Palm Springs – there is a life here without the golf
December 2, 2009
Palm Springs in December is a welcoming spot. You walk off the airline into an open air terminal with sunshine pouring in….and immediately start stripping since if you live in Canada or the northern US, you haven’t felt such intense sun in many months already. And you’re likely dressed in black. (Keep your sunglasses handy too as you’ll need them immediately.)
There are a variety of accommodation types to choose from within a number of small cities that make up the Coachella Valley including Palm Springs itself, Palm Desert, Cathedral City, Indio, Rancho Mirage, La Quinta and Indian Wells. I’ve probably missed a few too. In my explorations so far I like Palm Springs and La Quinta, both of which are close to the mountains so walking and hiking paths are readily accessible. Unfortunately a car is pretty much a necessity too, given the driving culture, lack of a good and timely public transport system and the distances between towns.
There are plenty of activities apart from golf to keep you as busy as you choose to be. There are 140 hikes within a 70 mile radius of Palm Springs. These range from 1 mile to 22 mile affairs and in fact the hike with the biggest one day vertical in the US is probably here. It is ‘The Cactus to Clouds’ hike with an elevation gain of 10,400′ over 22 miles though fortunately you can take the tram down and avoid much of the descent. Throw in some lazy biking around Palm Springs to give you a feel for the place, a trip out to Joshua Tree National Park to admire huge boulders and high mountain desert plants, some shopping and pool time and your getaway will be over in no time.
However if you have several weeks or months where you’d like to get out of the winter I would recommend considering this part of the world. The Palm Springs area, like so many other spots that were overbuilt, is hurting. There are great deals on long term condo rentals available and more in the next few days on some places to stay if you’re here for a week or less.
Leigh McAdam
Bookmark to: Stumble Upon
Comments
Got something to say?
-
Recent Posts
- Thrills on Whistler’s Zipline
- Egg Man on Kilimanjaro – Photo of the Week
- Nine ways to Enjoy the Cabot Trail this Fall
- The Splendid Great George in Charlottetown, PEI
- Biggest Amateur Sand Castle Building Event in the World
- Boardwalks, Beaches and Sand Dunes-Greenwich, PEI Nat’l Park
- A Stay at the Domaine du Vieux Couvent, Magdalen Islands
- Cape Breton’s Glorious Cabot Trail
- The Magdalen Islands – A Photographer’s Dream
- The Magical Magdalen Islands
-
Categories
- Accommodation Reviews and Tips
- Adventure Travel Tours and Tips
- Africa
- Airlines, airports and air ticket info
- Biking in Europe- tours and tips
- Biking in North America – tips and tours
- Book suggestions – travel & otherwise
- Canada
- Canoeing/kayaking trips
- Downloadable Guides
- Europe
- Garden related travel
- Gear reviews and tips
- Green Travel
- Guest Post
- Hiking, backpacking and walking tips and tours
- Miscellaneous travel tips
- Other
- Photo of the week
- Restaurant Tips
- Safety Tips
- Skiing Info and Tips
- Spain
- Travel Blogs from around the World
- United States
- Wine Tours and Tips
-
Archives
-
Links
- 501 Places - Read Andy’s musings on his adventures to 70+ countries.
- A Little Adrift - A well written blog with great photos by a 20 something woman who has done a RTW trip.
- A Pair of Panties and Boxers - She use to want the corner office. Now she wants the world. Monica blogs about her travels around the world & her travels through life. Either way she travel, it’s food for her soul.
- A Travel Around the World - Marta ‘n Chris travel the world and share their tips, stories and excitement of the venture.
- Abandon the Cube - Ever thought of Abandoning your cubical to travel around the world? We are two travelers who did just that. Join us as we travel, mostly by ground transport and sea, across the globe at Abandon the Cube.”
- About Airport Parking - Covers parking information at every major airport in the US.
- Alice's Garden Travel Buzz - Look for great articles on gardens around the world, plus spas, foodie havens and cooking schools.
