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Top choice in Greater Palm Springs

Palm Springs has long been famous a celebrity playground, but few destinations in the valley better exemplify that pedigree than Sunnylands, the retreat of publishing giant, diplomat, and philanthropist Walter Annenberg and his wife Leonore. The not-so-little pink roofed house is part of a sprawling 200 acre estate that includes lush guest quarters, cottages, entertaining spaces, and even a golf course. 

Like many of the mid-century rich and famous, the Annenbergs chose greater Palm Springs for their modernist winter home in Rancho Mirage. Nicknamed the "Camp David of the West", the Annenbergs entertained eight US presidents, royalty, heads of state, and Hollywood celebrities, including the Shah of Iran, the Queen of England, Bing Crosby, Truman Capote, and Barack Obama. Frank Sinatra married Barbara Marx at Sunnylands; the Reagans spent ever New Years here for nearly two decades.

The estate's art-filled main home, a 1966 mid-century-modern masterpiece by A Quincy Jones, is accessible only by 90-minute guided tour; book online far in advance. No reservations are required for the exhibits and documentary on view at the architecturally stunning visitor center or to stroll the magnificent, sustainably designed gardens, inspired by impressionist paintings. The gardeners didn't have to go far to find their references, either. While the Annenbergs were alive (Walter passed in 2002, Leonore in 2009), they kept their extensive collection of works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Andrew Wyeth, and Monet here. Those paintings were largely donated the  Metropolitan Museum of Art , however, in the early aughts.

Tickets for the Historic House Tour ($48, no children under 10) and Birding on the Estate ($38) are released at 9am on the 15th of the preceding month and sell out quickly. Tickets for the 45-minute Open-Air Experience, a shuttle tour of the grounds and golf course that runs from September to April ($21), are sold first-come, first-served at the visitor center (credit cards only). Neither the Birding nor the Open-Air tour give access to the house.

37977 Bob Hope Dr. Rancho Mirage

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760-202-2222

https://www.sunnylands.org

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Take it Outside

Sunnyands will start offering three outdoor tours - historic, landscape, and bird walk - of the historic annenberg estate in november..

Staff Report October 14, 2020 Attractions , Current Digital

As part of its gradual reopening during the coronavirus pandemic, Sunnylands Center & Gardens will offer outdoor tours of the historic Annenberg estate beginning in November.

Tours inside the Annenbergs’ midcentury modern home, however, are not being offered at this time to safeguard the health and safety of employees and guests. The three outdoor tours of the 200-acre estate are:

• Historic Walk – Guests take a leisurely, one-mile walk onto the estate accompanied by a knowledgeable guide. The 60-minute walk focuses on the history of Sunnylands, the Annenbergs, their guests, midcentury modern architecture, and design. Offered Wednesdays through Sundays. $25 per person.

• Landscape Tour – Guests may reserve a tour for as many as six people of their choosing who will take a guided, 45-minute, open-air shuttle ride throughout the grounds of the estate. The tour features Sunnylands’ landscape, outdoor sculpture, nine-hole golf course, and sustainability efforts. Offered Wednesdays through Sundays. $125 per shuttle

• Estate Bird Walk – Guests join an experienced birder for a 90-minute birding walk on the estate, discovering the variety of birds that prompted the Annenbergs to dedicate 25 acres of their land as a sanctuary for resident and migratory birds.  Offered Thursdays and Saturdays. $38 per person.

© THE ANNENBERG FOUNDATION TRUST AT SUNNYLAND

Guests on all tours must be at least 10 years old.  Guests are required to wear face masks that cover the nose and mouth and to maintain a 6-foot distance from members of another party and their guides.

Tours begin on Nov. 11 and depart from Sunnylands Center & Gardens, 37977 Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage.

Tickets for the Historic Walk are sold in person on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the tour at the Center.  Payment is by credit card only. Tickets for the Landscape Tour and Estate Bird Walk can be purchased only online at sunnylands.org , with tickets for November’s tours going on sale on Oct. 15 at 9 a.m. Pacific time.

A $1 processing fee is added to all transactions.

Currently, Sunnylands’ gadens are open to the public free of charge from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.

Beginning Nov. 4, opening hours will change to 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the Sunnylands café will open to outdoor seating.  All food and beverages, including lattes and French press coffee, will be packaged as “to go” items that guests can take home or to an outside table on the Sunnylands patio.

For more information, visit sunnylands.org .

• READ NEXT: Sunnylands Opens Walking Trails and Self-Guided Audio Tours .

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A place of history, hospitality, and diplomacy in the California desert

Explore two distinct sections of Sunnylands.

• The contemporary Sunnylands Center & Gardens is open mid-September to early June. Admission and parking are free . Reservations/tickets are not required. Learn more .
• The historic Sunnylands estate operates primarily as a private, high-level retreat center. Public access is limited to guided tours, offered when retreats are not in session . Tours and tickets.

