Best Places/Areas/Neighborhoods to Stay in Palm Springs

[Aaron_Bauder]

I'm L.A.-based. Going to start spending a couple of nights each week in PS.

 

Looking for area recommendations -- not really specific hotels, just general neighborhoods or areas that would be convenient for a typical PS client who wants me to host. I don't care about or need to stay at a gay-specific resort.

 

Most times when I travel, I try to stay as close as possible to either the local gayborhood or the city center, but I hear PS is really spread out -- so does it matter if I'm not close to downtown or the gay bars? Is staying in Palm Desert, Cathedral City, or Desert Hot Springs a dealbreaker for clients in terms of convenience?

 

Thanks!

[+ azdr0710]

no expert on the Coachella Valley here, but know a bit.....

 

do NOT stay in Desert Hot Springs....and don't go east of Palm Desert

 

some would say there's no specific gayborhood in the area - but, rather, that the entire area is the gayborhood!

 

I'd guess anywhere along 111 or just north of it, from downtown PS all the way to Palm Desert, would be ok, perhaps staying closer to PS than PD if there's a choice.....avoid the I-10 area - not really convenient as there are high-speed roads closer to the action (the towns) that easily whisk people (clients) around......come to think of it, Palm Desert may be too far east for some

 

if you're hosting, some of your clients may want the anonymity of one of the huge resorts....and others won't care......you may also want to see if clients can get to your room directly without a key card or other intervening security......

 

others may have better ideas.....

[Mocha]

but I hear PS is really spread out -- so does it matter if I'm not close to downtown or the gay bars? Is staying in Palm Desert, Cathedral City, or Desert Hot Springs a dealbreaker for clients in terms of convenience?

 

Thanks!

 

Palm Springs is actually tiny. It starts from i10 at the windmills and ends at Palm Canyon at the brink of the foothills, or something like that.

 

Now, the Coachella valley itself is spread out, but once you get outside of Palm Springs, the gay fades.

 

Since you don’t need a specific hotel recommendation, I would just make sure whatever hotel you get, has an address that says Palm Springs . Not Indio, or Palm Desert or Thousand Palms etc. My photo shoot last year was in Cathedral City at my friend’s place, which is a quick skip and hop. That’s actually where the gay guys LIVE versus visit (similar to Miami versus South Beach) So maybe that area is okay. But for the most part, PS proper is where the action is (though I don’t particularly care for all the action that goes on there, but everyone is different)

[+ Charlie]

Most of the gay hotels where you would be most comfortable entertaining clients are in PS itself, not in towns downvalley, so that is where a client would probably be most comfortable traveling to meet you. There are also more options in downtown PS for places to meet a client before going to a hotel, or to go out with him for dinner or a drink afterwards.

[Mocha]

I should mention too...based on previous years of going to PS (can either mean Palm Springs or piece of shit), you don’t have to spend a fortune on hotels. But don’t go too cheap either. I won’t blast any names, but some of the hotels in PS can be scary.

 

You just have to know what’s reasonable. I’ve stayed in very decent hotels there for $50, $60/70. But, there’s others in that range that may not be so. I would say look before you book if you can. For the most part, the good hotels that are inexpensive are off strip. The cheaper hotels around downtown may or may not be reasonable.