Monday 22 October 2012

Balmy Palm Springs

I always knew this was going to be planned stop on our trip due to the abundance of golf courses here. To be honest I wasn't expecting much so when we arrived I was pleasantly surprised. A whole city has been left in tac from the rat pack days. The architecture, the soaring mountains surrounding, the heat and all those palm trees make up a pretty cool little place.

Before I keep babbling on - I will hand you over to Grant to report in on the main object here - GOLF.

A lot of the private residences are gated and usually built around resort style golf courses of up to 36holes. Golf is cheap, the courses are immaculately manicured and bearing on fluorescent green from tapping into the huge underwater aquifer sitting under palm springs (in itself in the middle of the desert). So water is the lifeblood of this little oasis. That and cosmetic surgery.

I had rounds with residents, continuously talking of the Hollywood fame which has graced their courses, a lovelymexican bloke who insisted I try and keep up with him whilst feeding me more amber nectars than I usually consume on a Friday night, let alone a golf course. There was another old bloke who spent nearly 20 years travelling to and from Penrith for business. Ha! Penrith. He says to me "man I had a lot of fun at that place....what was it..." me:"panthers world of entertainment" 75 yr old:"amen". He was also telling me of how he used to rort the cabcharge checks they used in the day. "man I loved it down there". Any guy who laughs at the old cabcharge rort, loves Panthers and putts with a hybrid gets my vote. Back to the gasbagger.

Whilst Wearin was off amusing himself I had a lovely old time. One day was spent at the Rancheros de Palmas pool area which included access to their day spa area. Bliss. Second day was catching a chick flick, doing the mani/pedi thing and shopping along El Paseo in Palm Desert. The third day was spent around the pool again at Ace Hotel (more on that lately).

Much appreciated with the temp searing at 37c
Love all the ladies in a row catching up on the trash mags. They were there for three days just having treatments and cocktails. Tough.
The locals. Plastic Surgery clinics line the roads.
El Paseo - much to Grants delight. Managed to have the Escada ladies in quite the tizz with his flirtatious activities. Ha!
My pos at the Ace Hotel. Live DJ and great cocktails.
One night we ventured out for some free entertainment and ended up at the Fantasy Springs casino. Classy place. So much so that we were entertained by a AC/DC tribute band. Rock on.

After two nights in the sweltering Walmart carpark we were very excited to checkin to the Ace Hotel. After some confusion with two randoms walking into our room and them accidentally sending champagne to our room and taking it back, we were offered a suite upgrade and a free bottle of wine at dinner. WINNING! Very cool hotel that captures Palm Springs perfectly. A must stay if you ever come here. Definitely have dinner at the diner and soak up some sun with some cocktails and DJ tunes.

The lounge room
Look a bed. A real bed!!!
The mow somehow works here. Somehow.
Back into trusty Sheila as we are heading for Joshua Tree NP.

 

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