For a long time Palm Springs was known as a celebrity desert hideaway. It’s status as a hideaway has long passed, but it’s still a great escape for swimming, sunbathing, tennis and golfing in warm, sunny weather.  Located at the foot of the Santa Rosa Mountains, the Palm Springs/Palm Desert area is dotted with almost as many golf courses as palm trees.
 
My first visit to Palm Springs came after enduring a long rainy winter in Seattle. I couldn’t wait to see the sun and Palm Springs didn’t disappoint. It was over Spring Break and temperatures were already well into the 90’s. We stayed at the Spanish-inspired Rancho Las Palmas, a resort with golf, tennis, spa and swimming pools.  It can be expensive, but you can find deals on Expedia or other travel sites.  We spent many hours just hanging out at the pool.  Our room was a one story casita with its own patio facing the golf course, pond and landscaped grounds.  We had dinner at the Wildflower Grille, across from our casita. The menu is continental and the food was good.  We were seated on the patio overlooking the pool and golf course. 

A popular destination if you don’t mind being a little further from Palm Springs is the La Quinta Resort and Club.  With 41 pools, 7 restaurants, a spa with 35 treatments rooms, 5 golf courses, and 23 tennis courts, it’s a full service resort and chosen by Robb Report as “Best Tennis Resort”.  All guests stay in one-story early California-style casitas, which are clustered around the many pools. Celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, its hosted stars like Clark Gable, Katherine Hepburn, Errol Flynn and Greta Garbo. While staying in one of the resort’s casitas, Frank Capra was inspired to write the script for “It Happened One Night”.