We just got back from Palm Springs/La Quinta and I would love to give you the low down! We went to celebrate my brothers wedding. We stayed in La Quinta which is a smaller city outside of Palm Springs. Think golfing capital of the world! There are TONS of golf courses all around Palm Springs and La Quinta, which is right up my husbands alley.

Travel- The day of travel taught us a little bit about Palm Springs Area. We flew into John Wayne- Orange County airport (an amazing smaller airport in the heart of the OC) and drove to Palm Springs. FYI– the drive should be only 1 hour and 45 minutes HOWEVER traffic during rush hour times makes it an easy 3 hour drive. So, when planning your flight arrival times get on the road any time between 10 am-1 pm OR after 8 pm at night. It is worth just hanging in the OC or visiting the beach to wait it out.

Weather- Boy did we luck out! Typical weather during May is in the 100’s but we have low to mid 90’s and 70’s in the evening. This made it very enjoyable! We also had a great little breeze happening majority of the time. This made it even better. Keep in mind when visiting that it is the desert– very hot and very dry! Plan to be at the pool during the day and dine alfresco at night… gorgeous!

Shopping- Palm Desert has great shopping! Plan to visit the premium outlets (I saw a Lululemon outlet!!) and my favorite an amazing Louis Vuitton! Going more practical, the only shopping I really did was at Trader Joes (another one of my favorites). We grabbed pool snacks and some adult beverages!

Hotel- We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells. This resort was BEAUTIFUL! It featured many pool options (both adult only and family pools), it is also located on Indian Wells golf course. The rooms were very big, which is a HUGE plus for a family. We got a 2 queen type room and I have never stayed in a room that split the 2 queen beds up (one was located a couple steps down from the other- see pictures below). This was actually amazing. It allowed for the kids to have their area and my husband and I to have our own area, very smart! This was just their standard set up, which is great!

Spa- I was lucky enough to steal away for a girls day in the spa while the guys golfed. Since we were there to celebrate my brother and new sister in law, we split the day before the wedding and did a girls/guys morning. The Agua Serena Spa was amazing! My favorite part of any spa is when you walk in and smell the spa smell and this one did not disappoint! Not only was it very tranquil upon entering, it had a gorgeous out door reflection deck with pool, men and women spa facilities, relaxation room and salon.  I would love to give a shout out to the manager Heather, not only was she so delightful to work with and even came to find us during our services to make sure we were happy with everything. My mother and brother did the 80 minute Swedish massage, they were raving about how incredible it was and that their therapists were amazing. I had just gotten a massage at home, so I opted for the manicure and pedicure. I had Lilian, she was great! The services lasted around 2.5 hours total for both and they served me Champagne, Earl Grey tea and the super yummy spa water. They perform all nail services in the Salon area. It was still tranquil, which was very nice (typically not the case in ever Salon setting) and they still had me switch into a comfy spa robe and slippers. My 2 daughters also joined me and did a gel manicure and a polish change. They were great with the kids and were very welcoming of them even tho they were young. If you are under 16 years of age, you are unable to go into the locker facilities which wasn’t a huge deal, but they did give them smaller robes to wear which they loved! They also have the option to order lunch to delivered in the spa. My mother also got a blow out in the Salon, she was very happy with it that she ended up doing 2 while she was there. Overall a great experience, I would recommend!

Golf- I will not go to into this a ton, my husband golfed at a nearby Private Course/Country Club which he loved but it isn’t open to the public so its not worth sharing. The course at Indian Wells (where we stayed) looked amazing! Many people commented on the quality of the course, if you visit and are interested in golfing I would try there!

Food- We eat at 2 amazing restaurants that I would LOVE to share! First, we eat at Adobe Grill Mexican Restaurant located in the GORGEOUS La Quinta Resort & Club- A Waldorf Astoria hotel. If you have a chance– try this restaurant. The food was great and the view and live music made it even better! My husband got the Red Snapper and it was amazing, I got the fajitas- which was also good but nothing unique. The guacamole they made at the table and they make home made tortilla’s. The grounds of the resort were also amazing, just walking around made me fall in love with the old spanish style mid 1900’s property.

The last place we eat at was the Cliff House. This place was very unique and all of the food was delicious! You are practically eating on the side of a cliff, rocks and all! I had this amazing Sugar Salmon, I finished my entire dinner. The kids all got steaks of some sort and they loved theirs as well. The appetizers we had were all amazing but the Ahi Tuna Cones and the Fried Artichoke Hearts were a must! This is were we had the rehearsal dinner, so we were all dressed up but there is not need to be too fancy. A sundress and some wedges would do the trick!

As you can see, our quick 4 night trip was amazing! Definitely a location to visit if you want some great pool time, outdoor dinning and more!

xo

D