Palm Springs back to life

Go USA:Once a playground for the rich and famous, the desert resort is making a comeback as a mecca for spas and shopping, writes ALANNA GALLAGHER

PALM SPRINGS is the stuff of postcards and seared into our collective memory, thanks to its celebrity past. Now it’s enjoying something of a revival, as spa treatments and shopping become the main attractions in the desert resort which boasts some of California’s most alluring scenery.

Set in the base of a rocky valley, surrounded by the San Jacinto Mountains, Palm Springs looks and feels as manicured as a Hollywood starlet. The city has been a desert playground for movie stars wishing to escape from the hustle and bustle of showbiz since the 1920s.

Tinseltown’s old studio system had a “two-hour rule” that helped put the resort on the map. In case last-minute film or photo shoots were needed, actors under contract had to be available within two hours from the studio. Palm Springs was the perfect getaway.

Several celebrities stayed and purchased hideaway homes here: most notably Rat Packers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. Bob Hope, Cary Grant and Lucille Ball also set up home here. You can now rent Ball’s house through Vacation Palm Springs.

Palm Springs rivalled Vegas as an A-list destination all the way through to the early 1970s, but it fell out of favour and into a bit of a geriatric stupor.

However, the old lady is back in fashion thanks in part to Louis Vuitton’s Cruise 2011 collection being inspired by the resort’s Parker Hotel and American sports-luxe designer Trina Turk dedicating her summer collection to the resort.

Visitors have rediscovered its cool mountain-refined air. It’s a resort that feels pine fresh and clean in a way one doesn’t imagine in America and it puts a spring in your step.

THE CITY ISimmaculate. Its pristine perfect colonial style architecture almost resembles a film set. Even the palms are manicured to within an inch of their lives.

Perfectly-formed clouds hover in the sky above and look like alien flying saucers about to launch an invasion, all of which adds to its surreal atmosphere.

There is very little to do here and that is the whole idea of this American vacation spot. Nowhere does the idea of doing nothing suit better and the resort of Palm Springs has the practice down to a fine art.

The best hotels have everything you want; pools, cabanas to escape the midday sun, bikini bars to flaunt your body, spas offering the ultimate in pampering and fire pits to keep the desert chills at bay after dark.

Most people don’t ever leave the confines of their hotels, but they should. The town centre is one long shopping street, best explored on a bike with the cool breeze blowing in your hair.

This is a resort for the rich or those with champagne tastes as is evidenced in the chichi shopping on the main drag; high-end antique dealers – the kind that call 1st Dibs home; expensive decor shops and fashion stores offering big name resort wear.

Venture off the main drag and you will see examples of some of America’s finest mid-century homes, an architectural style that has been dubbed “desert modernism”.

Elvis’s honeymoon house, where he and Priscilla hid away, is just one of the delights to explore. Couples can even sleep in the bedroom where Lisa Marie was reportedly conceived, for the kingly sum of $3,600 (€2,550) for a minimum two-night stay.

The taking of its mineral waters is one of Palm Springs’ original attractions. You can still enjoy a mineral bath at the Spa Resort Casino, a 1950s-fronted hotel that looks like its seen better days. The spa is equally old-fashioned but still popular with locals.

Golf too is huge, thanks in part to Bob Hope. Play a round on either of the 18-hole courses at Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort.

Outside the city limits there is nothing bar the odd dust devil and desert scrub. Venture further afield and explore the mountaintop wilderness on the aerial tramway, which takes you up the sheer cliffs of Chino Canyon to a rocky top where large pines populate the limited fertile mounds of soil of the San Jacinto State Park.

Mountain lions are said to roam here, but they steer clear of the tourists. There are several viewing platforms from which to savour the scenery and a path leading down into the wilderness should you wish to explore.

PALM SPRINGSremains a resort for the typical American holidaymaker and a fertile hunting ground if you want to observe the species in its own environment. They come to catch a show, suck on pool-side cocktails and lounge all the while working on their golden California tans.

But the word that this is the place to come and do nothing is beginning to spread. There were lots of British and Germans in situ when this writer visited. Many of these are fashion tourists; label-hunting bargainistas, drawn by A-list labels on offer at nearby Desert Springs Premium Outlets, home to high-end names that include Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Prada, Jimmy Choo, Bottega Veneta, Salvatore Ferragamo and Etro.

While there’s up to 70 per cent off retail prices the real deals are to be found in the American labels; Tory Burch, Coach, Tods, Diane Von Furstenburg, Polo Ralph Lauren, J Crew and Barneys. Additionally, there is great value in kids’ clothes and in jeans at Lucky, Banana Republic and Saks Off 5th Avenue.

Many spend several days here truffeling out bargains, but one is enough to do serious damage to the average credit card limit. You can stay beside the outlet at the Morongo Casino Resort and Spa and go on a gambling shopathon, but getting accommodation in town is a far smarter option.

And you never know who you might see. Stars play the resort as part of their tour circuits, Coachella Music and Arts Festival attracts a seriously fashionable crowd and the city’s proximity to Hollywood means that there is an ever-changing celebrity quota to observe.

