King Elvis in Palm Springs

Did you know that the King of Rock and Roll had strong ties to Palm Springs, California? In May of 1967, Elvis and Priscilla Presley were married in Las Vegas, but honeymooned in a spectacular mid-century modern home here in Palm Springs, located at 1350 Ladera Circle in our Vista Las Palmas neighborhood. Exactly nine months later little Lisa Marie was born.

Elvis never owned the home, but leased it from 1967-1970, spending several months a year at this get-away with Priscilla and his new daughter. Palm Springs visitors can drive by and see the well maintained exterior, or arrange for an Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway private tour of the interior as well as the backyard pool area.

For a look at this historic pop-culture treasure, and to get a better sense of that history, see Behind Closed Doors: A glimpse into a Palm Springs mid-century modern home fit for a king – and his bride, from the Summer, 2011 issue of Broughton Quarterly.

Although the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway may be the most well known Presley residence in Palm Springs, more noteworthy perhaps is what is now known as the Presley Estate. In 1970, Elvis purchased a home located at 845 W. Chino Canyon. At the time of his death in 1977, Elvis owned only two homes, this property and Graceland in Memphis.

From 1970 until he and Priscilla divorced in 1973, they spent about 3 months each year at this home. Elvis even turned the living room into a makeshift recording studio, and it’s rumored that in 1973, songs including "Are You Sincere", "Blue Spanish Eyes", "I Miss You", and "Sweet Angeline" were recorded here.

After his divorce from Priscilla, Elvis turned the home into a ”bachelor pad,” fitted out more for entertaining than family life, and spent many weekends with guests in the evening by the swimming pool. Like more recent Palm Springs residents, he commuted between Las Vegas and Palm Springs by airplane. For more information, check out the Presley Estate.

No matter what your age, if songs like “Hound Dog,” and “Suspicious Minds” let you know that Elvis really was the King of Rock and Roll, then you might be interested in exploring the Elvis legacy when you next visit Palm Springs.

Palm Springs: It All Depends On Where You Hang Your Hat

When I think of desert, what comes to mind is hot, sand, little vegetation, solitude and quiet, and blowing tumbleweeds. Mountains make me think of the aroma of tall stately pine trees, shady mountain paths and vistas for miles. And a tropical paradise is all about lush greenery, palm trees, gentle breezes and the ocean.

Nature, with the aid of man, has created a curious combination of all this in Palm Springs, California. There’s no question that Palm Springs is in the desert. We’re surrounded by sand. It can be very hot (triple digit high temperatures 3 months a year); constant sun (an average of over 350 days of sunshine every year); dry (we hardly see any rain). And yes, when the wind blows you actually can see tumbleweeds blowing across the road in front of you.

But this is not just flat sand for miles and miles with the mirage of an oasis in the distance. The Palm Springs area is surrounded by mountain ranges (including the two highest peaks in Southern California, both above 10,500 feet,) so there are very few places where you don’t have a view of the mountains. Now it’s true you can’t step out your door into a forest wilderness, but with a 10 minute ride up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway you are transported from desert to Alpine forest. It’s great for a cool walk in the summer or a snowball fight in the winter. Or, you can make the quick one hour’s drive to Idyllwild and experience a charming mountain community in the midst of Ponderosa Pines.

Now, as for tropics, that is where man has stepped in. If you look down on the Palm Springs area from an airplane, the first thing you notice is a sea of green surrounded by beige. Man has transformed (sort of) this desert by planting grass, Mexican Fan Palms (not originally indigenous to the Palm Springs area), fruit trees bearing lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit, lots of other lush vegetation, and of course, building over 140 golf course green spaces. Due to the irrigation required for all this greenery, as well as the occasional monsoon breeze coming up from the Gulf of Mexico, we even have a bit of humidity once in a while. And as for ocean, well man couldn’t create that, but we do have the greatest number of swimming pools per capita in the U.S.

While Captain Kirk has been on hiatus (that’s fancy Hollywood talk for vacation) this past month, I moved from the Palm Springs home I lived in for the past 10 years to a new home. During the process I came to appreciate the differing combinations of desert, mountain and tropical environments that exist within this small City of Palm Springs. Although my former and current home are only three miles distant one from another, I now live in a totally different environment.

