Ultimate Custom Honeymoons

Whether you choose a themed adventure or a bespoke mix-and-match escape, our hot picks are sure to suit your style.

Site Staff Weddings

So, we’ve got the “fun in the sun” part down. Exactly what type of fun you plan to have on your honeymoon, however, is up to your own discretion — we’ll never tell. But we can say this: After your nuptials, Greater Palm Springs promises no shortage of ways to idle away the warm days and moonlit nights. It’s easy to see why Sinatra, Garbo, Elvis, and many others found they could never spend enough time here. And that was before all the hip hotels, notable eateries, world-class spas, art galleries, tours, shops, and live entertainment took hold. Take a gander at what the area has in store for you, and let your passions be your guide.

 

THE SPORTY GOLF AND TENNIS GETAWAY

Down valley — Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, and Indio — is the destination for couples who enjoy interrupting newlywed pool time with tennis and golf. Other amenities include a wealth of fine dining choices and shopping along the ritzy El Paseo promenade. Home to more than 120 mountain-view golf courses, plus two global sporting events — the Humana Challenge golf tournament and the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament — the area draws serious pros as well as athletic honeymooners.

Activities:
• Wake up with a yoga or Pilates class
• Reserve time with a local tennis pro or play doubles
• Improve your golf swing with a private lesson for two
• Book a couples sports massage
• Continue your competitive fun with air hockey or pinball at Boomers Family Entertainment Center in Cathedral City, or go bowling at Morongo Casino Resort & Spa’s Canyon Lanes

Best Suites:
The Agave, Valencia, or Brisa Suite at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, Rancho Mirage.

If the resort’s three new luxury suites look familiar, it’s because they were created by HGTV Star’s Season 8 finalists. Each tell a tale of glamour and ease, reminiscent of Old Hollywood’s introduction to the desert. Play bartender at the bar, have a nightcap on the balcony, or cuddle up with a movie in the living room, next to an oversized dining room large enough for entertaining any family or friends still in town.

Book it: www.rancholaspalmas.com/hgtvstar

 

HIPSTERS’ HONEYMOON

Party till the break of dawn? Then this one’s for you. Surround yourselves with a fresh scene at each of the best stops on the circuit. For a honeymoon that lets you be your naturally social selves, try these top haunts for local color.

Activities:
• Pop into the piano bar at Melvyn’s, an old-school cocktail lounge with nightly entertainment
• Check out a stage show at The Purple Room, once a Rat Pack hangout
• Make the rounds through the downtown shops, restaurants, and cafés on a bicycle. (If your hotel doesn’t have them, they’ll know where to rent them)
• Go hotel-hopping through the restaurants, bars, and lounges of Ace Hotel & Swim Club, Colony Palms Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, Parker Palm Springs, Riviera Palm Springs Resort & Spa, The Saguaro, and Viceroy Palm Springs.
• For people watching, go where the action is: VillageFest (the street festival each Thursday evening in downtown Palm Springs), El Paseo (the shopping avenue in Palm Desert with sidewalk cafés), and College of the Desert Street Fair (Saturdays and Sundays in Palm Desert)

Best Suite:
Dorrington Villa at Viceroy Palm Springs.

At the end of your whirlwind days and late, late nights, enter your stand-alone casita for instant peace, where two plush bathrobes and a private patio await. Your private garden setting includes a fireplace, dining room, and fully equipped kitchen. Order room service from the hotel restaurant Citron, and sip cocktails made from fruit grown on property. Or chat with kindred spirits by three swimming pools and two hot tubs. Or unwind at Estrella Spa with its indoor-outdoor treatment menu.

Book it: www.viceroypalmsprings.com

 

WINE AND ROMANCE

Once everyone leaves town, that’s the time to hole up where no one can find you, take a break from life’s crazy realities, soak up the sun, and stay up late like teenagers. The desert’s naturally seductive setting has paved the way for an array of made-for-love offerings. Add a food and wine element for a steamy honeymoon that ignites all five senses.

