A word to the wise: Palm Springs is not as remote as you might think it is. My newly wedded husband and I flew from our wedding in Vegas to San Diego thinking that it would make our trip to Palm Springs more easily drivable.…Read More

A word to the wise: Palm Springs is not as remote as you might think it is. My newly wedded husband and I flew from our wedding in Vegas to San Diego thinking that it would make our trip to Palm Springs more easily drivable. I learned later that our assumption was wrong. Not only is the drive from Vegas to Palm Spring a mere three hours, but the drive from San Diego to Palm Springs is only an hour less but a lot more difficult to navigate.

For some reason when we were arranging our honeymoon, California looked much bigger than it actually is and we thought the only way to get places was to fly. I forgot that Vegas is a weekend trip away from most of southern California. Oops; chalk my poor route-planning up to a west-coast rookie mistake.

Mistakes aside, the drive from San Diego to Palm Springs was quite adventurous. It started out calm enough; long stretches of road in the "high desert" terrain of southern California. Interesting rock formations, some scattered ranches, not much plant-life, and various signs confirming town populations below 500 people, all characterized the first hour of our route.

Many stretches on our route were marked with "rock slide" warnings and instructions to drive with your headlights on at all times. The road was a bit narrow and had several sharp turns, but for the most part felt easily passable during the daylight hours until we reached the final leg.

The last twenty miles before Palm Springs were the most interesting. The rocky desert terrain gave way to rocky mountain formations. Before long we were descending the peaks on a windy road with very little in the way of guard rails. Believe me, this was not an experience for those scared of heights (or their husband’s driving). By the time we got down the mountain I felt physically sick from the dizzy heights and car’s jerky movements.

There are a couple nice vista points along the route that are worth stopping at for pictures. My husband hates stopping the car, but the vista points also were good at breaking up our trip and relieving my motion-sickness. A couple of nice shots for the scrapbook and we were on our way again.

Once in the valley, the desert seemed to bloom all at once and give way to the well-manicured oasis that is Palm Springs. The gorgeous flowers and inviting palm trees were welcome sights at the end of our mostly barren road trip. Rich fuchsia and bright green are the dominant colors in Palm Springs landscaping designs and are just beautiful against the backdrop of bright blue sky. I knew we had arrived at our lovely honeymoon destination from the instant we crossed the city-limits.
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The Spa Hotel and Casino in Palm Springs offers not only accommodations, but a Vegas-esque casino experience as well. But that's not why I went there. I went there to experience what they call "The Taking Of The Waters". For $40 (you can get $10…Read More

The Spa Hotel and Casino in Palm Springs offers not only accommodations, but a Vegas-esque casino experience as well. But that's not why I went there. I went there to experience what they call "The Taking Of The Waters". For $40 (you can get $10 if you book another service at the same time, such as a massage or facial), you go through 5 stages of relaxation. After you check in and are handed a fluffy robe, you head to the first stop - the steam room (wet heat). Once you are done there, you head over to the sauna (dry heat) -- stopping for water in between so you don't get dehydrated. There is a second sauna experience, which is the aromatherapy sauna, designed, open up your sinuses and assist with breathing. The fourth step is the one people enjoy the most… you are lead into your own private jacuzzi where warm water gently massages you into blissful happiness. The final step in this process is a room where you are taken to basically meditate and/or take a nap before hittin’ the town. You are directed to a bed and wrapped in a large sheet while soothing witch hazel patches are placed on your eyes. You can have an attendant wake you up in time for your massage appointment, or in time to get home and make dinner. This is the greatest spa experience I’ve ever had. The price was right, the facilities were clean and the staff friendly. In fact, I did get a massage after the “Taking of the Waters” but found that I didn’t even really need to have a massage since I was already so relaxed. Close

My mom wanted to take my sister and I to a place she hiked to in the mountains in Palm Springs while we were home for the weekend. Except, she had been with a friend the time before who knew the way. We're adventurers,…Read More

