PALM SPRINGS GUIDE
The girls and I had such an amazing time in Palm Springs over the weekend to celebrate my birthday. We stayed at the most incredible house; our own little Enclave in the Sun. The house featured floor to ceiling glass walls, a fire pit, a hot tub, and a gorgeous pool.
We were originally looking at staying at a hotel, but I prefer renting a house instead. It becomes your own home away from home. You don’t have to deal with resort fees, strangers, finding a parking spot, etc. We fell in love with this vacation spot and never wanted to leave!
As soon as we arrived we met with Dre Naylor. She is Palm Springs’ new it-girl photographer who shot a few of these photos in this blog post. Maybe this is a blogger thing, but I cannot think of a better way to start the weekend than having your picture taken by a professional while you’re with your best friends. You can see more of Dre’s work and book her for your next trip here.
As soon as our photoshoot ended, we quickly changed and headed off to the Avalon Hotel where I stayed during my trip to PS last year. We started the night with a round of drinks at their bar Chi Chi. The grounds of this hotel are just stunning with flowers everywhere. We sat out by the pool with our drinks and enjoyed the warm evening air. I ordered the Desert Jewel – it’s the middle drink in the photo above. A crisp and refreshing cocktail perfect for those warm evenings in Palm Springs.
I finally got to wear the birthday dress that I posted on the blog earlier this week here. I love how easy it is to transition a classic black wrap dress from day to night and dress it up for different occasions. Sticking with the spirit of the desert, I opted for a tribal print clutch, a statement necklace, and rose-gold sandals for the evening.
After a round at the Avalon we headed over to Seymour’s. A speakeasy type bar just inside Mr. Lyons, a famous steak-house in Palm Springs. The girls ordered the Pineapple Tequila Sour while I ordered a Seymour’s Fresh Daiquiri. The bar has a gentlemen’s only club feel to it. But the girls and I felt right at home. Ask for Kiwi Steen at the bar- you can’t miss his New Zealand accent. He will take great care of you and make sure your drink is just the way you like it.
Photo via Mr. Lyons
For dinner, we must have ordered 6 or 7 appetizers including sauteed mushrooms, onion rings, beef tartar, mac & cheese, and brussel sprouts. The favorites were the mushrooms (we got two orders they were so good) and the onion rings. Steak houses always have great appetizers. We were so hungry we quickly filled up on them and ended up sharing the beef Wagu as the main dish. It was the perfect amount of food to split among four girls. We could not even fit dessert in our bellies! The girls started singing happy birthday to me and literally the entire restaurant started singing with them. It was embarrassing and amazing at the same time.
A few of our photos from our night out.
Before heading back to the house, the girls and I decided to tour along Palm Springs Canyon Drive for a bit. I did not realize how many people were in town for the long holiday. It was good people watching and a few of the stores stayed open late for some good ole’ window shopping. Kier gave me a mini Fuji film camera for my birthday that I carried with me through the night snapping photos. It felt so retro and cool to have physical photos to remember the trip by.
Once we made it back to the house we enjoyed smores by the pit fire. We had forgotten to turn on the hot tub earlier so it was never actually warm enough to use. Note to self, the desert actually gets cool enough to enjoy a hot tub at night. Next time we will make sure to turn it on right when we get there so that it has time to warm up!
We spent all day Sunday laying around the pool, drinking champagne and soaking up the sunshine. The thought of having to get dressed up was too much so we just ordered in and it was perfect.
Kier and I caught in a special moment by the pool.
Special thanks to Big Mouth, Inc. for supplying us with the coolest pool floats!! The pineapple was my favorite (obviously.)
It took a lot of patience to get these photos right, but I absolutely love the way these turned out. We used a full-size camera for these.
My new favorite bikini for the trip from the Orchid Boutique‘s new swimwear line.
Heading to the desert this summer? Check out my packing for Palm Springs guide here. Check out all the amazing events going on and more suggestions to add to your Palm Springs itinerary by visiting www.visitpalmsprings.com
Loving this Palm Springs Guide? Check out my other travel guides here:
Thanks for reading my Palm Springs Guide! Where should we go next?!
xoxo,
Laura
Stumbled onto your blog, looking for information on Palm Springs, I am heading there a week today for a week. Looking forward to doing some shopping and soaking up a few rays. Good information on your site.
Thank you for stopping by, Beverly! Have a blast on your trip and let me know how you liked the recommendations in my travel guide!
– Laura