Visit the Center & Gardens

Tour the Historic Estate

Gardens Guide

Guide Internship

Sticks, Stones, & Simplicity: Intro to Environmental Art

Sunnylands gardens.

Tai Chi in the Gardens

Sundays at Sunnylands

Guided Garden Walk

Free Guided Bird Walk

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A place of history, hospitality, and diplomacy in the California desert.

Open Wednesday–Sunday, 8:30 am – 4 pm

760.202.2222 [email protected]

37977 Bob Hope Dr. Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

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Sunnylands, the Annenberg Estate House... - Sunnylands Center & Gardens

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Sunnylands, the Annenberg Estate House Tour

First, make sure you make reservations for the House Tour. Tours of the inside are limited. We had a wonderful docent (Lane) for our tour and he is extremely knowledgeable of the midcentury architecture and art/sculptures throughout this 200 acre magnificent estate. It is well worth the price of the ticket ($45) for the 2 hour tour. You can then walk the grounds and the center at your leisure. The memorabilia of the hundreds of presidents, celebrities and foreign dignitaries is impressive but the estate design itself is worth the trip. Recommend this tour.

If you plan on visiting Sunnylands, make sure that you make reservations to tour the house. You can visit the center anytime, but you need reservations to tour the house. It is fantastic.

We enjoyed our tour of Sunnylands. We had no trouble getting tickets at the end of September, we booked one week in advance. Definitely buy tickets in advance. The tour groups are limited to 7 at a time. They drive you around the estate and up to the house front door in a stretched golf cart which was nice, especially since it was very hot out. They don't allow photography inside, claiming for security reasons, I question if that is the real reason. Google images has plenty of interior pictures available so it is a bit late for that. I would not recommend this tour for children or teens, few would really get it, and there are no child friendly activities. It is "don't touch anything" we were even warned not to touch the furnishings or lean on anything. Children under 10 are not permitted on any tour. Parking is free and there was ample when we were there on a Friday. It isn't cheap to tour the house. With a stop at the coffee shop, we spent $130 for the two of us. The food is decent at the casual but pricey café, the menu is very limited, only 5 of the 7 meal options were available for us. They have a nice outdoor seating area, but it was too hot in the sun when we were there. I wouldn't come just for the café. As much as I enjoyed it, the feeling that we were being treated as lower class people being allowed a glimpse into the lives of superior people didn't escape me. Note our GPS takes us about a 1/5 mile south away from the entrance, it happened to other people as well. The signed driveway is halfway between Frank Sinatra Drive and Gerald Ford Drive on Bob Hope Drive. Please tap the "thanks" button if I helped.

Beautiful grounds make this a very pleasant place to visit. The plants and trees are laid out so that it makes a wonderful place to walk through and there is a tram ride through the main grounds which is well explained to the riders.

Beautiful grounds. We took the house tour, well worth it. We were sorry no photographs were allowed inside the home, but that's understandable considering it's used a retreat.

This 35,000 sq. ft. house on 200 acres, which has been the host to presidents, cabinet members, the Supreme Court, the British Court, leaders and entertainers of the world is now open to the public for tours. The story of the Annenbergs is amazing. Lithuanian Jewish immigrant background. They rose to the heights of American wealth and influence. They gave billions in philanthropy and their trust continues to do so. Both husband and wife served as US Ambassadors to England. How to visit: You can visit the visitor center and walk around the grounds at no cost. The visitor center is a museum itself and there is a 20 minute video about the Annenbergs that is also free to watch. But I recommend two tours. The first tour should be reserved in advance. It is the house tour and costs $45 per person. It lasts 90 minutes and takes you into this amazing home and it's fabulous collection of art. The second tour right now can only be booked on site. It costs $21 and takes you on a ride around the estate. It lasts 45 minutes. I did both back to back and highly recommend the combination. There are other seasonal tours, a free bird walking tour, and maybe some other special tours. Check the website for more information. There is a small gift shop and cafe at the visitor center.

Presidents, celebrities, and even royalty have entered through the front doors of Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage. The 29,000-square foot estate, built in 1966 by U.S. Ambassador Walter Annenberg and his wife, Leonore, has hosted the likes of Frank Sinatra, Nancy and Ronald Reagan, and Queen Elizabeth II and is still considered a neutral meeting place for diplomats and world leaders today.

Nothing combines history, architecture and the outdoors quite like Sunnylands. Visitors can step inside this modernist time capsule and marvel at the inspiring midcentury modern design, serene garden spaces and breathtaking views. When not in use, the estate welcomes visitors by guided tours only, while the Center & Gardens is open to the public at no cost. 

Featuring free and family-friendly activities, including yoga on the Great Lawn and outdoor movie screenings , occur throughout the year—be sure to check their Schedule of Upcoming Events to see what's happening soon. And thanks to Sunnylands’ central location in the valley, it’s just a short drive from many Greater Palm Springs hotels and restaurants for when you’re ready to travel back to the present. 