Hit the beach . . . or bag a bargain

The beaches of California are legendary – and San Diego’s north coast offers a breakerscape that is on a par with Australia’s Great Ocean Drive. This is a surfer’s paradise that trails south from Oceanside to Del Mar.

Surfing is something you have to try while here. There are classes in every town, but this is something that takes thousands of hours to master, so don’t expect rapid results.

The beach doesn’t only belong to the surfers though. In each town, the sandy strip is where the local community runs, walks and digs. From sun-up, when joggers and dog walkers populate the pristine sand, to evening time, when the metal detectives scan for lost treasure, these beaches are at the heart of California life.

When it comes to accommodation, there are hotels and campsites to choose from all the way along Highway 101 from Oceanside, through Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach to Del Mar and La Jolla.

Carlsbad is a sweet little resort that feels quintessentially American in design, from its original 1950s drive-thru donut shop to the tree-lined streets filled with boutiques selling all sorts of New Age nonsense.

Renowned for its flower fields, this is a fragrant town. Even the Carlsbad Premium Outlets (5620 Paseo del Norte, Suite 100, premiumoutlets.com) is heavy with the smell of jasmine where bargain-hunters hone in for the kill on luxe labels.

The Carlsbad Inn (carlsbadinn.com) is the town’s real accommodation draw. It has sea views and a quaint old-fashioned vibe although only in existence since the 1980s. With direct access to the beach, its own swimming pool and terrace complete with fire pits, it’s the perfect place from which to explore all the region has to offer.

With attractions ranging from San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld and Legoland California to renting a Harley and taking a day trip out to Catalina, dining on fish tacos and sampling the wines of the Temecula Valley, this is a region you won’t want to leave.

sandiego.org

Palm Springs where to . . .

Stay

The Alexander Inn, 1425 South Via Soledad, 00-1-760-327-4970 alexander-inn.com. Built in the 1950s, the Alexander Inn is a part of Palm Springs' history. Renovated in 2008, it is small but perfectly formed, with alluring poolside one- and two-bedroom villas containing kitchens and separate living areas. Rooms from $150 (€106).

Palm Springs Riviera Resort Spa, 1600 Nth Indian Canyon Drive, 00-1-760-327-8311, psriviera.com. Renovated in 2008, highlights at the Riveria include a fleur-de-lis-shaped swimming pool, cabanas, bikini bar and fire pits that allow the daytime activities poolside to go on into the night. Rooms from $250 (€177).

Le Parker Meridien, 4200 East Palm Canyon Drive, 00-1-760-770-5000, starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien. Redesigned by Jonathan Adler in 2004, this happy chic camp-as-a-row-of-tents style is not for everyone, but it's fun. This is the man responsible for reimagining Malibu Barbie's Beach House for her 50th birthday celebrations two years ago. Rooms from $250 (€177).

Eat

Trio Palm Springs,
707 Nth Palm Canyon Drive, 00-1-760-864-8746, triopalmsprings.com. With a menu that offers a smorgasbord of Cal/Pacific-flavoured plates from crawfish pie to seared ahi tuna, wild mushroom risotto and Angus steak burgers, Trio has something for everyone.

Rio Azul, 350 Sth Indian Canyon Drive, 00-1-760-992-5641, rioazulpalmsprings.com. You can't come to California and not sample the Mexican cuisine. Rio Azul's parrilladas will set you up for the evening; a choice of citrus marinated meats from shrimp to quail, served with sour cream, pico de galo, a choice of beans and guacamole that is made freshly at the table.

Citron at the Viceroy Palm Spring, 415 Sth Belardo Road, 00-1-760-320-4117, viceroypalmsprings.com. A 1930s-era building designed with a modern take on Hollywood Regency offers a romantic place to stargaze in every sense of the word. Vibrant, lemon yellow walls reflect the city's sunny disposition while the menu serves up California fare.

Go

One Tram Way, 00-1-760-325-1449, pstramway.com. Board the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and see the city from a different perspective. The world's largest rotating tram car takes you on a 10-minute journey up the sheer cliffs of Chino Canyon, to a height of 2,595m. On top is the San Jacinto State Park, a pristine wilderness that you can hike through and even camp in although facilities are what the Americans politely call basic.

Get up close and personal with the San Andreas Fault (sanandreasfault.org) at Coachella Valley Preserve. Joshua Tree National Park (joshuatree.org) is about an hour's drive north of Palm Springs and a far more dramatic setting to see the fault as well as everything the desert has to offer.

Shop spot

Desert Hills Premium Outlets, 48400 Seminole Drive, Cabazon, 00-1-951-849-6641, premiumoutlets.com. A 20-minute drive from downtown Palm Springs and home to more luxury labels than you could ever hope to find under one roof all reduced by up to 70 per cent. Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Prada, Jimmy Choo, Bottega Veneta, Marni, Etro are some of the big lures but it is the American labels – Tory Burch, Tods, Coach, Diane Von Furstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger – that offer the best discounts. Hot high street fashion labels Banana Republic and J Crew – both favourites of the recently-in-town Mrs Obama – are also criminally cheap.

Alanna Gallagher was a guest of Premium Outlets and Air New Zealand (airnewzealand.com), which flies from London Heathrow to LA

visitpalmsprings.com,

visitcalifornia.com