Emily Lucille Takes Palm Springs

Ah, Palm Springs. I have been working on this post for quite some time and I am so excited to finally share it with you guys! It’s a long post, but I will preface it by saying that if you are looking for a place to relax by a pool and eat really good food, keep reading because Palm Springs is the place for you.

Prior to our trip, Bill and I had not been away on a nice, relaxing vacation for quite some time and we were more than ready for some serious R&R. We did not want to party, we did not want to go to museums, we just wanted to nap and read under the sun with an occasional bike ride or hike sprinkled in. We had already RVSP’d to my cousin’s wedding in Las Vegas in March, so we decided to make the most of our time out west by tacking on a trip. This plan ended up being perfect because after a crazy, fun-filled weekend in Las Vegas with my parents, brother and a ton of other family, we needed a vacation more than ever.

We decided to drive from Las Vegas to Palm Springs (about a 4.5 hour drive with no stops) for the experience and it was so worth it. Neither of us had ever driven around that part of the country and the views were amazing! It’s so different than anything we have out here on the east coast and it was gorgeous. On our ride to Palm Springs we decided to stop at Joshua Tree National Park and it ended up being one of the highlights of our trip. Joshua Tree is less than an hour away from Palm Springs, so it could easily by made a day trip if you’re not driving past it on the way like we did! We were there right around sunset and it was so quiet and beautiful. I highly recommend making a stop there if you’re going to be in the area.

Where to Stay

Once we left Joshua Tree we headed straight to Palm Springs to check into the first hotel of our trip — the Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs. Bill found this hotel and I’m glad he did because it was different than the rest of the hotels in downtown Palm Springs. Unlike the smaller, one or two floor boutique hotels in the area, the Kimpton is much larger and actually has a rooftop pool (this is kind of unheard of for Palm Springs). The rooftop pool is where we spent most of our time during our stay and the views of the mountains were the best. Like all Kimpton hotels, the Rowan offered a happy hour for guests from 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. which I loved, and it’s pretty much brand new (opened in 2017)! The food was also great. We ate at all of the restaurants at the hotel and were never disappointed. I would definitely stay here again if we ever head back!

After a few days at the Kimpton Rowan, we moved down the street to Holiday House Palm Springs (if you couldn’t tell by my 230923 Instagram posts from our stay here). I was obsessed with this hotel. Unlike the Kimpton, Holiday House was a smaller boutique hotel with only two floors. I first fell in love with Holiday House when three of my favorite Instagram follows (Mackenzie Horan, Amy Stone and Ali of A Dash of Details) posted photos from their stay at hotel. From there I started to look into it and knew we needed to stay there during our trip. The hotel was beautiful and filled with so many pieces of interesting art, I did not want to leave! Bill and I left feeling so inspired about decorating our own apartment LOL. Each room is different, you can rent the most adorable bikes, there’s shuffleboard, the pool is great, the lunch options are delicious — I could really go on forever about how much I liked staying at this hotel, so I’ll stop here and share some pictures…

Where to Eat, Drink, Get Coffee

I am going to list out below the places we ate along with a few notes on why we loved them!

• Cheeky’s — amazing breakfast/brunch! The menu changes weekly and there are a lot of fun and interesting options. We actually went here twice we liked it so much… There will be a wait and they don’t take reservations, but there’s a great coffee place (Ernest Coffee mentioned below) close by to visit while you wait!

• Raw Remedy — great smoothies, bowls, juices, etc. Bill and I both got the Blue Coco bowl (pictured below) and agreed it was the best bowl we’ve ever had!

• Ernest Coffee — great iced coffee and iced tea! Like I mentioned earlier, we went here both times while we were waiting for our table at Cheeky’s. Plot twist, this coffee place is connected to a great tiki bar (Tiki Bootlegger) which i’ll touch on later!

• The Tropicale — dinner spot! We went here for dinner one night and sat on their outside patio and I fell in love with it. The vibe is so good here and the cocktails are amazing! We both liked our food (I wouldn’t say it was my favorite meal), but for the atmosphere alone I would go again!
• Birba — this.place.was.packed. Seriously though, we made a reservation and we still were going to have to wait. I would recommend making a reservation and then stalking the bar until seats open up there. We ate at the bar and loved it. Really good drinks, really good pizza and salads, and obviously super popular. Fun fact: it has the same owners as Cheeky’s and it’s right next door.
• El Jefe — go here for taco Tuesday or taco Thursday or for happy hour like we did. This restaurant is in The Saguaro Palm Springs and it was some of my favorite food we had the entire trip. Definitely order the Mexican street corn and fish tacos – so good.

• Tiki Bootlegger — super small tiki bar where we had the best cocktails of our trip. Definitely stop by after dinner for drinks. They also do a great happy hour!

• Truss & Twine — another great cocktail bar for after-dinner drinks. It’s also right next door to a restaurant called Workshop Kitchen + Bar (same owner) that looked great for dinner.

What to Do

Like I mentioned earlier, if you’re looking to relax, Palm Springs is the place for you. Below I’ve rounded up a few things to do in between pool time and dinner.

• Ride bikes — from what I found online most hotels offer bikes that you can rent. Definitely take advantage of this and ride around town.
• Joshua Tree — again, like I mentioned in the beginning of this post, if you are in the area you should definitely try to make your way to this National Park.
• Go for a hike — there are some trails right in downtown in Palm Spring that are perfect for a nice morning hike before it gets too hot.
• Take a tram ride — Bill and I did not do this, but pretty much anyone in Palm Springs will tell you to — next time!
• Visit other hotels — If Bill and I had more time I think we would have checked out some other hotel’s pools during the day. If we ever go back I would love to check out The Arrive and The Parker Palm Springs.

That’s pretty much it! We weren’t there for that long, but we certainly enjoyed our stay. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me in the comments! Also, if you’ve been to Palm Springs what were some of your favorite places? Bill and I already want to go back…