Take a house tour of this historic property and learn about the influences behind the building’s stunning architecture and interior design, from the pink pyramid-shaped roof and Mexican lava stone walls to color-themed guest rooms where even the bedside bowl of jellybeans match.

From November to April, you can take a peaceful birding walk around Sunnylands. Bring your binoculars and see many of the year-round residents such as the vermillion flycatcher and also try to spot the several bird species that migrate here during the spring and fall. 

More To See

Explore 9 acres of meandering pathways, reflecting pools and lush desert flora as you take a peaceful nature walk around this historic estate. Fans of fine arts can check out the latest rotating art exhibition, located inside, then grab a light lunch at the café (the patio offers unparalleled mountain views!).For more information on Sunnylands, see here.

Behind this iconic pink wall lives many a story. Ones of love, life, generosity, presidents, parties, charity, hope, and peace. The beginnings are simple, the middles - extraordinary, and the ending…well luckily there isn’t one yet, because this story just...

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This 200-acre former estate of publishing magnate and UK ambassador Walter Annenberg and his wife Lenore, dubbed  Sunnylands , lets you peek into a lifestyle of the uber-rich and connected. The couples’ glass-walled 25,000-square-foot home is a mid-century modern masterpiece that showcases a notable art collection. Though many of the Annenberg’s original pieces are now on display in museums, outstanding replicas let you get a sense of how dizzyingly fabulous is—you’ll find works by Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, and other masters. The artistic style unfolds in Sunnylands’ extensive  gardens  too—many are landscaped in sweeping bands of colour to evoke Impressionist art. The garden is also home to many local and migratory bird species; once a week (Fridays at 8:45 a.m., October – May) a free  bird walk  is led by knowledgeable birders.

While you can stroll through the 1.25 miles of garden paths for no charge, you must sign up well in advance to purchase a ticket for a guided tour of the house. (It’s worth the wait.) In addition to the artworks, you can peruse the dozens of photographs displayed on the walls—look for familiar faces of presidents, celebrities, and royalty in many of them, a glimpse into the lofty social circles that the Annenbergs inhabited. In fact, the Rancho Mirage property, nicknamed the “West Coast Camp David,” still serves as a meeting place for global leaders. A museum, a theatre, and an indoor/outdoor cafe (with stunning views of the San Jacinto Mountains) are also housed in striking glass buildings. Note: Both the house and gardens are closed in August.

Spotlight: Greater Palm Springs

Fed by underground springs, the desert comes alive here, not only with signature palms, but also with a string of resort communities—Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells and others, as well as the namesake town of Palm Springs—sporting a cool, mid-century modern vibe and countless ways to relax. Back in the 1950s, stars like Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley built sleek estates, played rounds of golf at championship courses and wined and dined the desert night away. Today, the region still has plenty of retro hipster swagger but also next-gen energy, with hot new restaurants, luxury hotels and fabulous shopping. Plus, there’s the beauty of the California desert all around. Step away for a moment and gaze up at a million stars—nothing but you, your thoughts, and the sound of the desert wind.

Back in its glory days, Route 66 began in Chicago and ended along the bluffs overlooking the Pacific, a 2,451 mile journey through farmlands, plains, and desert. The highway crossed the Colorado River and entered California, then after a long stretch through the Mojave (where an extensive section can still be driven) reached the Inland Empire.

In Victorville, the California Route 66 Museum tells the story of the iconic Mother Road through rare artifacts, from a vintage neon motel sign to remnants from Hulaville, a former folk art site on the road. You’ll also find historic restaurants along surviving sections of Route 66. Not far from the museum, there’s Emma Jean’s Holland Burger Cafe, home to a famous patty melt. While in San Bernardino, the Mitla Cafe opened in 1937 and still serves such classics its home-style menudo, a traditional Mexican soup. And be sure to keep your eyes open for iconic Route 66 landmarks, especially the tepee-shaped rooms at San Bernardino’s Wigwam Motel.

LGBTQ Travel in the Deserts

Fabulous pool parties. Stylish bars and impeccably designed hotels. Pampering spas and energetic nightclubs. Lavish events. There’s no question that the Palm Springs region ranks as one of the world’s top destinations for LGBTQ travellers. Whether you’re a couple (with or without kids) or looking for a singles scene, Palm Springs and its neighbouring cities offer memorable experiences, from tranquil retreats to clothing optional resorts.

The scene really heats up when the weather cools down in late autumn and winter—some estimates put the local LGBTQ population at over 30 per cent during this time. Though June is the traditional month to celebrate LGBTQ Pride, many Pride events take place in November here; the Greater Palm Springs Pride event kicks off the season early in the month with an eye popping parade and street party, including games and arts and crafts activities for kids of all ages. Another family friendly Pride event is the Desert Hot Springs Pride Festival in mid November. And come March, nearby Cathedral City has its own, more adult focused LGBTQ Days event, a free festival held over Easter weekend featuring an opening night party, a Bed Race through the streets of the city and live musical performances.

