Palm Springs, California
A Village Vibe: Revved up for Meetings
Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism

By Stacy Lytwyn Maxwell

“We have a collection of over 70 small hotels (meaning boutique-style, 80 rooms or less), and many of them are in the Spanish-Mediterranean style or the mid-century, modern architecture.” Hillary further elaborates that couples can uncover secluded retreats “that you can’t find anywhere else,” says Hillary Angel.

Beneath the silhouette of the 10,000-foot San Jacinto Mountains and cool canyons, a sun-kissed turquoise sky awaits (what else?) some puckering up for kisses as sweet as the native dates. Opportunity calls. The sun shines 350 days a year in Palm Springs, California. No need to guess how this little but growing—population hovers under 50,000—panacea got its name. Take a natural spring used in, among other things, the healing rites of the Native American tribes dating back a thousand years…add a dramatic, endless ribbon of palms...and who needs to dream up a sobriquet?

Natural beauty is not the only reason to enjoy this part of Southern California that borders the Mojave Desert. Not a bit of arm-twisting; there are as many reasons as the stars when the sky turns indigo, or the Hollywood stars that have left their mark (view the hundreds of embedded names in the “Walk of Stars,” a sidewalk on the main route of Palm Canyon Drive), and continue to, through the years.

Hollywood—including such passionate pairings as Clark Gable and Carole Lombard who stole away for intimate times in Palm Springs during the yesteryears of the 1930s and ‘40s—has escaped here for centuries to get a necessary pause. Quite fittingly, as the cliché goes, if it’s good enough for Hollywood.

Red-carpet types, of course, aren’t the only ones who are drawn to this lush green tiara. Located 100 miles east of Los Angeles, this is the crown jewel in a nine-city strand that is known as the Palm Springs Desert Valley; the Greater Palm Springs population some 300,000.

Now guess how many Bureau of Tourism Public Relations Managers go on vacation to the city that they represent? One is Hillary Angel. She says there is no better spot to play in than in her own workplace. In fact, she explains that when she met her then boyfriend, now husband, outside Palm Springs, “I had my first date here and we celebrated our first anniversary here—that was seven years ago.”

“Any couple always remembers their first time at Palm Springs because it provides a special memory. There’s no place like it. None of the restaurants are chains; every restaurant is different. No, you can’t find the same spa; you can’t find the same hotel. That’s the charm of Palm Springs. Here it’s a small community, and it’s nice to walk up and down the streets and window shop and just sit back and have a glass of wine, watching the sun set behind the mountains,” she says.

With all these more reasons to visit, where to begin? Fortunately, the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism has taken the guesswork out of the process with its easy-to-maneuver, updated website, www.VisitPalmSpringsInns.com. Take for instance, searching for accommodations. Whether guests prefer a full-service luxury hotel, vacation home, villa, condominium, or quaint four-bedroom bed and breakfast, web browsers have an extensive selection.

“We have a collection of over 70 small hotels (meaning boutique-style, 80 rooms or less), and many of them are in the Spanish-Mediterranean style or the mid-century, modern architecture.” Hillary further elaborates that couples can uncover secluded retreats “that you can’t find anywhere else.”

“Many of our hotels are offering packages and those can be found through our website,” she says.

Upon check-in, visitors can check out the health spas, tennis courts and golf that Palm Springs is famous for. Realize that its “golf capital of the world” moniker just skims the surface of its many characteristics.

“You can get a couples’ massage, and it could be at a poolside, or you can go in a whirlpool for two. Also, with the Palm Springs temperature in the evening, there’s no reason why you can’t swim under the stars,” Hillary says, citing a few examples.

Sample domestic and international wines; a spectrum of delicious fare. Horseback ride or hike in the mountains and canyons. Take an exhilarating ride rising 8580 feet above the desert floor on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

“We have the hip environment; great village vibe happening, great bars, great lounges, great restaurants, boutique shopping. Whatever couples are looking for, they have it here,” Hillary further describes.

If a destination wedding is in the cards, where better than Palm Springs? Since the city allots the perfect milieu for business meetings and functions, also consider bringing the significant other to combine business with pleasure.

Highly accessible, Palm Springs boasts its own airport. “We’re two hours from all major Southern California destinations. There are flights from Portland, Seattle, Dallas, Minneapolis, Vancouver,” Hillary says. “Pictures and editorials cannot justify what there is to see and do here; it’s an exotic place, close to home.”

Old love or new, bring your date to the place chockfull of adventures; one whose specialty, after all, is dates. Taste the sweet flavor of a date shake, an ice cream drink made with the desert’s dates and pucker up, more sweetness is yet to follow.

Meeting Facilities: Palm Springs is indeed the year-round vacation destination for groups, individuals, and families, with something for everyone - whether it be enjoying the 350 days of sunshine a year, shopping, golfing, hiking, adventure, Jeep tours, gaming, mid-century modern architecture, cultural events, museums, and nightlife or just sitting back and relaxing by the pool shadowed by magnificent mountains.

######