- Amsterdam Hotels - Expert Recommendations from Simonseeks.com
- Art of Backpacking - Mike and Teresa have a well written, extremely useful website geared to the international backapacker.
- Australia - Australia travel guide. Find the best of Australia.
- Beachcomber Pete - As you explore Beachcomber Pete’s website you will find unbiased Travel Adventures to far off and exotic places, Destination Travel Guides to help with information on where you are headed and what to expect when you get there.
- Beers and Beans - Follow a California couple as they wander the world. Excellent photography.
- Best Beaches in Asia - This website will lead you to some of the best beaches in Thailand, Taiwan, Cambodia and Hong Kong.
- Brooke vs The World - Well written blog tracing Brooke’s journey around the world with some interesting longer term stops for work.
- Brooklyn Nomad - A Noo Yawka with a bad case of wanderlust – great quotes, great photography.
- Candice does the World - Get a Newfoundler’s point of view about Newfoundland, life and world travel.
- Carolina Nomad - Spencer is your one stop travel source if you’re travleing to the Carolinas.
- Currency Converter - Get exchange rates for world currencies.
- Dave's Travel Corner - The go to website for all things related to travel – blogs, message boards, resoucres, photos, clasiifieds, travel news…
- Ever the Nomad - Anja is a Lonely Planet author who travels and a traveler who writes.
- Everything Everywhere - Gary is a VERY well traveled guy who writes and takes great HD photos.
- foXnoMad - Great blog with lots of tips on tech, money,lodging, culture…
- Gabriola Cycle and Kayak - Guided cycling trips to Mexico, Spain and France for adventuresome travelers at very reasonable prices.
- Gap Year Escape - Follow Amar’s backpacking travels in the southern hemisphere.
- Gourmantic - A well written food and travel blog.
- Guy and Girl Travels - Get both perspectives on travel from this team. Great stories from all the travel angles – food, happenings, haunts.
- Happy Time Blog - Follow Aaron & Georgie as they have alot of fun traveling/backpacking the world.
- Health Conscious Travel - A blog on health, travel and green living.
- Hichsters - Get paired with a fellow traveler going to the same airport. Share a ride and split the cost.
- Hole in the Donut Travels - Read about Barbara’s travels from the perspective of a 50 something female with a serious case of wanderlust.
- Home Exchange 50plus - 50plus Home Exchange is specifically for the older traveller. Swap your home with other like minded seniors. Stay free – travel more
- Hop and Jaunt - Check out the website of this pair of traveling designers.
- Hoseasons Log Cabins - Luxury log cabins throughout the beautiful UK countryside.
- How to Travel with Pets - This is your go to website if you’re a pet owner and you love to travel with pets including birds, fish and reptiles.
- i Backpack Canada - Corbin provides you with lots of advice and tips for hitting the road with a backpack in Canada.
- Ian and Wendy - Follow this well traveled Canadian couple on their worldwide travel adventures.
- Inside the Travel Lab - A well written blog on the art and science of unusual travels.
- Janes Guide to Scotland - Look for travel tips and information from someone who calls Scotland home.
- Jet Set Citizen - John and his wife are jet set citizens – a group of people living the lifestyle they choose involving travel, technology and social media.
- Lonely Planet Author: Joshua Samuel Brown - Read the musings of Josh, an expat living in Asia.
- Monna McD - Follow the writings of this Canadian woman living in Bangkok.
- My Several Worlds - Carrie writes about photography, lifestyle, travel and teaching ESL in Asia.
- No Debt World Travel - Learn Brian’s tricks of traveling around the world cheaply.
- Nomadic Chick - Jeannie is joining a long line of former cubicle dwellers and is about to embark on a RTW trip. Her stories are great as so is her writing style.
- One Bag - Everything you need to know to pack light. A great site.
- Otts World - Follow Sherry on her travels and enjoy inspiring photos and video.
- Paddy in Buenos Asia - A very funny blog on everyday life of an Irish expat now living in Hong Kong. Warning – may contain nudity, bad language and Irish humour.
