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Palm Springs
Palm Springs is a resort city in the Santa Rosa Mountains, just south of Interstate 10 at the foot of 10,000-foot Mt. San Jacinto on the westernmost edge of the Sonoran Desert. The city is named for the palm trees that line its streets and for its natural hot springs. These features along with a warm climate, fashionable hotels and private homes, golf courses, parks, and swimming pools, make Palm Springs a major, upscale tourist attraction.
The entire Coachella Valley sits atop a large underground lake. Palm Springs is one of nine adjacent communities in the Valley, each offering a similar, yet unique, vacation experience. Most visitors stay in country-club-type resorts that have transformed the desert into a semitropical oasis. Recreational opportunities include golf courses and tennis courts, as well as lavish spas and horseback riding. Art galleries, antique stores, and many specialty shops line Palm Canyon Drive. There is an abundant supply of gourmet restaurants. Many that are less imposing offer Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, and other cuisine.
The southwestern-style Mercado Plaza in downtown Palm Springs features upscale galleries, boutiques and restaurants. Nightlife in the city includes fine dining and an assortment of bars and nightclubs, as well as gambling at nearby Native American-owned casinos.Day trips from Palm Springs offer exciting possibilities. Close to Palm Springs is the community of Desert Hot Springs, famous for its hot-springs resorts: some the private domain of Hollywood celebrities; others open to all.
While in the Palm Springs area, consider a side trip to eastern California's Joshua Tree National Park where the Sonoran and Mojave deserts meet. In the higher, Mojave portion of the park, a forest of Joshua Trees and a number of unique granite rock formations called Inselbergs can be seen. In the lower, Colorado portion, the Pinto Basin exhibits the beautiful native plants of this hotter Sonoran Desert. This is an area gaining international recognition for its winter-season rock climbing. Hiking and mountain biking are other recreational possibilities, along with back road jeep trips. The Nature Conservancy's Coachella Valley Preserve in Thousand Palms includes 13,000 acres of palm oases and high desert bisected by California's San Andreas Fault. Cecil B. DeMille filmed The King of Kings there, in and around the Thousand Palms Oasis. Area hiking is permitted, and visitors can also experience a covered wagon tour.
Despite the presence of celebrities in Palm Springs and the wealth that is in evidence, the area can also be affordable as a family destination. Many reasonably priced accommodations can be found year-round, and those willing to visit in the summer months can find unexpected bargains. Palm Springs is a vacation destination of rare beauty and tranquility in any season of the year.
Start your Palm Springs SearchPalm Springs Hotels
Hilton Palm Springs
from $150 per night
The Hilton Palm Springs Resort is a desert oasis situated at the foot of the San Jacinto Mountains ....more
Hyatt Regency Suites
from $89 per night
The Hyatt Regency Suites Palm Springs is a luxurious downtown oasis overlooking the breathtaking San Jacinto mountains ....more
Wyndham Palm Springs
from $61
Connected to the 100,000 square-foot Palm Springs Convention Center ....more
Palm Springs Riviera Resort
from $142.33 per night
Located in the heart of beautiful, sunny Palm Springs, the Palm Springs Riviera Resort offers the ....more
Courtyard by Marriott
from $89 per night
The Courtyard Palm Springs is located one mile from the airport and downtown Palm Springs, four blocks from a casino
... more
Beaches are California's number one tourist destination, generating over $30 billion in spending and supporting over 500,000 jobs. Not only do California beaches provide great vacation opportunities, they are an important part of the environment and the first line of defense against the ravages of coastal storms. Each year, hundreds of miles of shoreline disappear from coastal states and in California 85% of beaches are eroding. We're here to help reverse the tide! Each time you make a reservation, or visit an advertiser, you're generating funds to rebuild California's beaches. 100% of the after-tax profits from our efforts are donated to beach renourishment projects. So, book a great deal and help rebuild great California beaches.
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