Missions are a huge part of California history. The Mission Inn was never an actual mission. It was started by Frank Augustus Miller who built it as a hotel and was inspired by Mission Revival architecture and his own travels across Europe and Asia. Miller opened the first wing of the current Mission Inn building in 1903 and it continued to expand from there. It is a truly stunning work of art. * I am not being compensated to provide this review, all opinions are my own.

As soon as you walk through this entry you are transported to another place and time.  I’m pretty sure that taking in this view while enjoying our morning coffee could never get old. As well as enjoying a meal in the courtyard.

These are all pretty candid photos. Nothing staged as you can see by the sugar packet and occasional bystanders. The one thing that is really cool is that you can wander around some parts of the hotel, even if you’re not staying here,  as it is open to the public. If you are staying here that fact can make it crowded, especially on the weekends. So it was almost impossible to take photos without other guests in them. That is something to consider if it would bother you. It is a bustling downtown feel, not a secluded resort on a big piece of property. We didn’t mind it because we knew that it would be like that and loved the energy.

There are just amazing things to see around every corner. Be sure to see the Rotunda which you can access from the upper levels or from the downtown square.

The architecture takes on a whole new beauty at night. We especially enjoyed sipping our wine on the balcony.
The pool was another one of the highlights for us. We had beautiful weather in November and even though it was very busy at the hotel we felt secluded in the pool area.
Don’t miss the parrots. They are part of the hotel’s history, they greeted presidents and famous people of the day. Although these are not the original ones, they are a beautiful tribute to them.
Enjoy a meal under the original arbors and soak up all the details.

Just a few more things to tell you. All the rooms are different. We enjoyed ours very much. The bathroom felt original as well as the windows that you could swing open. Down to the door knobs it felt like we stepped back in time, except for the Keurig machine and TV which we gladly accepted as modern convenience.

Add a stay or visit at the Mission Inn to your Must-Do list.