My mom wanted to take my sister and I to a place she hiked to in the mountains in Palm Springs while we were home for the weekend. Except, she had been with a friend the time before who knew the way. We're adventurers, though, so we decided to go anyway and try the hike to Murray Peak. But, when you take the road in and follow the path, it swiftly becomes a mass of several dirt paths, and wide dirt roads, all going in different directions. We tried one way, and then another, and then we gave up after awhile of feeling utterly lost, and happy to find the way back to our car. However, we don't give up that easily, my mom, at least, does not. So she took me out the next time I came to visit, and we went out to explore. We happened upon the same twisting and turning paths, but we aimed towards the direction of a massive peak, one that stands out amongst the rest, Murray Peak. After awhile, going through aimless desert trail, and visiting a beautiful desert oasis standing in a canyon along the way, we finally reach the last climb to Murray Peak. The views are worth every moment of confusion and feeling lost. You are rewarded with a feeling of being on top of the world, before buildings, before freeways, and before time. From here you truly experience being in the middle of nowhere, a moment before the modern world began.Close

The Spa Resort Casino combines my two favorite pastimes, relaxing at a spa and gambling. The spa and hotel are actually in a separate facility than the casino. We had a hard time finding parking so decided to…Read More

The Spa Resort Casino combines my two favorite pastimes, relaxing at a spa and gambling. The spa and hotel are actually in a separate facility than the casino. We had a hard time finding parking so decided to pay the $5 for valet. I personally think that it should be free if you are staying at the hotel or if you are having treatments at the spa but I guess those guys deserve it when it is 115 degrees outside.

We did not stay at the hotel so I can't comment on the rooms but the lobby, pool area, and the spa had a very 70’s feel to it and not in a cute retro way. Oh well, most of Palm Springs (except the nicer and more expensive resorts) tends to feel this way.

Even though the spa seemed like something from Three’s Company, it is packed with amenities. We both had 50-minute therapeutic massages for $108 and paid an extra $20 for the "Taking of the Waters? The "Taking of the Waters?is 5-step process including the steam room, dry sauna, aromatherapy inhalation room, private thermal mineral bath, and then the tranquility room. Most places include access to these amenities with the purchase of a treatment but we thought it was well worth it. You have to like heat though.

Steps 1-4 are all well over 105 degrees but they are all supposed to have therapeutic benefits. The thermal mineral baths do smell like sulfur so that may take some getting used to. You actually smell it as soon as you walk into the spa. You have a private bathtub size pool and you can adjust the temperature by adding cold water.

The massage was OK. Not the best, not the worst. I like a lot of pressure with my massages and love when the masseuse works out all my knots. My therapist did a great job on my neck but was just so-so on the rest of me.

Oddly enough, our favorite part was the tranquility room. It looks kind of like a sci-fi hospital room with dim pinkish-blue lighting and individual cots lined up and Navajo flute music playing in the background but once you lay down in the cot, you never want to get up. We went in after our massage and fell asleep and stayed in there for about an hour.

They have a beverage bar with fresh fruit and tea, showers, lockers, and all the amenities that you need to freshen up after spending a day at the spa. It was a decent spa experience but nowhere near as luxurious as some of the other spas such as the Well Spa or the spa at the Hyatt. I personally would spend the extra money to go to the more upscale spas.

The casino on the other hand seems much more modern. It has tons of slot machines, Pai-gow, BlackJack, 3 card poker, 4 card poker, Bacarat, Indian casino craps (with cards instead of dice). Table minimums range from $10-$100. Drinks are free while you are gambling. Dealers and staff seemed pretty friendly. There are 4 restaurants (we didn’t try any as they seemed a little over priced), a Steakhouse, a noodle caf?(Asian food), a buffet, and a deli. This is the most central casino to downtown Palm Springs.

The Well Spa at the Miramonte Resort has the same Mediterranean feel as the rest of their resort. It is located in the center of their resort but somehow it is so quiet that you forget that. The first thing that they do once they…Read More

The Well Spa at the Miramonte Resort has the same Mediterranean feel as the rest of their resort. It is located in the center of their resort but somehow it is so quiet that you forget that. The first thing that they do once they check you in is show you around the spa and give you a coin to make a wish in their well. There is a steam room and sauna and if you get thirsty or need a snack they have a beverage bar with fresh fruit. There is an outdoor pool and a whirlpool to enjoy. Both my sister and I had the 60-minute Maestro Massage. Both our therapists were excellent. They even give you a choice of music to be played during your massage. It is not one of the super large spas but is more like a quaint extended day spa but we liked it. In the end we went away relaxed and happy. For more information take a look at their website. http://www.miramonteresort.com/well_spa_services.phpClose

