PALM SPRINGS - A Californian Summer - Part Eight

Palm Springs. That delicious deserty hot spot where heat and 70’s chic reign on. We hit Palm Springs on a Friday for the weekend. It was an opportunity for pure relaxation and having trouble deciding where I wanted to stay between The Parker at Palm Springs, a long term dream with a hefty price tag or the hip Ace Hotel, I decided to split our funds and stay at both to get the best bang for our buck! Knowing nothing about Palm Springs except it’s hot, deserty and home to Coachella Music Festival I decided two nights at the affordable and hip Ace Hotel and one night at The Parker.

It was an average of 117 degrees whilst we were there in August so it’s not really time for traipsing between hotels but I’m so happy we did. On the way through we drove through a gorgeous strip of shops and restaurants. Lots looked shut as I think many close or reduce hours for parts of August whilst the temperatures soar and people stay inside the air conditioning or glue themselves to the side of a pool. I mean I’m pretty sure I could have fried an egg on our car bonnet. But there’s something special about a palm tree that makes it all ok. For three days we decided to make the most of these two amazing hotels. We managed to venture out for a ride past the windfarms and a trip up the Aerial Tramway (2 and a half miles up above the desert floor for a birds eye view) . It was also the time to stop off at one of the famous designer shopping outlets they have here for a browse and to buy another suitcase for all the extras we seemed to have collected along the way! In 100+ degree heat, the air conditioning feels marvellous though nick managed to also buy a winter featherdown coat which was the most bizarre experience to purchase in 117 degrees. Gives me the sweats just thinking back about it now.

The Ace. We like the Ace. It’s got a hip, relaxed vibe. I’d describe it as army barracks for rock stars. And for us! It’s not glamorous in contemporary comparison but it’s old school cheese and pineapple sticks glam. The bedchairs have head shades, there’s inflatables in the pools left by previous guests, you can drink and swim til’ the early hours. The rooms are a little small and dark and if the neighbours above aren’t of the quiet persuasion you might mistake them for elephants, but it’s unarguably a FUN place to stop for a couple of nights. We hung out in the pool all day on the first day next to a bandmember from an English band from my teenage years which took me back! The kids fitted in just fine and The Kings Highway restaurant attached has a really slick Wild West vibe, a great menu and a cracking breakfast. We ate here for dinner too and it’s available to visit, even if you aren’t a hotel guest. I can confirm the coffee is also excellent.

The Parker. For our final day we discovered the magical world of The Parker. Will we ever be the same again? Oh Parker, what a place. Continuing with the old school vibe but this time, it’s like you turned up to some zillionaire’s estate who is actually a fully fledged rock star. The star of course is the Parker itself. Everything was beautiful and chic in a 70’s relaxed Cali vibe. The bedroom, the toiletry tray, hello Hermes and Aqua de Parma! The French onion soup delivered by room service came via heaven. Outside, there’s 10 different flavours of lemonade at The Lemonade Stand and a mean frose. (Frozen rose, with Cointreau and strawberrieswas my bang) The hotel has class, beauty, art, style, a warm pool and wonderful happy valet boys in their pink shorts. I’m not going to lie, it’s full on bougie country club and if your kids are nightmares then stay well away. This is civilised chic, but we met loads of new friends at the pool from LA couples who travel here every year for a week long vacation just to drink and have fun, to hip young families with toddlers and even a hen and stag party who were all drinking champagne and beer in the pool and welcoming us to join them. It was an experience to say the least. We ate at Norma’s their outdoor restaurant in the evening which was delicious. a small menu but they catered for the kids on request too. The tiny extortionate smores box may not have been up to Ojai Caravan Outpost standards and the Security were a bit precious on our check out day when we wanted to hang out for lunch in the aftenoon, but if you can cope with that it a freaking dream of a place. Parker - you have my undying love.
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Where we Stayed

The Ace Hotel - 701 E Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92264. Cost approx £430 GBP for 2 nights in a family room. (£215 a night) via booking.com

The Parker at Palm Springs - 4200 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92264 Cost $308 USD for one night in a deluxe double room. Booked direct with the hotel. Note we spoke to them and had to miss out one of the kids on the form so that the computer would say ‘yes’. The classic trick of telling them 3 kids will share one bed saved us an extra $308 . This was a bargain rate as the hotel was having some construction work whilst we were there and some of the areas weren’t available. It didn’t seem to make any difference to us though and for that price we were over the moon!

We also Visited

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - 1 Tram Way Palm Springs, CA 92262. Phone: (888) 515-8726. This is apparently the world’s largest rotating tram car and takes approximately ten minutes each way. At the top the temperature can drop by 30-40 degrees which wasn’t a problem for us as it took us from ‘so hot it’s hard to breathe’ to ‘rather pleasant’! At other times I’d imagine you’d need to take a jumper! At the top there’s restaurants, observation decks, a natural history museum, documentary theaters, plus a gift shop and hiking trails. It’s not snazzy or modern. More like going back to the 1970’s, but even if you just stop for an ice cream and a drink and enjoy the views its definitely worth a trip. Cost - between $16.95 and $26.95 per person for a both way ride.

Desert Hills Premium Outlet - 48400 Seminole Drive, Cabazon, CA 92230 All the shops you can want or need in a large but walkable designer outlet. It is outside though so remeber the sunscreen for when you aren’t inside! There are several shopping areas like this. Do a simple Ecosia Search for shopping in Palm Springs to find the one that suits what you are looking for.

In and Out Burger - there are a couple on the map surrounding the area. We came for a drive in meal on the way home from the shops. It’s basically an institution in the States. A fast food burger joint with good fast food - if you like that kind of thing. Cheap, easy and convenient and whilst in America you got to try eating American!

