The part of Palm Springs where South Palm Canyon Dr. veers East and becomes East Palm Canyon Drive has numerous hotels, restaurants, apartments and condos.  Mr. Lyons Restaurant  is a great restaurant in the area.  The Ace Hotel along with its fun and trendy restaurant, King's Highway is also there.

People referred to the area, due to the way the street curved, as "the curve" and a hotel opened up a few years ago in the area named, "The Curve".  It took the place of the old Travelodge hotel.  Well, now The Curve closed down months ago and is being replaced with what looks to be another trendy, urban boutique hotel and resort called "V Palm Springs".  They are doing major renovations all over the old buildings.  Even the front of the street is getting a major makeover.  The 140 room resort, as described on their website, will evoke sensations of luxury, beauty, and sophistication...it will provide a cosmopolitan yet relaxed atmosphere for guests. 

Opening in March of 2016, the resort will feature multiple pools, four gardens that "artfully embrace the rough-but-elegant beauty of the local desert landscape", porch-style swings, poolside bar, modern fire pit & an upscale restaurant and bar.

Anyone remember the name, Mark Geragos?  I recognized it immediately when I read that he is one of the owners of this hotel.  I didn't know from where, but I definitely recognized the name.  It turns out that Mark Geragos is an LA based high profile attorney known for representing celebrity clients like Winona Ryder, Michael Jackson, Nicole Richie and singer Chris Brown.  There is the celebrity angle to the new hotel:-)

Now as the owner of Dry Heat Resorts vacation rentals, I don't really want you staying at the hotel.  I'd much rather you stay at one of the numerous luxury vacation homes I offer that are walking distance to it.  Their rooms average 260 sq ft anyway so why would you want to stay there when Dry Heat Resorts vacation homes average 2,000 sq ft. 

The reason that I blog about new hotels in the California desert is to highlight the amazing growth we are experiencing and to inform my guests that great new restaurants, bars, lounges and other amenities are available just steps away from your Dry Heat Resorts vacation rental at some of the newer hotels. 

His name was Brody and from 1995 through August 2015, he was my faithful cat and companion.  For twenty years he was an ever-present part of my daily life.  When he started showing signs of sickness and weakness in June of this year, I didn't realize that his end was near.  This cat was so great that for twenty years, he never missed his litter box;  in June, when his aim went from directly into the center of the  box without a hitch to the corners of the box, I took notice.  The downward spiral had begun.  From the corners of the litter box, it moved to the corners and a little outside the box to all outside the box.  Eventually, he wasn't even making it to the bathroom, and I knew at this point things were going to get rocky.  I suppose I still didn't realize his end was near because he had been around for so long without showing any signs of letting up, that i just took his existence for granted.  I was also probably a little in denial.

In July, the veterinarian informed me that he was completely blind.  Well that explained some things.  His appetite started diminishing and he drank less and less water.  The veterinarian told me that his kidneys were barely functioning.  It seemed he went from being the happy active cat I had always known to being lethargic and pensive overnight.  It got to a point where I would have to lift him into my bed, feed him there and then have to carry him to his litter box where he would immediately go.  Then I would pick him up, litter still clinging to his tiny paws, and bring him back to bed where he would curl up beside me and still purr a little.  Over time, the purring became less and less and eventually stopped.  When the purring stopped, I knew he had no more joy and that keeping him in existence was nothing more than a selfish act on my part.  I knew it was time to let go.

Isn't this blog about Palm Springs vacationing?  Yes, it is.  Sorry to bring you down with the above.  I thought about the recent loss of Brody because I saw a show last night about a local tennis tournament/benefit for a cat and kitten rescue and wanted to blog about it. 

As you can probably tell, I love cats.  If you love them also and will be vacationing in the Palm Springs area on February 7, please consider attending the Kittyland Cat & Kitten Rescue's second annual fundraising lunch and tennis tournament at the Westin Mission Hills Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage.  to learn about it, please click here; http://www.kittylandrescue.org/

If you are still looking for a place to stay in Palm Springs on February 7 or any time, please check out all the amazing luxury Palm Springs rentals at dryheatresorts.com



 

Palm Desert's El Paseo Also Growing

With all the growth going on in the city of Palm Springs, I usually forget to highlight people, places and things going on in other parts of the California desert.  El Paseo, Palm Desert's upscale shopping district, for example, just experienced a ground breaking ceremony for a new four-star boutique hotel.  This will be the first hotel located on El Paseo itself which I think offers visitors a unique experience if shopping is a big part of their vacations.

The 150-room hotel, which is to be named, Hotel Paseo, will be across the street from The Gardens on El Paseo.  The Gardens on El Paseo is the upscale shopping center, within the upscale shopping street of El Paseo, that Saks 5th Avenue is in.

Hotel Paseo will feature a pool, spa, dining, ballroom and meeting rooms along with valet and underground parking and 24-hour room service. It will operate under the Marriott Autograph Collection brand which will allow its guests to earn and redeem Marriott rewards.

The first guests are expected to check in by February 2017.