Palm Springs, CA: Hotel & Motel Planning Guide

When to Visit Palm Springs, California

As a desert destination, Palm Springs boasts some seriously sizzling weather for much of the year. Summer is the hottest season and also the city's least busy time for tourism. With temperatures near 110 from June through September, you have to be a true heat lover to enjoy Palm Springs in the summer.

For slightly milder days packed with sunshine and dry heat, visit during the spring or fall. January through April tends to be the busiest time of year for tourism. Since this is a popular season for festivals and other major events, you'll also find the highest room rates during the late winter and early spring.

Best Hotel Discounts in Palm Springs, California

Whether you're staying at a budget property or one of the area's most exclusive resorts, you can save even more at Palm Springs hotels. AAA members save 10 percent at the Super 8 Yucca Valley / Joshua Tree National Park Area and the Marriott's Desert Springs Villas II. At the Knights Inn Palm Springs and the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, AARP members and senior travelers save five to 10 percent.

Best Value Options in Palm Springs, California

If you're looking for more upscale accommodations but don't want to pay an arm and a leg, opt for one of these midrange hotels. With spacious rooms, well-appointed facilities, and convenient locations in the Palm Springs area, you can't go wrong.

Situated in the heart of Palm Springs, Casa Cody is within walking distance or just a short drive from major attractions like the Plaza Theatre, the Palm Springs Art Museum, and the Palm Springs Convention Center. Choose from affordable standard rooms with king beds, or deluxe studio rooms, or splurge on the historic adobe house. All rooms include conveniences like refrigerators, microwaves, and flat-screen TVs. Start your day with a light meal at the hotel's complimentary continental breakfast, and enjoy a swim in the outdoor pool later on.

Located in nearby Idyllwild, the Strawberry Creek Bunkhouse offers charmingly rustic accommodations near the Idyllwild Nature Center. Stay in one of the 15 available guest rooms, and take advantage of basic amenities like coffee makers, satellite TV channels, and complimentary Wi-Fi. Take the family or your significant other for an outdoor meal in the picnic area, or book a massage and relax right at the Strawberry Creek Bunkhouse. With a free breakfast in the morning and complimentary parking on-site, this bunkhouse offers affordably unique accommodations.

If you'd prefer to stay at a familiar chain hotel, try Marriott's Desert Springs Villas II, which offers great value for nice rooms and numerous amenities. Situated between Palm Springs and Palm Desert, this hotel is convenient to the Living Desert, El Paseo Shopping District, and downtown Indian Wells. You'll feel right at home in one of the 402 guest rooms, which include small luxuries like private balconies and personal refrigerators and microwaves. With seven outdoor swimming pools to choose from, it's safe to say that Marriott's Desert Springs Villas II is an ideal choice for sun and water lovers.

If you're looking for a home away from home, you'll find it at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Palm Desert. Choose from king studios, king suites, and two-bedroom suites, all of which have plenty of space for the whole family. Rooms also feature kitchens that include full-sized refrigerators and stovetops, so you can easily prepare your favorite meals and snacks. Connect to the MP3 docking stations to stream music, and connect to the complimentary Wi-Fi to plan additional outings in the Palm Springs area. If you need to cool off, head to the outdoor pool or the on-site bar and lounge.

Can’t-Miss Attractions in Palm Springs, California

From nature to culture to sports, Palm Springs has it all. Start your exploration with a trip to the Coachella Valley Preserve, which boasts 17,000 acres of hiking, wildlife, wildflowers, and guided tours. Nearby, Joshua Tree National Park features highlights like the Cholla Cactus Garden and Keyes View, as well as miles of desert hikes.

Play a few rounds at the Escena Golf Club, which has a moderately challenging course and stunning views of the neighboring mountains. Tour The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens, which is both a zoo and botanical garden as well as a fun family destination. To cool off in the Palm Springs heat, head indoors to the Palm Springs Art Museum, which displays an impressive collection of primarily modern and contemporary art.

Whether you're looking for an outdoor adventure or a desert city where you can get away from it all, you'll find it in Palm Springs. Book a visit here and feel your worries slip away.

Palm Springs, CA in a nutshell

A lot of travelers without prior information will be surprised to reach Palm Springs and not find too many springs surrounded by palm trees in the city. In fact, they would surely be surprised that the area is actually set on the desert, with miles and miles of dry, desert lands surrounding it. Still, the medicinal hot springs of the area are the ones often visited by travelers so that it is still justifiable for the city to retain this name. Palm Springs is a great venue for outdoor fun and adventure, with activities like hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking popular in the mountainous and desert areas. Just don't forget to bring plenty of water and food supplies when doing so. You don't want to be dehydrated along the way. The city is also known for its golf resorts, one of them, Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort, was named as "one of the best places to play" by the Golf Digest. Another great entertainment option is the Spa Resort Casino, with more than 1000 slot machines and live entertainment being offered for adult travelers to enjoy.