The party filled Dinah Shore Weekend/Palm Springs Women’s Weekend (or just 'The Dinah'), in early April, coincides with the ANA Inspiration LPGA Golf Championship and is considered the world’s largest lesbian happening. A few weeks later it’s the guys’ turn and time for the dancing and pool parties of the Palm Springs White Party , the area’s biggest annual gay event.

In September, cinephiles flock to Cinema Diverse: The Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival , which attracts submissions and attendees from around the world. And when it comes to one particular scene, Palm Springs will not be outdone: The Palm Springs Leather Pride weekend in late October has become one of the nation’s largest events of its kind, culminating in the crowning of Mr Leather.

Insider tip: check out the Greater Palm Springs LGBTQ calendar for a complete list of events.

Spotlight: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

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This manicured complex snuggled up against the pink-hued Santa Rosa Mountains is best known for world-class golf. Outstanding courses, designed by legendary players such as Tom Fazio, Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus, include the legendary PGA West Golf Club & Resort, SilverRock Resort and The Quarry at La Quinta, as well as the five championship courses within La Quinta Resort. Tennis anyone? La Quinta is also ranked among the country’s top tennis resorts. It’s great for families and pets too: collections of hacienda-style rooms all centre around a series of intimate swimming pools, and the peaceful spa offers (we’re not kidding) canine massages. 

The La Quinta area also has great hiking; try the pleasant Cove to Lake Trail (5 mile return-trip), or, for a strenuous hike into spectacular desert, follow the 7.5-mile Boo Hoff Trail (be sure to carry plenty of water and avoid the hottest times of the day). Refuel with farm-to-table dishes prepared by James Beard award–winning chef Jimmy Schmidt at Morgan’s in the Desert, or maybe just snack on a Nutella or fresh strawberry cupcake at Tiffany’s Sweet Spot. For gifts, check out La Quinta Olive Oil Company, or find a vintage bauble at As Time Goes By in La Quinta’s Old Town district.

Palm Canyons

For an intimate look at the region’s amazing desert environment, plan a visit to one of the palm canyons that lie within Agua Caliente Reservation land. All of the palm canyons—Murray, Andreas, Tahquitz (pronounced ‘Tah-quits’), Chino and Palm Canyons—are beautiful, but Palm Canyon is the show-stopper. Easily accessed from the end of South Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, this 15-mile-long canyon is home to the world's largest stand of California Fan Palm trees—more than 3,000 palms in all.

Native Cahuilla (‘Kaw-we-ah’) Indians lived in these cool, natural retreats and Palm Canyon was a favourite resting spot. Hike along Palm Canyon Trail, moving through a serene world punctuated by birdsong the castanet-click sounds made by the palm fronds moving in the wind. Fees are charged to enter the canyons, and some offer guided tours that shed light on Native American life.

Give yourself plenty of time to stroll along the swanky  El Paseo  district in  Palm Desert . First, you’ll want to see all the art. A roughly 1-mile strip and adjacent streets are home to one of the largest concentrations of art galleries anywhere in Southern California. As inviting and engaging as a European salon, these galleries let you get close to art, chat with knowledgeable gallery owners and staff and even meet the artists during special openings and events.

There’s also the photo-worthy public art installations along El Paseo Drive that make the stroll that much more memorable. The renowned  El Paseo Art Walk , happening on the first Friday of every month, November through May, is a great opportunity to attend exhibit openings and artist receptions.

Then you’ll want to get something to eat—dining al fresco is the way it’s often done here. Try oysters on the half-shell at  Pacifica Seafood Restaurant , or wood-fired pizza at  Sammy’s  with nothing but a blue (or starry) sky above. Or perhaps order a juicy steak accompanied by jazz in the more sequestered environs of  Sullivan's Steakhouse .

And of course—there’s the shopping. There’s a reason El Paseo reminds people of Rodeo Drive, what with the impeccably appointed boutiques of top designers, including Bottega Veneta and St. John, tempting you to come in brandishing your credit card. Find more shops at the largely open-air (and exquisitely manicured)  Gardens on El Paseo  complex: Saks Fifth Avenue, Ann Taylor, Trina Turk, Brooks Brothers, Tommy Bahamas and more.

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Palm Springs Nightlife

Palm Springs is the best kind of party town, always evolving and never resting on its laurels. The cool crowd heads to the desert region for hip hotels with poolside DJs, al fresco cocktails, live entertainment and energetic dance floors.  

Take a dip—or just hang out poolside with a Cranky Coyote cocktail—at the  Ace Hotel & Swim Club , or venture into the hotel’s Amigo Room, a quirky hipster-magnet that on any given night may host stand-up comedy, bingo and even arts-and-crafts sessions. Serious beer aficionados need look no further than  Yard House , a laid-back spot that caters to hop-heads and kolsch lovers alike with a host of unusual microbrews from all over the world.

