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Don’t miss the latest happenings and hot spots in the Coachella Valley’s desert resort cities. Get all the info you need to plan your month right at your fingertips with our online Desert Guide.
Read our Hot Picks for spas, dining, attractions, art, casinos, shopping, and golf, plus featured special events. Learn about a local spa that was once a hideaway for a notorious gangster, find the perfect French restaurant, or find out what auctions can land you a new piece of art or car.
Desert Guide Hot Picks for November
Spas
Escape and Relax
Nearly a century ago, Two Bunch Palms Resort & Spa welcomed its most elusive visitor” Al “Scarface” Capone. Legend has it the infamous gangster transformed the secluded Desert Hot Springs property into his winter desert hideout. Enjoy the privacy and mystery of the resort while you indulge in the Al Capone Winter Escape Package, including two nights in the popular Al Capone Suite, a Gangster Wrap spa treatment, including an in-room 45-minute massage and 45-minute herbal body wrap; Capone cocktails; and dinner for two at the on-site Casino Restaurant.
Dining
Bon Appetit
The talented Chef Bernard Dervieux leads the way at Palm Desert restaurant Cuistot, offering up nightly dishes of rack of lamb, pork tenderloin, and escargot. Find other French restaurants throughout the valley, including Chez Phillipe popular for its Provencal cuisine and patio that extends beside the sidewalk of Palm Canyon Dr. At Le Vallauris order up a special du jour, handwritten on a large board and reminiscent of a cafe in France.
What Do You Crave?
It’s all about variety at Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa. Try the specialty soups, salads, and antipastas at Ristorante Tuscany. Be awed by chefs at Mikado Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar, who prepare chicken, steak, and seafood entrÈes at the table. Or hit the breakfast buffet at LakeView, also offering a prime rib buffet on Friday and Saturday nights. This month, the resort also hosts The Art of Food & Wine Palm Desert events.
Attractions
My How You’ve Grown
Big things are happening at The Living Desert. Actually, more like tall things. The habitat’s baby giraffe, Miliki, is growing by leaps and bounds. Born May 21, he is already 8 feet tall and 240 pounds. The youngster is developing his own personality — playful, and even though he’s still a bit shy, he stamps his feet when he’s being fed, as if he wants more. His name means “king” in Swahili and and he was born to the zoo’s giraffe couple Dadisi and Hesabu.
Step Back in Time
Explore this old mining camp when you tour the San Andreas Fault with Desert Adventures’ Tours & Special Events. Known for its red jeeps, the company’s tours offer adventure, Native American history and culture, old mining lore, nature sites, and panoramic vistas. Come see why Desert Adventures was named top attraction in 2008 by the Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Authority and Palm Springs Tourism Bureau.
Frolic in Nature
Set out to see the dynamic vistas on your own or join a guided activity to increase your understanding of the desert terrain. Joshua Tree National Park includes parts of two deserts. On the eastern side, the Colorado Desert features natural gardens of ocotillo and cholla cactus. The Mojave Desert portion is where you’ll spot the Joshua Trees. Popular activities here include rock climbing, hiking, camping, and animal and bird watching. sites, and panoramic vistas.
Art
Get In On The Action
Choose from ceramics, art objects, lamps, furniture, and fine art pieces from the '50s, '60s, and '70s and make a bid. Among the items to be auctioned off at the Memo Modern Auction is the photograph Ginaza Tokyo 2004 by Tamas Revesz, a Hungarian artist and Pulitzer Memorial Prize winner. Preview auction items Nov. 7-15. Auction starts at noon Nov. 16. 870 Research Dr., Ste. 10, Palm Springs, 322-7474.
Casinos
Mingle Here!
Enjoy casino excitement even if you’re not a gambler. Lounges and nightclubs featuring happy hours and special events are the perfect way to let loose and have some fun. Meet friends, make new ones, and dance the evening away at Spotlight 29 Casino’s The Blue Bar, Spa Resort Casino’s The Cascade Lounge, Agua Caliente Casino Resort & Spa’s The Lounge, or Velvet Palm Nightclub at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, which also boasts The Terrace Bar, with comfy seating, snacks, and great specialty cocktails.
Shopping
Hot Stuff, Baby!
Known for its daring designer fashions and cutting-edge accessories, the Santa Monica-based King Baby is now represented in the Coachella Valley. Find the handcrafted pieces at Blonde at the River. The accessories combine chunky sterling silver with precious stones and leather. The creations are bold and edgy, including the skulls and dagger motif for the King Baby line and feminine motifs such as roses and crowned hearts for Queen Baby products. The River at Rancho Mirage
Golf
Welcome to Heaven for Golfers!
In addition to its 120 courses, the Coachella Valley offers year-round blue skies, a mild climate, lush grounds, and beautiful mountain surroundings. This is precisely why so many distinguished golf tournaments — including this month’s highly anticipated LG Skins Game — call the valley home.
Special Events
Going Once, Going Twice
Take a look or make a bid. Six hundred cars, including this 1964 Bentley S3, will cross the auction block at Keith McCormick’s 45th Palm Springs Exotic Car Auction Nov. 21-23. The popular collector car show and auction draws nearly 20,000 people from across the world vying for a chance to own one of the rare vehicles. 4-9 p.m. Fri., 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat., 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. Spa Resort Casino parking lot, 401 E. Amado Rd., Palm Springs.
Party for the Arts
Explore innovative art, sample food from local restaurants, and hear the sounds of smooth jazz as you stroll from booth to booth during the Eighth Annual Rancho Mirage Art Affaire, Nov. 15 and 16. The fine art and jazz festival features a showcase of juried art mediums, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, and jewelry, from 100 artists. Whitewater Park, 71560 San Jacinto Dr., Rancho Mirage
Get Up And Dance
Enjoy rock and blues, Hawaii-style, as sounds of the islands ignite the crowd at Spotlight 29 Casino on Nov. 15. Mick Fleetwood’s Island Rumours Band blends native Hawaiian songs with the legendary tunes from Fleetwood Mac for a unique sound that is sure to have you dancing in your seats.
Still Rockin’
Depending on your age, you know him from his number one single “Achy Breaky Heart,” or as a co-star in the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana. See the country music singer Billy Ray Cyrus perform Nov. 2 at Morongo Casino Resort & Spa. |
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