Palm Springs Hotels

Change is afoot in Palm Springs. Once the swinging hangout of Sinatra and Elvis and other rollicking stars, the city went gray, conservative and dreary in the 1980s. But the pendulum of popularity has swung back as a new generation of celebs and hipsters latches onto the city's retro-chic charms.

The best times to go are spring (March to May) and fall (September to November), when temperatures are comfortably balmy but not scorching. If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the desert in summer (June to August). The average daily high temperature in Palm Springs tops out at 107 °F (42°C) in July - and that's just in the shade. If you aren't a college student it's also a good idea to avoid Spring Break (the weeks either side of Easter), when thousands of hormone-addled college students descend on Palm Springs to party till they drop. The desert is most beautiful when the wildflowers are in bloom in February and March in the low desert and into April and May at higher elevations.