2 Days in Palm Springs
After leaving Los Angles, we headed to Desert Hills Premium Outlet Mall. Desert Hills is a little over one hour away from L.A., and just 25 minutes to Palm Springs. This luxury outlet has high-end designer brands such as Chloe, Versace, Gucci, Burberry, Christian Louboutin, Salvatore Ferragamo, Fendi as well as designer brands like Forever XXI, Pandora, Nike, Theory, Ted Baker, Marc Jacobs, Coach, Kate Spade, and so much more. There’s free parking on the property however, the dining options are disappointing and along the lines of a mall’s food court.
We ended up visiting Palm Springs on relatively “cool days”, as told by our hotel’s concierge. The high for the 2 days we were there was 93°. The day we were leaving was a high of 103°, and 2 weeks before we arrived, it was 120°. We were also there during the height of the California wildfires, so while I personally didn’t experience any issues with air quality or breathing, the sky was cloudy and had a light orange haze.
Palm Springs is like the perfect city to me, and a beautiful desert oasis. All of the lawns, landscaping, and properties are perfectly manicured. All of the bushes are square or in perfect circles. I felt like I was in a renovated mid-century town. Palm Springs is the most polished city, and the second chicest city I’ve ever seen! It’s like I was on a Hollywood movie lot.
We stayed at historic, The Del Marcos Hotel, which is a 17-room 2-story hotel in the downtown Tennis Club neighborhood. Each room is unique and decorated slightly different from the next. We stayed on the ground level with a patio, while other rooms have a pool view, or second story rooms with views of Palm Springs. I really don’t think you can go wrong with any room choice here, specifically because The Del Marcos has the San Jacinto Mountains as a backdrop which is breathtaking! The rooms are fully equipped with everything you may need in the kitchen, which is perfect for people on extended stays and road trips.
What I loved about The Del Marcos, and why I will rebook with them again is because not only is the esthetic top notch and the vibe that I was going for in Palm Springs but the customer service was amazing from check in to check out, and there are so many amenities!
There are free bikes to ride around the city
There is usually breakfast for guests but due to COVID, we received our packaged breakfast for both days when we checked in
There was bottled water in our refrigerator waiting for us
The hotel has happy hour daily with snacks and wine
Our concierge was friendly and great with giving us restaurant recommendations and history on Palm Springs.
View my hotel tour below!
Since we used our time in LA as basically rest days, only doing light things we wanted to do, I wanted to make sure I did everything I possibly could in Palm Springs. All the while I just wanted to relax and be present in the city’s beauty. We split our time between Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, and I wish I had more time in each city.
Things To Do in Palm Springs
Downtown Palm Springs, in my opinion is the best place to be if you want to be near the action. Indian Canyon Dr. and S. Palm Canyon Dr. are two of the main streets in downtown Palm Springs and are home to many restaurants, shops, and boutiques. Since Del Marcos had bikes available to rent it was easy for Jessica to grab a bike and explore downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods. Since I still don’t know how to ride, I explored by car.
Many hotels and tour companies will try to sell you guides to tour famous homes and properties throughout Palm Springs. While Palm Springs and all of the homes are really amazing, I don’t think you need to pay for any tours. You can save a few dollars and Google the address of Elvis Presley and any other prominent figures’ vacation homes you’d like to see. I found so much joy in just driving around the various neighborhoods and admiring the beautiful homes.
The owners of the infamous Pink Door in Palm Springs don’t want anymore visitors or photographers to their home since they exploded on social media over the years. The owners said visitors, influencers and vloggers would trespass on their property knocking on their door and disrespect their home. You can take a picture from across the street or on the sidewalk.
As a note, all of my scenic pictures look like I took them on Polaroids and/or edited them heavily, but there is very minimal editing. The air was so smokey in Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, due to the wildfires.
Admission is only $5 for adults to visit the family run Moorten’s Botanical Garden. The botanical garden is set on one acre of land and houses cacti, succulents, agave, and aloe plants from around the world. Due to COVID, they were also closed when we were in Palm Springs, so we didn’t have a chance to visit. But, the next time I’m in Palm Springs, I definitely have to visit!
