El Mirasol

El Mirasol, a very busy and very tasty restaurant on Palm Canyon Drive, just outside of downtown Palm Springs, is a great night out, but expect to wait for a table on Friday and Saturday nights.

Be sure to order a margarita, the strawberry frozen margarita or, my choice, the Cadillac Margarita. They come in regular and double (go for the double, seriously).

For dinner, we ordered the 12 1/2 on the combinations menu - two hardshell tacos one in chicken and one in beef, and a chicken burrito. While the tacos were good, the chicken burrito was definitely the star of dinner.

Lulu Bistro

Lulu Bistro, with breakfast all day and two floors of seating, is a fantastic choice to start or end your night. The restaurant, whose menu reads like a high-end diner, offers al-carte options, but also a three course pre-fixe menu.

We went for the pre-fixe menu, and ordered the minestrone and the fields greens salad for our appetizers, the chicken piccata and the farfalle primavera for our entrees, and the tiramisu and the chocolate cake for dessert.

Everything we ordered was very good and very large portions. The restaurant was very busy, there was a 45 minute wait for a table when we arrived, so definitely make a reservation.

Babe's BBQ & Brewhouse

Babe's Bar-Be-Que and Brewhouse in Rancho Mirage, about a 20 minute drive from downtown Palm Springs, was a surprisingly delicious find, and a fantastic recommendation from our hotel.

The restaurant, which also brews its own beers, has both indoor and outdoor seating and a wide selection of entrees on its menu.

We ordered the tri-tip po'boy with the remoulade sauce (ordered hot) and the Texas Tornado. Both sandwiches were huge! One was almost big enough for two people (almost!). The po'boy was delicious, with hot pork and a creamy sauce and counter balanced with cold lettuce and tomatoes. The combination was fantastic.

The Texas Tornado was very meat heavy, but just the right about of meat. And the barbecue sauce was heavenly - someone in the kitchen knows what they are doing when it comes to barbecue.

Trio

Trio in downtown Palm Springs is one of those restaurants you just have to go to. Everyone we spoke to, every website and magazine recommended Trio. But it is definitely a place that you should make reservations.

We ordered the hand cut potato chips as an appetizer, which were delicious and addicting, and the house made ranch dressing that is served with them is amazing. These would make a great appetizer to order with a bunch of friends out for drinks.

For dinner we ordered the Yankee Pot Roast and the Trio Mac and 5 Cheese. The pot roast was moist and fell part without needing a knife. The mac and cheese was the best thing I have eaten in a long time - cheesy with fresh tomatoes, crispy with the breadcrumbs, and a nice combination of cheeses. The two together, split between the two of us, was the perfect dinner - although a huge amount of food.

We also ordered sangria - a glass of white and a glass of the red sangria, both were refreshing and light and lovely.

Desert Riviera Hotel

The Desert Riviera Hotel in Palm Springs, CA is a top-notch boutique resort.  This family run hotel feels very welcoming from the moment you walk through the gate into the central courtyard.  Throughout our stay the hotel staff greeted us by name, and if it was an employee we hadn't met yet, they made sure to get to know who we were.

The amenities provided were also excellent.  There is an outdoor hot tub and heated pool, available 24 hours a day and are both quite relaxing.  Also, since the hotel only has 11 rooms, you know it won't get overcrowded in these areas.  In addition, in your room upon arrival is a snack basket, bottled water and cans of soda.  We were also offered complimentary wine and beer every time we went into the lobby.

The room itself is spacious and pleasant, with a very comfortable bed.  The housekeeping staff did an excellent job each day refreshing the room.  In addition, in the lobby there is a large DVD selection you can choose from if you want to watch a movie at night before heading to bed.

The staff was also very knowledgeable about the area, offering various dining tips and activity ideas.  When we mentioned we were going to the Joshua Tree National Park, they even gave us binoculars to use and frozen bottles of water.

Without a doubt, if visiting Palm Springs, CA, this is definitely the hotel you should be staying at!

The Living Desert

About a 15-20 minute ride from Palm Springs, CA, the Living Desert (located in Palm Desert, CA) is a zoo that plays up the desert angle.  We did arrive late in the day, but in just an hour we walked through the majority of the zoo.  Unfortunately, we were a bit disappointed due to the lack of animals out.  Granted, zoos are typically better in the morning if you want to see animal activity, however, in this case, many animals just weren't in their enclosures, which made us feel a bit cheated.

There are many activities to do in the Palm Springs area, and this one just can't get our recommendation based on our experience, especially if you are going in the afternoon.

Tahquitz Canyon

Located right off the main drag of Palm Springs, the Tahquitz Canyon, is about a 90 minute hike round-trip.  There is the option to go on a ranger guided tour, however, we decided to do the hike on our own.  The cost  is the same either way, but you'll need to make sure you arrive in time for one of the ranger guided tours if that is your preference.

When arriving, you are provided with an easy to read map of the trail, which will eventually lead you to a waterfall.  The scenery during the trip is outstanding, and the waterfall at the end is definitely worth the hike.  You can even hop in to the little pool created by the waterfall, as we saw some others do (just make sure to take your cell phone out of your pocket first!).

Also, if planning this trip, each person MUST have at least a bottle of water with them.  Remember, you are in the desert and need to stay hydrated.

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is quite an experience.  The main station is located outside the main area of Palm Springs and needs to be reached by car (unless you want to do some very serious incline hiking!)  Once you get your ticket, you'll ride the tramway all the way to the top of San Jacinto Mountain, a State Park, which has a final elevation of 8,516 feet.  Keep in mind it will be significantly colder at the top, probably with snow, so make sure to dress appropriately.

During the ride up, the tramway revolves in a full circle twice, giving everyone the opportunity for some great views of both the mountain, as well as the valley below.  We'd highly recommend doing this during daylight hours, especially first thing in the morning, for the best views, and the lowest crowds.

At the top, you can continue taking in the breathtaking views of the valley, or turn around and go hiking or snowshoeing through San Jacinto State Park.  We only explored a little bit at the top, but there are numerous trails for visitors to explore, as well as 2 restaurants.

When in Palm Springs, this should definitely be an attraction to visit.

Joshua Tree National Park

Famous from various movies and TV shows, the Joshua Tree National Park, located about 1 hour outside of Palm Springs, CA, is a must visit.  You'll obviously see a ton of Joshua Trees while there, but there is so much more to this vast park.  You get an excellent taste of what desert life is like in this region of California from the cacti to the rock formations.

There are 3 entry points into the park by car, and we'd recommend entering by the main Joshua Tree Visitor's Center, as they have more souvenirs than the others, plus there is a cafe there which will make you a boxed lunch to have in the park for later in the day.  In addition, make sure you bring plenty of water with you.  We took frozen bottles of water with us provided by our hotel, which kept them nice and cold all day.

It would take several days, or more, to do everything in the park.  To maximize your time there, we'd recommend sharing your interests with one of the Park Rangers at the Visitor's Center and asking them for their recommendations on what to do with your time.  Personally, we loved the Key View, as well as some of the 1 to 2 mile hikes that were around the park.  The Cholla Cactus garden was also quite different and neat to see.