Palm Springs Weekend

March is by far the best time of year in the desert. Sunshine, warm evenings, blooming flowers and shoulder season, which means amazing deals at the best resorts, spas, and restaurants the Coachella Valley has to offer. Here’s my recipe for the perfect Palm Springs weekend.


Stay

You can’t visit Palm Springs without indulging in its country club culture. It’s a rite of passage and no one channels that experience better than The Parker Palm Springs.

Designed by Jonathan Adler, the resort’s cheeky manifesto calls for ‘mixed doubles, a long steam, and a stiff cocktail’. The Parker’s spa, Palm Springs Yacht Club, just unveiled it’s new 18,000 sq foot space which features an indoor pool, an open-air yoga studio, complimentary foot scrubs with every treatment and a lounge that features homemade pastries and shots of whiskey, bourbon, or rum in lieu of the standard hot tea and bowl of apples. Amen.





Dine

A meal at Citron at The Viceroy is a must. As soon as you step into the hotel’s glam foyer you are immediately transported to a chic take on Hollywood’s rat-pack era. Menu favorites include the calamari croquettes and the carbonara mac-n-cheese.





Cocktail

Head over to the new-ish Ace Hotel for a liquor-infused romp at their poolside lounge, aptly named Short Bus (it’s housed in a converted ice-cream truck). With treats like the booze sno cone, plenty of comfy hammocks and live music you are guaranteed a good time.




See

The Palm Springs Art Museum is featuring the exhibit, Between Earth and Heaven: The Architecture of John Lautner now through the end of May. Co-curated by Frank Escher, the exhibition includes original drawings, sketches and architectural models from one of America’s most significant Modernist architects.




Shop

Palm Springs is the epicenter of mid-century modern design and home to an amazing collection of shops featuring furniture, artwork and accessories from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. If vintage shopping is on your itinerary, these are the shops to hit:

Palm Springs Galleria - A collection of vintage stores including Bon Vivant, a haven for twentieth century accessories including Blenko glassware and Bauer pottery.



Trina Turk Residential – This mid-century modern oasis designed by Kelly Wearstler offers all the essentials for Palm Springs living. Pillows in Turk’s signature vintage inspired prints, modernist-inspired furniture (I especially love her patio collection), Missoni towels, candles, books, and an assortment of antiques and pottery.