My wife and I usually visit Palm Springs once or twice each winter, 
but this year a series of unforeseen events restulted in cancelling and re-booking several weekend trips to our "desert home" at the Doral Desert Princess. With our deposit moved to this date, we decided we better go in May or miss out altogether.
Julie started visiting Palm Springs when she was in college, taking weekend trips on a shoestring with her best friend Christie.
They would stay in a cheap hotel, eat whatever the bargain meal was at IHOP or Denny's, and sunbathe in a trickling creek where the water level never came close to covering their skinny teenaged bodies but nonetheless kept them from overheating in the summer, when rates were at their lowest.
Going in winter means beautiful 80-degree days under clear desert skies, but by May, scorching summer days are on the immediate horizon. We arrived this month to a thermometer fast approaching 100 degrees. It topped out around 106 by the afternoon. Nonetheless, as the old folks love to say, it is a dry heat. For me, it wasn't uncomfortable. I actually seem to thrive in what others consider to be hot weather. We strolled down the sidewalk, where boutiques not only serve as brief respites from the heat but also have bargains that resulted in Julie buying a $16 sundress for our daughter Amy's birthday. After visiting a great Hollywood memorabilia store where we bought absolutely nothing, we mosied over to our usual stop for lunch on our first day.
Las Casuelas Terraza is a restaurant on the main drag, with a beautiful patio that includes a fountain and palapa bar to make outdoor dining very pleasant. We secured excellent seats along the fence, where overhead misters kept us cool as we watched Palm Springs pedestrians wander by us on the adjacent side walk. I don't know how many times we have eaten here, but we have never missed it on a trip to Palm Springs. Founded in 1958, this institution seems to be busy all the time. Feeling like we were on a mini-vacation in Mexico, the first step was to order a Margarita, in this case a raspberry Margarita that we split, and some water. Hot chips and spicy salsa soon arrived with our drinks. I've been accused of focusing too much on exactly what I eat, but let me say that their pork tamale, "made from a 100 year-0ld family recipe," and chile relleno, "made fresh daily," were terrific. I wasn't trying to cut the fat at expense of flavor, so I chose refried beans from their choice of quatro frijoles, and I also enjoyed the Spanish rice. The beef taco brought the plate to more than I could eat, and I could have probably done without it, but with the combo at $8.95 for two items or $9.95 for three, I figured, "Why not make sure all my tastebuds joined the fiesta?" Julie had a half quesadilla, lamenting that Amy wasn't there so they could split a full quesadilla at a lower price per serving. One of the things I love about Julie is that, like me, she always has that memory of living on a very tight budget. She also knows when it is a good time to splurge.
After lunch, we checked into our room at the Doral Desert Princess. Actually, the Doral is in Cathedral City instead of Palm Springs. When we first started going to Palm Springs, we would stay at the Motel 6, and it was pleasant enough. One time, it was sold out, and we ended up booking a different hotel a few blocks away. Suffice it to say that the hotel review exagerated the virtues of that dump, which was so terrible that it brought Julie to tears. We managed to get our money back and find a better place to stay, but we decided we really had been doing Palm Springs a little too cheaply. We found the Doral Desert Princess, which definitely costs a little more than the Motel 6 but also costs much less than hotels in the ritzier Palm Desert or Palm Springs. We've been going there for our PS vacations ever since.
The Doral sits by scenic ponds on the Desert Princess Golf Course with purple mountains rising behind it. The view from the lounge chairs by the swimming pool is awesome. We checked into our comfortable room to find we had another beautiful view over two ponds on the golf course, but the pool beckoned on this hot day. Julie loves few things better than laying in a lounge chair by a beautiful view to read, taking an occasional dip to cool off in the pool. I tried to follow suit, but despite an interesting book, I found myself standing in the pool most of the time, where my primary pre-occupation was eavesdropping on others in the pool. I listened, for example, to four salesmen with their wives bantering about who made the most money while charging round after round of drinks. Nearby was a man with whom I think was his much-younger mistress, although I couldn't find any collaborating evidence in their discussions. At one point, the shady little bar called me over, and I drank a Guinness ($6) while watching Big Brown win the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness, on TV. What an amazing horse.
