Choose Palm Springs for a Spring Getaway

Looking for a spring getaway? While there are lots of great choices, Compete suggests you select Palm Springs.

Located at the base of southern California’s Santa Rosa Mountains, the upscale, gay-friendly town is believed by many to be the absolute jewel in the crown of all the Sonoran Desert’s famous vacation destinations.

The town is one of nine that make up the Coachella Valley; sister-cities include Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage, and all of them are packed with reasons to visit the area. It’s been a tough call to narrow the list but here are Compete’s Top 10 reasons why you should select Palm Springs for your spring getaway.

1. WEATHER
Of all its many draws, it’s the Palm Springs weather that beckons people year-round, especially those of you who are freezing your fannies in the snow and cold. Only 487 feet above sea level, the area is known for 330-350 days of sunshine, an annual rainfall of less than six inches and mild spring temperatures ranging from the mid-60s to the mid-80s. Even in the winter, it’s one of the rare places where you can bask in the warm desert sunshine while enjoying the snow-topped mountains surrounding you. There’s just nothing like green grass, lush landscaping, palm trees swaying in warm, gentle desert breezes and adult beverages to thaw out frozen bodies!

2. SPORTS
If you’re into golf and tennis, you’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven! Known as the Golf Capital of the western U.S., Palm Springs and its surrounding sister cities are home to 110 world-class golf courses, many of them challenging courses designed by well known professional golfers and golf course designers. If you want to improve your game, you’ll also find great schools and clinics, maNy of them staffed by professionals, as well as rentals, equipment sales and repairs.

Westin Mission Hills
One of the choice golf locations has to be the Westin Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, boasting a course designed by famed course designer Pete Dye and another designed by golf great Gary Player. Named by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the Top 10 California Golf Resorts in their Fourteenth Reader's Choice Survey, the Westin Mission Hills has also recently been named by Golf Digest as one of the top 75 Resorts in North America. The resort plays host to the best women golfers at the upcoming LPGA’s 40th Annual Kraft Nabisco Championship, March 28-April 3.

La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA West
Another golf magnet is the historic Hollywood hideaway (since 1926), the La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA West located in La Quinta. Here you have your choice of five courses: their famed Mountain course’s challenging layout that’s ranked among Golf Magazine’s “Top 100 Courses You Can Play”; the Pete Dye-designed Dunes course; their second Pete Dye-designed course, the TPC Stadium Course at PGA West which is considered a “must play” for those golfers looking for a challenge; the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West; and last but certainly not least is the Greg Norman Course at PGA West.

Indian Wells Tennis Garden
If tennis is your game then you don’t want to miss the BNP Paribas Open, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier tennis tournament, that’s scheduled for March 7-20 at the impressive Indian Wells Tennis Garden, a $75 million state-of-the-art facility. Located on 55 acres in the town of Indian Wells, it offers year-round tennis and entertainment with 20 hard courts, a tennis club and a 16,000-seat stadium.

3. LODGING
Palm Springs is a gay mecca and has twice been named the Best Gay Destination in the World. As a result, there are some wonderful choices in GLBT lodgings, many of which are clothing-optional, in addition to the larger high-end resorts. From high-end to more simple atmospheres, they all offer their guests many of the same amenities you would expect – pools, hot tubs, video collections, etc. and then put their own spin on it. A number of them are run by gay couples who’ve added their indelible personalities to the mix.

The View Palm Springs
The newest clothing-optional gay resort is The View Palm Springs, which just opened in June 2009. An intimate 12-room boutique hotel, it’s got a sleek design yet still manages a comfortable feel. The roomy two-room suites feature full kitchens, luxurious beds and baths, and private patios but they also offer studios with full amenities. The pool (heated for those cooler nights), sundeck and large hot tub offer a chance to soak away any stress you’ve brought with you from the outside world.

The Hacienda at Warm Springs
The Hacienda at Warm Springs, winner of Planet Out’s Out & About “Five Palms Award” and Trip Advisor’s 5 Stars Award, has also been named one of North America’s Top 10 Guest Houses by Out & About magazine. It’s a spacious property with large guest rooms (some up to 900 square feet) that offer separate living rooms and bedrooms. While only some of the suites have fireplaces and private patios, all of them have TV, VCR, CD and DVD capabilities in both the living & bedrooms. Also standard for each suite are brand new, fully-equipped kitchens featuring granite and mahogany finishes and two-man showers. With one of the highest staff-to-guest ratios in the industry, owners Jim and Maurice provide king-size beds and a pillow menu with eight selections.