Head to the recently resurrected  Hotel Zoso  for more pool party fun, or check out relative newcomer  High Bar  at Rowan Palm Springs, to see the only rooftop pool bar in the area. Night-time also brings a host of bars serving desert-cool cocktails in outdoor settings: on weeknights, the  Soleil at the Riviera  lets you relax by poolside fire pits to watch the stars while you sip.

If working it out on the dance floor is what you have in mind, party music keeps thumping late at  Shanghai Reds ,  Village Pub , and  Zelda’s Nightclub , while  Toucan’s  and  Hunter’s Nightclub  see to it that the LGBTQ crowd has its share of raucous boogie-down too. For live entertainment, see who’s performing at area casinos, which draw headliners ranging from classic crooners (Johnny Mathis) to of-the-moment stars (Robin Thicke, Snow Patrol). On Thursday evenings, a more casual party unravels along Palm Canyon Drive, as locals and visitors enjoy live bands, booths set up by local shops and artisans and various food purveyors at  VillageFest .

Palm Springs' Luxury Resorts

Ironically, luxury never rests. Palm Springs is constantly elevating indulgence to new highs, with swanky, imaginative do-overs of existing luxe lodgings—such as the splashy Hard Rock Hotel and the Saguaro Palm Springs —and subtler, though no less opulent remakes, like the boutique Colony Palms Hotel and Sparrows Lodge, a rustic-chic gem in the heart of town. Palm Springs’ pampering is about the details: crafted after a Mediterranean-style pensione, Korakia Pensione eschews phones and TVs in favor of outdoor film screenings and afternoon Moroccan tea. At the ultra-refined Parker Palm Springs, relax in private villas with intimate hot tubs. With luxury resorts come luxury spas, with treatments that sound as beautiful as the dramatic surroundings. Relax in private outdoor treatment cabanas at Estrella Spa at Viceroy Palm Springs Resort. At SpaTerre at the Riviera Palm Springs, dip into a Watsu pool, heated to your body temperature. Or turn the world off with a soak in natural, hot springs mineral spas in Desert Hot Springs. Decadence, defined and refined.

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Palm Springs Aerial Tram

Got 10 minutes? That’s all it takes to go from the hot desert floor to cool, piney highlands thanks to this engineering marvel. Spinning slowly as it ascends-it’s the world’s largest spinning tramcar—the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway  traverses 2.5 miles of Chino Canyon in one smooth ascent to 2,596 metres at Mountain Station, on the flanks of towering Mount San Jacinto. On the ride up you’ll be Instagramming non-stop as you take in the wonderful views of jagged cliffs and canyons (keep your eyes peeled for waterfalls in spring). Celebrated naturalist John Muir once wrote that “…the view from San Jacinto is the most sublime spectacle to be found anywhere on this earth”, and he wasn’t exaggerating.

At the top there’s access to more than 50 miles of paths into the Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness Area . The tram operates throughout the winter and don’t be surprised if fellow tram riders are carrying snowshoes or cross-country skis for exploring the snowy wilderness (you can hire these from Winter Adventure Center , at Mountain Station). Tip for outdoor lovers: it’s a short walk to Round Valley which offers picturesque camping pitches (bookings must be made five days in advance), even in winter.

But you don’t have to hike or ski to have fun. At the top there are two restaurants (fine dining at Peaks Restaurant; cafeteria fare at Pines Café), a full cocktail and beer bar (aptly named The Lookout Lounge), an observation area, natural history displays and a small cinema showing documentary films.

The Living Desert

Talk about survival skills. The animals and plants on show at this extraordinary attraction shed light on the amazing adaptions that make it possible to survive in the desert’s harsh environment. Walk through an incredible array—more than 1,400 species in all—of cacti, yucca, and other desert plants that grow in California’s Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, as well as other deserts around the world. You’ll see—and learn about—desert animals too, some of them undeniable charmers. African meerkats rise up on their hind legs, swaying as they pivot their heads and sniff the air. Desert foxes, with enormous bat-like ears, curl up tight for afternoon naps. And giraffes crane their necks and stretch out extraordinarily purple tongues to nibble on grasses outside their enclosures.

Cool morning tends to be the best time to see animals in action, so come early if you can. That’s not to say afternoons don’t have their merits: As the day heats up, tortoises and lizards come out to absorb the sun and, in the late afternoon, the zoo’s nocturnal animals, like owls and bats, start to stir. Evenings are also a pleasant time to stretch your legs on The Living Desert’s trail network, which leads into the nearby Santa Rosa Mountains. Keep your eyes peeled for native roadrunners dashing among the desert shrubs, looking for lizards and other prey.

Palm Springs Golf

Robert Trent Jones Jr., Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus—the list of top pros who have designed championship courses in the  Palm Springs region  couldn’t get more name-droppy, at least when it comes to golf. Add mountain and desert vistas that make waiting for your tee time a pleasure, and you can see why the Coachella Valley tops so many golfers’ lists of favourite places to hit the links.

