Category: Holiday

Generally speaking when I am going to plan a vacation, I like to pick a place where I can eat good food, drink good drinks, be active ( in some capacity) and maybe throw in some time by the fire or on a hammock!

Palm Springs is a place that I had not been to since becoming an adult and as a Northern California dweller it takes a bit more to get there than from LA or SD. So when one of my Best Friends suggested we take a trip there for her birthday I very enthusiastically said , “YES”! 

There was one caveat though… we were going in SUMMER! You might be thinking who in their right mind goes to the desert in the summer? Well people who love a good deal, and in the summer, Palm Springs has amazing lodging deals. 

We took off from foggy San Francisco in the morning and landed in Palm Springs at potentially the hottest part of the day… walking off the plane was a rude awakening to say the least.

We assumed (wrongly) that we would be able to get a rental car since its summer… no one is in the desert right? Well without a rental car to our names we would have to uber/lyft/taxi/shuttle all around town.. which turned out to be a good option. The shuttle is great! Highly reccomend looking into it when you are there as a form of transportation. 

We stayed at the Saguaro. If you aren’t living under a rock you have already seen its brightly colored, palm tree laden grounds all over instagram. 

I would reccomend staying at this hotel if you LOVE to party all day and into the night… the pool parties are very popular here but also extremely annoying if that isn’t your steeze. 

If I were to go back I would potentially stay at the Parker or The Ace. 

Once settled at our hotel we took a car service to Elvis’s Honeymoon Hideaway . We had booked a tour prior to arriving which I reccomend if you are interested. I haven’t made it to Graceland yet, so being somewhere that The King lived was a magical experience. It is hard to believe that this home is owned by a couple ( who are selling btw). To me, it seems like this house should be a museum. It is amazing though how little has been updated. The home maintains its original charm and finishes.

After our tour we were famished and in need of a bite to eat! Another note about Summer is that places close in the middle of the day/ or for the season so be prepared to not get to try all the places you have dreamed about on yelp/instagram.

A must do : Date Milk Shake! Delicious but really, really sweet!

I don’t remember the sandwich place we went too but it was really good and air conditioned! Very important.

Now time for more A/C and some tiki drinks and the historic Bootlegger Tiki.

Every table was full around 4 pm on Friday – prime Happy Hour time!

Las Casuelas is a fun spot for live music and margs!

Ready for day two! We started the day off with a breakfast reservation at Norma’s at the Parker ( ohh lala! ) Another summer tip – wake up early and nap during the hottest part of the day! Not rocket science!… but I thought I would share all the same!

After an amazing breakfast we strolled around the Parker grounds. Beautiful!

Next stop! Saturday morning Famers Market! and look what we found … Beer Tasting! I love to try some good local beer on all my trips so when we found Coachella Valley Brewing Co – I was stoked! Purchased a few beers for back at the hotel where we were headed for some R & R. 

For dinner we headed to Birba. We went before the dinner rush and were able to be seated without a reservation. 

Our meal and drinks were beyond! I highly, highly reccomend. 

Next stop, Bar!

Beer Cocktails? Yes, I will try you.

Then onto Tropicale, at this point of the night the air is balmy but cool enough for outside sitting and walking.

One final drink and some live music at the Amigo Room.

Day 3! Ready to indulge … yet again.

Elmer’s is a chain.. but a highly recommended chain so off we went to try it out!

After our filling breakfast we went to Moorten Botanical Garden. We thought it would be early enough to beat the heat… but we weren’t. We thought we were going to pass out after walking around, but it was beautiful! 

After lounging pool side for the majority of the afternoon we got ready for dinner and drinks!

We went to The Purple Palm for drinks, I tried the Rio Rita with Ghost Pepper! Delish!

After our drinks, we headed to Workshop kitchen + bar for dinner.

Again, our food was amazing. Prices were a little high but all great quality food.

For a final night cap we hit Kings Highway … for our second date shake of the trip.

Amazing Wall Weave!! Swoon.

One last view of the pool… looks so relaxing… before anyone arrives!

We headed to Cheeky’s for brunch – we barely made it before they closed for the season!!

I love a good Bloody Mary and this one came in a glass boot – talk about in love!

Great breakfast and amazing service!

We spent the rest of the morning wandering around antique shops and galleries.

Needing a break from the heat we went to Customs Coffee. 

For our last lunch we hit Sherman’s Deli in Palm Springs – what a delight! It was so delicious.

After our meal we headed back to our hotel and off we flew back to the Bay!  I had an amazing time in Palm Springs – the aesthetic, the food, I loved it all! I will definelty be back… would I go again in the Summer… tbd.