Coachella. Joshua Tree. Chill by the pool. The Integratron. Most travelers have their Greater Palm Springs bucket list mapped out before they even arrive. But in 2019 – across all our nine cities – travelers will discover a California desert as they’ve never seen before. With a number of new hotels opening in 2019 (including Coachella’s first resort opening April), the Instagram-breaking art show Desert X returning in February, and a record-breaking number of direct flights already landing into Palm Springs International Airport, travelers have more ways than ever to bask in the buzz, beauty and chill of Greater Palm Springs.
1. Let’s break Instagram again with Desert X 2019
The eagerly anticipated (and free to the public) desert art scavenger hunt Desert X opens to the public again Feb.9. With a new set of art installations, by new artists, in all new locations throughout the nine cities of Greater Palm Springs, DX19 has been eagerly anticipated since its inaugural DX17, where Doug Aitken’s Mirage – an art installation constructed as an empty house with mirrors for walls – was the most Instagrammed attraction of the year for a number of days. Anticipating more visitors in 2019, Desert X has partnered with local hotels to offer visitor packages.
2. The City of Coachella’s first hotel – Hotel Indigo – is right on time for Coachella Music Festival
Hotel Indigo opens in April 2019 as the City of Coachella’s first resort, and is expected to change how travelers experience the eastern-most cities of Greater Palm Springs. The 35-acre property will feature 250 casita-style guest rooms, an 11-acre grass ‘playground’ and a 10,000 square-foot party pool filled with chilled saltwater to keep swimmers cool on hot days. Hotel Indigo becomes the Coachella Valley’s eastern-most hotel, giving travelers much easier access to Greater Palm Springs’ unique experiences including a Red Jeep Tour through the San Andreas Fault, a Date Tour in Indio, a spa treatment at a resort in Indian Wells or dinner in Palm Desert’s El Paseo.
3. New Andaz Palm Springs adds luxury village vibes and South American bites to downtown
Opening April 2019 in downtown Palm Springs, the new Andaz is set to add a whole new vibe to an already buzzing neighborhood just north of downtown Palm Springs – walking distance to the Uptown Design District. The Andaz will be made up of a collection of six buildings and will feature floor-to-ceiling windows in standard guest rooms and two new poolside experiences: an Argentinian restaurant a separate new pool bar.
4. Never-before-seen Albert Frey house joins roster of Modernism Week 2019
Modernism Week – the 11-day annual architecture and design festival – is more than house tours and cocktail parties (fabulous as they are). For 2019, the Modernism Week schedule is again extending beyond the City of Palm Springs, this time opening the doors of an architectural gem never before seen by the public: The ‘forgotten’ Albert Frey house in Cathedral City. Design aficionados will be ecstatic to learn world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie will deliver the festival’s keynote speech. For those who prefer wine over design lines, Modernism Week is even doing a Midcentury wine tasting commemorating California and France’s wine rivalry.
5. Cheaper flights, and new direct flights, make it easier to jet off to Greater Palm Springs
With perpetually sunny weather from November to April, sunseekers know Greater Palm Springs is a guaranteed escape from the winter chill. Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) announced record-breaking airlift starting November 2019, and the flights keep coming! Sun Country Airlines added nonstop service from Dallas Fort-Worth starting Feb.6, 2019. Sun Country announced direct flights from Portland, Oregon earlier this year. Greater Palm Springs also welcomes direct flights from Boston (JetBlue), Chicago (Frontier Airlines), Atlanta (Delta), Newark(United) and Canada (Air Canada, Frontier Airlines).
Famed for beautiful weather and relaxed lifestyle, Greater Palm Springs is made up of nine distinct resort cities: Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio and Coachella. This vacation oasis boasts luxury resorts and hotels, world-class spas, championship golf and tennis and one of California’s most vibrant arts, dining and entertainment scenes. For more information, visit www.VisitGreaterPalmSprings.com
