A weekend in Palm Springs, CA: where to eat, drink and stay

This desert playground just under two hours from Los Angeles, has long been thought of as a reprieve from the hustle of the city. Since the 1930s, it’s been a retreat for the Hollywood elite, and a perfect place for secrecy when a salacious story could ruin your career; located 107 miles from LA, Palm Springs was just outside the reach of early gossip columnists, whose bosses would only reimburse for travel up to 100 miles. The result is a luxurious town built rapidly in the mid-century modern style, which is still famous for its architecture as well as the hot springs that make the local spas world class.

The best things to do in Palm Springs include taking in modernist buildings, gorgeous hotels, and standout restaurants in stunning surroundings.

The best hotels in Palm Springs

L’Horizon Hotel and Spa

Best for: A luxurious getaway steeped in Hollywood history
Location: 1050 East Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92264
Price: 500 to 4,000 USD per night, depending on the season and room choice

Originally built in 1952 as a private getaway for television producer and oil tycoon Jack Wrather and actress Bonita Granville, L’Horizon has always prized relaxation and privacy. The 20 guest houses surround a luxurious pool, and Wrather invited friends like Marilyn Monroe, Presidents Reagan and Nixon, and other star-studded names to relax in his not-so-humble abode. Today, L’Horizon is known for the in-hotel spa, which includes full-body scrubs, sumptuous facials, yoga sessions, and personal trainers. The hotel is one of architect William F Cody’s most iconic works, and a significant example of mid-century modern architecture on the West Coast.

Ace Hotel & Swim Club

Best for: Pool parties and hipster interiors
Location: 701 E Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92264
Price: 245 to 350 USD per night

The Ace Hotel Palm Springs is a hipster haven, with vintage-infused interiors by Los Angeles based design firm Commune. There is always a party happening by the David Hockney-esque pools, or you can make friends on the stargazing deck or by the community fire pits. The Ace Hotel is simple, serene, and bohemian – you’ll be sure to unwind in their recently updated rooms or the spa. Meanwhile, the bars, restaurants and shops of Downtown Palm Springs are right on your doorstep.

Saguaro Palm Springs Hotel

Best for: Extroverts looking for a colourful time in the desert
Location: 1800 East Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92264
Price: 200 to 340 USD per night

This boutique downtown hotel is known for its technicolour architecture and buzzing pool scene. Several ‘Happenings’ each week, like Taco Tuesday and live DJ sets, ensure there’s always something to do at The Saguaro. The 24-hour fitness centre offers yoga on the weekends, and the spa – open 365 days a year – has an extensive menu of massages, facials and other treatments. Guests have access to desert cruiser bikes to get around the city, which is a fun and beautiful way to see the town. But don’t be surprised if you spend your whole stay by the pool – between the cabanas, poolside bar, and cool party atmosphere, why leave?

Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa

Best for: Casual island lovers looking for a quick getaway
Location: 45000 Indian Wells Lane Indian Wells, CA 92210
Price: 200 to 800 USD per night

The new Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa may be in the middle of the desert, but with its sparkling pool, lush palm trees, and breezy pathways between villas, it will feel like island living. The ample spa menu and healthy California-inspired cuisine make the resort perfect for a quick recharge after the intensity of Los Angeles. Enjoy happy hour at poolside bar Chiki Palm, followed by a relaxing float in their Good Vibes Sound Path in the pool – it’s just as relaxing as listening to waves on a beach, and much closer to town.

The best restaurants in Palm Springs

Cheeky’s

Best for: Brunch the day after partying in the sun
Location: 622 North Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Price: Bloody Mary, 14 USD; bacon flight, 8 USD

One of the best restaurants in Palm Springs, this breakfast and lunch spot has a cult following, but how could it not when they pioneered the bacon flight? Yes, that’s a tasting flight of different kinds of bacon, and no, it doesn’t mean pigs can fly. Cheeky’s comfort-food offerings are full of fresh local ingredients, and are all made in house. Chilaquiles and Argentinian hash suggest a South American influence, but the menu has something for everyone and changes often, allowing the chefs to be creative with what they’re offering. Most days there’s a line to get in, but the cinnamon rolls are worth the wait if you can get in before they sell out. If not, don’t worry: breakfast is served all day.

Boozehounds

Best for: Dog and architecture lovers
Location: 2080 North Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Price: Main courses range from 14 USD-32 USD

This enormous restaurant is unique in that the owners prioritised their dogs in the design. Outside is a dog-friendly, open-air atrium replete with a bar and patio where dogs can run around and humans can lounge. Inside, the space is lush with greenery, velvet banquettes, and neon signs, giving it a mid-century modern meets tropical feel. The Japanese-influenced menu features stand-out items like a sesame miso tofu, yellowtail crudo, ube toast, and miso Chilean fish. True to the name, there’s also a small but mighty selection of sake and Japanese beers alongside American-style cocktails. And yes, of course, there’s a dinner menu for every pup too.