My former home was located in North Palm Springs, surrounded by untouched protected desert areas (located on Aqua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indian tribal reservation land) and close to the San Gorgonio Pass (one of the windiest places on earth and home to over 4,000 wind turbine generators).  So I saw the desert sand, and felt the desert wind every day. The hacienda style home had thick walls with Mexican pavers and tile floors to keep it cool; my outside landscaping was composed of crushed stone and rocks planted with Cactus and other drought tolerant vegetation. Every night from my back patio I watched the sun set behind Mt. San Jacinto (10,800 ft.).

I moved to Central Palm Springs, a bit of the tropics, and into what was once a Palm Springs Mid-Century Modern suite hotel. I no longer see the sunset, but enjoy sunrise behind the palms every morning. I still see the mountains, but now am surrounded by stately palms swaying with gentle breezes rather than desert winds creating swirls in the sand. My yard is lush green grass always somewhat damp from the irrigation (what a joy under the feet), and I look down from my balcony onto fruit trees and other, almost tropical, vegetation.

What hits me is the environmental alternatives available in Palm Springs – desert, tropics, mountains – and in what combination? As either a full time resident, or as a vacation visitor looking for accommodations in this remarkable area, it’s all a matter of choice in Palm Springs, California.

Palm Springs Attracts a Wide Variety of Visitors

I’m always amazed at the incredible diversity of Palm Springs visitors – you are straight and you are gay – retired couples, 30 something singles, and families with their kids or relatives. And you come from all over the US and Canada, as well as Europe, Central and South America as well as Asia and India, to enjoy our great sunny weather, our unique natural environment, and combination of cosmopolitan yet laid back small town feel.

One of the things I like to do is search websites and blogs for visitor reactions to Palm Springs, including the writer’s personal recommendations. Learning what others like helps me to make appropriate suggestions for my own guests and clients.

So here are a few links to posts I recently ran across. I thought you might enjoy some outsider viewpoints.

From My Daily, a blog targeted primarily to residents of the UK, it highlights a couple of my favorite boutique resorts, showing the variety of our accommodations here in Palm Springs.

In the Real Travel Adventures Magazine, Nancy and Dean Hoch (from their pictures I would guess perhaps a couple enjoying their retirement) share their impressions of our Desert Playground – Then and Now, based on a recent visit.

And finally, from TravellingMom.com, a military mom travelling alone with her 4 year old, talks about her experience in Palm Springs.

It’s one thing to get recommendations from someone who lives in Palm Springs and loves it, but another thing to read what our wonderful visitors have to say.

Naked in Palm Springs

On any day in Palm Springs, it would be hard to guess how many people are out in their back yards or sitting around a sparkling swimming pool au natural. Call it nudist, naturist, or just clothing optional, Palm Springs is the perfect place to work on that all-over tan.

My guests and clients often remark on the fact that almost every private home and most boutique resorts are surrounded by tall “privacy walls.” This, and our cityscape characterized by low-rise properties, provides an ideal environment in which to enjoy being naked. Palm Springs is one of the most popular nudist destinations in the world, with over 30 resorts that allow nudity on their grounds.

The American Association for Nude Recreation notes that naturist/nudist travel is now a $440 million industry, up from $200 million in 1992, so if you haven’t stayed at a nudist or clothing optional resort before, it might be time to find out just what it’s all about.

The best-known nudist resort in Palm Springs is, undoubtedly, the six-acre Desert Sun Resort, probably because of its famous “naked bridge” that crosses above Indian Canyon Drive, one of our main downtown streets. This bridge allows guests to walk from one part of the complex to the other without having to put on clothes. The upscale and family-friendly resort has it all; tennis courts, three swimming pools, two hot tubs, a full service restaurant, spa, and offers both villas and condo accommodations (some condos are even available for purchase).

Another favorite nudist resort is the 17-room Terra Cotta Inn which has a heavy repeat visitor clientele due to its friendly atmosphere, outdoor pool, huge Jacuzzi with mountain views, complimentary daily poolside breakfasts, romantic fire pit, and spa services.

Palm Springs also has one of the largest concentrations of gay and lesbian resorts in the world, with nearly all of these being clothing optional.

However, if you’re not quite ready to share your nakedness with strangers, but still want that all over tan, or just to explore what it’s like to wander naked outdoors any time you want, consider renting one of our many Palm Springs vacation rental homes. Vacation Palm Springs offers a variety of private homes you can rent by the day, week, or longer. Many of these have secluded walled yards and pool areas where your privacy is guaranteed.