Weekend at the Hotel California

 I guess this was my summer for living out songs by The Eagles.  First, I went and stood on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.  And then in July, I checked into the Hotel California.

This version of the Hotel California is a small hotel in Palm Springs.  My husband and I have stayed in many small boutique hotels here over the years, usually to celebrate our anniversary in late July.  Palm Springs is a local getaway for us, as it's only about an hour and a half away.

We like the desert, and we like it when it's super hot -- call us crazy, but that's the vibe we enjoy out there: 95 degrees after sundown, walking around the downtown area on Palm Canyon Drive, people watching and window shopping, sitting under a mister at an outdoor restaurant, sipping on a cocktail. 

Because I like to change things up and check out the many hotels in this town, we've rarely stayed at the same lodging twice: not because anything was wrong per se, but just that there are so many options, and I want to experience them all.

So when it came time to book our anniversary weekend this year, I spent my usual hours of intense research over on TripAdvisor.  The #2 favorite (at the time I looked) was the Hotel California.

Arizona Road Trip: Jerome, Montezuma's Castle & the Westin Kierland

Arizona Road Trip 2011: Days 6-8

The old mining town of Jerome

After four nights of relaxing in our cabin at the Forest Houses Resort, it was time to pack up and move on to the third and final stage of our Arizona roadtrip. We checked out on a Monday morning and headed south down Highway 89, saying farewell to the stunning red cliffs in and around Sedona. The first stop of the day was the old mining town of Jerome. Jerome is an interesting town, located high up in the hills, and many of the old buildings seem to be literally dangling out over the valley below.

Jerome seems to exist now as mostly a tourist stop, but the word out there is that it's becoming a bit of an artist's enclave. I wonder if this is really true, as all the shops and restaurants in town seemed geared (and priced) toward the tourist trade.