Here's to crossing another month off my "Travel More" New Year's Resolution. I recently discovered only 8% of people actually achieve their New Year's resolution! EIGHTY percent of them fail by February! Unreal. Reading that only made me more determined to stick to my goal of traveling outside of Los Angeles once a month. For the month of April I took a 3 day trip with my friend and co-worker, Alyssa to Palm Springs! I had only been there once to work and wedding and never left the venue, so I was excited to finally see what this town has to offer!
I was incredibly excited when Alyssa booked our hotel using Bookings.com for
The Saguaro. I had seen it featured on one of my favorite Instagram accounts @studiodiy. It's known for its trendy vibe and vibrant, colorful paint job and unique decor through out the lobby and pool area.
I'll be completely honest -
this hotel is highly overrated. It's just a 1970s motel with a fancy paint job. From check-in to check-out Alyssa and I were disappointed with one thing after another. It took us hours to even check-in! Apparently, our reservation was not in their system due to some error between their hotel and Bookings.com. Alyssa has used bookings.com many times for her travels all over the world and never had an issue. The front desk is run by a bunch of young dudes, who don't have much control or power over anything. I was disappointed with their lack of hospitality. Through out the rest of our stay they would not even acknowledge us.
However, due to our inconvenience their manager upgraded us to a pool side hotel room. We were given a pink colored room, which was super fun, but after seeing the amount of detail in the hotel lobby and pool area I was let down by the room itself. I think they spent their entire renovation budget on those 2 areas and neglected the hotel rooms. I've stayed in a nicer, more furnished room at the Cleveland Airport Marriott. The room didn't even have a tissue box! The towel rack in the bathroom was broken and had orange paint on it from the walls, and I had to wash a bug down the drain before using the shower.
The hotel room view was the best thing about our stay. It is incredibly photogenic. Sadly, we chose to stay a week before the Coachella rush which was also a popular Spring Break weekend. The hotel was
SWARMING with children. Alyssa didn't expect to see so many little kids at a hotel that is known for their raging pool parties. While we were chilling in the pool area, we noticed an employee ushering all the children to get out. Apparently a little girl pooped in the pool which forced them to close it for
FOUR HOURS. Alyssa and I decided to adventure out in Palm Springs instead.
Bike Ride
The Saguaro Hotel does provide a free bike rental, but be prepared to fill out a 2 page waiver (if they have them printed). I had to wait for the front desk to find a place to make copies of their original form... We were then given the wrong set of keys for the bike lock. I had to go back and ask one of the front desk dudes for help and he eventually found the right key for the bike I was assigned to. Everything felt like a struggle.
Riding bikes in Palm Springs can be a bit dangerous if you end up on the wrong streets like we did. Try to pay attending to bike signs and stick to those roads - much safer! It was a very hot day even in April, so we stopped a few times to take breaks and drink water.
ALWAYS keep water with you in Palm Springs. The climate is so hot and dry, which requires you to drink way more fluids than you're use to! Luckily, we found some cute photops along the way!
Arrive Hotel
Alyssa and I biked across Palm Springs and found a neighborhood friendly, boutique hotel called
Arrive that matched the chill, 20s-30s vibe we were looking for. The doorman saw us walking past the entrance in search for a place to lock up our bikes and immediately came out to help us. We was incredibly kind and hospitable. He escorted us inside, found a safe spot for our bikes, and encouraged us to lounge by the pool and enjoy the bar.
We immediately chugged ice cold water from their dispenser, grabbed some towels, and jumped into the cabana lined pool, which was set to the
PERFECT temperature. The pool area also had outdoor ping pong tables and a Bocce court. This is the hotel I will be staying at during my next visit to Palm Springs! Loved it.
The Infamous Pink Door
This door has its only Instagram handle (
@thatpinkdoor), hashtag
#thatpinkdoor, and has become a Palm Springs "Must See." Unfortunately, when we arrived I noticed the "no photography" and "private property" signs posted in their lawn. I was surprised since so many bloggers and even companies have taken fashion photoshoots in front of the infamous door. So, Alyssa and I snapped a quick photo from the road in order to stay off their property. However, I'd refrain from any photography going forward.
#didntgetthememo
Where We Shopped
Down Town Palm Springs
North Palm Canyon Dr. is lined with shops and restaurants. It was very lively at night and fun strollig up the down the street. However, I was a bit disappointed with the lack of 'local' shops. All the stores along here are name brands you'd find anywhere (Diane's Beachwear, Free People, H&M, etc). I was hoping to find some eclectic stores along this street and was in the search for unique earrings and potted succulents.
The Flippery
This well-known vintage shop carries a wide variety of clothing and accessories ranging from mod, resort, bohemian and a little rock n roll. Alyssa and I loved roaming around its multi-room story and looking at the vintage tags on the clothes. We found some cute 1940s dresses from Sears, but didn't purchase anything because vintage fashion is $$$.
Gypsyland
Gypsyland | 2675 N. Palm Canyon Palm Springs, California 92262
Desert Hills Premium Outlets
On our way home, we stopped at the outlet mall outside of Palm Springs. There is a fabulous variety of stores from Alexander McQueen to Lululemon to Rag and Bone to Kate Spade! Coach was having an amazing sale while we were there so we both scored a wristlet bag for $15! I use mine to store extra diabetes supplies when I travel. Conveniently, Alyssa and I both have the same shoe size so we had a blast trying on shoes in Steve Madden. We both left with a pair of new sandals since they had a BOGO sale. We did some damage! We didn't even have time to see all the stores! Gotta go back.
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