On our last full day in Palm Springs, we used our little rental car to hop around to lots of different places. The city is pretty small, so nothing is too far, unless you are leaving the Palm Springs area for Joshua Tree or Palm Desert (etc). So, after an hour or so exploring all the desert plants at the botanical garden, we went to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to ride up the 2.5 miles to the Mt. San Jacinto State Park.
For someone (me!) who is afraid of heights, this was a bit terrifying. The tram car rotates on the way up, allowing everyone to get views of everything - and the views are really neat if they weren't so scary. At the top, we got some hot chocolate, because we didn't plan our outfits well. It was a lot colder up there (I think the temps dropped 25 degrees), and we were still in our sunny weather dresses and sandals. It didn't stop us exploring a bit - but if you plan it out better and have the time/interest, there are plenty of hiking trails up there, too.
So after a terrifying ride up the Aerial Tramway, the only solution was ice cream. We had passed this cute Ice Cream & Shoppe on the way to the Aerial Tramway, so we knew exactly where to head after we came down from the mountain. This shoppe had very yummy ice cream (and some interesting + classic flavors), plus a little shop of goodies you could get for all those gifts you need to bring back home.
As previously mentioned, we stayed the first night near Joshua Tree, and stayed our last two nights at The Saguaro. This hotel is known as the colorful boutique hotel with a party pool. We spent the afternoon at the pool - and since we were in a slightly off time (shoulder season), it wasn't as crazy or crowded, but there still was plenty of people watching to be had!
After getting some sun and before our last dinner in Palm Springs, we headed back down to the pool area to explore further - and relax in their hammocks! The view is really just amazing. The dense and beautiful palm trees against the mountains, and with the added color from the hotel - what an amazing back drop!
Our last night was such a great time - and I didn't get many photos because it was dark and we were having too much fun, but if you go to my Instagram (@ChasingDavies) and watch my travel highlight IG Stories, you can see some of the silliness. After a great dinner on the patio at Birba, we headed to Melvyn's Piano bar that's located next to/part of Ingleside Inn.
We sang and danced along with with the piano singer all night with wonderful drinks. A nice older man even bought us a round, which was a lovely surprise. :) The music was great and the environment was very cool - felt very old Hollywood. And now, next time I got to Palm Springs - I think I want to stay at Ingleside Inn, because it was so freaking cute.
The next morning - our last day in Palm Springs - we ate breakfast at the Kings Highway Diner, located in Ace Hotel. It was delicious, and a very cool environment. After breakfast, we shopped and walked around downtown Palm Springs before heading out to drive back to the airport - but we didn't leave without stopping at the Palm Springs sign (located near the Welcome Center on your way in/out of the town) for some pictures. :)
Have you ever been to Palm Springs?? If you are interested in our full, word doc version of our itinerary, leave your email below in the comments, and I'd be happy to send!