pretty palm springs

Oh Palm Springs! 

You are without a doubt one of my favorite places in the world. When I realized that this city was so close to our planned visit to Joshua Tree, I knew that we had to make a side trip here because Palm Springs has always been on my wishlist. But what was meant to be a half day detour quickly turned into two full days. 

I've posted here and there about some of the things that we did while in Palm Springs, but I wanted to do one full post with everything from our time there because I love this posh laid back city.
First, things first. Waking up to our day at the vibrant colorful Saguaro Hotel. This place is popular amongst millennials and boost it's reputation at Coachella every year. I'm sure you can understand why people love it so much.  Then onto an amazing breakfast at the Ace Hotel. And I don't even care how basic I sound, the avocado toast was amazing. After breakfast, we headed to our first stop for the day that I had been dreaming about and stalking on the internet for weeks...The Moorten Botanical Garden.It's nicknamed the cactarium and is my idea of a slice of heavenAs a lover of all things cacti and caudiciform plants, I was swooning. See more from our visit here. After our garden tour, we decided to take it easy since we had already spent a few hectic days out West. We grabbed free bikes from our hotel and pedaled around the sleek upscale perfectly manicured neighborhoods of Palm Springs. Serious goals, when your home has it's own hashtag. #thepinkdoorAfter our bike ride, we throughly indulged in all the tacos. Seriously, all the tacos-the picture below is just our first order.

So unlike us, but that evening we made the time to relax. Since we had hikes planned for everyday during the remainder of our time out west, we decided to take advantage of the great outdoor space and atmosphere at our hotel. We normally stay at whatever cheap place when we travel since hotels are just for sleeping. But since we splurged on this one, it was so nice to take the time to really enjoy it. playing lawn gamesand Husband showing off his juggling skills prettiest sunsetThe next morning we had yet another amazing meal (those are quinoa pancakes--who knew?) before spending a whole second day in Palm Springs. 

We spent our morning exploring the most beautiful desert oasis. 

This is what Palm Springs is known for and where it gets it's name.

Because right in the middle of the desert, you find this beautiful oasis of palms.

And because you can never do too much hiking (it's why we go out west every year), we did another hike with taking the the Palm Springs aerial tram to the top of mount San Jacinto. 

So fun to grab lunch up there and hike around at the top a mountain after we had spent our morning at the base of a valley in the desert. Such a fun juxtaposition all in one day. 

If you every get a chance to visit Palm Springs...please do. This place is what dreams are made of. Every meal is amazing. And around every corner is another instagram-able spot. Yet, even in it's perfection, it is so incredibly relaxed and laid back.