Hey, there! I have finally gotten around to sharing the details of our Palm Springs trip. We had the absolute best time and I’m super excited to share everything with you!
A bit of a back story – every February we take a trip with 3 other couples from Baylor. We typically go skiing, but this year we decided to change things up and go to Palm Springs. I say all this because our trip might look different than if you went with just your spouse or just women. Anytime you travel with a group of people, especially if it’s different sexes, you have to be flexible in your plans and make sure everyone gets to do one thing they wanted to do.
So for example, if this was just a girls trip, we probably would have tried a lot more boutique type restaurants and shopped a bit more. But for this trip we divided and conquered some and fit in something for everyone!
Our Itinerary
Below you will find our entire itinerary from our long weekend in Palm Springs. And, at the end of this post I included restaurant recommendations from you all. Places we didn’t get a chance to go to, but that look amazing!
Okay, here we go!
If you follow me on Instagram, then you’re well aware that it was a flying nightmare to get to Palm Springs. Dallas rarely has inclement weather conditions, but of course the one day we were flying out an ice storm blew through. So, our Thursday AM flight ended up getting canceled. Luckily we were able to hop on a Wednesday evening flight to Phoenix, sleep in the airport, and then get on the first flight out to Palm Springs. A bit crazy, but we made it and that’s all we cared about.
THURSDAY:
- ARRIVED IN PALM SPRINGS – we touched down in PS mid-morning on Thursday. The airport was so neat (it’s outdoors) and it was easy to get our bags and head out. I highly recommend getting these apple air tags to put in your checked luggage so you can monitor where your bags are.
- HAPPY HOUR/DRIVING RANGE AT THE OMNI RANCHO LAS PALMAS RESORT – one of the couples we were traveling with flew in a day early and stayed at the Omni. So, while we were waiting for the rest of our crew to arrive we spent the morning and early afternoon at the Omni. It is a beautiful property and it was so enjoyable to sit outside in the sun, sip on a cocktail, and look at the mountains. While the girls enjoyed a happy hour, the guys hit balls at the driving range.
- DINNER AT LAS CONSUELAS NUEVAS – y’all! This was some of the best Tex-Mex I’ve had in a long time and that is saying something coming from a Texan. This restaurant has multiple locations – one in Palm Springs and one in Palm Dessert. The one in Palm Springs is more popular and more instagram-worthy, but we found it hard to get into with a large party (we had 8 people). So, we went to the one in Palm Dessert and were beyond impressed. The atmosphere is quaint and beautiful, the food was amazing, and their margaritas were so good. I highly recommend this restaurant!
- NIGHT CAP AT THE WESTIN DESERT WILLOW – after dinner we headed back to our hotel to have a drink and catch up. Some of us were also super tired (me mainly, haha) from only getting a couple hours of sleep the night prior. So, we turned in a bit earlier than normal this night. As far as the hotel goes, we really liked it! We each had our own little suite and right outside each building are outdoor seating areas with grills and tables and chairs. There’s also two large pools on the property, tennis courts, and a gorgeous golf course.
FRIDAY:
- MORNING WALK – Friday morning my girlfriend and I went on a long walk around the golf course at the Westin. There are so many great trails in Palm Springs to hike or walk though, so definitely check some of those out!
- THE SPA AT JW MARRIOT PALM DESSERT & POOLSIDE LUNCH – Friday the men and women split up. The women went to the JW Marriot and spent the morning at the spa. We all picked different treatments and enjoyed the saunas and spa services before and after our massages. The spa there is truly beautiful and the customer service is great. After we got our massages we grabbed lunch poolside and laid out by the spa pool for the early afternoon.
- GOLF AT WESTIN MISSION HILLS RESORT – While us gals were at the spa, the guys headed out to golf. They golfed at Westin Mission Hills Resort and loved it.
- POOL TIME AT THE WESTIN DESERT WILLOW – after a long day at the spa and golf course, we met back up with the guys at the Westin and spent the afternoon and early evening laying by the pool. We loved that it had two pools – one that was more kid-friendly and one that was more adult-friendly. They also had a giant hot tub that fits a ton of adults.
- DINNER IN – we had the very best intentions of going out to dinner, but after a really long day we decided to just order in pizza and hang out. We ordered some local pizza, but we heard Bill’s Pizza is great if you’re looking to order pizza.
SATURDAY:
- MORNING HIKE AT THE COACHELLA VALLEY PRESERVE – this hike was hands down my favorite part of the trip. The hiking trails in the Coachella Valley Preserve are right on the fault line. That means that you have these luscious oases of palm trees right next to the desert. It’s so beautiful. It’s also a really easy hike and you can make the hike as long or as short as you’d like. It’s a great hike for a bigger group or a family. I highly recommend it. Check out my Instagram Reels to see a video clip of our hike!
- LATE LUNCH AT AZUCAR RESTARAURANT & BAR – y’all! This place was so cute!! I HIGHLY recommend going here for one of your meals. It’s a little restaurant attached to a gorgeous boutique hotel. The ambiance was amazing, the view of the mountains is incredible, the food was delicious, and the drinks were amazing. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It’s very intagram-worthy! It also has the cutest sitting area and fireplace on the upstairs patio if you just have time to stop by for drinks. If you get cold easily, I recommend requesting a table upstairs during the day so you can take advantage of the sun.
- SHOPPING IN PALM SPRINGS – after lunch we shopped around Palm Springs. If it had been just girls, we would have done a lot more shopping, but we just didn’t have the time. Here’s a great article if you’re looking for places to shop.
- DINNER IN, AGAIN – since we had a late lunch, we weren’t really hungry until late Saturday and since so many of us had an early morning flight Sunday, we opted to order in again. Boring, but it’s what worked for us that night!
Follower Recommendations:
- MELVYN’S RESTAURANT AND BAR – great live jazz bar and recommended for their martinis
- MR LYONS – high recommended restaurant for dinner
- THE PARKER – instagram-worthy for pictures
- NORMA’S – brunch recommendation (at the Parker)
- THE COLONY PALMS – cute place for a drink
- THE AVALON – cute place for a drink
- ACE HOTEL AND SWIM CLUB
golf course at the westin palm desert
happy hour at the Omni
dinner at las casuelas nuevas
dinner at las casuelas nuevas
spa day at the jw marriot
golf day
coachella valley preserve
lunch at azucar