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A couple of weekends ago, Finn and I escaped the snow and cold of Chicago and traded it in for sunshine and warmth in Palm Springs, California. We spent four days on our Palm Springs Babymoon, enjoying as much rest and relaxation as possible during our getaway.
This was our first time visiting this gorgeous destination, and I wanted to share a recap of our time there in case you have this city on your bucket list. Palm Springs is a wonderful spot for a Babymoon, but it’s a fun spot for anyone to enjoy. It’s very laid back, carefree, and relaxing!
Palm Springs Babymoon Recap
Here’s our Palm Springs Babymoon recap with our tips and tricks to make the most of your vacation to this fabulous destination.
How We Got There
We flew directly from O’Hare, in Chicago, to the local Palm Springs airport. There aren’t tons of flights into Palm Springs each day, so many people fly into LA and then rent a car and drive to Palm Springs.
We lucked out and found a good flight departing early on Thursday morning and a return flight arriving late on Sunday evening. Once we arrived, we took a ten-minute cab ride to our hotel and didn’t need a car for the rest of the trip!
Where We Stayed
We booked our hotel in October, for our end-of-January trip, and I was so surprised to find that many hotels were already all booked up! So, I urge you to book your accommodations well ahead of time.
We ended up staying at the Avalon Hotel and it was delightful…although not cheap. Every hotel was pretty pricey during this peak wintertime season.
For us, the best part about the Avalon Hotel was its location. It’s located within walking distance of pretty much everything, so we never had to take a car anywhere (except the airport!). If you won’t have a car, then I recommend finding a resort near downtown Palm Springs so you can walk everywhere.
The Avalon Hotel was gorgeous, with three heated pools (a must for us!), a spa, and beautiful grounds. Our room wasn’t over the top fancy (although we did have a lot of space), but it was perfect for just us two. The hotel also had great food, so we ordered lunch a few times when hanging by the pool.
What I Packed
During the day, the temps got close to 80, and at night, they hit the mid-50s. This made packing a tad challenging. My biggest tip? Bring lots of layers!
Hat // Sunglasses // Shawl (old from J.Crew) // Swimming Suit // Sandals // Purse
In the mornings, we often walked around town to get coffee and it was always a bit brisk. For these escapades, I usually wore leggings, sneakers, a shirt, and a sweater. Then, during the day, I usually wore swimsuits (this one), sandals, and cover-ups. In the sunshine at the pool, it would get pretty hot, so we were constantly jumping in the pool to cool off.
Jean Jacket // Blue Dress (Pea in the Pod in store) // Maroon Dress // Flat Sandals // Purse
It was the trickiest trying to figure out what to wear at night. I brought a lot of dresses, which is the easiest maternity wear for me, and I would wear a sweater or jean jacket over my dress. On the way to dinner, I felt very comfortable and most restaurants had heaters in case we got chilly, sitting outside.
The after-dinner stroll back to the hotel, around 8:00 pm, always felt a bit brisk. My bare legs were always pretty cold! If I had them, I would have opted for white jeans, wedges, and cute tops with sweaters or jean jackets at night. I think that would have kept me a bit warmer during the evening. We loved the casual atmosphere of the town, though, and we never felt the need to get super dressed up.
What We Did
Man, oh man, I wish we had another week on our Palm Springs Babymoon because there was so much to do that we weren’t able to squeeze in. Our entire goal was to relax as much as possible and not feel the need to have a strict itinerary during our vacation.
Plus, we wanted to be outside to enjoy the gorgeous weather. So lots of outdoor activities were on our list.
And relax we did! Every night, we got about nine to ten hours of sleep and would sometimes even nap during the day. We were always in bed early and up early, which worked out great. In the mornings, we would explore the town and walk around. Then, we spent most of our afternoons by the pool, reading (lots of baby and parenting books), swimming, and just soaking in the sunshine.
When we arrived on Thursday evening, the Palm Springs Art Festival was in full swing on the main street. We perused all of the vendors and had a great time checking out all the art and goodies for sale. I believe they hold the Art Festival every Thursday evening, so definitely head there if you’re in town.
