Your introduction to palm springs california

Palm Springs, California is a two-hour drive approximately 100 miles east of the city of Los Angeles in beautiful Riverside County. First inhabited by the Cahill Indians, the name Palm Springs comes from the Indian phrase meaning “The Palm Of God’s Hand”. By 1950, Palm Springs became a getaway resort for the rich and famous. As of the year 2,000, almost 43,000 people resided in this lush area. In the wintertime, this number jumps to almost 75,000 people, with around 27,000 people living in second vacation homes.

Palm Springs lies in the California Desert on the western edge of the Coachella Valley. At 487 feet above sea level and covering 96 square miles, it offers a beautiful view of the impressive Mt. San Jacinto. In addition to natural landmarks, the city offers it’s residents an almost endless number of activities including tennis courts, golf courses, an Olympic sized pool, a dog park, a water park, and trails of all kinds (including bike routes and horseback trails). Palm Springs even has a baseball stadium. Palm Springs is also noted for it’s vast city library and museums.

In addition to these activities, Palm Springs also offers visitors the chance to visit boutiques, art galleries, antique shops, restaurants, and night clubs.

Palm Springs has an unusually warm, dry climate. This is because it is surrounded by the San Jacinto Mountains on the west, the Santa Rosa mountains on the south, and the Little San Bernadino mountains to the north. Although temperatures rise above 100 in the summer, you will still remain comfortable due to the low humidity.

One of the outstanding activities offered by Palm Springs is golf. Palm Springs offers over 30 different golf courses spread throughout it’s vast acreage. It attracts the most prestigious golfers in the world, including Jack Nicklaus. In fact, Palm Springs is the home of the PGA West Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course. This course is the home of the PGA 's Tour Qualifying School. The course is names as one of Golf Magazine’s top 100 golf courses you can play. Other fabulous courses you can try out are the PGA West TCP Stadium Course, Silver Rock Resort (designed by Arnold Palmer), the Palm Desert Resort Country Club, and the Desert Princess Country Club. As you can see, Palm Springs hosts the best of the best when it comes to golf.

When you have had your fill of golf (or if golf is not your thing), Palm Springs offers a multitude of fun, unique activities for you to enjoy. If you feel like taking to the sky, you can enjoy a ride in a colorful hot air balloon, allowing you to view the beautiful vistas of California. For a little more excitement, you can ride in a classic biplane or warbird of the 20’s or 40’s. Imagine the thrill of aerobatic flying with a naval pilot at the controls.

If the sky isn’t your cup of tea, then you can take advantage of the Coachella Valley and the surrounding area. You may wish to take nature hikes in the valley, or take a ride on the breathtaking Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The tramway is a suspended cable car with a 15-minute ride across the valley each way. If you decide to stay on the ground, horse riding and jeep tours are available.

Palm Springs is a showplace retreat for people of all walks of life. It offers something for everyone, from visitors from other countries, to those just wanting to get away for a while. It offers breathtaking views, as well as the beauty of the city itself.

Off the beaten track in spain

Castilla y Leon

Castilla y Leon is the largest region in Spain. It is known for its vast expanse of plains and its many castles

Valladolid is the capital of the region and although it has now become quite industrialised it has one of the most important sculpture museums in Spain and some of the best architecture.

Salamanca is also a great architectural city and is home to one of the oldest universities in Europe, which was founded in the 13th Century as well as having two cathedrals.

Castilla y Leon is a beautiful rural region of Spain near to the Portuguese border and not far from the capital of Spain, Madrid. Look at our selection of rural rentals in Castilla y Leon.

Galicia

The area of Galicia "Green Spain" is in the far north west of the country. It is known as the 'land of a thousand rivers' and is the greenest region in Spain.

Santiago de Compostela is the capital of Galicia and its' main tourist attraction. The supposed tomb of St James the Apostle is to be found here in this beautiful city.

Many Spaniards are now visiting this area to get away from the heat of the south in the summer and to spend a peaceful holiday in sheltered coves with lovely beaches and to visit some of the rural areas where time seems to have almost stood still.

Vigo is the most populated city in Galicia and has the most important fishing port in all of Spain.

Asturias

The area of Asturias is found between Galicia and Cantabria. The coastline, the Costa Verde, is a popular attraction and has many sandy coves and numerous fishing villages. It is a very picturesque region. Inland there are forests and mountains and nature reserves with rare species of flora and fauna.

Oviedo (the region's capital) is a lively university city and culturally well worth a visit.

The temperatures here are much more pleasant in the summer than the hotter south of Spain, so if you want a holiday that has something different in a beautiful location, look no further than a vacation rental in Asturias.

Cantabria

Cantabria and Asturias are divided by the Picos de Europa, 'the Peaks of Europe', a beautiful mountain range and now Europe's largest national park.

In contrast with the mountains are the green valleys and wonderful coast with pretty fishing ports and sandy coves for sunbathing.

Santander is the capital of the region and is a busy port and an elegant resort. It has a modern town centre, after being destroyed by fire in 1941. The Cathedral was rebuilt in Gothic style. Just a short distance inland from Santander is the very pretty, medieval town of Santillana del Mar which is centred around a monastery, La Colegiata.

Extremadura

Extremadura is the ideal region for those wanting to get away from the traditional Spanish holiday and visit the real, old Spain.

The regional capital is the city of Merida, where one can find some of the best Roman ruins in the country, the Roman Theatre and the Amphitheatre should be included in any itinerary. T

he old walled city of Caceres has a well preserved Jewish quarter as well as Moorish walls and watchtowers.

Other historic sights are the monasteries of Guadalupe and Juste.

So if you fancy a get away from it holiday in this lovely inland region, why not book a vacation rental in Extremadura.

La Rioja

La Rioja is a small region in size but is very well known for its wine, vineyards and bodegas. It is, in fact, one of the most important wine growing areas in Europe. It does, however, also have an abundance of market gardens and wonderful countryside, ideal if you love walking, climbing, hiking or fishing.

The capital of the La Rioja area is Logrono, which is also at the centre of the region's wine production. Another town very popular for sampling the wine of the region is Haro, which also has an old town worthy of a visit.

The cathedral at Santo Domingo de la Calzada is an historic sight, the town is named after the 11th century saint who built roads and bridges to assist pilgrims. Much information be found about him in the cathedral.