Indian Wells/Palm Springs
We headed to Indian Wells, California mid March to attend the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament. We’d never been to this part of California before, so we were really looking forward to it. The area is really beautiful. The giant mountains pop up very close by and no surprise, there are palm trees everywhere. The weather was a little strange while we were there. It is normally in the 70s & 80s at that time of year, but we had some colder temps and some rain. This photo is the view from our hotel room. The landscaping everywhere in Indian Wells was immaculate and very pretty.
There are a wide variety of things to see and do in the area. We enjoyed lots of fantastic food, tennis and sight seeing. Overall, this area is more geared towards an older crowd, no surprise since it’s a big retirement community. It was super easy to get around in a rental car, but we also used Uber & Lyft our first four days there. There’s a definite old time Hollywood feel around both Indian Wells and Palm Springs. These are places where tons of famous people used to come to get away from the big cities. Our hotel was originally owned and operated for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. It’s important to note that many of the hotels and resorts are quite old, some being in better shape than others. We stayed at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel. It was in a great location, very close to other resorts and the tennis stadiums. The resort itself was a little outdated and you could hear everything inside our suite. They definitely need to update the soundproofing in the walls. They did offer a substantial breakfast buffet that was included with out room rate. All the ladies that worked in the buffet area were super nice and helpful. We checked out the Hyatt and the Esmeralda, and they both looked a lot nicer and more modern.
The Tennis
The BNP Paribas Open was a lot of fun and the Indian Wells Tennis Garden was easy to get around. We saw a lot of incredible tennis. We were all really excited to see Carlos Alcaraz, and he did not disappoint. We had tickets for a day session and a night session. During our day session, it was blazing hot, and on the day of our night session, it was chilly and rainy. We’ve talked about going back sometime, and if we do, we’ll probably get tickets for Stadium 2, we really liked the intimate feeling there. Several of the ladies in our group bought grounds passes so they could roam all the outdoor courts. If you love tennis, I would definitely recommend attending this tournament. The grounds are nice, easy to navigate and there are a lot of really good food choices.
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After a few days of great tennis, we explored some different areas in the valley. We took a ride on the world’s largest rotating tram up into the San Jacinto Mountains. It was a beautiful ride, and we passed through clouds on more than one occasion. It was very cold up top, as we gained nearly 8,000 feet in elevation. There was a ton of snow on the ground, so we took in the views and headed back down pretty quickly.
My husband got to fulfill a lifelong dream of flying in a P-51 Mustang while we were there. It was an exhilarating experience, something he won’t soon forget. The mountains provided a beautiful backdrop for his flight. The Palm Springs Air Museum, where the flight took place, was a really cool place to visit. They have a ton of vintage aircraft and also some newer ones, including a B-2 Stealth Bomber. This is a superb place to visit for anyone who is into military history.
On our final day in California, we made the hour drive north to Joshua Tree National Park. We really enjoyed scrambling on the unusual rock formations. This park is definitely a special place for rock climbers and hikers alike. The Joshua Trees are really unique and they come in all shapes and sizes. You could easily spend a full day checking out all the popular rock formations, lookout points and trails. I would suggest bringing a picnic lunch, snacks and plenty to drink with you. It’s quite a drive into the park from the small town of Joshua Tree.
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We had a great week in southern California. Lots of nice people, good food and pretty mild weather. There was a blizzard back at home in Colorado while we were away, so we were super happy with temps in the 70s. We definitely plan on going back sometime, and now we have a better idea of where to stay and what activities there are close by.