Travel Diaries: Palm Desert

Hello friends! Long time no post… The past few weeks have been super hectic, packed with late nights for work on top of getting ready for a destination wedding. Anyone else’s life get automatically crazy when you’re prepping for a trip? I always end up having a million errands to run (that somehow get avoided until the last possible minute…) and am notoriously bad at packing, so I usually need to dedicate some time to try on outfits and think through a strategy (how many layering pieces will I need?? Is bringing 3 pairs of sneakers excessive?)

Despite forgetting to grab our garment bag (which of course had my rehearsal dinner dress, my bridesmaid dress, and my boyfriend’s custom groomsmen suit) and having to turn around from the airport to head back home and consequently endure the most stressful hour and 45 min of our lives trying to make it to our flight… the wedding weekend otherwise went off without a hitch.

My boyfriend’s sister was the bride, and the ceremony and rehearsal were held in Palm Desert, CA, which is a few towns over from Palm Springs. My boyfriend and his family have been coming to Palm Desert as a vacation spot since he was a little kid, and they have constructed the most gorgeous home in recent years. I feel like I’m at a resort when I’m there; everything is impeccable and oh so dreamy.

Palm Desert is not an area I knew much about before we started dating- I only really knew about Palm Springs, and that is because I associated it with Coachella. The first time he told me about his place, I didn’t even realize they were two different cities. Little did I know it would become one of my favorite spots on the planet. The Desert is truly a magical place; the visual landscape is unlike anything I have ever seen before. You’re in a valley, surrounded by these massive, purply, snow topped mountains that just span all around you. There are hardly ever clouds in the sky, so all you ever see are the bluest skies followed by the most gorgeous purple, pink, and orange sunsets at dusk; it’s really, truly incredible.

Typically, I get to spend part of my Christmas vacation there in addition to a few long weekends throughout the year. The temperatures really swing depending on when you come, 90’s/100’s late May- through the summer and low/mid 60’s in December, so it can really feel like two totally different trips depending on when you come.

I feel like I should preface this post by saying that my boyfriend and his family are golfers; like, really serious, talented golfers. His dad essentially plays on a professional level, every member has hit a hole in one (besides my guy, ha one day babe!!) and the sport is a huge part of their lives and of course, is a dominating activity while were out there. I, on the other hand, am not a golfer. I would very much like to be and plan on taking some lessons, but in the meantime, I usually sleep in and hang by the pool while I wait to meet them for lunch. Palm Desert itself is a huge golf town, and I would argue it’s probably the #1 activity that people journey to for. If you’re like me and you’re not participating, you’ll still have a fab time.

I am normally a very active person on trips and usually am always out and about exploring, really taking advantage of wherever I am and what it has to offer. I’ll be honest though, whenever I’m out here, the main activities are always pool lounging, prosecco drinking, eating, shopping, and late night movie watching with the squad. Not that there is anything wrong with that! It is the most relaxing and rejuvenating place- Just wanted to set some expectations 🙂 Palm Desert is where you come to chiiiiiiiiiill.

Always a whole lotta this, and a whole lotta that:

What To Do

1. Pool. Have to put it first on this list. “Hanging by the pool” is a huge part of coming out here. Dare I say it’s cultural? I know pools are not by any means a big deal in the state of California; however, there is something just really cool about being in a pool in a desert surrounded by palm trees and cacti and mountains far as the eye can see.

Secondly, like I mentioned, Palm Desert is a huge golf town. My boyfriend’s fam are members of two country clubs in town, and will golf there in addition to other clubs when they are invited as guests. Obviously, you can’t just show up to play; however, there are a ton of fabulous public courses. There is the Indian Wells Golf Resort, the Marriott Shadow Ridge Golf Course, and the SilverRock Golf Resort. Tennis is also a huge sport in the area and you can grab a public court at the Palm Desert Civic Center Park. Most hotels will also have their own courts and courses to play. Guaranteed that all will be beautiful- Those mountains are for everyone!

I mentioned that ~relaxing~ is always my end game when I’m out here, and over Christmas I always look forward to getting a massage as a special treat! There’s a pretty prevalent spa culture out here (in addition to pooling, I know, you wish you could live here year round), so I highly recommend scheduling a little pampering while you’re out here. The spa at the J.W Marriott and The Well Spa at the Miramonte (on the most spectacular grounds) are both excellent choices. I mean, you’ll be sore and in need of a massage after sitting by the pool all day. Or hey, maybe you went golfing, power to ya.