INNdulge
Built in the mid-century modern style, INNdulge is another consistent favorite gay clothing-optional choice. It offers a large courtyard with a pool and 12-person Jacuzzi that stay open 24 hours a day. The rooms, all with king-sized beds, are done in a southwest feel with wrought-iron and pine. Other amenities include a gym, a large video collection and a complimentary continental breakfast and social hour, the latter personally hosted by owners John Williams and Jean-Guy Lachance.

La Dolce Vita
Located directly in the heart of Palm Springs is upscale La Dolce Vita Resort Hotel and Spa, done in the Italian style complete with draped cabanas. Considered one of the finest gay accommodations in Palm Springs, it has hosted some of the large events in town, such as Jeffrey Sanker’s White Party, Palm Springs Gay Pride and Palm Springs Gay Leather Pride. Another clothing-optional resort, its amenities include two swimming pools, two whirlpools, steam room, outdoor exercise area, free wireless Internet and a computer Internet station.

CCBC
The largest gay clothing-optional resort in Southern California is CCBC, located in Cathedral City. Covering their 3.5-acre “fantasy playground” among other things are a pool, two hot tubs and a sauna, a military compound, waterfalls and nude beach, and what they refer to as their infamous “walk.”

4. SOCIAL SCENE
What’s a trip to Palm Springs without the social scene – after all, this is THE place to be! From major events to the regular nightlife, there’s sure to be a place where you can live out your nightlife fantasies. If you are simply in town looking for some fun nightlife, here are some great places for a single or group bar crawl, especially those located on Arenas Road in Palm Springs, a haven for gay bars just off the famous Palm Canyon Drive.

The 21st Annual Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend
Considered the largest lesbian event in the world, The Dinah is the brainchild of Club Skirts founder Mariah Hanson. Scheduled for March 30-April 3, host hotels are the Riviera Resort & Spa and the Hilton Hotel. This is the place for dancing, DJs, cocktails, celebrity-sighting and girl watching, so if you’re planning to attend, don’t wait to make your reservations because the hotels fill up quickly. Keep an eye on the website above for the most current information.

The 21st Annual White Party
Topping the list of all the fabulous GLBT spring events has to be the 21st Annual White Party with over 20,000 gay men all dressed in white. The hype includes the provocative thought, “think thousands of buff men romping in tighty whities or nothing at all.” Now an international event, this year’s hometown spectacular is scheduled for April 8-11, 2011 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The after-hours events and pool parties always spill out to other not-yet-named area resorts and hotels that are invariably the trendiest hot-spots in the area.

Dining Out for Life!
Scheduled for Thursday, April 28, Palm Springs’ local celebration of the national Dining Out for Life! event will include breakfast, lunch and dinner options at participating restaurants throughout the Coachella Valley. The local event is sponsored by Bank of America and Subaru is the national sponsor. Headed locally by Brett Klein of the Desert AIDS Project, he’s lined up volunteers, staff and community hosts at each restaurant that day, welcoming guests, inviting friends and helping to fill the tables so that the restaurant donation is more robust. If you’re in the area that day, be sure to bring your appetite to a participating restaurant.

Barracks in Cathedral City
A fetish venue for the leather, latex, bear and musclemen crowd, it sports a large outdoor patio and has a DJ on Friday and Saturday nights. It was a Best of ’09 Nominee for the Palm Springs Gay Bars.

Georgie’s Alibi in Palm Springs
A video café and sports bar with great views from their outside patio, Georgie’s is located upstairs at Azul’s Restaurant.

Hunter’s Palm Springs
A dance club with non-stop videos, they also feature darts, pool and a large outdoor patio.

Streetbar in Palm Springs
Located on Arenas Road, this is a local hangout that’s considered a great mix of old and new, referred to by one reviewer as a “Gay Cheers.”

SpurLine in Palm Springs
This gay video bar located in the Arenas Road area is a hangout for locals that features theme-nights, karaoke and showtunes.

Tool Shed
A friendly leather and levi bar in the heart of the Warm Sands area AND they sponsor their own softball team – way to go, Tool Shed!