To quote Kirk Douglas, a true Palm Springs resident and one of the most famous among Hollywood superstars of the 20th century, 'Sometimes, the thing that ties you down sets you free. 

Palm Springs, California is all about being free. It is best known in the United States, as well as the rest of the world as one of the finest cities in the world to retire in. From Marlon Brando to Dwight Eisenhower and from Gerald Ford to Leonardo Di Caprio, a number of celebrities, influential people, businessmen and seniors have made Palm Springs their home. It is a city located strategically in the western parts of the United States, at no more than a few hours' driving distance from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, Phoenix and many other tourist attractions. Finding hotels in Palm Springs is, because of this very reason, not a difficult proposition. 

Economy Class Hotel Choices

If you are a solo traveler who is on a hitchhiking trip across the country, you will invariably end up in one of Californian cities or towns, just like Jack Kerouac did in the beat generation years. If that's the case, Palm Springs is perhaps the best city you could hope for as it affords a host of cosy and comfy staying option. A hotel in a city like Palm Springs is often, and quite rightly so, expected to set your wallet back a little too strongly. After all, it's a city of stars, glitter, palm avenues and splendid sunsets. However, if you are keen enough to look more closely, you might have a good luck finding some great, affordable Palm Springs hotels that will provide you with amazing memories without eating into your bank balance. 

Maximum Comfort and Convenience Options

Moving on, if you are one of those people who do not mind spending an extra buck to get the best of services and posh, royal treatment, you will definitely not be disappointed in Palm Spring. There are dozens of high profile, luxurious and extravagant hotels in Palm Springs that will offer to you the most kingly amenities along with free sightseeing tours. From opulence regulars like Beverly Hills and Hilton to travel friendly Qatar Airways Hotel Chain and Air Asia Hotel Chain, you will have plenty of options to dig into. 

To name some of the facilities that you will be getting at a hotel like one mentioned above: in house bars, spas, gyms, heated swimming pools, golf courses, round the clock personal attendants, free of charge limo services, 4D movie theaters and rooftop global cuisine restaurants. 

Variety of Boutique and Independent Hotels

Your search for cheap hotels in Palm Springs will bring your attention to the fact that there are quite a few state of the art independent hotel units, villas, holiday homes for hire for those who want to pitch their tents for long periods of time in order to soak all the natural beauty and sights that the sunny weather and sandy deserts of California and Nevada have to offer. An independent hotel or a boutique hotel of such kind in Palm Springs will only enhance your overall trip experience by giving you amenities that will be both homely and stately. You can hire cab or shuttle services from Palm Springs to almost every important city in California. In about 90 minutes, you can reach Los Angeles where you will never have enough time to see all the fabulous glittery attractions of Hollywood and awesomely relaxing beaches that will never make you want to leave for home. 

What Should I Know About Being a Tourist in Palm Springs? 

If you are embarking on a sightseeing spree in Palm Springs, there are a few things that you will be required to know beforehand. The very first thing you need to know about sightseeing in Palm Springs is that you will need to have a firm schedule in place. It is a common thing to observe tourists who have not really prepared any kind of plan before starting their sightseeing activities and at the end of the day, they are left huffing and puffing because they want to squeeze in all the sights or are left reeling because of important sights they missed out on only because they did not have enough time to see them. 

Another thing you would want to know before sightseeing in Palm Springs is that the place is hot throughout the year. Average temperatures here hover about 86 degrees and that's exactly why you need to bring your best sunny game to the party. So, pack all those sun blocks, get those cowboy hats out of the closet, sport some trendy shades and say hello to Palm Springs in style! 

Transportation in Palm Springs 

Once you find good luck in spotting and hiring one among many cheap hotels in Palm Springs, you will then need to make some arrangements for moving about. It's definitely not that difficult to find good transportation in a large city like Palm Springs. That being said, it must be admitted that the state of public transportation is not that extensive in these parts of the world, perhaps because most people rely on personal cars anyway. 

However, most Palm Springs hotels do provide private cab and taxi services on call within a radius of 200 miles. That makes it possible and easy for tourists to travel to sights in Palm Springs, as well as those in other cities like LA and San Diego. 

Palm Springs is, in summary, a very relaxing place where you can soak in some tan while leaving the worries of domestic life at home. Enjoy your stay here, see all the sights around, revel in authentic Californian fruit wines and truly hot Mexican gourmet cuisines, click a ton of pictures and make sure that when you finally wind up your trip and pack up to go home, you are well stocked on memories of those sunny days and balmy nights in Palm Springs.