I’ve got a super bright & colorful Palm Springs post for you all today!
I found myself in Palm Springs’ desert oasis for a work conference. Most days of the week were spent inside a cold building, educating myself on all things marketing! It was such a great experience, and I learned a whole lot.
But the rest of the time, I found myself squeezing in every second that I could with new experiences in Palm Springs.
Which is what today’s post consists of! It’s dotted with quite a bit of dessert scenery too, for good measure.
The majority of my stay in Palm Springs was spent on the property of the JW Marriot resort (above) for the conference. This pretty resort had a flock of flamingos that lived in the little manmade lake out front.
We were sure to stop and say hello to these pink creatures as often as we could.
It’s not every day that you’re able to pop up to a pink flamingo and say hello!
Down the “street”-ish was where we stayed, The Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort!
Quite the colorful resort for a work trip, if I do say so myself!
The furniture was as bright as can be and gorgeous flowers dotted the entire property.
With not one, but THREE swimming pools – any and all breaks in the conference were spent poolside.
I was thrilled to break out my favorite bikini of all time in February, no less! This mermaid suit is high waisted and fits like a dream. I am obsessed with all things mermaid, so being able to actually wear a mermaid printed swimsuit is like … perfection?
I paired it with a white linen shirt dress cover up from Vilebrequin. I love that this cover-up can go straight from the pool to a casual dinner! With the right accessories of course. 🙂
One afternoon during our stay, we found ourselves immersed in our laptops working by this blue pebble fire pit.
Probably the best office replacement I’ve ever had!
Our rooms were each in a little building spread out throughout the complex.
My view was of the pool, waterslide and lifeguard stand. 😛
But some of my co-workers had views of the golf course & mountains far off in the distance.
Oh-so-pretty tiled steps led us up to our rooms!
On one of our busy days, we found ourselves with an early afternoon free.
So naturally we uber-ed to downtown Palm Springs for a delicious lunch at Jake’s. (Thanks for the recommendation Meredith at Cake & Confetti!)
Mango grilled chicken sandwiches & prickly pear margaritas hit the spot.
If you ever find yourself with an opportunity to try a prickly pear margarita – do it!
So soooo good!
A quick snap of my Tecovas in the dessert …. because I’m a fashion blogger after all. 😛
After a lite bite, my co-worker/friend Tucky and I did a bit of exploring. From mid-century furniture shops, upscale boutiques to quirky vintage shops, we could have easily spent hours and hours digging through all of the hidden treasures that make of Palm Springs.
We grabbed coffee at stopped for a sip. I stumbled upon this month’s issue of Palm Springs Style in the coffee shop and couldn’t leave town without my own copy!
It’s pretty surprising when you grab a magazine off a shelf to find it filled with loads of fashion inspiration and two of your blogger friends are also featured in the back! Shout out to Jennifer & Carrie! So fun seeing ya’ll in PS!
Okay, now I’m about to go into what was probably THE most amazing and unexpected part of our entire trip.
A few of us girls were invited by a vendor at the conference to go on an early morning hike at Joshua Tree National Park before the conference even began that day!
We couldn’t say YES fast enough!
Joshua Tree National Park is about an hour outside of Palm Springs and should definitely not be missed if you find yourself in the area.
One thing I realized immediately after agreeing to go hiking … was that I did not pack a single thing that would have been appropriate to wear on such a mini-adventure.
I did pack moccasins for the hotel room, comfy socks for my boots, skinny jeans, a t-shirt to sleep in, and a lightweight cotton structured jacket that I usually reserve for dressier occasions.
I was not going to let what was in my suitcase stop me from experiencing Joshua Tree!
Even when I knew I had a pair of legit hiking boots at home in my closet.
Surprisingly, though, Minnetonka moccasins have GREAT grip on the bottom.
Which really helped for exploring all that was around me.
Joshua Tree National Park is named after the quirky Dr. Suess like Joshua Trees that fill the park.
Aren’t they so fun!?
Posing with my lovely co-workers!
How did I not get the “pack your leggings” memo!?
After a morning spent trekking through a 2-mile trail, we headed back to Palm Springs to continue on with the rest of the conference.
It was such a treat to travel for work to a city so scenic & beautiful as Palm Springs! I’m now itching to go back to see all the things that we didn’t have time for, mostly the architectural tours. I have a feeling I would have gotten a big kick out of that! Who doesn’t love peeking into interesting houses!?
Thank you all for following along this lengthy post today! I hope when you find yourself on your next adventure, you try to squeeze in as many possible new experiences too! As always, thanks for stopping by the blog!
—
alice
