A few days ago we came back from our 2-week road trip through Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. You could follow all my adventures on my IG account @sarowly. My husband (@lechwardamian) and I flew from San Francisco to Las Vegas with Alaska Air, then we picked up our car from Enterprise for the next two weeks and headed to Palm Springs first. In today’s post I’m gonna show you how our perfect gateway looked like, how we spent 4 days in Palm Springs and 2 days in Joshua Tree. It was our first time there and it was such a blast! We slept in a beautiful, boutique hotel, ate delish food in great restaurants and spent one night in a desert, in an airstream surrounded by Joshua Trees and cactus! This trip was totally a dream, if you have never been to Palm Springs & Joshua Tree, I highly recommend you going there.

Where to stay in Palm Springs

Movie Colony Hotel - a beautiful, boutique hotel in fantastic location

We stayed for 3-nights in a beautiful, boutique hotel in Palm Springs - Movie Colony Hotel. It was amazing, so modern and we had a big terrace with a nice, pool & mountain view. I booked the hotel directly on their website here, they had a great deal and we only paid around $300 for 3 nights. Our room had two-levels, it was well equipped with coffee and tea maker included. Nearby the hotel there is a good restaurant called Trio, I highly recommend you eating there.

Address : 726 N Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262

What to eat in Palm Springs? The best restaurants

Trio Restaurant

We went to this place for the first time right after our arrival to Palm Springs. We had chicken masala & half roasted chicken w/veggies and potatoes. The food was delicious, so we also decided to order a dessert - lava cake, it was fantastic! The next two days we came back to try something different, we have tried salmon with angel pasta, osso buco, and chicken piccata. This restaurant is truly good, you should definitely hop for a dinner and drink!

Address : 707 N Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262

El Patron - the best tacos & margaritas

If you are a tacos lover as I am, El Patron is a perfect place for you! It’s located in downtown Palm Springs, right next to the main street so it’s hard to miss out on this spot. We had burrito & fish tacos, Damian also had a pineapple margarita. Everything was so delicious.

Address : 101 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262

The best things to do and to see in Palm Springs

Cactus garden - Moorten Botanical Garden

Moorten Botanical Garden is a 1-acre, family-owned cactus garden, where you can find many cacti and other desert plants. It’s small but really cute and worth a visit. We went to this place in the afternoon and we took some sweet photos. Please keep in mind that at least 1 hour before the sunset, there is a huge shade falling from the mountains, so it’s better to visit this place a bit earlier.

Address : 1701 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262

Palm Springs Windmills

Palm Springs & Coachella Valley are well known for its white windmills which beautifully filling the landscape everywhere. The first machines were installed in the 1980s and then gradually started rising in the desert and on the hills. Nowadays they are such a great spot to photograph, especially during the sunset. It’s so easy to get there, you will spot the windmills from the I-10 freeway, just make a turn and you will be there. You can park your car on the street.

Where to stay in Joshua Tree?

Magical airstream in the desert in Joshua Tree

I’ve been dreaming for a long time of staying overnight in a desert. I finally made my dream come true after I found this beautiful airstream in Joshua Tree. Everything was perfect about this place. I booked it on Airbnb, here is the link. The hosts, Robert and Raoul, were super warm and friendly. We enjoyed an airstream a lot, the location was great, only 10 minutes drive to Joshua Tree National Park & the desert and cacti surrounding were gorgeous. Totally recommend this place, even though it’s quite expensive - we paid $380 for one night, it’s an unforgettable experience.

In the evening after a day full of adventures, we made a bbq outside and warmed up by the fire pit. There is a Walmart only 5 min drive, so you can do the grocery shopping there and then cook yourself a romantic dinner. I’m totally obsessed with this place, I hope you understand!

Get $50 off on your first stay at AIRBNB (click)

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is one of those places, that you have to visit when travelling to California. It was founded in 1994. The official name of its namesake flora is Yucca brevifolia, but it’s better known for Joshua tree. In the park, you can find many amazing hiking, biking and horseback riding trails, photo spots and many more cool things. The park is quite big, you would need at least 2-3 days to explore it all, but the landscape is overall similar. Desert, cactuses, rocks, Joshua trees and wildlife - simple but beautiful Here are the highlights of Joshua Tree trip :