Two nights in Palm Springs for a family of four
After our 12 hour flight from Auckland, New Zealand, we landed in Los Angeles (LAX) at 6:00am. Rather than pay for an extra night accommodation to be able to check in to a motel so early, we decided to get the rental car and get on the road. We chose Palm Springs for the warmer weather, even in winter and the short 2 hour drive.
This is the first leg of our 14 day - two week USA road trip. This link will take you to the main post with all the links to the rest of the trip. As I write them!
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| Beautiful blue skies and of course palm trees - Palm Springs December 2024 |
Accommodation for 2 nights in Palm Springs
We stayed at Desert Vacation Villas in a two bedroom villa. Of course we arrived way too early but the receptionist was very kind and allowed us to swim in the pool while we waited for our room to be ready. I even had a little nap on the sun lounger next to the pool after the jet lag hit home!
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| View from our villa's main bedroom |
We paid NZ$444 (US$257.52 / €239.76) for two nights via Booking.com. The villa had two bedrooms, one with two single beds, which is why we choose it. After a long haul flight we thought the teenagers needed their own beds to have a good catch up sleep. It also had two bathrooms and a fully equipped kitchen. It was spacious and we had a great view of the swimming pool. The only downside was the pool pump was a little noisy from the main bedroom but it was constant so did wake us up at all.
Activities for a family in Palm Springs for 2 days
North Lykken Trailhead Hike
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| North Lykken Trailhead - Palm Springs December 2024 |
First thing the following morning we decided to go for a morning hike before the heat kicked in. The North Lykken Trailhead is right on the edge of the city, and only a 10 minute drive from the villa. The photo doesn't do it justice. The dry desert goes for miles and Palm Springs is a green little oasis in the middle of it.
Tip: Take water, the desert air is DRY!
Even if you are only going for a short walk the dry desert air is something else. Here in New Zealand we get our fair share of humidity being surrounded by the sea and all. It takes a bit of adjusting! The sun is definitely hot but it doesn't have the burning sting that it does in New Zealand. It could be because it was winter but it was warm without the burning feel.
Walking North Palm Canyon Drive
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| North Palm Canyon Drive |
We took stroll along North Palm Canyon Drive, the main street really. After finding somewhere we were allowed to park. The signage was confusing, so I asked the a friendly looking person if they were a local (yes) and if we were allowed to park there. He had no idea, but said he parked there himself and never had a problem! We were looking for Marilyn Munroe but thought we would check out the area a little more while we were there. The teens were super excited to see a Starbucks. We do have Starbucks in NZ but we live in a regional center a solid 3 hour drive to the nearest one. The coffee seems less strong in flavour than in New Zealand but with at least as much of a caffeine kick.
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| Marilyn Munroe Statue - Palm Springs |
We did find Marilyn! And the perks of coming in the off season is only having to wait a few seconds for a photo op. This was wasted on the teenagers, who were not remotely interested. But we did have another plan they were much more excited about...
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
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| Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - Nearing Dusk |
After getting a huge shock at the supermarket prices on the first day, we took full advantage of the Ride and Dine tickets at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway which included a full meal at the top. The meal included gives you choices from a set menu and the portions were more than we could handle. I am not a lover of tramways, cable cars, gondolas or whatever you might call them. The cars are bigger than I expected and there is a staff member on board which did make me feel a little safer. There are some solid drops after the pylons but the car rotates very slowly so you don't feel like you are spinning!
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| View of Palm Springs lights from the Aerial Tramway |
The views at the top were breathtaking! Worth every second of nervousness on the way up. The only thing I would change next time is to go a little earlier so we could have explored the walks at the top more. It was difficult to see in the dark but there is a whole forest up behind there.
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| Top of the Aerial Tramway - Mount San Jacinto |
As you can see it looks like it goes for miles! It is such a contrast from the desert landscapes below and not at all what I was expecting to see. From sheer mountainous rock faces on the front to green forest at the back. It would have been amazing to be able to take a good look around. Next time!
Our journey down the tramway I enjoyed much more. Our driver had music playing and lighting, it was like a little disco! The pylons give you a little swing but I liked that feeling a lot more than the drops on the way up. Such an awesome experience, this would be my top must do in Palm Springs.
Total Cost of our 2 night stay in Palm Springs
For the Rental car I have taken the total cost for the entire 14 days and calculated the per day cost. Eating out includes fast food or small snacks and drinks along the way.