Palm Springs, California aka. the perfect destination for a weekend getaway! If you follow me on instagram, you know that last weekend I did a weekend trip with my friend Natalia to Palm Springs. It was a long weekend here in Canada, and so we wanted to do a girls trip / a warm-weather getaway. Palm Springs turned out to be the perfect travel destination for a 2-3 day trip.
Today I am sharing a quick and easy list of what to do/see/eat on a weekend trip to Palm Springs. Be sure to read to the end of the post to read about why Palm Springs makes the perfect destination for a 2-3 trip, and why it makes the perfect destination for a girls trip!
Where to Stay: Los Arboles Hotel
*thank you to Los Arboles for sponsoring my stay. As always, all reviews and opinions are my own.
Los Arboles is a boutique hotel located right in the heart of Palm Springs. In addition to it’s great location (walking distance to the restaurants, coffee shops & shopping) the hotel itself is a perfect, quiet, spot to relax. The hotel isn’t rowdy – which is great when you just need a chance to get away and relax (you can go elsewhere for a day party on either the Saturday or Sunday of your weekend trip; more about that below!)
Los Arboles is a beautiful hotel – both the pool (as you can see above) and the rooms. Los Arboles is especally perfect for a girls weekend because they have a room that has a queen bed and a pull out, but has TWO bathrooms. You KNOW that on a girls trip; one of the biggest challenges is when everyone wants to do their hair and makeup at once in a tiny bathroom! haha. This fixes that! This room also has a private balcony out back.
Los Arboles is also home to one of the best Mexican restaurants in Palm Springs (more on that below) so having that right at your door step is a huge bonus!
Where to Eat: El Mirasol & Cheeky’s
Cheeky’s Brunch
El Mirasol Restaurant
Dinner at El Mirasol – Shrimp Dona Diabla & a Jalapeno Margarita
For brunch, head to Cheeky’s. Cheeky’s is the most popular brunch spot in Palm Springs (for good reason!). The only downside is the wait. If you are going on a weekend brunch, prepare to wait over an hour for your table. The good news is that once your name is on the list you can wander away (we did some shopping) just be sure to get back before your name is called or they will give away your table!
For dinner, head to El Mirasol. As I mentioned above, Los Arboles is home to one of the two El Mirasol locations. I have to tell you – we ate here twice and hands down it is the best Mexican food I have ever had. … And that includes when I lived in San Diego and routinely went over the border into Mexico for Sunday brunch! If you like spicy, I highly, highly recommend the Shrimp Dona Diabla.
Coffee: Koffi & Ernest Coffee
If you read my New Orleans Travel Guide from earlier this year, you know that I am a coffee addict to the point that trying out coffee shops is a priority wherever I travel. Coffee, therefore, always gets it’s own section in my travel posts. (Can’t stop, wont Stop… probably because my over-caffeination wont let me :P)
My favorite coffee shop in Palm Springs is Koffi. Not only do they roast really good coffee; but their food and other drinks are amazing too. If you’re in the mood for something sweet, try the coconut mocha frappucino – it is amazing! Koffi is also great for their atmosphere – if you go out the back you will find a patio overlooking a garden/park area. It is a perfect spot to sit and enjoy your beverage!
Ernest Coffee is also good – especially if you just want a quick latte or drip coffee. Their selection isn’t as great as Koffi, but for the coffee purist, it is still a great choice.
Activities & “Must-Do’s”:
Shop my outfit here
If you’re having a relaxing weekend away, you likely want a lot of time to just relax by your hotel pool. But, if you want a day of ‘partying’, I highly recommend a day spent at El Saguaro. The hotel is probably the most colorful, instagrammable (pretend that’s a word…) hotel in all of the USA. They have a day pool party similar to Vegas pool parties (but of course smaller and less crazy). We had a blast listening to the DJ and drinking way too many margaritas. Honestly, it’s also worth a trip just to take photos of the amazing hotel doors!
2. Self-Guided Driving Tour
Visit the “Palm Springs” sign for some scenic views and a photo op!
#ThatPinkDoor
One of the top things to do in Palm Springs is just drive around on a tour of the city! Start out by heading to the Palm Springs sign (at the foot of the town). Perfect for a photo op, and a great place to start a drive up the hills. Essentially, you can drive around the hills to see heritage houses (you can buy a map at the Visitors Centre – but honestly, you can just do some googling and save yourself the $5).
Back in the heart of Palm Springs, you can drive to go see the house that was Frank Sinatra’s Palm Springs home (surprisingly unassuming and small; but cool to see nonetheless!)
Finally, you can (and should) drive out to see the house with #ThatPinkDoor. I mean, if a door has it’s own instagram hashtag, it’s gotta be worth a visit right?!
3. Shopping!
No trip to Palm Springs is complete without some shopping (or at least window shopping) of the stores in the heart of Palm Springs. The majority of stores are furniture and home decor – exactly the style you would expect in 1960s style Palm Springs. There are also some vintage jewelry and clothing stores.
And that’s it! So why do I say that Palm Springs is perfect for A) a 2-day only trip and B) a girls weekend?
Palm Springs is perfect for only 2 days, because there isn’t that much to do. You can feel as though you’ve seen and done everything you want to in just 2-3 days.
It is perfect for a “girls weekend” because it allows you to relax (unlike Vegas) while still getting to do some partying (unlike other sleepy towns).
As always – if you have any questions, please let me know in the comments below! I hope you get to enjoy a weekend trip to Palm Springs in the near future!
Tip: if you do end up buying a $5 map from the visitors centre, and end up following the suggested addresses, make sure to read the house numbers and not the YEAR the houses were built �� Heheh amazing trip with you chika! Perfect girls getaway! Another tip: it is HOT, bring lots of sunscreen and do not bring pants — it is just as hot at night as day time. ❤️
Hahaha okay, it is not my fault that in 40 degree weather my logical reasoning skills are impaired haha!
Yes – I agree! People need to know how incredibly hot it is! No pants ever!