A staggering 124 courses dot the valley; it’s said to be the greatest concentration of golf courses in the world. Some of the best known are at  La Quinta’s PGA West Golf Club & Resort . Three public courses offer tight fairways, multi-tiered greens, deep sand bunkers, and plenty of water features. At  Indian Wells Golf Resort , test your skills on the rolling Celebrity Course, or try the peaceful Players Course—its road- and house-free surroundings make for especially beautiful backdrops while you play. If you’re aiming to hone your skills, consider taking a lesson with one of the course’s outstanding pros. You can also have your swing evaluated at  Indian Wells’ Callaway Performance Center .

Also, among the area’s must-play links are the Mountain View and Fire cliff courses at  Desert Willow Golf Resort . With more than 100 bunkers and green surrounds that protect the par throughout, the Firecliff was designed with the higher-skill player in mind, while the Mountain View course offers a still challenging but more forgiving set of links.

Ten miles away,  SilverRock Resort  boasts one of the longest tracks in all of Southern California at 7,600 yards; the course, a onetime Bob Hope Classic host, is wrapped around the base of the Santa Monica mountains, making for a memorable setting. Other nearby not-to-be-missed links include  Marriott’s Shadow Ridge Golf Club and Escena Golf Club . Some resorts, like Indian Wells and  La Quinta , offer stay-and-play specials; be sure to ask when booking.

This 200-acre former estate of publishing magnate and UK ambassador Walter Annenberg and his wife Lenore, dubbed  Sunnylands , lets you peek into a lifestyle of the uber-rich and connected. The couples’ glass-walled 25,000-square-foot home is a mid-century modern masterpiece that showcases a notable art collection. Though many of the Annenberg’s original pieces are now on display in museums, outstanding replicas let you get a sense of how dizzyingly fabulous is—you’ll find works by Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh and other masters. The artistic style unfolds in Sunnylands’ extensive  gardens  too—many are landscaped in sweeping bands of colour to evoke Impressionist art. The garden is also home to many local and migratory bird species; once a week (Fridays at 8:45 a.m., October – May) a free  bird walk  is led by knowledgeable birders.

While you can stroll through the 1.25 miles of garden paths for no charge, you must sign up well in advance to purchase a ticket for a guided tour of the house (it’s worth the wait). In addition to the artworks, you can peruse the dozens of photographs displayed on the walls—look for familiar faces of presidents, celebrities and royalty in many of them, a glimpse into the lofty social circles that the Annenbergs inhabited. In fact, the Rancho Mirage property, nicknamed the “West Coast Camp David”, still serves as a meeting place for global leaders. A museum, a theatre and an indoor/outdoor cafe (with stunning views of the San Jacinto Mountains) are also housed in striking glass buildings. Note: Both the house and gardens are closed in August.

L’Horizon Palm Springs

Staying at  L’Horizon Palm Springs  is a bit like stepping into a mid-century-modern time machine, with all the luxury trappings of a Hollywood hideaway in the desert.

After all, that’s exactly what it is. The hotel compound was built in 1952 by architect William F. Cody, who designed many of the famous mid-century buildings around the desert; he was commissioned by Hollywood producer Jack Wrather (behind such  TV shows  as  The Lone Ranger  and  Lassie ) to create a desert home that could also accommodate plenty of his A-list friends. The result was this collection of 25 sleek bungalows, spread over three acres against a  mountain backdrop . Some of the guests over the years included Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, and presidents Nixon and Reagan. 

In 2015, the compound got a refresh from contemporary designer Steve Hermann, embracing that classic Palm Springs aesthetic. The original, slump-stone walls are juxtaposed against warm exposed-wood beams in the ceilings, bespoke and vintage decor, and floor-to-ceiling windows. To stay in Marilyn’s old room, book the  Fireplace Junior Suite Bungalow , which also has a wood-burning copper-clad fireplace, and a big view of the zero-edge pool.

Even though you’re a short distance from  Palm Springs area shopping and  golf courses , this is the kind of place that invites you to keep a low profile, like a star hiding out from the paparazzi. Chill out at the  spa  (with body treatments such as the Espresso Mud Wrap or the Lemongrass Mimosa Scrub) and enjoy all three meals at the elegantly al fresco  So-Pa restaurant—ranging from the Dungeness-crab-accented L’Horizon Benedict at breakfast to the dinner menu of seafood, organic duck breast, or Niman Ranch short ribs. Adding to the serene ambience: This is an adults-only property.

The poolside  bar  is a fabulous throwback in itself. Choose from classic cocktails like a Tom Cat Collins, a Manhattan, or the rye-centred Vieux Carré. Or sip on more contemporary cousins, like La Martinque (with port, cognac, and pineapple juice) or the Summer in Russia (vodka, grapefruit juice, and elderflower liqueur).

Hot Air Balloon Tours of Palm Springs

One of the best ways to appreciate the panoramic desert of the  Greater Palm Springs area  is to literally get above it—taking in the expanses of citrus trees and date palms, the sagebrush, the spring wildflowers, and even the 100-plus manicured golf courses from a hot air balloon, with the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains as a backdrop.