Activities:
• Hop into a horse-drawn carriage in downtown Palm Springs
• Hold hands as the lights dim at a live performance at McCallum Theatre
• Ride horseback through the canyons near Smoke Tree Stables
• Float away in a hot air balloon, clinking champagne glasses along the way
• Dine under the stars at Europa Restaurant, Le Vallauris, or Spencer’s Restaurant
• Sign up for a cooking class at Kitchen Kitchen or Cooking With Class
• Save room for sweets at the second-floor Crave dessert bar

Best Suite:
The Honeymoon Suite at Villa Royale Inn, Palm Springs.

Each room is different at this Old World boutique property, built in 1947 in the Mediterranean style. Secluded patios, some with fountains, adjoin charming suites filled with antiques. Several rooms include a fireplace. Microwaves and mini fridges make it easy to make yourselves right at home. Swim in the two pools by day; visit the hot tub just steps from the honeymoon suite by night. The on-site Europa Restaurant serves a private complimentary breakfast to guests each morning, then opens to the public for a white-tablecloth dinner at 5:30 p.m.

Book it: www.villaroyale.com

 

ART + ARCHITECTURE + CULTURE

With one of the sexiest concentrations of midcentury modern architecture on the globe, buffs of the mod, mod era may just start shopping for a new love nest before they head home. Midcentury private rentals range from former celebrity hideouts and other residences of the rich and famous to architecturally significant homes by Donald Wexler, Albert Frey, William Cody, E. Stewart Williams, William Krisel, and the Alexander Construction Co.

Activities:
• Zoom through Palm Springs on a Segway to see fine midcentury icons with PS Modern Tours
• Go museum-hopping at Palm Springs Art Museum in downtown, the Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert, and the Palm Springs Air Museum
• Learn the area’s beginnings at Cabot’s Pueblo Museum in Desert Hot Springs
• See the historic O’Donnell House on a 90-minute tour that teems with local history
• Shop vintage home décor in Palm Springs’ Uptown Design District and Cathedral City’s Perez Road Design District
• Browse the art galleries of Palm Springs and Palm Desert. We suggest the Backstreet Art District as well as Shag: The Store. In Palm Desert, wander in and out of the art galleries on and near El Paseo, including Imago Galleries, Heather James Fine Art, and Melissa Morgan Fine Art
• Visit the modernist Sunnylands Center and Gardens and stroll a mile through its grounds

Best Suite:
Beau Monde Villas’ Modern Oasis in Palm Springs.

Enjoy a full 2,000 square feet of midcentury wonderment. In the heart of the serene and stately Old Las Palmas neighborhood, your honeymoon retreat claims its own onethird- acre lot. Head from the master suite out to a private patio and in-ground spa. Let the manicured backyard be your playground, from hammock and poolside sun loungers to fire pit, barbecue, and wet bar. Inside, three bedrooms and two bathrooms have been meticulously renovated to preserve their midcentury bones. Modern comforts include a chef ’s kitchen and cozy gas fireplace.

Book it: www.beaumondevillas.com

 

EARTHY NATURE-LOVERS

Blessed with a grand and magnificent setting, Palm Springs appeals to couples who love to live life surrounded by nature. The first rays of morning sun are your clue it’s going to be another beautiful day. Give in to your rustic sensibilities with an itinerary that explores every side of our great outdoors.

Activities:
• Hike the scenic Indian Canyons and Tahquitz Canyon or the free local trails
• Take a Jeep thrill ride or mountain bike tour from Big Wheel Tours
• Day trip to Joshua Tree National Park or the pine forests of Idyllwild
• Ride 2.5 miles on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to discover Mount San Jacinto State Park
• Befriend the animals at The Living Desert Zoo & Botanical Garden
• Join a group “sound bath” at the mysterious white-domed Integratron near Pioneertown, or immerse yourselves in the mineral waters at a Desert Hot Springs day spa

Best Suite:
Fireplace Suite at Sparrows Hotel, Palm Springs.

You’d never guess this chic, minimalist, cabin–meets–wrangler hotel was once a 1950s roadside motel. Its 20 rooms boast redwood walls, hand-built furniture, outdoor campfires, and horse-trough bathtubs. The expansive suite soothes with whitewashed walls, a private fireplace, and comfy king-size bed. Play tennis with wooden rackets, try your luck in the horseshoe pit, or duck into to the poolside barn for beer, wine, and stone-oven pizza.

Book it: www.sparrowshotel.com

Whether you choose a themed adventure or a bespoke mix-and-match escape, our hot picks are sure to suit your style.