« Carnival of Cities Comes Home to the Mamas | Main | The Golf Courses and Spa at La Quinta Resort & Club, Palm Springs »
Family Fun at a Great Palm Springs Golf Resort
By MudslideMama | January 29, 2008
Do you readers know any golf fans? Or maybe even are one, yourself? I’m not - but I sure know some devoted players who plan entire vacations around golf. These guys (yes, they’re mostly men) book their families into golf club resorts for weeks at a time, without researching whether there are other activities so that, say, the mom and children who don’t golf, have alternatives.
My own daughters’ favorite nearby (well, nearish) resort hotel is actually a golf resort, La Quinta Resort and Club in Palm Springs. And none of us golf! Clearly, La Quinta has several other assets going for it. There are over 40 pools and over 50 jacuzzis, for one thing, not to mention the tennis, the fitness room, and the seemingly always open (and always alluring) gift shop. A quick poll of an established sample group (my kids) showed 100% agreement about the two best activities for children at La Quinta, and they are…the day camp, and the resort restaurants!
Camp La Quinta - My own children prefer resort kids camps that lean more towards the arts-and-crafts end of kiddie activities (such as the JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Palm Desert), but this is a small complaint. They had a great time here. Outdoorsy children and kids who enjoy scavenger hunts have a blast here. Different days have different themes, such as “Desert Discovery” and “La Quinta Oympics.” It’s for kids ages 4 and up, although a few years ago they let my younger child in when she was just three (I think it’s an issue of relative independence more than mere age). Parents can sign their children up for whole or half days, which is the only way that the mamas and papas on vacation can go off and enjoy golf and the spa. I know, I know - we all love family vacations. But time away from the kids is invaluable too, especially when spent getting a luxury massage!
The Resort Restaurants - While La Quinta is a golfer’s paradise, and great for romantic getaways,
we were here with the kids. The best restaurant here seemed very adults-only; Azur is an upscale Japanese sushi restaurant with an extensive, award-winning wine list. Dinner starts (hope you’re sitting down!) at $125 per person; that price tag, plus the absence of chicken nuggets on the menu, led us to skip Azur in favor of the more child-friendly La Quinta restaurants.
What we loved, unanimously, were the Adobe Grill and Twenty 6. These two restaurants are perfect for families (but go to Adobe Grill later in the evening for a quieter, more romantic atmosphere). The Adobe Grill has great Mexican food - and truly authentic, it’s not just piles of nachos and refried beans here - along with a children’s menu which tones down the spices. We had the breakfast buffet at Twenty 6 every day of our vacation at La Quinta. Who doesn’t love a fresh, well-tended to, large spread of breakfast items? If the buffet isn’t your style, there’s an a la carte menu as well. Last, snacks are had at the Spa Bistro - this is light food here - and at the golf clubhouses.
We’ve been to La Quinta Resort and Club twice now, and plan to return. That means a lot, coming from a traveling mama who enjoys seeing new places whenever she can. For a 5-star luxury vacation in Palm Springs, you can’t do better.
Topics: Family Travel, Girlfriend Getaways, Luxury Travel, Romantic Getaways |
January 29th, 2008 at
Forty pools?! Amazing.
January 29th, 2008 at
I LOVED that place!!! I wanted to live there (who would notice, among all those pools?). I kept feeling like Douglas Fairbanks was going to get in the pool with me at any moment. My son was seriously impressed, too…
Nancy
January 29th, 2008 at
Okay. I’m ready to go. When do we leave?
January 29th, 2008 at
I know what you mean about Douglas Fairbanks, Nancy! Despite all the modern amenities, there is something of “Old Hollywood in the Desert” in air at La Quinta. It doesn’t help that the roads in Palm Springs are named Frank Sinatra Dr., Bob Hope Dr., etc.
January 29th, 2008 at
wish i could go there, your site makes it look and sound beautiful and delicious.
love the pictures!
January 31st, 2008 at
[...] Posts Win Primal Elements Travel SoapsCarnival of Cities Comes Home to the MamasFamily Fun at a Great Palm Springs Golf ResortWriter Mama Rocks!We Have a Wednesday Winner!AboutThe Rules of Mardi GrasRoadtrip to NOLAThe Golf [...]
February 6th, 2008 at
[...] MudslideMama’s family had a great vacation at La Quinta Resort & Club, even though none of us play golf. Hence, a somewhat ironic contest giveaway. Rather than dwell on [...]
February 14th, 2008 at
[...] after my own heart! These - spa treatments and pool side tropical drinks - rank right up there with “kids happily entertaining themselves” in terms of my favorite luxury vacation relaxation activities. In fact, the spa concept came up [...]
March 3rd, 2008 at
[...] conceived by Susan Suarez. She gets a three-night stay in one of my favorite luxury resorts, La Quinta Resort & Club, in La Quinta (Greater Palm Springs), [...]
March 11th, 2008 at
[...] while you kayak, snorkel, play on the beach with your children, or even sign those kids up for the resort’s day camp while you get some time in the spa. On Kauai, life is good, and golf is the [...]
March 18th, 2008 at
[...] Not Disturb” Hotel Door HangersBacklash for USA TODAY & Royal Caribbean Name that Ship ContestFamily Fun at a Great Palm Springs Golf ResortAsk « Dublin [...]
April 25th, 2008 at
[...] sweet husband did a pretty daring thing. He took my two preschoolers on a seven-hour road trip to Palm Desert, California to see his folks. The trip was a success. How, you wonder, did a dad survive such a challenge? In [...]
April 30th, 2008 at
[...] like Tulum and Chichen Itza near Cancun. Cancun has many child-friendly all-inclusive resorts with resort day camps for kids - in case the little ones aren’t up for a day trip to see those pyramids. MountainMama [...]