Hip Hotels

Lisa Marie Hart Weddings

Palm Springs has long been a getaway for those who appreciate the good life straight up with a twist of lime. When Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Lucille Ball, and Clark Gable knew a thing or two, the desert was a hipper-than-hip Hollywood hideout. The area continually updates itself. What’s old is new again at many properties, where retro and historic blend with smart design and of-the-moment amenities. Tie the knot at one of them and find an eclectic environment that strikes a chord with your true, expressive selves. Guests appreciate poolside DJs, cabanas, stylish dining, and the way “real life” seems to melt under the hot sun.

Many couples come to Palm Springs to hole up for a sizzling honeymoon at a midcentury or retro-themed boutique hotel. Host your wedding there beforehand and you’ll have a head start on vacation-style relaxation. It’s easy to unwind in a place where cold feet and big-day jitters are so wonderfully distracted. No matter where you wed, consider starting your honeymoon at a trendy hotel if you’re a modern and social duo who loves to be where the action lives.

WE ALSO SUGGEST:

•  Ace Hotel & Swim Club
•  Colony Palms Hotel
•  Del Marcos Hotel
•  Horizon Hotel
•  Movie Colony Hotel
•  Orbit In
•  Parker Palm Springs
•  Riviera Palm Springs
•  The Saguaro
•  Viceroy Palm Springs

ITINERARY

Scene About Town

Cruise by midcentury architecture. See Palm Springs’ modernist icons with PS Modern Tours, 760-318-6118. Or pick up a map at Palm Springs Visitors Center and set out on a self-guided tour.

Go hotel hopping. Sample cocktails and appetizers at one hotel, dine at another, and then sip nightcaps around a fire pit at a third. Create your loop by choosing from the popular restaurants, bars, and lounges at Viceroy Palm Springs, Parker Palm Springs, Riviera Palm Springs, Colony Palms Hotel, The Saguaro, and Ace Hotel & Swim Club.

Flaunt your artsy sides. Palm Springs Art Museum features modern, contemporary, and Western art in changing exhibitions, as well as a performing arts schedule. Open daily except Mondays and major holidays. 760-322-4800, www.psmuseum.org.

Do the downtown strip. Shuffle up one side of Palm Canyon and down the other. Pop into the new LuLu California Bistro. Each Thursday evening, the main drag of Palm Canyon closes to traffic and opens to VillageFest, where food booths, arts, crafts and entertainment reign.

Grab a table at the piano bar. An old-school cocktail lounge tradition continues inside Melvyn’s at the Ingleside Inn. Nightly entertainment has changed little through the decades — and that’s a good thing. 760-325-2323, www.inglesideinn.com.