A number of operators do hot-air balloon rides in the Coachella Valley, primarily in the high season of November through May, with sunrise and sunset being the most popular times of the day for tours. Operators will typically come pick you up at your hotel for the trip and tours are fairly small—anywhere from two to 10 of you along for the ride.

Fantasy Balloon Flights ,  Balloons Above , and  HavNFun Hot Air Balloons  all use FAA-certified pilots and embrace the centuries-old tradition of offering up some sparkling wine after your voyage. (Ballooning as a sport began in France, no doubt including Champagne, in the 18th century.) Expect to be in the air anywhere from 40 to 90 minutes. Some of the operators let you get pretty hands-on, too: HavNFun lets passengers help set up and take down the balloon before and after their flights, while Balloons Above is happy to arrange lessons on how to fly a hot air balloon yourself.

On the Fantasy Balloon Flights tour of Palm Springs, the pilot will point out spots like the San Andreas Fault, the Salton Sea, and even celebrity homes. The company also offers  Temecula wine country  flights that glide over the vineyards and then touch down for a winery tour. 

Saguaro Palm Springs

You can’t miss the Saguaro when you’re driving through  Palm Springs . The trendy boutique hotel is easily recognizable (and often photographed) due to its bright façade of yellows, oranges, and pinks. Known for its lively pool scene and active events calendar, the  Saguaro Palm Springs  appeals to anyone looking for fun in the desert sun. 

With 245 guest rooms, two restaurants, a freshly renovated event space, a spa, and popular party pool, the Saguaro has plenty to keep you busy during a desert getaway. Explore the desert on a cruiser bike, relax during a spa treatment, take a yoga session, or sway your afternoon away in a rainbow-colored hammock while your friends play bocce nearby. Check the  calendar for upcoming events—normal weeks may include karaoke nights or movies on the lawn, while festival weekends (such as  Coachella ) feature poolside DJs and live performances.

As far as eating and drinking—you’re set. Try a boozy brunch pairing at Rocco’s Electric, where Chilaquiles Verde comes with a Michelada, and Chorizo Con Papas Burrito is served with a margarita. During the weekend, the poolside bar serves breakfast, appetizers—like almond-crusted local Coachella dates—and tacos. It’s worth extending your trip just to take advantage of Taco Tuesday  and  Thursday (“because one day is not enough”) at the hotel’s main restaurant, El Jefe.

Before you book, check for  specials —especially if you’re organizing a bachelor or bachelorette party. Recent packages have included a late checkout, luxury pool floats, a bottle of champagne, and more with a two-night stay.

California Questionnaire: The Bryan Brothers

As the most dominant doubles team of all time, pro tennis players Bob and Mike Bryan have wowed fans worldwide. But the crowd-pleasing identical twins, known for their signature high-flying chest bump after each victory, echo that there’s no place like home—especially when that home is California’s Central Coast. Though they now live elsewhere, the pair often returns to Camarillo, in Ventura County, roughly halfway between L.A. and Santa Barbara. We sat down with the high-flying pair at the home of the BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells Tennis Garden near Palm Springs, and asked them to serve up their views on everything from how they’d spend a perfect day in their home state to their favourite local place for soft tacos.

Where do you live?

Mike:  We grew up in Camarillo, and I have a second home there, in Santa Rosa Valley. We live on a little five-acre horse farm; my wife’s a big horseback rider so we’ve got some land out there in the same development as Gary Sinise. He’s my neighbour.

Bob:  I’m out of state, but I’m hoping to come to get back to California when my kids are older. Maybe when my daughter goes to Stanford, my alma mater, I’ll move out there.

Mike:  [My Santa Rosa Valley home is] close to my parents, close to where our roots are. We love the area—we’ve travelled the world and there’s no place like home. It's just beautiful: the mountains, the ocean five miles away. That’s going to be the place we’ll stay once we’re done playing. We’ll probably die in that house.

Bob:   I like the variety and diversity of California—mountains, oceans, deserts—there’s not really any place like it that has it all.

Who or what is your greatest California love?

Mike:  It’s tough to beat the Ventura County and Santa Monica beaches. We grew up bodysurfing there. And we love the mountains too—up behind Ojai in the Santa Monica Mountains—my mom and wife go horseback riding there all the time. We love the Channel Islands too—on a clear day and you see them on the horizon. It's a great view.

Bob:  The fact that you can escape into nature on a trail and see what the Native Americans saw hundreds of years ago—it’s cool.

What is the biggest misperception about California?

Mike:  That it’s all about showbiz and Hollywood. You get a whole range of people here—even cowboy types. It’s so diverse.

Bob:  Yeah, everyone sees the Hollywood sign and that’s what they attach to California—but that’s just a very small part of this place.

What is the stereotype that most holds true?

Mike:   The language. “Dude”—it’s what we grew up saying. When people hear us talk they know we’re from California.