Toucans Tiki Lounge
Offering cocktails, dancing and entertainment, they’ve created their very own jungle right in the desert. Don’t forget to wear your Hawaiian shirt – you’ll be right at home.

5. DINING
Palm Springs has a wide and wonderful variety of individual eating places in addition to all the fabulous resort restaurants, and between them, they serve every imaginable type of cuisine.

Azul Tapas Bar/Restaurant
Considered very “gay” and “hip,” this restaurant has been praised for its pasta, seafood and flatbreads as well as their great patio seating. It was named 2008 Restaurant of the Year by the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce.

Bongo Johnny’s Bar/Restaurant
This trendy bar and grill is known for its guacamole burgers as well as its fish and chips. Their French-trained chef makes all food to order.

Hamburger Mary’s
Considered by many to serve the best hamburger in town, they also serve salads, vegetarian dishes, homemade pizzas and ribs. They have an open air bar and grill so you don’t miss any warm spring breezes.

Look Bar/Restaurant
Offering southern California cuisine, all their food is made on-site using organic food from local vendors and they’ve got a great outdoor patio space.

Billie Reeds Restaurant Bakery
Open 365 days a year, this restaurant with a 25-year-plus history serves breakfast, lunch and dinner at anytime and it includes the bakery specialties created by the original owner. Their cocktail lounge features entertainment and dancing on the weekends.

6. GAMING & ENTERTAINMENT
Entertainment comes in many forms in Palm Springs but probably none bigger than their famous Follies. And if you’re into gaming, you have a choice of casinos in the Coachella Valley area. Shown below are just a few you may want to try.

Palm Springs Follies
This is a true Broadway-caliber extravaganza with a fabulous cast of “golden oldies” performing the best of 1940s, 50s and 60s music, dance and comedy. Performances often include many well-known guest stars and international variety acts. The best part may be their “legendary line of long-legged lovelies, all 56 to 81 years ‘young’.”

Agua Caliente Casino Hotel in Rancho Mirage
This casino, run by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, was expanded in 2008 to include a new 16-story hotel. It features: 71,000 square foot casino gaming facility; 1,824 slot machines; 42 game tables; 11-table poker room; Blackjack, No-Ball Roulette, Let it Ride; five new restaurants; VIP Player's Club and it features top entertainment names.

Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs
Also known as the Palm Springs Casino, it’s located in the heart of Palm Springs. It features: 1,000 slot machines; penny, nickel, quarter, dollar slots; 40 table games; 4 restaurants; casino-style buffet; resort spa with hot-springs mineral waters; full service hotel and is open 24 hours.

7. SPAS & WELLNESS
If you’re on vacation, it’s time to pamper yourself and how you do that is up to you. Your version of “pamper” may be exercising at a regular gym with a group class or a personal trainer or it may be taking a quiet yoga class. It might even include a trip to a wonderful spa in a more basic environment or an over-the-top luxurious one.

Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs
With cedar-lined, indoor treatment rooms, the spa has a very casual and simple atmosphere. It also features a large swimming pool with massages and other holistic treatments in a Mongolian yurt.

Agua Serena Spa in Indian Wells
Located in the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, the spa is a tranquil spot where you can enjoy massage, facial and skin treatments as well as body treatments. Massages can be for you alone or a duet side-by-side aromatherapy massage.

Desert Hot Springs Spa Hotel in Desert Hot Springs
The hotel is well-known for its natural hot mineral water that fills its eight pools and is piped into all the guest rooms. They offer massages, facials, body therapies as well as a salon that offers manicures and pedicures. They also offer a large number of special packages if you really want to pamper yourself.

Gold’s Gym in Palm Springs
For more than 45 years, Gold’s Gym has been helping people get stronger and healthier whether it’s through group classes or with the help of a personal trainer.

Scott Sarber Yoga
Although they offer the traditional yoga services such as bikram, pilates, prenatal yoga, yoga for beginners and exercise, this studio is best known for male nude yoga.

World Gym in Palm Springs
Listing itself as the largest and best-equipped gym in the desert, it’s a high-energy environment with great music and video as well as lots of fun classes.

8. SHOPPING
If you’re a shopaholic, get out your plastic and shop till you drop! From off-the-wall kitsch to high-end items, Palm Springs and the surrounding areas offer amazing choices to tempt your “I deserve it” gene.

