The husband and I went to Desert Hot Springs, to Hope Springs, on New Year's Day for a long weekend/ mini-holiday.
I LOVE Hope Springs & I've blogged about it before: the clean, spare rooms, the 3 natural hot spring fed pools, the landscaping, the awesome masseuse Anica (sp?) Chloe the manager's cool outfits and amazing free continental breakfast spreads.
Day two we went to Palm Springs. After our phenomenal massages that we had earlier that day at Hope Springs, we were starving. After what seemed like an eternity, we finally found a place to park, then we proceeded to eat what turned out to be one of the worst meals I've ever had, with some of the worst service I've ever had. It was so bad, that it was almost comical. T & I were laughing (it beat crying) because we couldn't believe how hungry we were, and how bad this place was!
I won't mention the name of the place, because I'm trying to be nice.
I want to like Palm Springs. I really do. But every time I go there, I'm either aggravated (at the traffic) or a little disappointed (in the food, the thrifting...ok but not great, overpriced) , or both. Palm Springs, maybe it's not you, maybe it's me (but I don't think so)?
One highlight of PS was making it briefly to Bon Vivant. Recommended by HBT. Beautiful store!
Another was revisiting Melvyn's piano bar. On both visits to this establishment, T & I were by far the youngest patrons in the place. It's sort of like being a cultural anthropologist when one drinks there: observing the funny but wasted bartender, and the older Palm Springs ladies in all their plastic surgery and jewels. The first time we went there, an elderly woman, wearing a fur coat (remember-this is the desert) and one gigantic diamond earring asked me to dance with her. It was an odd, David Lynch-ian moment, and very Melvyn's.
I also have to admit, the weather is pretty in PS, and the mid-century architecture around town can't be beat.
I always look forward to going to PS, but end up feeling like I can't wait to leave. I guess I prefer my desert visits to be a little more wild and rustic, like Joshua Tree or quiet and laid back - like Hope Springs.
To each his own!
Take a holiday tour around the world here. Happy New Year CV-er's!
17 comments:
wow it looks beautiful at hope springs. for minute there i thought it was harrison hot springs in hope bc canada. haha i actually went through the website url you posted and i think it's in the States somewhere...prob. near PS?!
it does look nice there :)
Harrison Hot Springs is pretty nice too...hehe
oooh i want some of those fruits!
It looks like a pretty place.
that food looks nice.
Hope Springs and Palm Springs sound like total contrasts...
I would have loved to see the David Lynch moment - and then high tailed it out of there! Great experiences and stories!!!
o yeah that is the holiday i'm longing for!
i haven't been able to get into palm springs either, although having a posh house with a pool for a week was nothing to complain about.
Oh wow, soo envious! How beautiful, I love checking in to see what you have going on! Today I almost slid my giant van into a car cuz of all the damn ice we have here....sigh
The food looks amazing! What a nice retreat!
hope springs is a great name and looks like you had such a great time. massages? mmm.
such a bummer to have a bad meal. ugh. there has got to be somewhere good to eat in PS, right? such a sweet person not mention the name. of course, now i'm dying to know.
your photos are wonderful. The fruit looks so good. xo
beautiful !! glad you got to go away !!
haha! at this point if there´s sun i´ll eat anything... :) lovely pics though! hugs!
dear jennifer,
i have heard that the best part of holiday travelling is to come back home ;)
great photos and great stories!
hugs!
Oh my god, Melvyn's sounds GREAT! I love love love bars like that. We have one here in Portland called The Spare Room with waitresses that call you Hon and two house cover bands...Terry and Larry are a keyboard duo that sing softer rock versions of soft rock hits, and the other band has three gigantic fat men and a blind drummer who sing smooth versions of rock hits. There are always way more old people than young there, and they just put in this weird "lounge" that looks like someone's bad den with big overstuffed couches and a big screen TV that I have never seen turned on. The bathrooms are pink and maroon tile, one of the best/worst color combos of all time! I LOVE YOU, SPARE ROOM!!!
If you ever come to Portland I will take you there!
i love your melvyn's stories. it sounds like my kinda place.
Amy (and Genevieve) ,
Yes, Melvyn's !
Amy, I thought Jason & I told you & Schwartz about it (i.e. tried to send you there)?
Here's another story:
Tomory was sick when we went this time , so he didn't order anything, but I got a Manhattan. He paid for it. The (wasted) bartender then harassed him for paying with a debit card. "I always use cash. The ladies like it when you use cash (he proceeded to pull out a huge roll of bills from his pocket to show Jason). Don't give those bastards at the bank who screwed us over any of your money!"
Ha ha! Poor Tomory.
Happy New YEAR, Jennifer!!! Those curtains - ooof. Love love love them. Even with the mishaps - what a vaca. Love the sharing. thanks
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