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Palm Springs TRAVEL GUIDE AND DEALS

Like many of its perennial visitors (i.e. gays, grays, naturists, and le tout Hollywood) fun-loving Palm Springs seems to get a makeover every year. Long a favorite of weekenders from the Los Angeles basin, the posh cocktail capital of the arid Coachella Valley offers up a versatile and modern slice of vacation life, replete with affordable mid-century modern inns, mist-cooled patio restaurants, world-class golf courses, inventive spas, and rugged desert canyon hiking trails.

Why Go

Palm Springs (including the Coachella Valley proper) has over 130 golf courses, a pool for every personality type, and a diverse price- and style-range of resorts, making it an ideal place to beat the winter blues – not to mention 300 days of sunshine a year!

Palm Springs Travel Guide: Deals to Palm Springs | Palm Springs Neighborhoods | Things to do in Palm Springs | Palm Springs Hotels | Palm Springs Restaurants | Palm Springs Nightlife | Palm Springs Shopping | Palm Springs Day Trips | When to go to Palm Springs | Getting to Palm Springs | Palm Springs Tips | Palm Springs Additional Resources | Palm Springs Slideshow

See Also: North America | United States | West | Pacific Coast | California | Southern California

Palm Springs Travel Deals

$69/nt+: Last-minute hotels in Florida Hotels.com

$399+: Luxe Palm Springs resort w/spa credit Perfect Escapes

$189/nt+: Deluxe Palm Springs hotel with free nts Perfect Escapes

Palm Springs Hotels

Palm Springs offers a plethora of resorts to suit just about everyone’s tastes, from mega resorts with multiple pools and golf courses to designer boutique properties to clothing-optional gay resorts. Because of competition, the value is generally very good and deals abound, especially during summer low season when it’s too hot for some tourists.

= Smart Splurge

= Great Value

ALL
BUDGET
MODERATE
LUXURY
HIP & TRENDY

Caliente Tropics Motor Lodge
This vintage ’60s motorlodge is a tiki-lover’s dream come true and a slice of roadside Americana right in the... motel

Movie Colony
This chic budget-boutique property with an old Hollywood décor scheme is an ideal place to bunk down in style without... design | boutique | modern

Century Inn
This is one of the newer (and best) gay, clothing-optional properties in Warm Sands, and the first to really nail the... gay | modern

Del Marcos
Designed in 1947 by celebrated mid-century architect William F. Cody, the 16 mod rooms at the Jetsonian Del Marcos Hotel bask... historic

Desert Riviera
Run by Oregon natives Larry and Patty Stearns, this renovated 1951 budget gem is a surefire crowd-pleaser, with complimentary...

Horizon
During its heyday, The Horizon, formerly L’Horizon, hosted the likes of Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, and Rosalind... moderate

JW Marriott Desert Springs
There’s no quibbling – this is the area’s quintessential mega-resort, with over 880 rooms, five restaurants,... golf | view

Colony Palms
The newest star of the Palm Springs “it” set is a former brothel turned movie-star-themed boutique hotel with 56... expensive

Miramonte Resort and Spa
Vastly underrated, this quiet, no-nonsense resort has 215 spacious rooms situated around a courtyard with a dozen... expensive | great value | spa

Parker Palm Springs
The Parker Palm Springs is the area’s premiere “it” resort – where new, old, and wannabe Hollywood... smart splurge | expensive | spa

Viceroy Palm Springs
Kelly Wearstler of KWID Designs created the décor at this sophisticated and cheerful boutique resort that set the... expensive | spa

Caliente Tropics Motor Lodge
This vintage ’60s motorlodge is a tiki-lover’s dream come true and a slice of roadside Americana right in the... motel

Movie Colony
This chic budget-boutique property with an old Hollywood décor scheme is an ideal place to bunk down in style without... design | boutique | modern

Century Inn
This is one of the newer (and best) gay, clothing-optional properties in Warm Sands, and the first to really nail the... gay | modern

Del Marcos
Designed in 1947 by celebrated mid-century architect William F. Cody, the 16 mod rooms at the Jetsonian Del Marcos Hotel bask... historic

Desert Riviera
Run by Oregon natives Larry and Patty Stearns, this renovated 1951 budget gem is a surefire crowd-pleaser, with complimentary...

Horizon
During its heyday, The Horizon, formerly L’Horizon, hosted the likes of Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, and Rosalind... trendy

JW Marriott Desert Springs
There’s no quibbling – this is the area’s quintessential mega-resort, with over 880 rooms, five restaurants,... golf | view

Colony Palms
The newest star of the Palm Springs “it” set is a former brothel turned movie-star-themed boutique hotel with 56... expensive

Miramonte Resort and Spa
Vastly underrated, this quiet, no-nonsense resort has 215 spacious rooms situated around a courtyard with a dozen... expensive | great value | spa

Parker Palm Springs
The Parker Palm Springs is the area’s premiere “it” resort – where new, old, and wannabe Hollywood... smart splurge | expensive | spa

Viceroy Palm Springs
Kelly Wearstler of KWID Designs created the décor at this sophisticated and cheerful boutique resort that set the... expensive | spa

Horizon
During its heyday, The Horizon, formerly L’Horizon, hosted the likes of Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, and Rosalind... moderate

Palm Springs Restaurants

For being so close to one of the country’s largest agricultural valleys, Palm Springs has had a surprisingly terrible dining reputation. The food ranges from just plain old bad to overwrought fine cuisine (like gussied up lobster and filet mignon dishes laden with butter and cream sauces, the last thing you want to munch on in 100-plus-degree desert temps). But signs of a fresh, local, and more casual approach to dining have offered a glimmer of hope, while regional classics like date-shakes, spa salads, and local Mexican cuisine remain safer bets.

= Smart Splurge

= Great Value

ALL
MODERATE
BUDGET
EXPENSIVE

Citron
The fashion-forward patrons at this chic and chatty boîte designed by Kelly Wearstler shuffle back and forth between the... new american

Edgardo's Veracruz Café
This no-frills Mexican joint serves some of the best tasting and most authentic Mexican food in town. Mayan, Huasteco, and... mexican

Norma's
A lot of Palm Springs' food tastes like it crawled through the desert for weeks to get to you, but the cheerful patio brunch... great value | patio

Hadley's Fruit Orchards
Popping into this classic date stand is a rite of passage for those driving in and out of the Coachella Valley, which is now... market

Native Foods
Vegetarians take note: this small California chain is 100% vegan and offers a variety of native foods and classic dishes with... vegetarian

Sherman's Deli and Bakery
Hot pastrami sandwiches, bologna and egg breakfast platters, turkey melts with cottage fries, and cold beet borscht may not be... bakery | deli

Johannes
Long considered the “fanciest” restaurant in town, and somewhat a staple of the empty nest weekender set, Johannes... austrian

Mister Parker's
Hidden in a curtained-off room at the Parker hotel, Mister Parker’s is “a deconstructed formal hangout for fops,... smart splurge | french

Purple Palm
The Purple Palm, a charming and unfussy new poolside restaurant at the recently reopened Colony Palms Hotel, attempts to turn... new american