Around five, we showered to head over to our usual dinner location, the Cedar Creek Inn. Discovered by us maybe eight years ago, this place had the perfect storm combination of an early bird dinner special, happy hour drink prices and live music with two very talented performers. We were shocked to find it closed and apparently out of business. Our hope is that it temporarily closed for the hot season and will reopen by our next winter visit to the area. On the internet, I tried to find out if it was permanently closed, and what I found surprised me. Past guests had shredded the place with terrible reviews about overpriced hamburgers no better than McDonald's and a terrible turkey dinner that was overpriced at $20. Now considering we love this place, these reviews came as quite a shock. It just goes to show that anything you read on the internet has to be taken with a grain of salt. If we had believed these reviews, we would have never enjoyed our many meals there. It's always best to remember that an opinion speaks as much about the person giving the opinion as the subject of his opinion. Find people whose opinions you value to help guide you rather than believing everything you read.
We drove into the downtown area to find a different place for dinner. We had a drink at the Village Pub, where the Happy Hour includes $2.25 draft beers and $3.50 well drinks. The disco music didn't feel right, and the menu seemed like one of those Gordon Ramsay would trash as being too broad to allow the dishes to be prepared with anything but frozen food, so we headed elsewhere to find a meal. We ended up at Ruby's Diner, where we scored a great outdoor table under a mister, which is definitely needed on a warm evening in Palm Springs. The Club Sandwich and fries for $8.95 was tasty, as was the $1.59 ice cream cone for dessert.
We headed back to the room and fell asleep watching a TV show that started at 9. When we aren't on a cruise, we don't exactly get out to see the nightlife. The next morning, I awoke about 5:30 AM and went for a walk around the golf course. By the time I returned to the room, Julie had made some coffee, and we headed over to the pool with our complimentary newspaper to begin the day. Our usual schedule calls for me to pick up breakfast at McDonald's to eat by the pool, but Julie wasn't feeling well and wanted to head home, so we left at 8:30 AM.
Normally, we would have spent another morning by the pool. A more active approach would have included a round of golf, although I've only played golf in PS once, with my friend Curt who used to own a condo out there. Come to think of it, Curt liked horse racing, too. I bet he enjoyed watching the Preakness. It's funny how we lose track of friends sometimes. He was a neighbor in Carmel Mountain Ranch that I got to know because our daughters were tight friends.
We'll have to get together with them again one of these days. Maybe our daughters, who were in first to third grades together, will go to the same college starting in 2009. Wow! Where does the time go?
We also missed one other favorite, which is lunch at Calibri at the Mariott Palm Desert. It's a little restaurant above the pool area at that gorgeous resort, and it always makes a nice closing image.
but this year a series of unforeseen events restulted in cancelling and re-booking several weekend trips to our "desert home" at the Doral Desert Princess. With our deposit moved to this date, we decided we better go in May or miss out altogether.Julie started visiting Palm Springs when she was in college, taking weekend trips on a shoestring with her best friend Christie.
They would stay in a cheap hotel, eat whatever the bargain meal was at IHOP or Denny's, and sunbathe in a trickling creek where the water level never came close to covering their skinny teenaged bodies but nonetheless kept them from overheating in the summer, when rates were at their lowest.Going in winter means beautiful 80-degree days under clear desert skies, but by May, scorching summer days are on the immediate horizon. We arrived this month to a thermometer fast approaching 100 degrees. It topped out around 106 by the afternoon. Nonetheless, as the old folks love to say, it is a dry heat. For me, it wasn't uncomfortable. I actually seem to thrive in what others consider to be hot weather. We strolled down the sidewalk, where boutiques not only serve as brief respites from the heat but also have bargains that resulted in Julie buying a $16 sundress for our daughter Amy's birthday. After visiting a great Hollywood memorabilia store where we bought absolutely nothing, we mosied over to our usual stop for lunch on our first day.
Las Casuelas Terraza is a restaurant on the main drag, with a beautiful patio that includes a fountain and palapa bar to make outdoor dining very pleasant. We secured excellent seats along the fence, where overhead misters kept us cool as we watched Palm Springs pedestrians wander by us on the adjacent side walk. I don't know how many times we have eaten here, but we have never missed it on a trip to Palm Springs. Founded in 1958, this institution seems to be busy all the time. Feeling like we were on a mini-vacation in Mexico, the first step was to order a Margarita, in this case a raspberry Margarita that we split, and some water. Hot chips and spicy salsa soon arrived with our drinks. I've been accused of focusing too much on exactly what I eat, but let me say that their pork tamale, "made from a 100 year-0ld family recipe," and chile relleno, "made fresh daily," were terrific. I wasn't trying to cut the fat at expense of flavor, so I chose refried beans from their choice of quatro frijoles, and I also enjoyed the Spanish rice. The beef taco brought the plate to more than I could eat, and I could have probably done without it, but with the combo at $8.95 for two items or $9.95 for three, I figured, "Why not make sure all my tastebuds joined the fiesta?" Julie had a half quesadilla, lamenting that Amy wasn't there so they could split a full quesadilla at a lower price per serving. One of the things I love about Julie is that, like me, she always has that memory of living on a very tight budget. She also knows when it is a good time to splurge.
