Palm Springs - One Week Couples Trip

Day 1: We arrived early evening in Palm Springs so after we received our car we checked into our Resort and went to Las Casuaelas Terraza, which was recommended by someone from our flight. It was a Friday night and downtown was busy but put our name on the list and went to the bar for a margarita. We were seated quickly and dinner was great. The service and bartender were so fun to talk to. Great atmosphere here and we sat outside and enjoyed the nightlife in downtown Palm Springs.

Day 2: Our first full day in Palm Springs we planned to do a hike. We got to Indian Canyons right when they opened at 8:00AM so we could get our hike in before it got too hot. They do charge a small fee at this park but it's well worth it. We did the Murray Canyon Trail to Seven Falls and decided to take the Coffman Trail back but there are other trails there to explore as well. Amazing oasis in Palm Springs and highly recommend this trail. You do have to cross the stream many times but it's an adventure yet still a moderate trail. It is shady in the oasis but the desert section did get a little warm. Make sure you have sunglasses, sunscreen and lots of water! The view of the palm trees in the oasis was simply breathtaking. 

After our hike, we worked up an appetite and decided to go downtown Palm Springs to grab some food and beverages. Parking downtown is plenty and free! Even a few parking ramps so you can keep your vehicle in the shade. We decided pizza and a beer would be great after a long hike. We went to Bill's Pizza, which was a casual spot and plenty of pizza choices. We each ordered our pizza and afterward, we probably could have shared but there were so many good choices! Very friendly servers and we even got to sample a couple of their beers before ordering. We had plenty of leftovers and they tasted just as good later in our trip. 

Day 3: We didn't plan this when booking our trip, but it was Cinco de Mayo and we hit downtown Palm Springs for shopping and see what activities we could find. There are plenty of stores to browse through and so many restaurant choices. Since we are on vacation we craved a cocktail so we stopped at Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar for some drinks and appetizers and their Street Corn Dip is a must-try. I had the blood orange margarita, it was the drink of the day, and it was very refreshing. There are so many sculptures and artwork around downtown and it's very easy to walk everywhere. You must check out the Marilyn Monroe statue. It's huge! The downtown area is very walkable and easy to get around plus who wouldn't like seeing the Palm Trees lining the streets? We were on our way back to Las Casuaelas Terraza for their Cinco de Mayo events and we stopped along the way at Sol Agave to try their margarita flight and enjoyed their chips, salsa and bean dip. It was very quiet there and nothing like the activities at Las Casuaelas. 

Day 4: We planned the day visiting Joshua Tree National Park. It's about an hour's drive from Palm Springs. The one thing we didn't think about was the temperature change. It was cooler than we expected and we were not dressed for that. So recommend checking the temperature before you leave and dress in layers. We went to the West Entrance and since this was a weekday, we didn't have any traffic getting into the park. Have heard this entrance can get long so the North entrance is the other option. There are many trails to hike and they go from easy to hard so plan your day around that. We did the Wall Street Mill trail, Barker Dam trail which was our favorite and Cholla Cactus Garden. After hiking in Joshua Tree we checked out some stores in the town of Joshua Tree and grabbed a drink from the Joshua Tree Saloon. A unique place so if you have extra time it's fun to browse here. We decided to have dinner at Pappy & Harriet's in Pioneertown on our way back to Palm Springs. The burgers were great and an old western vibe to the restaurant. 

Day 5: When we had a date shake downtown a few days prior we were told about the Shields Date Gardens in Indio so we took a little drive to check it out. They have a little store where you can purchase a variety of dates and other products. Outside was a garden so we took a stroll through this. It was a little run down and needs some landscaping updates but was interesting learning about the different types of trees and shrubs in the area. Of course, we couldn't leave without a date shake and this one was a lot better than our first one and the price was right. They have a cute old-time ice cream counter to sit at to enjoy your shake so that was fun. One of our main points of interest for our trip was to have dinner at Copley's so we made sure we planned our day around that. We heard from someone at our resort that we needed to stop for a cocktail at The Purple Room Supper Club so we decided to stop there first. Very cool vibe here and they had a piano player so that set the mood. Our next stop was Melvyn's at the Ingleside Estate. We just went to the bar for cocktails and to see the history of this establishment. Interesting looking at all of the photos of Hollywood stars and other famous people here. After a cocktail, we went to Copley's on Palm Canyon. We ate outside and caught some of the sunset and dinner was wonderful. We had their special of the evening and couldn't resist a dessert. Our server was wonderful and it was just relaxing enjoying a great meal and wine. Highly recommend dinner here. 

Day 6: We split up and the guys went back to Murray Canyon trail to hike and the girls went shopping for souvenirs. We found other sculptures and Palm Springs signs that we missed the first time here. For dinner, we ended up going back to The Purple Room for their happy hour which we shared a few of their appetizers and enjoyed the music again. 

Day 7: We managed to be in Palm Springs for their Village Fest, which runs every Thursday evening. It's a street fair that they hold downtown and it was hopping. They close off some of the streets and they have different vendors, music, food trucks and great people-watching. The Palm Springs Art Museum is also free on Thursday evenings so we also visited that. I have to say I wasn't impressed with the museum but the price was right.

Day 8: This was our last day in Palm Springs and had some time before our flight was departing so we checked out Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage. It's a historic retreat with beautiful gardens. Since they were hosting a retreat the day we were there, we could only tour the grounds. It would be interesting to have toured the estate that hosted many presidents and world leaders through the years. Maybe next time! Even wandering around the gardens and walking into the Sunnylands center was spectacular. 

Overall, our first trip to Palm Springs was a success and I would go back again. The people there were so friendly and all the restaurant staff was great. The areas that we visited were clean and felt safe walking around downtown and by our resort. We found it easy to drive around Palm Springs and the streets are well-marked. If you have a week or even a long weekend, take a trip to Palm Springs it's worth it.