I have no excuse as to why it took almost 4 years of living in Los Angeles before I decided to take a weekend trip to Palm Springs. It’s only about an hour and 45 minutes outside LA, and super easy to drive up Saturday morning, stay one night and head back on Sunday. Spending only 1 night in a hotel saves money for food, because you must know the highlights for us were the food and the outlet shopping.

It’s a beautiful drive out there, once you leave the Los Angeles area. The mountains rise up and you pass a ton of these wind turbines.

We got into town a little too early to check into the hotel so we explored the main drag and had a delicious lunch at Trio. We of course stopped at the outlets on our way into town, which was needed because the unexpected cold weather meant we needed to load up on layers. I must say, even a chilly Palm Springs is a fun Palm Springs.

Given the chilly temps, we weren’t exactly jumping in the pool but it meant guilt free exploring the town and all the cute independent shops.

This photo above was taken from our hotel room at the Hyatt Regency Suites, right on the main drag. It was perfect walking distance to everything. We had a super nice modern huge room, huge bathroom, and even a sitting room and deck. We even got it through a special Travel Zoo- type deal, so it’s was super discounted.

The rooms all line hallways that open to an atrium overlooking a dining room. This was the view right in front of our door. The hotel had a beautiful pool (photos below), and a big jacuzzi with fire pits around it. They also had a fun bar on the first level with a wall of fire.

Sunset on our balcony.

After a dip in the jacuzzi we decided to explore the town before dinner. This Marilyn Monroe sculpture was in Chicago, but was recently moved to Palm Springs, where it completely fits in.

I couldn’t resist.

We ended up having such a great meal at LuLu California Bistro. There are so many food options that we decided to walk until we found something we couldn’t pass up. Sure enough Lulu’s was a giant filled restaurant that looked hip and modern. The best part was their prices were super reasonable and they had a huge menu. We both ate like kings, and I can’t recommend this place more.

The next morning it was a tad warmer, so we got to enjoy laying out by the pool until check out time.

We also had the joy of being their on Veterans Day Weekend, which means the closed down the main drag for an afternoon parade. It was fun to see the town come out.

Oh, Palm Springs.

After a short visit to The Parker House (coming up in a post next) we made our way back to Los Angeles. It’s funny how less than two days outside of LA really feels like a vacation.