Palm Springs Getaway

In the past year,  I have been to Palm Springs three times! I began to get curious about Palm Springs after moving to San Francisco, and then we went for the first time in March. After hearing about exotic plants, warmer temperatures, oddball bars, and of course the nearby Joshua Tree, I wanted to check it out, and I immediately loved it. This is definitely in part due to finding the Sparrows Lodge, a tiny boutique hotel, which is a real oasis.

The landscape, pool, and hot tub create a perfect atmosphere for relaxing and the service is spot on. The staff is always friendly and served us a champagne upon arrival and when we were in the hot tub late one night they stopped by to offer adorable mini ice cream cones!

The decor is a style that I totally dig, sort of a rustic modern with a funky twist and a lot of stone mixed with raw wood. If you are in an athletic mood they have old school wooden tennis rackets to use on the tennis court next door.

In the morning, they serve a tasty European style breakfast that you can take in the lodge or have by the firepit outside.

This past visit, the Sparrow was fully booked for half of our visit to Palm Springs so we spent the second half of our trip at the Ace Hotel and Swim Club, which we heard was another Palm Springs must.

The Ace is super hip and trendy. In the lobby have everything from great artsy jewelry to a photo booth and the rooms are stocked with cool fashion and lifestyle mags.

The lobby is decorated with an intricate rope display and kitschy novelty items and a guitar for good measure.

They have bikes on the property which you can take out for a sunset ride. Of course if Vespas are more your style, they have them readily available as well!

Here are some new friends I made one day hanging by the pool. It's definitely more of a party spot. And on the right I am with my new friend Bella da Ball, a Palm Springs hostess, who was hosting a spirited trivia and bingo one night at the Ace's bar. It was definitely not bingo for your grandparents.

We checked out a couple films at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, a real highlight was Song One with Anne Hathaway and Johnny Flynn.

From Song One's Facebook page

Afterwards the director and writer of the movie Kate Barker-Froyland held a Q&A and was joined on stage by the film's stars. It will be in theaters this week, January 23rd.

All in all, Palm Springs is one of my favorite vacations spots, it's a unique, relaxing oasis and a quick getaway from LA.

Some favorite spots in or near Palm Springs:

• Workshop Kitchen + Bar in Palm Springs
• Pappy and Harriets in Pioneer Town
• Mojave Sands Inn in Joshua Tree
• The Palms Restaurant and Bar in Twentynine Palms
• Trio Restaurant in Palm Springs
• Birba Pizza and Bar in Palm Springs
• The Cabazon Desert Outlets in Cabazon
• Cabazon Dinosaurs in Cabazon
• The Ace Hotel and Swim Club in Palm Springs
• Sparrows Lodge in Palm Springs