Palm Canyon Drive is the main strip in the downtown area and there are lots of shops, restaurants, and bars you can peruse. We liked to spend our early evenings walking around, hopping into shops, and moseying our way to our dinner reservation.
Spa Day
We purposely chose a hotel that had a spa on the property so we could get into relaxation mode. I booked us a couples massage (a Swedish massage for Finn and a pregnancy massage for me).
We aren’t big spa people (this was only our second massage after the one we did on our honeymoon) and we enjoyed every second of it. I was a little nervous about getting a massage while pregnant (I’ll be honest, I thought the table would have a giant hole for my belly so I could lay face down), but I ended up laying on my sides so the masseuse could get the knots out of my back. Book a spa treatment if you can!
Hiking the Tahquitz Canyon Trail
On Saturday morning, we did a two-mile hike on the Tahquitz Canyon Trail and we both agreed it was our favorite part of the trip. We walked about a mile from our hotel to the trail Welcome Center where they assured us that this would be an easy enough hike for my seven-month pregnant body.
Leggings // Top // Sneakers // Hat // Sunglasses
The trail was breathtaking. I found myself stopping to take so many photos along the way because the terrain, creek, and cacti were all so pretty. It was never super steep, so I was able to keep up just fine. The hike is a big loop and right where you turn there’s this breathtaking waterfall and canyons. It was so stunning and well worth the hard work to see it.
All in all, it took us about an hour, but we were going pretty fast and there weren’t too many groups ahead of us. I say give yourself two hours or so to get it all done and take enough breaks for water and picture ops!
Trail Tips
- Bring cash or a credit card and ID to buy tickets. It’s $12.50 per person to hike the trail, so come prepared!
- Go early! The trail opens at 7:30 am and we hiked from 9-10 am and it was glorious. There were other people on the trail, but it wasn’t super crowded. When we returned to the Welcome Center at 10 am, it was packed! There were so many people waiting. Make it there early so you don’t have groups in front of you slowing you down.
- Dress appropriately. Even though it was in the 70s during our hike, the entire trail was shaded, so it felt cooler than the actual temperature. I’d encourage you to bring a light jacket because it was noticeably chillier in the shade.
- Bring water. Finn carried a backpack with water and snacks for us (We didn’t need the snacks, but it was good to be prepared especially for this pregnant chick!).
If we had another day on our trip, we would have liked to have rented a car to go to Joshua Tree National Park. It’s a day trip from where we stayed and we’ve heard amazing things. Next time!
What We Ate
We did a lot of eating during our trip and it was the best way to spend our vacation! There are plenty of good restaurants in Palm Springs. A few readers encouraged me to make dinner reservations ahead of time, and I’m so happy they did!
I ended up booking our dinners and one brunch about two weeks before our trip and I was able to get great tables and times at some of the most popular restaurants. I recommend doing this!
- Poolside: As I mentioned earlier, we did have a few meals poolside at the Avalon Hotel that were dynamite. Oh, and their cocktails looked mighty tasty too! Next time…
- Las Casuelas Terrazas: We hit up this casual Mexican restaurant our first night and it was such a fun atmosphere. The food was good (nothing super special), but the ambiance is the real reason to go. There was a live band, the place was packed, and lots of people were having fun dancing. It was fun people-watching!
If you want to check out other food recommendations, you can see all of the advice I got from readers in the comment section of this Instagram post.
Loving Our Palm Springs Babymoon
Overall, it was a trip to remember and I loved this desert oasis. For the past three years, I’ve dreamed of going on a babymoon and for a while there I didn’t think we would ever get the chance. To be there, carrying a healthy baby girl, felt surreal to me.
Finn and I had so many conversations on our trip about how we just couldn’t believe we were really on our Babymoon. We would lie at the pool with both our hands on my belly, feeling her wiggle and squirm around and I can’t even explain the sheer level of joy I experienced in those moments.
I just feel so grateful that we’ve finally made it to this point.
Taking time away from the stress of real life (work, DIY projects, to-do lists, etc.) to just talk and be together was magical. I’ll always look back on this trip and remember it as our last one as a family of two. While we had the best time ever, we’re both looking forward to the family trips that we’ll soon be taking with our sweet little girl.
Casey
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