Things to do / Travel Guide
California is an amazing place: the third-largest state contains coastline, vineyards, Hollywood, snow-covered mountain ranges - and desert. The California Desert region, which includes a vast section of the Sonora Desert, contains such awesome sights as Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Park. The landscape of Joshua Tree, in particular, is stark in its beauty, with whole fields of these eponymous cacti persevering in the arid environment. Indeed, the scene at Joshua Tree is inspirational - a perfect stopping point or daytime excursion for your romantic getaway in the California Desert.
The region gets better: Big Bear Lake has been a resort area for more than 70 years, and it continues to be a great place to bring your lad or lass. In the winter, you can ski together at Bear Mountain or Snow Summit, while in the summertime just enjoy yourselves on the lake or hiking or biking in its vicinity.
Romantic Accommodations in the California Desert
There are a few bed and breakfasts in and near Big Bear Lake, but one of the most romantic, appreciated by many as the perfect location for a California honeymoon or anniversary, is Gold Mountain Manor. This three-story mansion of maple-wood floors and beamed ceilings, in an old pine forest overlooking the mountains, is perhaps the most ideal location for a secluded romantic getaway. The furniture in the rooms is quaint though unpretentious - a pine-branch framed bed, a stone fireplace. The service is endearing, like the hostess supplying roses, coffee on request, in-room massages. The Jacuzzi with the waterfall is another nice touch. The romance potential at this bed and breakfast cannot be understated.
The California Desert also includes the oasis string of communities in the Coachella Valley, starting with Palm Springs and including Palm Desert and La Quinta. These cities leading up to Salton Sea contain an amazing 200 golf courses, in the form of community as well as resort courses. Palm Springs has been called “Playground of the Stars” for all the stars in years past, like Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, and Dinah Shore, who used to vacation in the city for the weather, the golf, and the views. Adding to the scene is the bright and sunny mid-century architecture, a mélange of Bauhaus, wide eaves, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Coachella Valley contains a number of romantic accommodations, from resorts to bed and breakfasts and inns. If a resort is your speed, check out Le Parker Meridien Palm Springs, a resort the way they used to make them - in the 1950s. The resort has the feel of early-1970s living room chic. You'll find sheepskin rugs, Bauhaus lamps, bold flower print tablecloths, and more. The beds are comfy and large, the service is impeccable, and the grounds, including the fitness center and the spa, provide an excellent marriage of pampering with romance.
If you prefer to stick with the bed and breakfast motif for your romantic getaway in the Coachella Valley, may we suggest the Coyote Inn. This lodging close to Cathedral City will have you howling with delight. It's an old Spanish-style mission, and with the pool, spa, and the ravishingly-beautiful courtyard, you can call it a resort as well. There are only seven rooms though, so the feel is distinctively intimate and romantic. The rooms are designed with small niches in the walls for a Spanish feel, the furniture is inviting and comfortable, and they open up either to the pool or to the garden.
Romantic Dining in the California Desert
Palm Springs residents keep coming back to Europa, on the premises of the Villa Royale Inn, itself a romantic small inn you'll love to stay at. Europa's ambiance will take you back to a quaint Tuscan-style villa, with white stucco walls, wooden beams, and arched entranceways and windows. The entrées are classically European and Mediterranean, such as the Mediterranean rack of lamb with a tapenade of dates, pine nuts, shallots, and Kalamata olives; or the whitefish grenoblois, a fillet of Lake Superior whitefish bakes on an oak plank, served with lemon, capers and white wine sweet butte sauce, and piped with saffron whipped potatoes. Europa's also a great place for its wines, as they offer plenty of California's best vintages.
In Bear Creek you'll find a number of romantic restaurants - this is a romantic mountain town, isn't it? For tasty Italian, try Mandoline Bistro, a favorite of the locals. The ambiance is fitting, and adding to the scene is the jazz band that plays upstairs in the bar. The calamari is excellent, and for dessert, the flourless chocolate cake melts in your mouth.
Romantic Excursions in the California Desert
The views from Palm Springs are of the San Jacinto Mountains, and therein lies a splendid day trip for the two of you: Ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway from the valley floor all the way to the top of the daunting Mt. San Jacinto. The 11-minute ride from the lush valley environment brings you almost to the top - you can hike the rest with not too much difficulty, but even if not, you and your partner will be afforded some of the most amazing valley views in all of North America. Gaze out all the way to Salton Sea to the south and to Mt. Charleston north of Las Vegas.
Not high enough for you? Then, for a breathtaking birds-eye-view of the region, take a hot-air balloon ride in the California Desert skies. Float through the sky as you gaze down at lakes, mountains, the arid desert, and the communities of Coachella Valley - beautiful from the air, like a patchwork quilt. Hand in hand, witness the California Desert region from a new vantage point. Now that's a way to finish off a romantic getaway!
Romantic Vacation Ideas in Palm Springs, Death Valley and the California Desert
Romantic-Vacations-Getaways
|
|
|