To & From Palm Springs :
While looking around the world for an off peek sun destination other than the ones closest to home we came upon Palm Springs ,California and have never looked back !
There are no direct flights to Palm Springs from Dublin, but there are plenty of permutations via a West coast USA city. San Francisco and Las Vegas can be very handy if you plan to fly on to Palm Springs or Los Angeles is within a two-hour drive. Price wise Los Angeles is best, but the drive is not for everyone after a long flight, albeit straightforward I-405 North and then I-10 East but traffic is heavy at the best of times.
To get to Los Angeles earlier than the Aer Lingus direct flight from Dublin, we have opted for Air Canada flights via Vancouver which still allow you to pass US immigration before LA , going via an European hub you benefit from good arrival times but if you get stuck in immigration at LAX you will lose any benefit.
Arrival into LAX after 3 pm is cutting it fine to get out to the car rentals and miss the rush hour on the I-405.
Thrifty is a good option as are Alamo for the car hire, do on-line check in at the rental to avoid over pushy and tortuously slow sales associates at the counter.
Arrival into Palm Springs is easy, car is essential and parking at most hotels free. Lots of hotels to choose from ,we like to stay centrally so we can walk to the great selection of restaurants /bars & shops.Hotels include Marque Villas , large suites with kitchenettes & lounges but no on-site food & beverage services which you do not need as everything is within walking distance to more luxurious Hyatt Palm Springs and Kimpton Rowan Palm which has fantastic views from rooftop bar. While little outside the main centre you will find the Ritz Carlton and Westin Mission Hills Resort.
Figure 1 View of Palm Springs from Balcony
See Useful Link 1.
Figure 2 View from Pool deck at Kimpton
Awake Tip: Insist on a pool view room at the Marquis on upper floor, the rooms looking out over the back are in the shade with no real view. If not available head to the Kimpton or Hilton close by.
Woke Tip: The internal flight landing at PS airport can be pricey, fares are expensive around holiday times and especially weekends. For the more economical options land in LA, hire a car & drive to Palm Springs, you will need a car anyway.
See Useful link 2
Day 1
Waking up in Palm Springs, a city in the Sonoran Desert of southern California, is special for the first time. It is a party town so early morning is great to wander the streets whilst empty and temperatures are comfortable. It is exceptionally hot in July and August, full sun and mid/high 40’s, so be warned –April to June and September to November may be better months, oddly winter is wet, and the area is prone to flooding.
Best way to familiarise yourself with the layout, history and sights in Palm Springs is to book a walking tours with the historical society, there are a dozen or so tours, we picked the Heart of the City and the Golden Era ones, both approx. 2.5 hours in the morning.
See useful link 3.
In the afternoon good to relax and laze by the pool or do a spot of shopping, fabulous boutiques and unique shops all within walking distance before considering dinner.
Figure 3 Our niece Kerry on Walk of The Stars – Lucille Ball
There is no shortage of good eateries in Palm Springs, covering all tastes, up market and worth a look is the Workshop Kitchen and Bar.
Figure 4 Workshop Courtyard Kitchen & Bar
See Useful Link 4
Other than that just walk downtown and choose from the menu you enjoy, all the restaurants are busy early, and generally don’t serve late—which is after 9 pm !
LuLu is a very popular spot, which may need booking but worth going to.
See Useful Link 5
Day 2:
One thing not to miss is the Aerial tramway, which takes about 10 minutes to ascend the 8,500 feet to the Mount St. Jacinto National Park, a pristine wilderness with over 50 miles of hiking trails. The observation deck providing great view of the valley floor below, and the shimmering Sultan Sea to the south, which is one of the lowest spots on earth, and sits directly on the San Andreas fault line.
The mountain station has two restaurants and documentary theatre and gift shop, so plenty to see and do. Not a bad idea to pack a jumper as temperatures at this elevation much cooler.
See Useful link 6
Day 3:
The Joshua Tree National Park is vast the Eastern half of the park is 3000 feet above sea level and sits within the Colorado desert, the western half in the Mojave Desert.
Coming from Palm Springs and North through Desert Hot Springs, we drove to the Visitor centre and then onto the West Entrance Station.
There is a lot of driving involved if you head all the way south to the Cottonwood Visitor centre, so we stayed on the route via Barker dam through the Hidden Valley and North to the Oasis Visitor centre and exit onto the I-62 Interstate about 40 miles back to Palm Springs.
All in all it will take the day if you stop at some of the vantage points along the way, but well worth the trip.
See Useful Link 7
Figure 5 West Entrance Joshua Tree
Figure 6 Joshua Tree
Figure 7 Heading down to Barker Dam
Woke Tip: Make sure you have plenty of fuel, water, and a phone in case of emergencies.
Day 4:
Palm Springs is noted for its stylish hotels, spa’s and along the core Palm Canyon Drive is full of boutiques, interior design shops and restaurants.
However the other attraction is it golf courses, with over 100 courses across the area there is no shortage of options so it’s a personal preference—one thing to be aware of is that they do tend to close many in Oct/November for re-seeding so plan accordingly.
Figure 8 – Aloha Bar , Downtown
Day 5:
There are few better places to shop than in the USA, other than the trendy downtown boutiques, you will need to drive south along the I-111 towards Cathedral City to find the main shopping Malls and outlets. One great Mall with a PGA Tour Superstore is located off the I-111 just south of Rancho Mirage, well worth a visit.
It is fair to say you will not cover all there is to see and do in Palm Springs in one visit, but to finish a great week, try Pioneertown –after all it was good enough for Paul Macartney who did an impromptu set at the famous Pappy and Harriet’s – See useful link 8 below
If you prefer not to drive anywhere during your Palm Springs vacation there are a number of good museums to visit including the Art Museum & Aircraft Museum. Coming SOON all about the MUSEUMS !
We really love our trips to Palm Springs & it certainly has given us the alternative sunshine location !!
Check Out all things Culture at Palm Springs :
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Useful Links :
- https://www.diamondresortsandhotels.com
- https://www.rowanpalmsprings.com
- https://pshistoricalsociety.org/
- https://www.workshoppalmsprings.com/
- http://www.lulupalmsprings.com/
- https://pstramway.com/
- https://www.nps.gov/jotr/index.htm
- https://www.pappyandharriets.com/
