The water slides and lazy river at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa
Courtesy of Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa

Springs break

The desert oasis of Palm Springs offers a variety of ways to rejuvenate

by LISA TE SONNE

Nature, culture, food and fun beckon people to Palm Springs, California, year-round. About two hours by car from Los Angeles, Palm Springs has served for decades as a desert oasis of rest, relaxation, romance and reset. Here are just a few reasons why.

The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage’s The Edge Steakhouse
Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage

Desert heights

For a dynamic overview, start with the breathtaking ride up Mount San Jacinto on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The tramcar rotates 360 degrees as it ascends 2½ miles to its destination at 8,516 feet (tip: bring an extra layer, as the temperature drops by about 30 degrees). On a clear day, you’ll see beyond the nine desert cities of Greater Palm Springs in the Coachella Valley, all the way to the Salton Sea. Topside highlights at the mountain station are restaurants, films, telescopes, walking paths to 50 miles of hiking trails, and lovely places just to sit and enjoy the pine forests.

Cuisine, from casual to fine

A delicious part of Palm Springs culture is food. Some of my family’s favorites include the casual Sherman’s Deli and the more elegant Wally’s Desert Turtle. Newer, colorful places popular with locals and visitors are large venues like Lulu and Eight4Nine.

For something unique, seek out PS Air Bar. Inside, you’re “flying” in a 737 with vintage first-class and coach seats and decor that’s a nostalgic and humorous homage to air travel.

Historic settings at La Quinta Resort & Club
Courtesy of La Quinta Resort & Club

The art of browsing

Between meals, I like to visit the welcoming boutiques, galleries and museums and stroll the Walk of Fame (photo op next to the 26-foot statue of Marilyn Monroe!). People-watching is vibrant in a place that attracts golfers, hikers, part-time residents, retirees, spring-breakers, foodies and families.

If you are an aviation fan, the Palm Springs Air Museum has a historic collection of World War II airplanes.

Red Jeep Tours takes you on private desert roads to the San Andreas Fault. Our guide, Travis, showed how both wildlife and Indigenous Cahuilla survived in this arid area. He broke off parts of plants for us to eat and showed us how to find water. We also took short hikes through a re-created Cahuilla village and through the curves of narrow slot canyons.

Mmm-ahhh-sage

With Palm Springs’ reputation as a place of ultimate relaxation, you don’t want to miss out on the Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa Oasis in Desert Hot Springs to soak in natural warm mineral springs. You can enjoy an expert massage and rest in a room walled with Himalayan salt rocks or chill in an ice room.

There’s always more

A visit to Palm Springs always leaves me with a “next time” list, like walking with wallabies at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, taking self-guided tours of mid-century architecture and celebrity homes and checking out the long-awaited Agua Caliente Cultural Center and Spa.

As I drive out of town, I see a city banner proclaiming, “PS I Love You.” I smile and think, “Yes, I do.” I think you will too.

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