Living The Suite Life In Palm Springs

Maybe it's the 120 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic from West Los Angeles, or the intense wind knocking into the car for the last 20 miles of the trip, or the sudden spike of intense heat — all I know is that by the time I finally hit the familiar Palm Canyon Drive from the I-10 going through Palm Springs, I'm ready to unload. Someone please just throw me under a cabana and hand me a cocktail and I'll be the happiest clam in the desert.

I've been to Palm Springs several times before, but this time I had the opportunity to stay at the Hyatt. I didn't realize this, but it's the only hotel located in downtown Palm Springs on the main drag known as Palm Canyon Drive. It made my plans for relaxation even easier to get started.

With all the times I've driven by this Hyatt, however, I didn't realize it's the only all-suite hotel in the area. I've stayed in a suite or two in my travel life, but the Hyatt's suites are nicely decorated (see the modern look above) and affordable (we found a room for $127 a night — on a Friday!), which is pretty helpful if you're just trying to get away somewhere nice with your friends for a special occasion or whisking the family away for a vacation.

In the midst of a demanding fall, I decided to do what the desert's heat always does to me: make me sit the heck down and just relax. I spent a lot of time either by the pool, or in the pool, with a Piña colada in hand, because I was in serious vacation mode. It's the ultimate vacation drink, mixed by any of the very friendly bartenders on the premises (no really, they're all friendly. It's crazy). When I wasn't boozing it up in my bathing suit, I sat out in the gorgeous lobby and did nerd things: reading and writing for leisure. But if you want to go the professional-level relaxation route, in-room massages are available.

For the outdoorsy type, though, there's plenty to do away from your room — earn your dinner with a tennis game, a round of golf, a round of shopping downtown, or take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up for a hike around Mt. San Jacinto. And if you hit the peak at the right time of year, you can build snowmen and have a snowball fight up on the top of the mountain.

Click here for more info on the Palm Springs Hyatt.