After lunch, we checked into our room at the Doral Desert Princess. Actually, the Doral is in Cathedral City instead of Palm Springs. When we first started going to Palm Springs, we would stay at the Motel 6, and it was pleasant enough. One time, it was sold out, and we ended up booking a different hotel a few blocks away. Suffice it to say that the hotel review exagerated the virtues of that dump, which was so terrible that it brought Julie to tears. We managed to get our money back and find a better place to stay, but we decided we really had been doing Palm Springs a little too cheaply. We found the Doral Desert Princess, which definitely costs a little more than the Motel 6 but also costs much less than hotels in the ritzier Palm Desert or Palm Springs. We've been going there for our PS vacations ever since.The Doral sits by scenic ponds on the Desert Princess Golf Course with purple mountains rising behind it. The view from the lounge chairs by the swimming pool is awesome. We checked into our comfortable room to find we had another beautiful view over two ponds on the golf course, but the pool beckoned on this hot day. Julie loves few things better than laying in a lounge chair by a beautiful view to read, taking an occasional dip to cool off in the pool. I tried to follow suit, but despite an interesting book, I found myself standing in the pool most of the time, where my primary pre-occupation was eavesdropping on others in the pool. I listened, for example, to four salesmen with their wives bantering about who made the most money while charging round after round of drinks. Nearby was a man with whom I think was his much-younger mistress, although I couldn't find any collaborating evidence in their discussions. At one point, the shady little bar called me over, and I drank a Guinness ($6) while watching Big Brown win the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness, on TV. What an amazing horse.
Around five, we showered to head over to our usual dinner location, the Cedar Creek Inn. Discovered by us maybe eight years ago, this place had the perfect storm combination of an early bird dinner special, happy hour drink prices and live music with two very talented performers. We were shocked to find it closed and apparently out of business. Our hope is that it temporarily closed for the hot season and will reopen by our next winter visit to the area. On the internet, I tried to find out if it was permanently closed, and what I found surprised me. Past guests had shredded the place with terrible reviews about overpriced hamburgers no better than McDonald's and a terrible turkey dinner that was overpriced at $20. Now considering we love this place, these reviews came as quite a shock. It just goes to show that anything you read on the internet has to be taken with a grain of salt. If we had believed these reviews, we would have never enjoyed our many meals there. It's always best to remember that an opinion speaks as much about the person giving the opinion as the subject of his opinion. Find people whose opinions you value to help guide you rather than believing everything you read.
We drove into the downtown area to find a different place for dinner. We had a drink at the Village Pub, where the Happy Hour includes $2.25 draft beers and $3.50 well drinks. The disco music didn't feel right, and the menu seemed like one of those Gordon Ramsay would trash as being too broad to allow the dishes to be prepared with anything but frozen food, so we headed elsewhere to find a meal. We ended up at Ruby's Diner, where we scored a great outdoor table under a mister, which is definitely needed on a warm evening in Palm Springs. The Club Sandwich and fries for $8.95 was tasty, as was the $1.59 ice cream cone for dessert.
We headed back to the room and fell asleep watching a TV show that started at 9. When we aren't on a cruise, we don't exactly get out to see the nightlife. The next morning, I awoke about 5:30 AM and went for a walk around the golf course. By the time I returned to the room, Julie had made some coffee, and we headed over to the pool with our complimentary newspaper to begin the day. Our usual schedule calls for me to pick up breakfast at McDonald's to eat by the pool, but Julie wasn't feeling well and wanted to head home, so we left at 8:30 AM.
Normally, we would have spent another morning by the pool. A more active approach would have included a round of golf, although I've only played golf in PS once, with my friend Curt who used to own a condo out there. Come to think of it, Curt liked horse racing, too. I bet he enjoyed watching the Preakness. It's funny how we lose track of friends sometimes. He was a neighbor in Carmel Mountain Ranch that I got to know because our daughters were tight friends.
We'll have to get together with them again one of these days. Maybe our daughters, who were in first to third grades together, will go to the same college starting in 2009. Wow! Where does the time go?We also missed one other favorite, which is lunch at Calibri at the Mariott Palm Desert. It's a little restaurant above the pool area at that gorgeous resort, and it always makes a nice closing image.
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