Cheeky Girls Weekend in Palm Springs

Think heat, think design, think beautiful people, and architecture. Think desert, think swimming pools, think palm trees and stunning mountain backdrops. Palm Springs is unlike anywhere I’ve been. Its quirky, its cool and it is fun.  An awesome spot for a little weekend away so its no surprise that its one of the top picked getaways for people living in LA.

Robin treated me to a couple nights away with my best friend at one of the best hotels in Palm Springs (The Parker) and I couldn’t have been more grateful. It was my first night away from Noah and what better way to spend it, than with my bestie when hubby was looking after our little prince.

We had plans to see and do a lot but in truth, we spent most of our time lounging at the infamous Parker. Once you see this place, you’ll quickly understand why. The décor is eclectic and abundant but finds perfect balance in every single room. Its glamorous, funky, old school and you’ll find yourself wanting to take certain items home with you very quickly. The hotel is a destination in itself. If you aren’t staying there, you’ll make a point of coming for their breakfast, lunch or their cocktail bar, or just to take a picture in front of those infamous white bricks out the front.  But before I only post pictures of the Parker in this blog post (I apologize in advance for the lack of variety!), I will list all the great places that we intended to check out, but then never did. All of them I gathered from other beautiful bloggers who had done Palm Springs a few times over. It will give you an itinerary for 2-3 days at least.

Eat/Drink:

• Have your morning or afternoon coffee at Ernest Coffee.
• Treat yourself to one of the most amazing Pain au Chocolats in the country at Peninsula Pastries.
• Brunch your morning away at Cheeky’s – We did actually go and have lunch at Cheeky’s and although it is no lie that there is always a line out the front because of its popularity, perhaps don’t order one of their salads because we weren’t blown away by those. Their sweet potato fries, however, very yummy.
• Get your sweet fix at Great Shakes with one of their amazing milkshakes. You’ll even get a mini donut served on your straw – how cool is that!?

Do:

• Hike Indian Canyon. An easy 1 mile loop that looks beautiful.
• Take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up in the evening for amazing views. You can do one of the many hikes up there (then you’ll obviously want to go earlier in the day), or just head up for dust and sunset (what we were planning to do) and have a drink up there.
• Check out the Moorten Botanical Garden for your cacti and succulent fix. I wish we had of done that because I’m a sucker for both.

Shop:

• Find vintage beauties at The Fine Art of Design and don’t miss The Estate Sale Company, which is actually right across from The Parker. There are a lot of design-y stores in Palm Springs but these two keep getting the mention it seems.
• We drove out to Desert Hills Outlet (about a 30min drive out of Palm Springs) and it was well worth it. These outlets are huge and you’ll find every brand under the sun there, with fantastic prices.

Cocktails:

• Have a drink at Birba.
• And if you’re up for some proper party time, apparently the cocktails, pool and music at The Saguaro are a lot of fun.

Dinner:

• For the design of the place alone, definitely check out Workshop Kitchen for dinner. We went there one of our evenings and the ambience is stunning. Very minimalist in nature - think industrial, exposed bulb lighting, and polished concrete – yet so romantic and chick. The menu was awesome and although the food was good (not amazing), I would certainly come back, even if its just to have a drink at their beautiful bar.
• We had intentions to go to Copley’s because of the awesome reviews and menu but ended up eating dinner at The Parker instead, surprise surprise. Definitely check out Copley’s though if you’re looking for a place to eat out. Its looks great!

If you’re up for exploring, eating out and drinking up, you won’t be disappointed in Palm Springs. There is lots to do and just remember, if all else fails, just head to The Parker! J

My favourite picture (me sitting on the couch) and the awesome breakfast shots were taken by my talented best friend Kristen. Check out her work at www.betterwithyouphotography.com