South Palm Springs

Below East Palm Canyon Drive the city opens up into resorts, condo complexes and midcentury tracts against the San Jacinto wall. It is a drive to downtown dining, but you get larger properties, easier parking and the shortest run to Indian Canyons and Tahquitz Canyon.

Where to stay in South Palm Springs: Ace Hotel & Swim Club, Parker Palm Springs, Caliente Tropics, L'Horizon Resort & Spa, Sparrows Lodge, The Saguaro Palm Springs. Rates in this part of Palm Springs follow the same pattern as the rest of the valley — highest from January through April and on festival weekends, softest in July and August.

Eating and drinking nearby: King's Highway, Sandfish Sushi & Whiskey. Reservations matter in high season, and several kitchens shorten their hours in late summer.

Things to do in and around South Palm Springs: Indian Canyons Trails, Smoke Tree Stables, South Lykken Trail.