Summer Is the Best Time to Visit Palm Springs. And No, I’m Not Joking.

Palm Springs’ exploding popularity means summer is the best time to visit the California desert city and unofficial mid-century modern capital of the West Coast.

It’ll be hot, I know. (OK, it will be extremely hot.) But you will expertly avoid the crowds if you plan a getaway during the warmest months. Gone are the swarms of bachelorette parties and architecture buffs. Palm Canyon Drive clears out for a leisurely drive through downtown with stunning views of the surrounding mountains. You’ve got a much better chance of getting in at the hottest ticket in town, chef Gabriel Woo’s Bar Cecil restaurant. And a dip in your hotel pool (I personally fancy Sparrows Lodge or the recently renovated Colony Palms) just feels that much better.

While you could always take the rotating Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up to cooler mountain climes at Mt. San Jacinto State Park or head out on a road trip through the high desert towns of Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms, and the like, there are also plenty of new hot spots where you can keep cool right in Palm Springs. (A must if you’re trying to stay local is to take a selfie with the new-fish Marilyn Monroe statue, or enjoy a weekend full of music during August’s Splash House music festival.)

From a dog-friendly patio with plenty of overhead fans to the best deviled eggs that deserve to be savored with a martini in hand (amid the restaurant’s air-conditioning), here’s where we’re keeping cool around Palm Springs:

4 Saints

Thomas J. Story

Executive Chef Ysaac Ramirez recently took the helm of this rooftop restaurant at Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs, where you can expect Latin influences on Southern comfort food. Think branzino with poblano crema, and brioche lobster roll with paddlefish caviar.

Bar Cecil

Thomas J. Story

Dive into the deviled eggs and caramelized onion tart at this romantic spot before finishing with pasta. If you’re so bold, order the The Fifty Dollar Martini.

Boozehounds

Thomas J. Story

This pet-friendly restaurant with an expansive outdoor patio is the perfect perch for your pooch. The decor is surprisingly elegant but still exudes the type of mid-century modern vibes for which the city is known.

Cafe La Jefa

Thomas J. Story

You’ll find Sisters, Oregon-roasted beans at Erika and Mike Flannery’s coffee shop, where pastries and buttermilk biscuits abound. You can also grab a salad or wrap to go.

Fleur Noire Hôtel

Thomas J. Story

This oasis of botanical art offers respite in black, tiled-roof casitas surrounded by golden barrel cactuses and palo fiero trees, plus an array of large-scale floral murals by Detroit artist Louise Jones (née Chen), also known as Ouizi.

Read the Current Issue Here!

Get one year of Sunset—and all kinds of bonuses—for just $29.95. Subscribe now!