PALM SPRINGS - A Californian Summer - Part Eight

Palm Springs. That delicious deserty hot spot where heat and 70’s chic reign on. We hit Palm Springs on a Friday for the weekend. It was an opportunity for pure relaxation and having trouble deciding where I wanted to stay between The Parker at Palm Springs, a long term dream with a hefty price tag or the hip Ace Hotel, I decided to split our funds and stay at both to get the best bang for our buck! Knowing nothing about Palm Springs except it’s hot, deserty and home to Coachella Music Festival I decided two nights at the affordable and hip Ace Hotel and one night at The Parker.

It was an average of 117 degrees whilst we were there in August so it’s not really time for traipsing between hotels but I’m so happy we did. On the way through we drove through a gorgeous strip of shops and restaurants. Lots looked shut as I think many close or reduce hours for parts of August whilst the temperatures soar and people stay inside the air conditioning or glue themselves to the side of a pool. I mean I’m pretty sure I could have fried an egg on our car bonnet. But there’s something special about a palm tree that makes it all ok. For three days we decided to make the most of these two amazing hotels. We managed to venture out for a ride past the windfarms and a trip up the Aerial Tramway (2 and a half miles up above the desert floor for a birds eye view) . It was also the time to stop off at one of the famous designer shopping outlets they have here for a browse and to buy another suitcase for all the extras we seemed to have collected along the way! In 100+ degree heat, the air conditioning feels marvellous though nick managed to also buy a winter featherdown coat which was the most bizarre experience to purchase in 117 degrees. Gives me the sweats just thinking back about it now.

The Ace. We like the Ace. It’s got a hip, relaxed vibe. I’d describe it as army barracks for rock stars. And for us! It’s not glamorous in contemporary comparison but it’s old school cheese and pineapple sticks glam. The bedchairs have head shades, there’s inflatables in the pools left by previous guests, you can drink and swim til’ the early hours. The rooms are a little small and dark and if the neighbours above aren’t of the quiet persuasion you might mistake them for elephants, but it’s unarguably a FUN place to stop for a couple of nights. We hung out in the pool all day on the first day next to a bandmember from an English band from my teenage years which took me back! The kids fitted in just fine and The Kings Highway restaurant attached has a really slick Wild West vibe, a great menu and a cracking breakfast. We ate here for dinner too and it’s available to visit, even if you aren’t a hotel guest. I can confirm the coffee is also excellent.

The Parker. For our final day we discovered the magical world of The Parker. Will we ever be the same again? Oh Parker, what a place. Continuing with the old school vibe but this time, it’s like you turned up to some zillionaire’s estate who is actually a fully fledged rock star. The star of course is the Parker itself. Everything was beautiful and chic in a 70’s relaxed Cali vibe. The bedroom, the toiletry tray, hello Hermes and Aqua de Parma! The French onion soup delivered by room service came via heaven. Outside, there’s 10 different flavours of lemonade at The Lemonade Stand and a mean frose. (Frozen rose, with Cointreau and strawberrieswas my bang) The hotel has class, beauty, art, style, a warm pool and wonderful happy valet boys in their pink shorts. I’m not going to lie, it’s full on bougie country club and if your kids are nightmares then stay well away. This is civilised chic, but we met loads of new friends at the pool from LA couples who travel here every year for a week long vacation just to drink and have fun, to hip young families with toddlers and even a hen and stag party who were all drinking champagne and beer in the pool and welcoming us to join them. It was an experience to say the least. We ate at Norma’s their outdoor restaurant in the evening which was delicious. a small menu but they catered for the kids on request too. The tiny extortionate smores box may not have been up to Ojai Caravan Outpost standards and the Security were a bit precious on our check out day when we wanted to hang out for lunch in the aftenoon, but if you can cope with that it a freaking dream of a place. Parker - you have my undying love.
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Where we Stayed

The Ace Hotel - 701 E Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92264. Cost approx £430 GBP for 2 nights in a family room. (£215 a night) via booking.com

The Parker at Palm Springs - 4200 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92264 Cost $308 USD for one night in a deluxe double room. Booked direct with the hotel. Note we spoke to them and had to miss out one of the kids on the form so that the computer would say ‘yes’. The classic trick of telling them 3 kids will share one bed saved us an extra $308 . This was a bargain rate as the hotel was having some construction work whilst we were there and some of the areas weren’t available. It didn’t seem to make any difference to us though and for that price we were over the moon!

We also Visited

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - 1 Tram Way Palm Springs, CA 92262. Phone: (888) 515-8726. This is apparently the world’s largest rotating tram car and takes approximately ten minutes each way. At the top the temperature can drop by 30-40 degrees which wasn’t a problem for us as it took us from ‘so hot it’s hard to breathe’ to ‘rather pleasant’! At other times I’d imagine you’d need to take a jumper! At the top there’s restaurants, observation decks, a natural history museum, documentary theaters, plus a gift shop and hiking trails. It’s not snazzy or modern. More like going back to the 1970’s, but even if you just stop for an ice cream and a drink and enjoy the views its definitely worth a trip. Cost - between $16.95 and $26.95 per person for a both way ride.

Desert Hills Premium Outlet - 48400 Seminole Drive, Cabazon, CA 92230 All the shops you can want or need in a large but walkable designer outlet. It is outside though so remeber the sunscreen for when you aren’t inside! There are several shopping areas like this. Do a simple Ecosia Search for shopping in Palm Springs to find the one that suits what you are looking for.

In and Out Burger - there are a couple on the map surrounding the area. We came for a drive in meal on the way home from the shops. It’s basically an institution in the States. A fast food burger joint with good fast food - if you like that kind of thing. Cheap, easy and convenient and whilst in America you got to try eating American!