We left Las Vegas in the early afternoon about 12:30 and were headed towards Palm Springs via rental car. We knew that it was going to be a long trip, about 4 hours through the desert in scorching heat. (Just a note: remember to rent…Read More

We left Las Vegas in the early afternoon about 12:30 and were headed towards Palm Springs via rental car. We knew that it was going to be a long trip, about 4 hours through the desert in scorching heat. (Just a note: remember to rent a reliable car from a reliable company). I do have to say that the views were great--if you like sand.

When we finally arrived at Palm Springs, California, we were driving around for about half an hour looking for our hotel, but it seemed like five minutes because we were all so excited. Palm Springs is a funny place, because all the streets are in grids; an aerial view looks like a chess board.

We finally arrived at our hotel, the Wyndham Hotel Palm Springs. It’s a really nice hotel with great service, though it was hard to appreciate at first due to being distracted by the weather. It was so hot when we got out of the car that it felt like we were melting. Did I mention that this trip took place in July on a date that reached 115 degrees (Fahrenheit)? The experience at the Wyndham was absolutely wonderful, but I will write about that experience another time because there is so much to say about Palm Springs. (Another Note: You can find a $300 hotel room for pennies on the dollar if you travel to Palm Springs during their off-season – summer.)

Canyon Drive is the main street where Palm Springs has it all going on. It has everything; restaurants, cafe's, a bundle of shops and boutiques, tourist attractions, and much more. Though our hotel had a restaurant, we typically would eat out, and there were some brilliant restaurants from budget seafood to four-star steak houses.

We were also lucky enough to experience the street fair on Canyon Drive which takes place every Thursday. It extends through late in the evening and offers so many things including local arts and crafts. It was a splendid atmosphere especially when the sun went down and the temperature dropped to the mid 90s.

Though we spent most of our time in the City of Palm Springs, we did venture out to different parts of the valley. I should clarify. The common misconception when referring to Palm Springs is that it is the area "Palm Springs" extends the whole range of the Coachella Valley. In fact there are 8 major cities that have their own identity and are home to different attractions and Festivals. These areas include Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, and of course Palm Springs.

And you may ask; what about golf? Yes, I am a golfer, but my three under-6 children are not, so there was no opportunity this time. If you are a golfer, the Coachella Valley is home to more golf courses per square mile than anywhere else in the world. You can find beginner courses, short courses, and PGA-rated courses scattered throughout the valley and it takes no longer that 40 minutes to drive from one end to the other (east to west).

My conclusion is that this is the #1 place to go in America, and you may find this to be true as well.

Red Jeep Eco-Tours has a number of different excursions into the desert and surrounding area. We chose to take the twilight tour, which included a trip to a desert oasis, an old Agua-Caliente Indian village, a defunct mining camp, and best of all, right…Read More

Red Jeep Eco-Tours has a number of different excursions into the desert and surrounding area. We chose to take the twilight tour, which included a trip to a desert oasis, an old Agua-Caliente Indian village, a defunct mining camp, and best of all, right into the heart of the San Andreas Fault. Our guide, Mitch, was great with the boys and explained everything you could probably want to know about the geography, geology, culture, and history of the area. He also pointed out numerous types of vegetation and explained how they were used either for food, shelter, or medicine by the indigenous people.

Although we didn’t see any of the creepy crawlers, he showed the boys scorpion, tarantulas, and side-winder holes, as well as the sticky homes of black widow spiders. But the best part of the trip was when we drove up into the fault zone, hiked up through a slot canyon, and stood in the middle of the San Andreas Fault with one hand on the Pacific plate and the other on the North American plate.

In the fault area, we saw the homes of kit foxes, mountain lions, eagles, and hawks, and even got to see a whale fossil still embedded in the canyon walls! We ended the trip at a defunct gold mine, where Mitch took out his telescope to see the moons of Jupiter and taught the boys how to map the sky. The boys both felt that this was the best part of the entire trip.