Bootlegger Tiki

Best for: Cooling down after a day in the sun
Location: 1101 North Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Price: Drinks from 16 USD

This tiny tiki bar tucked behind Ernest Coffee serves fruity drinks that will quench any thirst after a day in the Palm Springs heat. The torch-lined patio is perfect for whiling away evenings after the sun has set, and indoor seating offers a chance to enjoy quirky decor with a Polynesian theme. The rotating menu ensures you’ll be trying cocktails you haven’t seen elsewhere. Its original ‘Gilligan Ate the Skipper’ will knock you flat while still tasting delicious and refreshing. Take friends and order a punch bowl, or roll the dice with a bartender’s choice.

High Bar

Best for: Taking in the sunset with a cocktail
Location: 100 W. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Price: Drinks from 12 USD, snacks from 15 USD

As the only rooftop bar in Palm Springs, High Bar is perfectly situated to bask in wondrous desert views – all while lounging beside a pool, cocktail in hand. Though attached to the Rowan hotel, the pool and bar are open to the public and worth taking advantage of. The food menu is trim, but the cocktail bar serves up creative drinks and some delightful local wines and beers. High glass walls ensure you can see the desert vistas from any vantage point, and classy poolside furnishings are perfect for relaxing or for staging your next dating app photo shoot.

What to do in Palm Springs

Palm Springs Art Museum

Best for: Modern art lovers
Location: 101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Price: 20 USD per person

The bold horizontal lines of Palm Springs Art Museum, a modernist building designed by architect E Stewart Williams, seems to emerge naturally from the desert hills behind it. The museum’s collection focuses on modern and contemporary artwork and is home to thousands of sculptures, paintings, photographs, and more. Although located on different sites, the museum also owns the Albert Frey House II and the Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden, which are both worth a look. Plan your trip carefully as they’re closed Monday to Wednesday.

Modernism Week

Best for: Design aesthetes
Location: Palm Springs, CA
Price: Variable

No plan for visiting Palm Springs would be complete without a look at the architecture that makes the city famous, and there are many ways to experience it. Self-guided tours are easy to find anywhere, but a trip during Modernism Week, held annually in February, with a four-day event also falling each October, is the dream for any lover of mid-century modern design. This celebration involves more than 350 events, including parties, films, lectures, and – perhaps most drool-worthy – private home tours. Marvel at historic homes that are usually closed to the public before going to the expansive Modernism Show & Sale to shop for yourself.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

Best For: Wilderness lovers
Location: 1 Tram Way Palm Springs, CA 92262
Price: 28.95 USD

Dreamed up by electrical engineer Francis Crocker while working in Palm Springs in the 1930s, The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway took nearly 30 years to complete. The tram scales a nearly sheer cliff in Chino Canyon to deposit passengers on Mount San Jacinto State Park. The ten-minute ride climbs just under 2600 metres in elevation, while the tram cars gradually rotate so everyone inside can take in the full panorama of the valley below. Once on the mountain, the hiking available is a sweet relief from the heat of the valley. It seems counterintuitive in the desert, but bring a jacket – the altitude makes a surprising difference.

Cabot’s Pueblo Museum

Best for: Native American history in traditional adobe architecture
Location: 67616 East Desert View Avenue, Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240
Price: 13 USD

Perched just north of Palm Springs, the Pueblo Museum has a unique history: it’s built in the traditional style of the Native American Hopi tribe from the nearby Hopi Nation in eastern Arizona, and was hand-built by architect Cabot Yerxa during the last two decades of his life. He formed the adobe-style sun-dried bricks himself in the courtyard and filled the building with Indigenous art, displays of Native American Rights, and historic artefacts. It’s uniquely beautiful, and a stunning shift from the mid-century architecture that typifies the rest of Palm Springs. The museum is also home to Waokiye, a six-metre-tall sculpture carved from a single log of Sequoia by artist Peter “Wolf” Toth, as part of his series of monumental sculptures called Trail of the Whispering Giants, which can be found in situ throughout the US and Canada.

The Spa at Séc-he

Best for: Health-conscious travellers
Location: 200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Price: Taking in the water begins at 125 USD

An ancient hot spring is at the heart of the Spa at Séc-he, a Cahuilla word which means “sound of boiling water.” The spa is unique in that it is owned by the Cahuilla Tribe, who have been stewards of this land for centuries. Today, Sec-he offers a relaxing place to take in the 40 degree (Celsius) water, full of nourishing minerals such as calcium, magnesium and sodium. Guests can take in the water in 15-minute increments, or partake in many of the spa’s other treatments, including massages, body wraps, IV, vitamin therapy, cryotherapy, and more.