Author: lindsay

  • Parker Palm Springs

    Parker Palm Springs

    A desert icon, the Parker started life as a Holiday Inn (California’s first!) but was transformed by legendary designer Jonathan Adler into Palm Springs’ inaugural five-star resort in 2004. Boasting stellar eateries, an 18-hole golf course, an award-winning spa, three pools, pétanque and croquet courts, and 13 acres of impeccably manicured grounds, the property still offers the utmost in luxury today. As such, it has become a stomping ground for Hollywood’s elite, with everyone from Drew Barrymore to Liam Neeson to (perhaps most famously!) Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie checking in for some upscale R&R.

    ★★★★★

  • Paul Bar/Food

    Paul Bar/Food

    This spot, with its fabulous fare, classic ambiance and stellar drinks, also made my dinner list above. But the watering hole is just as beloved for its happy hour! Offered nightly from 4 to 7:15, the already affordable cocktails and bites are marked down even further, making it the perfect spot for a late afternoon/early evening libation! While there, be sure not to miss the massive meatball appetizer and stellar selection of hand-crafted mocktails.

    $$

  • High Bar

    High Bar

    Situated on the seventh-floor rooftop of The Rowan hotel in downtown Palm Springs, the appropriately named High Bar offers strikingly dramatic views of the surrounding cityscape, the San Jacinto Mountains, and the “Forever Marilyn” statue, as well as solid cocktails and bar bites. It’s al fresco imbibing at its chicest!

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  • The Pink Door

    The Pink Door

    Good coffee starts the minute you step off the plane at PSP thanks to newly opened café The Pink Door. Named in honor of Palm Springs’ most Insta-famous house, Villa Sierra, the space features blush accents, locally made gifts, and espresso drinks crafted with Joshua Tree Coffee Company beans. Whether you’re just arriving in the desert or grabbing an espresso before a flight out, you really can’t go wrong with a stop here.

  • Orchid Tree Inn

    Orchid Tree Inn

    Abandoned for nearly two decades, this motel started life as the 10-unit Sakarah Apartments in 1934. Following several ownership changes, it became the Orchid Tree Inn in 1952 and was eventually expanded to encompass nearly a full city block. During its heyday, the place hosted such stars as Troy Donahue, Tab Hunter, and Anthony Perkins, before ultimately shuttering in 2005. Despite being ravaged by two fires in 2007, it stands largely intact, though delipidated, today – a gorgeous, haunting reminder of Palm Springs’ early days.

  • Trixie Motel

    Trixie Motel

    This pink retreat starred on the HBO Max series “Trixie Motel,” which followed drag queen Trixie Mattel as she rehabbed and reimagined the abandoned and dilapidated former Coral Sands into the chic blush-hued paradise it is today. The property has since gone on to enjoy further screen stardom, with the ladies of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” checking in during a season four episode and Sydney Sweeney posing on the premises for a recent photo shoot with Jimmy Choo.

  • Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway

    Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway

    This futuristic pad was designed by William Krisel in 1960 for prolific developer Robert Alexander. Featuring a circular motif, the pad was a star from the jump, landing on the pages of “Look” magazine shortly after its completion. It came to even greater infamy when Elvis Presley leased it for a year beginning in September 1966. It was there that the King returned on the evening of May 1, 1967, following his nuptials to Priscilla Beaulieu, thereby forever cementing its status as the “Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway.” A Class 1 Historic Site, the property has also been illuminated in countless photo shoots and onscreen in both the series “Selling Sunset” and the 1998 movie “Poodle Springs.”

  • Palm Springs International Airport

    Palm Springs International Airport

    An architectural tour of Palm Springs kicks off upon arrival at the city’s airport, a true modernist gem fashioned by Donald Wexler in 1966. Laid out in a simple X formation, the architect created the space with navigational ease in mind, noting, “Passengers can see everything from one corridor without the use of confusing signage.” That effortless configuration remains in place today. Capped by an impressive peaked roofline, the airport also boasts floor-to-ceiling glass walls that showcase the surrounding landscape, serving as a glorious welcome to the desert. Those not arriving by plane can still experience all that PSP has to offer via a daily Stay and Play Pass.

  • North Shore Beach & Yacht Club

    North Shore Beach & Yacht Club

    Once a luxury vacation destination, the Salton Sea is a virtual post-apocalyptic dreamland today due to agricultural runoff that turned the waters toxic and massive flooding that forced residents out in droves. At the height of its popularity in the 1960s and ’70s, though, the Sea was THE place to be, and the Albert Frey-designed North Shore Yacht Club THE hangout for visiting A-Listers such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and The Beach Boys. Shuttered in 1984, the structure sat abandoned until being renovated in 2010 and currently serves as a recreation center, with the adjacent parking lot providing stellar views of the sea’s gorgeous blue expanses and white sands. Venture closer to the shore, though, and it becomes apparent that the water is actually brown, the picturesque blue seen from afar nothing more than a reflection of the sky. And that pristine beach? In reality, it’s crushed fish bones left behind by the many carcasses that regularly wash ashore. Simultaneously beautiful and harrowing, the Salton Sea has to be seen to be believed.

  • Palm Springs Visitor Center

    Palm Springs Visitor Center

    Designed by Albert Frey in 1965, this gas station-turned-visitor center is a true desert icon, its signature hyperbolic paraboloid roofline dramatically tilting skyward, beckoning out to all who pass by. Inside, you’ll find a plethora of historical information, as well as souvenirs, postcards, maps and desert-inspired trinkets. Be sure not to miss the Palm Springs signage situated just north of the center, It’s an ideal spot for photo ops.