The Sunday Times - UK (2022-02-06)

The Sunday Times February 6, 2022 9

Turning up

with the fixings

for a negroni

makes you

very popular

accented with

milkshake-pastel

shades abound. I want

to drag all the architects

who have ever designed

a tedious, nondescript

bungalow here and point

them at these creations.

The envy ramps up

further when we take a

self-guided mid-century

driving tour. House after

house — we want them all.

To distract myself I sign

opular

accented with

milkshake-past

shades abound. I

to drag all the arch

who have ever des

a tedious, nondesc

bungalow here an

them at these cre

The envy ramps u

further when we ta

self-guided mid-ce

driving tour. Hous

house — we want t

To distract mys

up for an early-morning bike

tour to Andreas Canyon

( Jane, wisely, opts to lounge

by the pool). It’s three miles

of cycling to the trailhead,

a mile loop on foot up the

canyon, then back to base on

bikes. It’s good to see Andreas

Creek, with evidence of an

actual spring, and a profusion

of huge California fan palms,

but the trip is mostly an effort

to counter the impending

ravages of lunch and dinner.

as does a passion-fruit

margarita in a can.

We go native the next day,

driving the half a mile to

Sherman’s Deli & Bakery,

rather than walking or cycling.

Jane’s salad is the answer to

the question “how do we add

600 calories to a bowl of

lettuce?” We retreat to the

hotel for a lie-down, looking

forward to Orbitinis, but

slightly dreading dinner.

The first thing that Draper

does when he arrives in Palm

Springs is to keel over with

heat exhaustion. He rallies,

of course, ably assisted by Joy.

The moral here — keep cool

and relax — is our mantra for

three lethargic days. We

imagined that inertia might

have been a challenge, given

how much is happening in

Palm Springs, but it really,

really isn’t.

Stephen Ferns travelled

independently. The Orbit In has

room-only doubles from £155

(orbitin.com). Big Wheel Tours

has cycling, hiking and 4x4

tours, with half-day cycling

tours from £119 (bwbtours.

com). Five nights’ room-only

at La Quinta Resort from

£1,395pp, including flights

and car hire (inspiringtravel

company.co.uk). For more

see visitpalmsprings.com

Palm Springs

Los

Angeles

Las Vegas

100 miles

The Orbit In supplies a

DIY breakfast. Thereafter it’s

a daily confrontation between

American portion sizes and

British appetites — small-town

USA is no place to diet. It’s

barely past noon, but the

meatloaf platter at the Wilma

& Frieda diner has to be done,

Dean Martin, left, played

golf in Palm Springs,

above left, which also

offers quiet bike rides

From left:

Elvis

Presley’s

former

home;

a Slim

Aarons

shot of

guests at

a Richard

Neutra

property