Tamarind shrimp from Citron at The Viceroy, Palm Springs

When I learned that I would be invited to preview some menu items for Palm Springs Restaurant Week  (May 31 – June 16, 2013) my mouth started watering like Pavlov’s dog experiment, only no one had to ring the bell for me to salivate! You see, I remembered my last visit to Palm Spring, California in the fall.  This was my first time to visit this desert community and I didn’t really know what to expect.  There are so many things to see and do in Palm Springs, California and the restaurant scene is really heating up (pun intended.)

Value dining in Palm Springs

Now in its sixth year, Palm Springs Desert Resorts Restaurant Week is a chance for locals and visitors alike to sample signature dishes, meet restaurant owners and chefs, visit Palm Springs attractions and save money. How’s that for value dining? And the savings aren’t limited to Palm Springs; over 100 restaurants, hotels and attractions from the entire Coachella Valley participate in Restaurant Week. During this 10 day time frame, foodies and frugal travelers visit their favorite restaurants, hotels or spas.

Stay at the Viceroy Hotel and take a dip in the pool

Palm Springs Restaurant Week

Special prix fixe dinner menus are offered over the 10 days. All of the restaurants offer three-course dinners, offering several choices for each course. FYI, the $26 or $38 per person restaurant menu does not include  beverages, tax or gratuity.

Eat, see, stay in Palm Springs

If you like dining deals and hotel package offers, Restaurant Week offers value. During my Palm Springs visit, I stayed at The Saguaro. Condé Nast Traveler recently named The Saguaro one of the best new hotels of 2013. For my next trip, I’d stay at the Viceroy Hotel. In addition to California creations from Citron restaurant, this place has multiple swimming pools and looks like a private estate.

Soft shell crab BLT from Jakes

One of my favorite restaurants was Tinto,  inside The Saguaro. Iron Chef Jose Garces offers up pintxos like the ones I discovered during my travels in northwestern Spain. We also traveled to Austria via Johannes Restaurant in Palm Springs and made it to Norma’s at The Park Palm Springs for decadent desserts.

Head out on the Palm Springs highway

Day two found us at King’s Highway at ACE Hotel for breakfast before a morning Red Jeep Tour to Indian Canyons with Desert Adventures. This tour was a Palm Springs highlight for me because our naturalist guide, Morgan Levine, brought Andreas Canyon to life with stories of the Aqua Caliente Cahuilla Indians. After our jeep tour we dined Al Fresco at Jakes. I ordered the soft shell crab BLT, but the show stopper at Jakes was the dessert – a chocolate peanut butter cupcake. Jakes has not one, but three pastry chefs. Dine here simply for the desserts!

Workshop Kitchen + Bar arrives on the Palm Springs restaurant scene

Cooking and cocktails in Palm Springs

My last day in Palm Springs included a cooking class with Chef Andrew Copley of Copley’s on Palm Canyon and small plates at Workshop Kitchen + Bar, Palm Springs latest newcomer to the restaurant scene.

Don’t miss the bar scene in Palm Springs. It seems that every restaurant we visited, from Citron to Melvyn’s, featured their own signature cocktail. With mint juleps to Au Pear cocktails, sangria, Pomegranate Martini’s at Copley’s and Mel-tini’s on the bar menu, I tried them all. Fabulous – but don’t forget a designated driver!

Have an Au Pear martini at Johannes in Palm Springs

Palm Springs spa time

Last, but not least, what’s a visit to Palm Springs without a spa treatment? My time was too short at Riviera Spa Terre at the Riviera Palm Springs, but that just gives me another excuse for a return trip to Palm Springs. Won’t you join me?

For additional insider tips follow Luxury Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown on Twitter and follow Palm Springs Restaurant Week and Palm Spring  on Twitter.

If You Go:

Palm Springs Restaurant Week

I was a guest of Palm Springs Visitors Bureau and Palm Springs Restaurant Week.

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Alcazar, Palm Springs

Del Marcos Hotel, Palm Springs

Alcazar, a newcomer boutique hotel in Palm Springs, doesn’t take itself too seriously. The door hang states, “I am/we are: at liquor store; tanning, enjoying mani pedi, at Birba (the family owned restaurant lounge neighbor); sexting or shagging in another room – come in now! For the “come in later” side, excuses are: “I am/we are: snoozing; blogging about Cheeky’s; getting busy; procrastinating; hung over or feeling anti-social.”

Alcazar Poolside King Deluxe

You get the vibe – Alcazar hotel is the place to hang your hat in the cheeky Uptown Palm Springs District, while still leaving money in your pocket to go out and play. Alcazar hotel opened in 2011, and each of the 34 rooms in this boutique hotel feature imported Italian linens and flat screen TV’s.