Palm Springs (from now on to be known as PS) is a remarkable place. Clean air, blue skies, snow-topped mountain peaks to the west and sunshine almost every day of the year. The activities here are first-class: golfing, biking, hiking, shopping, desert Jeep…Read More

Palm Springs (from now on to be known as PS) is a remarkable place. Clean air, blue skies, snow-topped mountain peaks to the west and sunshine almost every day of the year. The activities here are first-class: golfing, biking, hiking, shopping, desert Jeep adventures, tours of the stars homes, dining, casino activities, spa treatments, street/art fairs, music, dancing and so much more. PS really does have it all although many locals will complain about the traffic and congestion during "season" (winter, when all the visitors come to play). Having lived in big cities much of my life, I can promise you that our "traffic" problem is quite small in comparison. PS is only a few hours away from the beaches and activities of LA and San Diego, yet I find myself staying put in my desert hideaway for months on end, not even wanting to leave the valley. I guess everything I need is right here - what a wonderful way to live!!! Yes, I even feel that way in August, when the temperatures rise into the 110-115 range. I don't suggest anyone make their vacation plans for that time of year, but for me it really doesn't matter. I am a "desert rat", and I do whatever it takes to "survive" the heat. One last thing - when those hot days give way to darkness, there is nothing like floating in the swimming pool, surrounded by silence, watching a meteor shower overhead. I am very fortunate to be able to live here, and I can't imagine a finer place to come for vacation.Close

The ladies were off to the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation and Indian Canyons. This was the big birthday day for Hawkeye...this is also the loooongest birthday party that Stir has endured to date. Hawkeye wanted to hike the canyon into the oasis, so.....we did! It…Read More

The ladies were off to the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation and Indian Canyons. This was the big birthday day for Hawkeye...this is also the loooongest birthday party that Stir has endured to date. Hawkeye wanted to hike the canyon into the oasis, so.....we did! It was certainly a Kodak moment, but Hawkeye has those shots in her camera. Maybe I can get a few to post here at a later date. After she made us tread the valley of the kings, she tried to make us get on the aerial tramway, but we weren't falling for that one! I told her my future was too bright to get in that gondola hanging from a string and go 8,500 feet up the side of that mountain. NastyNan never even intended to go up and said so from the start!

After a short nap, we met at the fitness center for a massage and a dip in the spa. Then it was back to the Villas where Hawkeye was feted with a birthday dinner ...grilled portabello mushrooms, lobster tortillas, a salad of spring greens and baby lettuce with a raspberry vinegarette, filet with garlic mashed potatoes and baby vegetables....and a special chocolate birthday cake from the pastry chef at the Hyatt.

The butler staff had decorated Stir's villa so nicely with gold damask tablecloths and a beautiful flower arrangement. Our butler, Tim, was so attentive and made Hawkeye's evening a night to remember.....then PrettyBoy gave her a gorgeous diamond and black sapphire ring to complete the birthday festivies...which Stir and NastyNan thought was overkill since he had roses delivered to her suite earlier in the day! Close

This place has no concept of customer service. Two friends and I made reservations for massages. The web site made the place look so nice. They sure did hire the right people to do there marketing because it seemed a lot smaller…Read More

This place has no concept of customer service. Two friends and I made reservations for massages. The web site made the place look so nice. They sure did hire the right people to do there marketing because it seemed a lot smaller in person. However, that is beside the point. After checking in and changing in the cramped changing room (it was smaller than my room at home!) we were told that my friend¡¦s therapist had thrown her back out. They did not have any other therapists available but said that they could to a hand and foot acupressure treatment. Since my friend had only come up for the day, I told her that she could take my treatment. At first she said that it was OK but asked if she could have a glass of wine. They told her that they only sold wine by the bottle. Hello! They just told her she would have to sit around and wait for us with nothing to do but sit in one of their pools, if it were my business, I would have given her the bottle of wine for free! After that, I insisted that she take my massage since I would be going to another spa the next day. The thing that really upset me was that didn't even seem sorry. I know that things happen, but I would also try to make it up to my customer. At least offer some sort of discount for a future visit or something. The place is quite small and the staff was less than friendly. Both my friends thought that there massages were just OK but even if they were great, we all said we would never go back. Close