My featured Hip Travel Mama Destination this month is Palm Springs – located approx 111 miles east of Los Angeles, Palm Springs is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream steeped in old Hollywood charm. According to Wikipedia, Palm Springs’ hot, dry climate has an average 354 days of sunshine and less than 6 inches (150 mm) of rain annually. Coming out of a very long winter in the Northwest, this is music to my ears. One of the coolest things about Palm Springs starts at the airport – a sandy outdoor playground for kids inside of security, so you can wait for your flight and soak up the sun at the same time!
Palm Springs is swanky and cool and there are lots of hip, mid-century modern (think Frank Sinatra) places for families to soak up the sun. Our favorite thing to do is to rent a vacation rental property with its own pool and spend the days lounging in the sun. My best advice is to search around for the type of property and location you want on Homeaway.com or VRBO.com and then contact a property management company to help you find the exact property for your family. Check out Beau Monde Villas, who specializes in Palm Springs luxury rental properties. Not only do they have some of the most beautiful properties, they also offer extras such as Concierge services, babysitting referrals and numerous other perks. For our last trip, Homesrun took great care of us and helped us get set up and can do everything from grocery shopping to making dinner reservations.
Prefer a hip hotel instead? There are all the standards in town that offer kids programs, but if you prefer a hipper alternative, consider the following properties:
Check out The Parker Palm Springs: Formerly Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch and Merv Griffin’s Givenchy Resort and Spa, the Parker Palm Springs is situated on thirteen acres of landscaped gardens surrounded by the desert and mountains. The Parker has 12 very private, one-bedroom villas or stay in the exclusive Gene Autry Residence, A two-bedroom home, includes a living room, dining room, full kitchen, two-bathrooms, extensive closet space, and an outdoor lawn area.
The Viceroy Palm Springs Resort and Spa is another hip option, located right in the center of town. It is all old Hollywood features luxury accommodations with private villas, artistically manicured grounds and three refreshing pools. This place has it all – great food, beautiful grounds, a wonderful spa, a family pool and private villas for a hip family escape.
If playing in the pool won’t keep your kids busy and they are not old enough for golf, here are a few fun things to do once you get there:
Palm Desert’s 1,200 acre Living Desert Wildlife and Botanical Park is also a very fun attraction for kids and worth checking out. Looking for something cool to do with an active family with older kids? Head to Knotts Soak City waterpark, or take the Tram up to experience the magnificent views on the Palm Springs Ariel Tram.
Shopping anyone? Hip mom fashionistas will find bliss in the countless mid-century modern furniture stores, shopping in the El Paseo Shopping District, or finding bargains on brand name stuff at the Desert Hills Premium Outlets, where Dolce & Gabbana, Juicy Couture and lots of high-end stores reside in this outlet mall located about a half hour outside of Palm Springs. With its majestic mountains and hot desert sunshine, Palm Springs is truly a magnificent getaway for hip families who love the sun.
[…] the winter bones, shed the rain boots and get outside and play. I’ve written several posts on Palm Springs with kids including a recent post on Ciao Bambino. We are frequent visitors and while we go primarily for the […]