This year my boyfriend’s sister in law and I took a little day trip out to Joshua National Tree Park (anyone else immediately think of that Entourage episode?) to have a little picnic lunch and do some sight seeing. It took us about an hour to get there from Palm Desert.

There are multiple entrances into the park; you can hike and camp, or what we did, just drive your car throughout the park and stop whenever you want to get out and see something that catches your eye. I think it was about 27 miles to get from one entrance across to the other. What was really cool is that you’d be cruising and then out of nowhere there would be some sort of foliage; it’d be just everywhere, but then 15 seconds of driving later, it would totally vanish. We saw these massive boulders that were actually pretty spectacular; I didn’t know it was possible to get excited about rocks. We had a few min to be dazzled by them until we had officially driven past them.

I couldn’t get over how calm, peaceful, and reflective it was. We barely saw any other people; there’s nothing quite like the feeling of being completely, thoroughly, 100% immersed in nature. I find it to be very therapeutic in recharging, in a sense.

It also smelled incredible, like flowers everywhere! Another side note; it was definitely warm when we came, low 90’s, but because there is very low humidity in the desert and we had a nice breeze, it never felt too hot.

The Hike to the Cross is another activity I always look forward to doing when I’m out here (over December when it’s a littler cooler, that is). It’s dog friendly, great for all levels, and offers some incredible views. The end destination is this giant white cross that lights up in the dark during the nighttime (we can see it glowing from the house!). There’s a metal box at the top with a whole bunch of pens and journals; people come and sign them, leave little notes, write down little prayers. It’s a pretty short hike, too, probably no more than an hour and a bit, depending on which way you go up and down.

Shopping on El Paseo is also always a must when I’m in town (seen behind me in this shot!). It’s kinda like the Rodeo Drive of the Desert. There’s a Gucci, Burberry, Louis, a whole bunch of upscale designers, as well as tons of little boutiques and restaurants. There is also a couple department stores and access to more traditional “mall” stores (think Sephora, Lulu Lemon, Brooks Brothers, etc.)

Other ideas:

• Walk around the Waldorf Astoria La Quinta, at night they often have live music, there are adorable little shops, the grounds are beautiful
• Hit up the Agua Caliente Casino 
• Get a pool day pass at The Saguaro in Palm Springs, this is the colorful little boutique hotel you’ve probably seen all over Instagram. Great for pool lounging (and picture taking, obviously!!)
• Check out the famous Parker Palm Springs, another Instagram staple (well known for it’s bright orange door!) They also have some quirky decor and lot’s of other super photographable details

Where To Eat

My favorite part! The restaurants in Palm Desert are so, so amazing and I always have the most memorable, drool-inducing meals. Be sure to check out:

• Jillian’s
  • Definitely a special occasion spot. You can’t go wrong with anything on this menu, I swear, it is a perfect place. Quintessential Italian options, lot’s of fresh seafood… Their scallop risotto might be my favorite dish on Earth
• La Spiga
  • The most gorgeous outdoor garden/courtyard/dining area I’ve ever seen. Twinkle lights hang over, there’s a little mini put green, a garden where they grown their own veggies… Truly magical. Amazing house made pasta
• Il Corso
  • On El Paseo, I love coming here for the boooomb dot com pasta and trendy scene. And yes, I got a thing for pasta
• Mastro’s
  • A chain, yes, but I will forever insist that the Palm Desert location is the best! Order a dry ice smoking cosmo for a fun drink and be sure to end your night with their butter cake. You will never be the same
• WP Kitchen + Bar
  • Also on El Paseo, this Wolfgang Puck spot has awesome salads and pizzas. They also make a mean sangria. Really fun lunch spot
• Adobe Grill
  • Part of the Waldorf Astoria La Quinta I mentioned earlier. This is a super fun Mexican restaurant; get your table a pitcher of house made margs followed by their unreal guac and queso dip… Nothing beats their sizzling fajitas!
• Keedy’s 
  • Cute little old school diner by El Paseo. Been around for ages, can’t go wrong! They have really great breakfast sammies
• Cafe des Beaux-Arts
  • I really love this place for breakfast- it’s a pretty authentic French spot, complete with extensive petit-dejuner and crêpes sections on their menu

 

As always, thanks for reading! I would love to hear if anyone is planning on being in the area at any point, feel free to reach out if you have any questions or want additional recommendations 🙂

PS. I will plan on posting all of my looks from my most recent trip soon!