When summer weather hasn’t exactly hit Los Angeles but I’m craving a weekend of lounging in swimsuits, my getaway spot in Palm Springs. It’s less than a two-hour drive on a clear evening and by the time you roll into the desert oasis, you are welcomed by the warm evening breeze blowing, cruising through downtown as you head to your accommodations.

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There are countless hotels and boutiques. Ace Hotel used to be known as a big party spot before Covid and they are doing all they can to earn that reputation back. If you’re going for the retro vibe, head to the Skylark where you can have countless Instagram photoshoots with their curated courtyard furniture. Looking for more of a romantic place to stay? Andreas Hotel and Spa is an adults-only boutique hotel. The rooms here are romantic with huge plush beds with a crisp all-white contemporary feel. They also have a fully stocked candy bar with champagne which makes it one of my favorite spots to stay at. If you call the hotel desk and tell them the rates you see on travel sites, they are usually willing to knock a few dollars off your nightly rate if you book directly with them and save them the booking fee. If you’re traveling with a group, check Airbnb which has adorable homes with massive pools and hot tubs for rent. Fair warning, they are super strict about outdoor music and homeowners can be fined by the city if guests are a nuisance.

When it’s over 90 degrees, my favorite thing to do is to lay in the pool while in the shade. Yes, it gets so hot you can actually get heatstroke even when in the pool water. While you enjoy the crystal blue chlorinated waters, remember to stay in the shade and drink water.

There is a surprising amount of outdoor activities for an area that easily gets to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. So on a day that you feel like getting up at seven in the morning, head to Taquitz Canyon. It’s a park that opens at 7:30 a.m. but it’s a popular spot so once the maximum number of cars are let in, people have turned away until an hour or so later when hikers leave and they reopen the area to new visitors. Park rangers won’t let you wait in line in your car, so I suggest waiting in the neighborhood at the foot of the hill until it’s time to drive up to get to the parking lot. The hike is gorgeous and an easy three miles as you scramble over rocks to get to a waterfall. It’s a loop, but some people just go back the way they came. If you complete the loop, you’ll run into a lagoon and a second waterfall that I think is way better than the first and is rarely crowded.

If that isn’t enough outdoor adventure, head to Ladder Canyon in Palm Desert. For this adventure, you’ll want to be up at 6 a.m. to get there by 7 a.m. Yes, it’s a bit of a drive but the four-mile hike through a slotted canyon while climbing up rickety ladders and ropes is absolutely worth it. Because you are in a canyon, you are shielded from the intense sun but also make sure to bring plenty of water. The rule is half a liter for every hour of hiking so this depends on your pace but I’d at least double that water amount because it’s easy to get dehydrated. This trail is easily marked with arrows and the hardest part is actually getting to the trailhead. I had to drive my Mini Cooper down a three-mile dirt road and I saw more than one car that wasn’t careful and got stuck in the sandy edges of the road. Avoid sandpits and stay in the middle of the dirt road and you should be fine.

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There are always festivals and events in and around town that spill out into the local downtown bars. There are the usual suspects, Coachella and Stagecoach, but then there’s White Party Palm Springs and Dinah Shore, the massive gay and lesbian parties (respectively) that draw tens of thousands of attendees. If you’re in town during one of these events, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll end up making friends with people who rented out a house with a pool and get invited to the relatively quiet after-party. (No one wants that $500 noise fine I mentioned earlier.)

There’s always the option to sing your little heart out. There are a dozen karaoke bars within walking distance downtown and I swear, not all are created equal. Some have that dive bar feeling with people singing songs about broken hearts and mean women, others are just lip-synching while in drag. I can’t list them all because then this would just be Yelp but I swear if it’s a quiet night and you want to change that up, go to your nearest karaoke bar and make it a loud, fabulous one!

The weirdest thing in the Palm Springs area that I accidentally found was a Jesus walk. (To be fair it was nearby in Indio but still!) I went to a date farm that seemed pretty touristy but their restaurant is absolutely delicious. Get the papaya salad if it’s in season! After that, you can tour their gift shop and order a date shake if you still have room in your stomach. (Even if you don’t, get it as they are surprisingly delicious.) While sipping on mine, I realized you can tour the date gardens in a labyrinth path. However, this was actually a path that walked you through the life of Jesus Christ so every 100 or so feet, you arrived at a statue representing a pivotal point in his life according to Christianity. The artistry was beautiful, the path was lined with palm trees, and the shake, it was refreshing.

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One thing that I’ve never done even though I’ve been to Palm Springs at least half a dozen times, is the Skyway Tram. You start at the base in the dry, desert heat and end up in the mountains where you might find snow. Every time I’ve gone, it’s been closed for the season or I just missed them. There is also a Cactus to Clouds hike which is the same route the tram takes, only by foot, it’s 21 miles. You reach the summit at San Jacinto Peak and at the top, the elevation is 10,400 feet. I like that they give me the option, but I’ll just keep waiting for the tram.

Now after all this swimming, singing, hiking, and exploring, where is the best place to just zen out? Sunnylands Gardens. It used to be a place that hosted diplomatic dignitaries and there’s a whole museum section about the many famous guests. (Think presidents and international leaders.) The best part is when you walk through the gardens, you are greeted with landscaping that is simply overwhelmingly beautiful. You walk through different species of cacti and brilliant blossoming flowers that survive the brutal desert heat. All this is free and usually, they have rotating art installations.

If you got through everything on this list, it might be time for a drink… or four. Head to Tac/Quila where you can order mini margaritas by the flight which includes four at a time. The restaurant rotates their drink menu so they don’t have my previous favorite hibiscus margarita listed, but I do see they now have guava, pineapple, kiwi mint, prickly pear, watermelon, and avocado on the menu. I guess that just means I’ll have to visit again!

Palm Springs is beautiful year-round. The people are friendly and the food, drinks, and attractions are perfect for a relaxing three-day getaway. If you pace yourself when it comes to time on the hikes, in the sun, or at the bars, you’ll be set for a perfect desert oasis experience.