Palm Springs

[endy]

Hi Everyone
We're thinking of going to Palm Springs for July 4 - 6. Is this bad idea in July? Really hot?
It'll be myself and two 12 yr old boys. We arrive in SD around 2pm, pick up a car & go. How far of a drive is it?
We have 6 days and thought 3 in Palm Springs and 3 in Anaheim (not doing Disney). Would we be better of to do 3 days in SD? We go to SD in Aug so planning to do SeaWorld & Legoland then.
Room rates look really reasonable in Palm Springs & we (I mean me) want to do more relaxing stuff this time.
Any thoughts or ideas?
Thank you

 

[LavenderPeach]

Yes, it will be hot but you can get a great deal on the resorts. We looked into going on July 6 for our anniversary but decided on DLR instead. I have to admit that the weather is a big reason we decided against Palm Springs. But we live halfway between palm springs and LA so it gets pretty warm here too and I wanted to try to get away from the heat if I could. The forecast says 113 for July 4 and cools down to 109 on the 6th.

But when I was researching stayng at PS my mom told me she read an article about the cheaper summer rates. One resort they mentioned is Viceroy (viceroypalmsprings.com): 3 pools, $100 a night instead of the usual $300 in winter. The article also mentioned the Riviera Resort & Spa (psriviera.com) $129 for a room that is $249 in winter. So you can get some great deals.

Also, if you go up on the Aerial Tramway it is cool up in the mountains and there are trails you can hike around.

So it's not a completely crazy idea but you just need to be prepared. I would say that if you're going to do it you should find a place where you won't mind staying in the hotel room because you might want to stay inside all day and then go out in the evenings. The tramway should be cool enough during the day to do though.

Good luck making a decision and have fun on your trip!

 

[endy]

Thanks for the reply LavenderPeach
I booked a room for 3 nights. That gives us Sun & Mon to do the tram & maybe an outlet mall & lay around the pool.
I was considering staying 2 more nights but we likely won't be able to take the heat that long.

 

[LavenderPeach]

Have a great time! And report back to let us know how it was!

I'm not sure which outlet mall you're heading to but if you go to the one in Cabazon make sure to check out a store called Hadley's which is next to the mall, not actually in it. They specialize in dates (which i don't care for) but they have all kinds of nuts, dried fruit, trail mixes, unusual sodas and chips. It's more interesting than I'm making it sound. It's just a fun little local store with some different things than you usually see. There's an Indian Casino right there too if that interests you.

Have a fun trip!

 

[PHXscuba]

There's also a Soak City water park in Palm Springs. I haven't been there, but if you're there in the summer it might be a good thing to at least check on.

I definitely second the Aerial Tramway. If your boys are at all outdoorsy they will love being up there, maybe your middle day to get a break from the heat? They have trails of different lengths. I was up there almost exactly a year ago!

I live outside Phoenix, so I don't voluntarily spend much time somewhere that hot! The rates are lower in the summer for a reason. If you aren't used to the heat PLEASE remember lots of water, sunscreen and hats.

PHXscuba,
just dragged back from the CA beaches kicking and screaming

 

[endy]

Well we did spend 3 nights in Palm Springs. The boys loved it. We did the tram, didn't go to the outlet malls. We did Soak City & it was a huge hit. I spent most of the time in the lazy river.
We also went to the Living Desert. While it was great it was way, way too hot. Guess that's why it close around 1pm. I would love to go again when it is cooler. The motel was great, the beds & the pool was awesome. We spent a lot of time in it.
I also bought Hadley dates at Costco.

I have a remote start in my suv so I can warm it up for a few minutes in the winter. Why don't rental cars have them so it can be cool before you get in. I would start & let it run for a few minutes before getting in.

 

[LavenderPeach]

Sounds like you had a fun trip! Glad you were able to do some fun things, even with the heat. Which hotel did you stay at?

I agree about the Living Desert Zoo being so hot. We didn't even go in the summer and it was still too hot. We had fun though and DS loved the little model train.

Thanks for the mini trip report!

 

[endy]

We stayed at the Caliente Tropics Resort. They have the most comfortable beds & lots of pillows. We had a pool view except for one tree. The boys liked this motel the best out of the ones at Anaheim & SD.
It had a mini fridge which was a must. I think we went thru a ton of water. It was good to always have cold drinks.

I found it very easy to get around and very low traffic. Also thought it was interesting that there are no tall signs, you know the giant golden arches. The boys had to keep an eye out for places to eat. IHOP was the favorite. And the one McD's had video games so we actually went there twice to eat & play.

 

[LavenderPeach]

That resort sounds nice. I'll have to remember it if we ever take an extended trip out there. We only live about an hour from there so we've only done a couple of day trips so far but I think it would be fun to take a mini vacation there sometime.