OJAI - A Californian Summer - Part five

What we saw of Ojai was a sweet small town with a parade of boutique shops, cafes and yoga studios to explore but the cream of the area had to be where we stayed at The Caravan Outpost. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt more like I’m living my best hippie life than here. Each accomodation is a vintage style airstream caravan, with additional central bathrooms, toilets and an uber cool shop and reception selling vintage clothes, accessories, homewares, books, magazines and snacks. No cowboy or girl would feel out of place but neither did we.

Visiting Caravan Outpost is like joining a family you never knew existed. It’s a place to unwind and connect with nature, music and a simpler life. We met families, couples and friends travelling through all wanting something different, not just a room to bed for the night.
The community consists of 11 airstreams caravans and some magical staff, good vibes, a never ending supply of s’mores which literally made our enitre evening. We ended up playing games like cornhole set up in the central area , ordering pizza from their local delivery and then everyone staying seemed to make a beeline for the fire pits for connecting and chatting with their new neighbours. The night we were there we got amazing tips for visiting LA and Palm springs, plus stories and adventures of places not on our list that trip we’d definitely come back for. We were the only Brits but we loved meeting likeminded Americans travelling through with their own roadtrips and adventures. Each of the named airstreams features record players, books & magazines plus there’s free bikes to use to run the casual loop trail round the back of the park, where kids have their own lemonade stands on show. It’s not just a place to stay it’s a glimpse into another life.

Where we stayed - Caravan Outpost - 317 Bryant St. Ojai CA 93023. 11 airstreams are available sleeping up to a total of 46 guests if each are at capacity. Some even allow your dog to stay too.

Cost - $188 a night for each caravan sleeping up to 4 people. so we shared 3 between our group of 10. Plus we paid $20 for the use of the sofa bed. There are a couple of bigger ones available for larger groups of 5, but get in early to make sure they are available.

Pacific Coast Highway to CAMBRIA - A Californian Summer - Part FOUR and a half!

I’ve always wanted to say I was riding the PCH . Translated as driving on the Pacific Coast Highway. That stretch of over 600 miles of road that clings to the most coastal areas and offers some othe best scenery in the whole of California. It’s the kind of road that you drive just for fun.

We started our road trip in San Francisco (the start of the PCH) but then ventured inland for Sonoma, Lake Tahoe and Yosemite so venturing down after leaving Carmel was our first real view at what this road had to offer. There are so many stops you can make and although you can drive the whole thing in under 10 hours without stopping, where’s the fun in that?

THE BIG SUR. My research had told me that the Big Sur - one of the longest and most scenic stretches of the road, where the Santa Lucia mountains hit the Pacific Ocean, was not to be underappreciated. The famous Bixby Bridge is a great marker that you’ve arrived in this area and it’s probably worth parking up to fully take in the experience. We decided that past Bixby Bridge was a good place to rest and relax for a beautiful lunch. Nepenthe Restaurant is a legend in this area. The views are divine. We were a table of 10 and so we called ahead when leaving Carmel to let them know we were coming. The drive from Carmel took around 1hour and 40 minutes and we were happy we reserved a table as the waiting times here can be crazy. I think this has to be one of my favourite restaurants on the whole trip. Not just for the ambience or the view but the food and staff. The Ambrosia burger is amazing! The only issue is it’s up a steep hillside and might not be suitable for anyone with mobility problems.

CAMBRIA. We arrived in Cambria after another hour of driving and headed straight for our accomodation at Oceanpoint Ranch. I found this little gem after searching for accomodation that had a design aesthetic and we were not disappointed. It’s situated a short stroll to Moonstone Beach. A wild and beautiful stretch of rocks and sand in Cambria, but also was home to a games room, outdoor pool, restaurant, stunning design and this was the place that introduced us to the s’mores life and outdoor gaming. Cornhole, firepits and garden games which enticed all the guests to come and connect of an evening.

Can you spot my trend? America is so good at having two Queen beds in a room and it’s so good for families. This boutique hotel had everything we needed and more. We loved it so much we didn’t have much time to check out the town itself but i’ve been told we missed out not visiting Linn’s for a pie that has made the town famous. Next time for sure! We met some lovely travellers here including some Spanish families our children played with even through the language barrier and a Chinese couple who shared their birthday cake and celebrations with us. You really couldn’t ask much more from a one night stop along the Pacific Coast Highway.

Riding the PCH . Don’t forget to stop around Bixby Bridge and The Big Sur for photos and life appreciation.

Where we ate - Nepenthe - 48510 Highway One - Big Sur. A sunny platform restaurant carved into the rock with brightly coloured umbrellas and a 180 degree walk around view to appreciate. Great food, staff and location. Just watch all the steps. The parking is also tight and we ended up parking on the road below. Other things to look out for are McWay Falls and the Elephant Seal Vista Point.

Cambria

Where we stayed - Oceanpoint Ranch - 7200 Moonstone Beach Drive. Cost. We paid £250 for the 5 of us in one room with free parking via booking.com. This boutique hotel has so much to offer and is perfect for anyone wanting a beautiful pit stop en route.

Don’t miss - a walk to Moonstone Beach and a trip into town to sample one of Linn’s famous pies! If you fancy a trip to Hearst Castle, the 56 bedroom design marvel of William Randall Hearst, you are only a few miles away! In it’s heyday this was visited by many 1920’s and 30’s movie stars of Hollywood and even had its own exotic zoo. You can still see the zebras from the highway!

After leaving Cambria the list of stops are endless. You can move onto Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Avila Beach, Pismo Beach or straight onto Santa Barbara. We headed to Santa Barbara and the town of Ojai for the most magical stay in The Caravan Outpost, an airstream lovers dream. Come back on Friday for all of the magic of these special places.