There are several options for hotel rooms, from the two queen beds and jacuzzi tub to the one king bed with its own patio and view of the San Jacinto mountains.

Tiny, enclosed patio, (smoker-friendly outside, $150 cleaning fee if you light up inside), dog-friendly $50 one-time pet fee,  complimentary Alcazar robes while you stay – $45 if you you’d like one for purchase.

Alcazar Pool

Need to know:

There is a $7. daily resort fee that covers overnight hotel parking, wi-fi, daily coffee and pastries (from Cheeky’s) and bicycle rentals.

Check in: 3 p.m.

Check out: noon

Insider tips

The Alcazar is the ultimate fun triangle, as this compound features the hotel, Birba’s restaurant/lounge and Cheeky’s next door for excellent breakfast and lunch service in Palm Springs Uptown District.

For additional insider tips follow Luxury Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown on Twitter and friend Alcazar  on Facebook.

Alcazar (760) 318-9850

401 E. Amado Road

Palm Springs, CA 92262

Article written by and photos courtesy of  Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip, Travels from Northern California. I was a guest of Alcazar Palm Springs.

Alcazar Townie Bikes

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Things to See and Do in Palm Springs, California

When you come to Palm Springs, get your picture taken in front of the 26-foot Forever Marilyn Monroe sculpture

Insider Tips to Palm Springs, CA

Are you visiting Palm Springs for the first time? Below is a list of “Insider Tips” for things to see and do in this desert oasis.

When I have a visitor from out-of-town the first place they want to see is the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, but I also take them to Backstreet Art District – for a more local, authentic experience.

When I want to escape the tourists, my favorite place to visit is going to the Moorten Botanical Garden.

If this is a romantic trip, I recommend the observation deck at 8,500+ feet at the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway for kissing with a view.

The best place to walk the dog is through the Tennis District, a historic neighborhood lined with old Hollywood celebrity homes and mid-century modern boutique hotels.

Museums are wonderful, but if you are traveling with kids, you’ll want to visit Palm Springs Air Museum.

The best place to go for coffee & a breakfast treat is Aspen Mills, a local bread/bakery company – great coffee and amazing cinnamon rolls

Palm Springs Food:

The best place to go for coffee & a breakfast treat is Aspen Mills, a local bread/bakery company – great coffee and amazing cinnamon rolls.

Looking for cheap food in Palm Springs? Go to John’s Restaurant –  many menu options and large food portions.

The restaurant, LuLus Palm Springs is the spot for late night dining. Plus, they have a 12-hour happy hour.

For an expensive, yet quality meal, go to Copley’s Restaurant (it is the former estate of Cary Grant)

Seeing a lot of sunshine? Palm Springs is best known for its year-round sunshine, palm trees and swimming pools.

When you come to Palm Springs, get your picture taken in front of the 26-foot Forever Marilyn Monroe sculpture on display in downtown until June 2013.

The best vantage points are taken by walking to the top of Palm Canyon in the Indian Canyons. It is considered to be the largest natural palm oasis in the world.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway offers great views and Palm Canyon Drive is the best place to watch or experience the Festival of Lights Christmas Parade.

Deborah Butterfield’s Bronze Horse Palm Springs Art Museum

In Palm Springs, outdoor enthusiasts will want to hike ancient canyons or go horseback riding through pristine wilderness.

Looking for a little exercise? Walk along the Andreas Canyon trail in the Indian Canyons, it is a 1 mile loop along streams, canyons and beautiful views.

If you are a museum lover, Palm Springs has a stunning Art Museum.

Looking for exciting night life? Go dancing at Village Pub or Las Casuelas for live music.

The Desert Sun will keep you posted on what’s happening in Palm Springs.

You can tell a lot about Palm Springs from visiting and watching the Palm Springs International Film Festival event.

In the spring you should attend, the Coachella Music Festival.

In the summer you should attend the weekly free film series at the Palm Springs art museum.

Did you know that Palm Springs is known for its mid-century modern architecture. Plan a visit to Modernism Week in the winter.

Come to Palm Springs for classic car auctions and motorcycle show in the fall.

Dale Chihuly’s “End of the Day” at Palm Springs Art Museum

Insider Tip: Check out the often over-looked Agua Caliente Cultural Museum in Palm Springs.

I’ll bet you didn’t know…..that Palm Springs is ½ Tribal Land and ½ City land.

Just outside of Palm Springs you can visit Joshua Tree National Park, and have lunch at Pappy and Harriets in Pioneertown.

What are your favorite things to do in Palm Springs?

For additional insider tips follow Luxury Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown on Twitter and follow Palm Spring  on Twitter  and like them on  Facebook.

Thanks to Hillary at the Palms Springs Visitors Bureau for assistance with this post. Photos and YouTube video courtesy of Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown.

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Adult-Only Getaway at Del Marcos Hotel