While in Palm Springs we had a gorgeous view of the San Jacinto mountains. We were totally surrounded by them the whole time so we decided to get up close and personal to see what they were all about. We heard the best way to do this was to take the tramway to the top! The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is the largest rotating aerial tramway in the world. It was opened in September 1963 as a way of getting from the floor of the Coachella Valley to relatively near the top of San Jacinto Peak. San Jacinto Peak, 10,834 feet, is the highest peak of the San Jacinto Mountains and is within Mount San Jacinto State Park.

I’m not gonna lie, the tramway was kinda scary, it was so steep! But the view made it totally worth it! At the top of the mountain we did a short little hike and then had lunch before heading back down. It was a nice little break from the Palm Springs desert heat. The temperature dropped quite a bit up in the mountains!

Y’all, this Jeffrey pine smelled exactly like butterscotch candy, it was crazy!

Check out the rest of our trip: ACE Hotel & King’s Highway Diner, Salvation Mountain, The Saguaro, Parker Palm Springs, our architecture tour and our instagrams here.

One of our days in Palm Springs was spent driving around from neighborhood to neighborhood to see what the more residential areas were like. We started out at Koffi (best coffee in Palm Springs) to plan our route and we ended up downloading a really cool iPhone app called FanGuide Palm Springs Modern Architecture that had different routes with addresses mapped out and the story behind each spot.

Palm Springs has a large concentration of architecture from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Many architects adapted ideas from the Bauhaus movement and the International Style, creating an elegant yet informal style called Desert Modernism. Other popular styles in Palm Springs are Art Moderne, Spanish Eclectic, Googie and Tiki.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation named Palm Springs to its 2006 list of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations, an annual national list of only 12 cultural tourism destinations for architecture. In 2009, Palm Springs was designated a Preserve America City.

It’s so crazy how different the architecture and landscaping is from what I’m used to, I’ve really never seen anything like Palm Springs. It was a great day of exploring!

Next up will be photos from Mount San Jacinto State Park and a little road trip to LA! In the meantime you can check out ACE Hotel & King’s Highway Diner, Salvation Mountain, The Saguaro, Parker Palm Springs and our instagrams here.

For our last night in Palm Springs we decided to switch it up and I’m SO glad we did. The Saguaro was beautiful, but the Parker Palm Springs… best. place. ever. In 2003 it was purchased by hotelier Jack Parker, who hired designer Jonathan Adler to give the space a $27-million facelift. The property re-opened in 2004 as Le Parker Méridien, or Parker Palm Springs as it is better known.

From the moment we drove up it was like being whisked away into a tropical fairy tail of secret gardens. Such a unique and eclectic ambiance that is hard to describe. We relaxed in our amazing room for a while before heading out to the pool and for drinks at their outdoor cafe, The Lemonade Stand. Right before sunset we went back to the room to change and have some pre dinner drinks in our hammock! On our way to dinner, we explored some of the 13-acre property, including fire pits, desert gardens and croquet courts. We were bummed that Mister Parker’s was closed the night we were there but Norma’s, the other restaurant at the Parker did not disappoint! We ended up making friends with the table next to us and had a great early night since our flight was the next morning! If you head to Palm Springs, I recommend checking out the Parker Palm Springs or having dinner there, even if you don’t book a room!

A HUGE thanks to Parker Palm Springs for hooking us up with a room discount and upgrade! I can’t believe we almost didn’t stay here! Although we received a discount, all opinions are my own, I absolutely adore the Parker Palm Springs!

Next up will be photos from our architecture tour, Mount San Jacinto State Park and some of our other favorites from the trip! In the meantime you can check out ACE Hotel & King’s Highway Diner, Salvation Mountain, The Saguaro and our instagrams here.

During our week in Palm Springs we stayed at The Saguaro for six of our seven nights. The actual rooms were nothing special but the beautiful pool area totally made up for this! In 2011, architects Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat were brought in to infuse local color into the property. The team, known for their bold use of color, advocated recreating The Saguaro around a palette of 14 vibrant tones found in native desert wildflowers. The brilliant colors now adorn each balcony and patio and anchor the guest rooms, while also enlivening the indoor and outdoor public spaces. The color set follows the light spectrum, which in turn creates different perspectives of the hotel according to the time of day. Truthfully, this hotel is what swayed our final decision to choose Palm Springs for our vacation destination! After seeing all of the photos on Pinterest we had to stay there!

Both of the restaurants by Iron Chef Jose Garces at the hotel were really good! At Tinto, Garces presents his modern approach to traditional Basque tapas, and a deep selection of the area’s premier wines and native cocktails. El Jefe is a more casual spot featuring the cuisine and culture of Mexico City.

Our first day in Palm Springs we took it slow, relaxed by the The Saguaro pool and explored the grounds. I LOVED this hotel, the view of the mountains from the pool mixed with the rainbow of colors on the patios was breathtaking.

Next up will be photos from our architecture tour, Mount San Jacinto State Park, The Parker and some of our other favorites from the trip! In the meantime you can check out ACE Hotel & King’s Highway Diner, Salvation Mountain and our instagrams here.