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Palm Springs Gay Travel Guide
So you’re lost in the blazing desert, you ran out of water yesterday, and just as you’ve given up all hope of rescue, you see before you the shimmering hallucination of a green and beautiful oasis. And it’s filled with gorgeous, scantily-clad men. A mirage, right? No, you’ve made it to Palm Springs! California’s gay residents began vacationing here alongside plaid-panted upper-class golfers as early as the 1950s. And though Palm Springs’ heyday is long past, it remains a delightful, low-key escape from the frenzy of city life, with a well-established gay legacy and infrastructure. If you like the outdoors, Palm Springs has lots to offer. The supremely bizarre Joshua Tree National Park borders Palm Springs and offers stellar hiking and rock climbing. If you need something more intense, try mountain climbing at Mount San Jacinto State Park with the second highest peak in SoCal. (Or you can take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to the top, if you’re feeling lazy.) If a tamer outdoor experience is more your style, check out Indian Canyons and Tahquitz Canyon, four desert canyons filled with magnificent palm trees, hidden waterfalls, and Native American ruins. The easy footpaths into them start right near downtown. Maybe you’re a golfer, and if so, you’ll never get bored in Palm Springs. There are over 110 courses in the immediate area! But most gay tourists come to Palm Springs to book into a gay resort and spend their days shopping and lounging by the pool, and spend their nights socializing at the bars. The gay scene is split between the resort areas in Palm Springs proper (mostly along Warm Sands Drive between East Ramon Road and East Sunny Dunes Road) and the bars, clubs, and restaurants in Cathedral City, a few miles east of Palm Springs on East Palm Canyon Drive. This means you’ll have to have a car here if you want to leave your resort for the social areas.
Gay Palm Springs Bars, Restaurants and Clubs
Many of the gay bars in the Palm Springs area are actually located in Cathedral City. This is where you’ll find Ground Zero, a popular bar with country dancing on Saturday nights. Twisters is also popular. Poolside bars at resorts often attract friendly crowds, and a couple of popular ones are Dates Bar at the Villa and Desert Palms Poolside. Back in Palm Springs, check out Hunter’s Video Bar, probably the most happening watering hole in the city. Streetbar is a low-key local’s hangout. Badlands attracts a butchier following. The leather crowd currently favors The Tool Shed in Palm Springs, and The Barracks in Cathedral City. The sole dance club in Palm Springs is Heaven, and it gets downright packed after midnight on weekends. But due to city regulations, all the liquor-serving establishments close at 2am, so most everyone heads back to their resorts to continue the revelry. There are a few fun, quirky, gay eateries in the Palm Springs area. The Rainbow Cactus Cafe has live music after 830pm. Blame it on Midnight has an eclectic menu that ranges from Turkey Meatloaf to Lobster Ravioli, and their bar is a popular gay hangout, as well. Tomboyz draws the crowds on Sunday, where dinner is served during Queer as Folk, and Saturdays, when free psychic readings are given. Sunday brunch at Dates at the Villa is a tradition.
Gay Friendly and Gay Palm Springs Hotels
Like its sister resorts of Key West and Provincetown, the Palm Springs scene is relaxed and low-key, mostly centered around the hotel you’ve chosen. So it’s important to choose the right one! Palm Springs is famous for a wide variety of guest houses and resorts with clothing-optional pools. Among the more spectacular is Mirage, with waterfalls and pools and a hot tub that holds 18 (though they usually fit more into it the later it gets). The same company also owns Vista Grande, Atrium, and Avalon resorts. Equally popular is the famous Citadel, where many gay films have been shot over the years. Other clothing-optional resorts include Triangle Inn, INNdulge, Desert Paradise Hotel, Inn Exile, Warm Sands Villas, The Columns, Chestnutz, Canyon Boys Club, Camp Palm Springs, and Bacchanal. Among the more upscale clothing-optional resorts are the Santiago, The Hacienda, Terrazzo, Las Palmas, El Mirasol, and La Posada. The Villa Resort Palm Springs, La Dolce Vita, Desert Moon Resort, Tortuga del Sol Gay Resort, and Century Palm Springs are other recommended gay Palm Springs resorts. Bears and leather fanatics book into The 550 Bear Hole and the Chaps Inn. If you’re not in the mood for an all-over tan (or to see other people getting one) there are, indeed, gay resorts without clothing-optional policies. But not many. The Desert Palms Inn is one, and they also serve a popular Sunday brunch. Over in Cathedral City, The Villa Palm Springs remains one of the most popular gay resorts in the area. It is not clothing optional, but its poolside bar and café draws visitors from all the resorts in the area. Cathedral City Boys Club is the largest in the city, and perhaps the rowdiest. They run shuttles to their resort from the bars when they close, and the compound fills with many more men than actually have rooms at the place.
Winter is high-season for Palm Springs, as people from up north flock to the warm, dry desert environment. During this time, it’s important to book your room at least six months in advance. During White Party (Easter weekend), don’t even think about booking less than a year in advance. Summer rates are lowest, when the afternoon heat blazes well over the century mark.
Call an edirp.com gay travel specialist at 1-888-EDIRP-EZ (1-888-334-7739) or (214) 520-0345 (U.S.) to book any of the hotels mentioned above. Any hotels with links may be booked via our secure online booking system.
Palm Springs Gay Pride and other Gay Events
Greater Palm Springs Pride usually takes place the first weekend of November. Leather Pride takes place shortly after. But nothing compares to the legendary White Party, which draws thousands of revelers from all over the nation each Easter weekend.
Travel guide by Benjamin Starr, a travel writer who claims the entire world as his home. When he's not at home, he can sometimes be found at a residence in Dallas, Texas. To contact Ben, email him at benjaminstarr@sbcglobal.net. |