- Quiver Tree Family Expeditions - Let this company help you plan a unique trip for your family to some of the world’s great places. Kid and parent tested itineraries.
- Riverville House B&B, Kenmare, Ireland - If you are walking or touring the Kerry Way in Ireland then add this B&B to your must stay list. You will find lovely rooms and welcoming hosts at reasonable prices.
- Rome Hotels - Looking for a hotel in Rome??
- Runaway Jane - A lovely website by this fulltime travel writer and freelance illustrator.
- Snarky Tofu - Check out the videos.
- Start Backpacking - Get info on the steps to start backpacking, backpacking medicine, cheap flights and more.
- Sunmaster Holidays - Find holidays, all inclusive holidays and package holidays with Sunmaster.co.uk
- Tech Guide for Travel - Reviews of tech products used by travelers and all sorts of useful techie info in easy to understand terms.
- The 9 to 5 Alternative - Peruse well written articles about travel, lifestyle and entrepreneurship.
- The Caffeinated Traveller - Insights into world travel with colourful images – perfect with a cup of coffee.
- The Guide to Sleeping in Airports - Over 6500 airport reviews let you know which airports are the best and worst for sleeping.
- The Planet D - Read about and watch videos on the ongoing adventure travels of Canada’s Dave Bouskill and Deb Corbeil.
- The Professional Hobo - Adventures of a girl with no fixed address.
- The Travel Expert(a) - Marina blogs about traveling in Central America AND plans and organizes trips in Costa Rica.
- The World Effect - Excellent photography and writing are the hallmarks of Beau and Meggan’s round the world blog.
- Trail of Ants - Check out this Brit’s excellent writing. He’s traveled on the Trans-Mongolian railway!
- Travel Blissful - Follow Erica’s stories, tips, musings, video and photography as they relate to travel.
- Travel Enlightenment - A multi year journey around the world is recorded with insight.
- Travel Squire - An online travel magazine & travel itinerary planning service.
- Travel Wonders of the World - Mark blogs about his travels to over 80 countries.
- Travel Yourself - Follow Cailin as she travels the world one country at a time. Nice photography. Upcoming TV.
- Travelholic - Look for travel tips, reviews, photos & videos by this addicted adventure traveler.
- Traveling Canucks - Nicole and Cameron are a couple and a well traveled one at that with over 47 countries under their belt. Their photography is a treat for the eyes.
- Traveling Greener - Sonya provides green travel news, trends and information.
- Traveling Savage - Keith is a wonderful travel writer who tackles a wide range of off the beaten travel path topics.
- Traveling the World by the Seat of our Pants - Follow the good, the bad and the nasty as this couple travels the world.
- Travels with Phillip - Phillip writes about sharing his love of travel with his three kids. Lucky kids. Great adventures.
- Travels with Two - Great website with lots of useful information for trip planning – especially for couples.
- TravMonkey - Paul gives you detailed info for backpacking around the world.
- Tuscany Tours - Offers full day and half day tours in Florence and Tuscany, Italy.
- Uncornered Market - Look for human stories, photography, street food reporting and personal growth stories.
- Vacation Rentals by Owner, Homes, Beach House, Condo rentals, Cabin rentals, Cottage, Beach rentals and Lake rentals. - Worldwide Leader – vacation property rentals that specializes in connecting property rental owners with travelers.
- Vagabonding Life - Greg writes thought provoking articles about travel since escaping from the cubicles of corporate America.
- Velvet Escape - Read about Keith’s escapes and adventure travels to some of the world’s most interesting places.
- Wild Junket - Follow Nellie’s wild ride around the world. She’ll teach you how to swear in Spanish and get you up to speed on odd Asian habits!
- World Clock - Find out what time it is anywhere in the world + get international dailing information.
- World Electric Guide - Provides information on plug types and voltages in every country around the world.
- Worldwide Airlines - You’ll find both the major and some of the obscure airlines in countries around the world.
- Worldwide Weather - Get weather forecasts for most countires.
|