Bob:   Yeah: “Chill out, dude.”

What is your favourite Golden State moment?

Mike:  The sunsets on the beach. We always go to the huge sand hill on the way to Malibu. I go up that and watch the sunset and the waves crashing. Mornings are great too—the crystal-clear air, the blue sky, the crispness. You can wake up on Christmas and go outside to a 75º day.

Bob:  The cool shade. The air’s a little thicker on the east coast. I like the freshness in California—just throw on a light sweater at night and a t-shirt during the day.

Time for a road trip—where are you going?

Bob:   I’d go up Highway 1 and stop at Santa Barbara, Hearst Castle, Big Sur, then spend the night at Ventana Inn. Then go to Santa Cruz Boardwalk, and I’ve got to stop at Stanford. Then go across the Golden Gate Bridge into Muir Woods and then keep going up to Napa to do some wine tasting. Then come back and do it all over again.

Mike:   I'd hit the national parks. We’d go to Sequoia National Park—my wife has never been and I want her to see those big trees. Then we’d hit Yosemite, then Lake Tahoe and go out on a boat on the water. We’d drive around the lake—on the California side, of course—roll all the way up the state, then zoom down the I-5 to Joshua Tree National Park.

If you could decree an official state culinary experience, what would it be?

Bob : A carne asada soft taco or a chile verde burrito—they seem to get it right in Southern California. I’m always looking for authentic Mexican food.

Mike:  We’d always go to Somis Market near Camarillo. It was in the middle of nowhere, and we hit it almost every day. It was pretty greasy and fattening, but it had the best flavor, and you couldn’t match those beans and rice and the sauces and salsas. To this day our favourite is Mexican food. A huevos rancheros breakfast—you can’t beat it.

Bob:  Yeah, if we had one last meal on this earth, it would be Mexican food from Somis Market.

Best California song?

Bob:  “California Love” by Dr. Dre and Tupac.

Mike : And any songs by the Beach Boys—my dad went to high school with them. He taught us to play music at an early age, and he taught us all the Beach Boys songs—“Surfin’ USA,” “California Girls.”

How would your California dream day unfold?

Bob : We’d wake up early, drop the kids off at school. We’d go on a bike ride in Ojai, maybe take a boat out on Lake Casitas, then swing over to Carpinteria Beach—the so-called safest beach in the world—and do a little body-whomping. Come back down, pick up the kids, go to the Santa Barbara Zoo, maybe do some shopping at the outlets. Then bedtime with some good Mexican food.

Mike:  I’d wake up early, go get some great breakfast down in Venice, then go roller-blading along the beach. Take off the blades and go into the ocean for a little dip. Then get some lunch in Bel Air, maybe catch a concert with friends at the Hollywood Bowl…

Bob:  Which concert?

Mike:  Maroon 5. Then I’d go watch the sunset…

Bob:  Where?

Mike:  In Yosemite.

Bob:  You’d need a space ship. Sounds like a good day.

Mike:  Then I’d come back and do some horseback riding with my wife, then shut it down. Yeah, that sounds like a good day. 

BMW Performance Driving School

Zooming really fast in an ultra-speedy M Series BMW may seem like one of those Walter Mitty moments that’s out of your reach. But now those need-for-speed fantasies are available to anyone willing to plunk down a credit card and show up, ready to roll, at the BMW Performance Driving School in the Southern California desert south of Palm Springs.

Splurges with a side of adrenaline don’t get much better than taking part in a high-speed driving classes, conducted year-round at The Thermal Club— a posh, 30-plus-acre racetrack, training facility, and motorsports club just south of Indio. The goal of all BMW classes, stress the course instructors, is to improve your driving skills and let you feel what it’s like to push these high-performance machines to the limit in a safe driving environment.

And push them you will. Instructors (many of them professional racers) first outfit you with ultra-padded race helmets, then show you how to customize your driving position in one of a fleet of gleaming M Series BMWs. Quick tips like “A squealing tire is a happy tire,” and “Don’t be afraid to skid,” are reminders that going fast—or at least faster than normal—is the order of the day.

Feel like James Bond zooming across the desert in an M Series BMW.

Then, seatbelt snugged, you head out on the tarmac. Depending on the course you sign up for, you could be pitted against your classmates in a time trial. Or you could do power laps of the impressive 1.6-mile South Palm Circuit, the largest track at The Thermal Club with banked turns and a pedal-to-the-metal main stretch. Finish off riding shotgun with your instructor, or another top driver, to see (and feel) what it’s like to go really, really fast around the track.

Splurges with a side of adrenaline don’t get much better than taking part in a high-speed driving classes, conducted year-round at The Thermal Club—a posh, 30-plus-acre racetrack, training facility, and motorsports club just south of Indio. The goal of all BMW classes, stress the course instructors, is to improve your driving skills and let you feel what it’s like to push these high-performance machines to the limit in a safe driving environment.

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Sunnylands Tours December 2023

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