Bear Wear Etc. in Palm Springs
Located on Arenas Avenue, the store offers gay gifts and clothing, many with their own logos.

Desert Hills Premium Outlets in Cabazon
Located 20 minutes west of Palm Springs on Interstate 10, find impressive savings at Coach, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Elie Tahari, Gap Outlet, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Lacoste and more.

Gay Mart in Palm Springs
From gay travel guides to risqué cards to circuit party outfits to tacky gifts, this store has a little bit of everything.

Greeting & Soho in Palm Springs
They sell greeting cards and postcards, both new and vintage, as well as gifts and memorabilia, such as Andy Warhol lithographs and mid-century clocks by George Nelson.

Just Fabulous in Palm Springs
They offer a wide selection of cards, books, music, home décor, as well as gifts and accessories.

Q Trading Company in Palm Springs
Here you’ll find greeting cards, magazines, Pride merchandise, jewelry, clothing, CDs and furniture.

9. ARTS, CULTURE & ARCHITECTURE
Because the area has attracted so many creative people over the years, Palm Springs and its sister-cities are filled with arts, culture and architecture. The town is especially well known for its many mid-century homes as well as interesting museums and art festivals.

9th Annual Indian Wells Arts Festival
Scheduled for April 1-3, this festival is held at Indian Wells Tennis Garden where over 200 award-winning artists display and sell their wares which include painting, drawing, ceramics, glass, photography, sculpture, jewelry, apparel and hand-crafted wares.

9th Annual Erotic Art Expo and Silent Auction
Now in its ninth year, this event is sponsored by the Tool Shed bar. Set for February 3-14, the proceeds benefit Desert AIDS Project’s free and confidential AIDS testing.

Palm Springs Air Museum
This museum’s mission is to exhibit, educate and eternalize the role of the World War II combat aircraft and the role their pilots played in winning the war.

Palm Springs Art Museum
With a mission of striving to serve diverse communities, the Palm Springs Art Museum is one of the outstanding mid-size art museums in the country.

The Thorny Theater
The only GLBT theater in the Palm Springs area, it presents plays and musicals by prize-winning playwrights that are geared for mature audiences only.

10. ATTRACTIONS & ADVENTURES
If you decide you only want to stay poolside at one of the wonderful resorts, no one will blame you. But if you long for fun, adventure and fresh air then you’ll probably need to book a couple of extra weeks!

Balloons Above the Desert
The company has over 35 years of professional hot air ballooning experience. Although launch sites change depending on the time of year and the wind speed and direction, they provide free shuttle service to all Palm Springs hotels, resorts and country clubs.

Joshua Tree National Forest in Twentynine Palms
Just a few miles outside of Palm Springs is this magnificent almost 800,000 acre forest that displays some of the most fascinating geologic displays found in California’s deserts. And in the spring it also offers a chance to see the beautiful desert flowers in bloom.

Knotts Berry Soak City USA
Located on Gene Autry Trail in Palm Springs, this wild water park will fill the bill for adventure and excitement – here you really can soak your head! It’s open from mid-March to the end of September.

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert
This 1,200-acre non-profit zoological park and botanical garden puts you up close and personal with a cast of magnificent animals and plants in a true desert setting. They invite you to discover why The Living Desert is “like a zoo, only better.”

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
This thrilling tram ride ascends 2.5 miles, taking you to a pristine wilderness aboard the world’s largest rotating tramcars. Once at the top of the tram you have several hiking trails through the Mt. San Jacinto Wilderness but you must have a day permit from the Ranger Station. There is no website for the station but you can call 909-382-2921 for complete information.

Palm Springs Bike Map
This map gives you several routes you can take for an enjoyable ride around town whether you’re on a bike or a set of rollerblades.

Palm Springs Walk of Stars
Located on iconic Palm Canyon Drive, this is the Palm Springs version of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, honoring in concrete the many Hollywood actors, actresses, directors, singers, entertainers, TV personalities and other show business related personalities who have lived and played in Palm Springs.

WHEW! It’s been a tough job to pick only 10 reasons why you should head to Palm Springs for your spring getaway. In fact, Compete staff members are so impressed they’re ready to pack their bags right now. Who knows – maybe some of us will see you there.