Due to Covid and the wildfires, the aerial tramway was closed when we visited, but is expected to reopen with limitations in early October. The tram is a 10 minute ride each way, and once you arrive at the top there are restaurants, a cocktail lounge, museums, theaters, an observation deck, a gift shop as well as hiking trails.
Where to Eat in Palm Springs
In California, during Covid-19, restaurants were not allowed to seat diners inside the restaurant, but diners are allowed to dine outside, place orders to go, or through delivery. Luckily, the majority of restaurants in Palm Springs have outdoor seating.
Mexican food is plentiful in downtown Palm Springs, as are happy hour specials with margaritas and tacos. My favorite place for margaritas and authentic Mexican tacos was Taqueria Tlaquepaque. You can order all of their margarita flavors on the rocks or frozen. Service was great, and the prices are even better!
Rio Azul wasn’t my favorite restaurant, but the salsa and chips were great as was the traditional margaritas.
Grand Central is a nice restaurant for breakfast or lunch and everything on their menu is fresh. They serve a mimosa flight for $25 where you can choose between OJ, guava, cranberry juice, blood orange, or peach juice, which is so many options!
Traditionally, I’m not a fan of breakfast food. Will I eat eggs, grits, pancakes, and yogurt in the morning if I have to? Yes. Would I prefer pasta or steak at 10 am, if given the option? Absolutely! On the weekends, Lulu offers a 3-course brunch menu for a whopping $19.99 per person!! They offer breakfast, brunch, and lunch options for all courses, so it’s something for everyone. I also love that they have so many gluten free options on the menu. Anything that contains gluten can be ordered as gluten-free.
Day Trip to Joshua Tree
We headed to Joshua Tree the next morning and the air was so smokey! Joshua Tree is roughly 45 minutes away from Palm Springs, and the scenic ride is completely worth it, especially when you drive past the windmill farm.
There are 3 entrances to Joshua Tree National Park. You can enter from Rt 62 to the Oasis Visitor Center or the Joshua Tree Visitor’s Center or from I-10 to the Cottonwood Visitor Center. We entered from the Joshua Tree Visitor Center, and were able to speak to rangers to get a map and directions, use the bathroom, look around the gift shop, and pay the entrance fee. Each vehicle entering the park must pay a $35 entrance fee, no matter how many people are in your car. You can either pay at one of the visitor centers, or at the entrance station if you choose not to stop at one of the centers.
It’s roughly a 2 hour ride from one entrance to an exit if you choose to drive straight through and not stop. If you do plan to stop there are quite a few road shoulders where you can stop to take pictures or stretch your legs. There are also many hiking trails within Joshua Tree of varying levels. We stopped at Bakers Dam and Hidden Valley since those were the easiest, and we saw the more people there.
There are no stores once you enter the park, so if you need anything, especially water or snacks it’s best to get it before you enter. Each person should have their own water supply, at least one gallon for 2 hours in the park. There is no shade, (unless you go on a trail and stand under a tree, or visit one of the restrooms) and the daily summer temperatures average to mid 90s°.
If you want to stay longer than a few hours, you can make reservations to camp in and around Joshua Tree.
There is very little if any cell phone service throughout the national park, but there are emergency phone boxes throughout the routes.
When we received our map and guide from the rangers at the visitors center the guide informed us of all of the wildlife species that is present in the park. You should expect to see anything from iguanas and snakes to turtles to foxes and deer. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any wildlife, probably because I stuck to the heavily trafficked trails. If you are a nature lover and plant enthusiast, you should already know that Joshua Tree is its own biome and home to a variety of cacti, succulents, yucca and trees. As tempting as it is to touch the agriculture, it is illegal to take plants and wildlife out of the national park.
I hope you enjoyed my blog adventures from Palm Springs! If you did, make sure you like, leave a comment and share. Also, if you’ve gone to Palm Springs, or plan to visit soon, safely, let me know in the comments! It’s becoming one of my favorite cities to visit and I can use more recommendations! ❤️
Read more about my road trip across the West Coast, here. xoxo
