Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [294]
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ACTIVITIES
Cycling
Palm Springs and the valley have an excellent network of bike paths that are great for getting around. Check if your hotel has loaner bicycles to get around town. If not, Fun Seekers ( 760-340-3861; www.4funseekers.com; 73865 Hwy 111, Palm Desert) rents and sells bikes for city and mountain use, plus in-line skates, mopeds and even Segways. Bike rentals start at $7/28/75 per hour/day/week. They will deliver and pick up equipment.
Golf
The Coachella Valley boasts more than 100 public, semiprivate, private and resort golf courses. Top resorts include Marriott’s Shadow Ridge (Map; 760-674-2700; www.golfshadowridge.com) and Desert Willow (Map; 760-346-7060; www.desertwillow.com), both in Palm Desert, and SilverRock (Map; 888-600-7272; www.silverrock.com) in La Qunita. Greens fees run from $25 to $250 or more, depending on the course, season and day of the week; inquire directly or through your hotel. Alternatively, Stand-by Golf ( 760-321-2665; www.standbygolf.com) can book tee times at a discount for play at some 40 courses.
Golf spectators can check with tourist offices for upcoming large-purse big-name tournaments.
Some venues – particularly the Desert Willow resort – are making an effort to be more environmentally conscious and reduce the million gallons of water per day used to irrigate the courses (Click here).
Hiking
The best way to appreciate the subtlety of the desert is on foot, as long as you protect yourself from the heat (Click here).
For hiking in the immediate Palm Springs area check out the Indian and Tahquitz Canyons, and the top of the aerial tramway Click here. See also Joshua Tree National Park.
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SPA ME
If the road has left you frazzled and achy, a spa day might be the cure. The valley has dozens of spas to choose from, from simple to sumptuous. A few favorites are listed here. Make reservations. Many hotels also provide in-room services, particularly in Desert Hot Springs.
East Canyon Hotel & Spa (Map; 760-320-1928; www.eastcanyonps.com; 288 E Camino Monte Vista) Palm Springs’ only exclusively gay spa has facials, wraps (try the aloe wrap), massages and more.
Estrella (Map; 760-320-4117; www.viceroypalmsprings.com; 415 S Belardo Rd) Swanky full-service spa at the Viceroy, with salt scrubs, wraps, facials, botanical baths, a high-end salon and outdoor activities like hikes.
Palm Springs Yacht Club (Map; 760-770-5000; www.parkerpalmsprings.com; 4200 E Palm Canyon Dr) Ritzy, glitzy and fabulous, the spa at the Parker Palm Springs is a fave of society ladies and the occasional celeb.
Revive (Map; 760-325-4800; www.rosannas.com; 353 S Palm Canyon Dr) Massages, body treatments and a full-service hair salon. Internet specials.
Salon 119 – A Day Spa (Map; 760-327-4800; 119 N Indian Canyon Dr) Get a topflight manicure and cut-and-color, followed by a relaxing massage.
Spa Resort Casino (Map; 760-325-1461; www.sparesortcasino.com; 100 N Indian Canyon Dr) The valley’s original hot springs are at this Native American casino hotel Click here. For $40 you can buy the ‘taking of the waters’ course through multiple baths, steam rooms and saunas.
Two Bunch Palms (Map; 760-329-8791; www.twobunchpalms.com; 67425 Two Bunch Palms Trail, Desert Hot Springs) Tim Robbins soaked in the mud baths here in The Player, but you needn’t be a rainmaker to enjoy the mud, water and massage treatments or lush gardens.
The Well (Map; 760-341-2200; 40-500 Indian Wells Ln, Indian Wells) The renowned spa at the Miramonte Resort offers couples’ massage, body-painting parties and chocolate treatments.
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Trail Discovery Outdoor Guide Service ( 760-325-4453, 888-867-2327; www.palmspringshiking.com) offers excellent and educational guided hiking trips locally and in Joshua Tree National Park. It operates fewer trips during summer. Call for availability and prices.
Horseback