Who doesn’t love a girl’s weekend away? And if you’re a busy mom, I’m guessing you don’t get to take them nearly as much as you would like. This last Christmas, my mom decided to gift each of the girls a weekend getaway to Palm Springs to enjoy some relaxation and vacation time. It was the ideal gift to force all of us to get some dates on the calendar and start the planning. Below are some tips for planning and ensuring a smooth, easy weekend that is the perfect combination of fun, rest and lots of great memories.
Choose your destination. My mom wanted to take us to the desert so that was done for us. The next step was deciding between a hotel and a rental home. Since we really wanted to enjoy some privacy with all the access to a kitchen and amenities, a rental home was the best option. From there, we looked at availability, removed peak times and rates, and began narrowing down the dates.
Once we had an idea of when we wanted to go, we started making a list of the priorities we wanted. With temps over 100 degrees, a pool was a must. We also wanted an open floor plan with lots of space that allowed us to have a common area to hang out in with plenty of bedrooms to sleep 8. We finally narrowed down our options to one, booked it and begin planning for the big weekend.
As the date approached, my sister-in-law took the time to put together an itinerary for us that allowed everyone to plan ahead for food, drinks and, of course, outfits to wear out. While we wanted to explore some recommended restaurants in the area, we also wanted to prioritize some pool time and just downtime to unwind. We also opted to start the weekend on a Friday night and extend the stay to Monday morning to allow for a full weekend together.
Knowing everyone was arriving within a couple hours of each other in the early evening Friday, we came up with the idea to keep that evening light, easy and fun. We had seen a video of a party where each person created a unique charcuterie board to share so we decided to try the same thing. We had a blast, enjoyed some great food and even did some singing and dancing. We capped off the night with a girlie movie before settling in for the night.
The second day was designated as our pool day with an evening out. We started off the morning with breakfast planned by two of us and then headed to the pool. Lunch was a combination of light, delicious salads perfect for the pool and not too heavy before a nicer dinner. Dinner was a popular local restaurant we had recommended to us called Lavender Bistro and and it was absolutely beautiful.
Sunday was our day to venture out for a little shopping on El Paseo Drive and then enjoy a late lunch at a popular local spot in The Sands Hotel called The Pink Cabana. The vibe was very old Hollywood and a fun little spot for photos. The food was average but the company was good so we had a great time. We reserved the remainder of our day for more pool time and then takeout for dinner.
Monday morning was our last chance to make breakfast together and enjoy our last moments as a group. We enjoyed some amazing avocado toast to get us going, packed our bags and said good-bye until the next time. We walked away with some great memories to laugh about and remember forever, which is really the best formula for a great weekend getaway.