Rancho Las Palmas in June

Last Sunday (not Father's Day, but the week before), we left for a quick 2-night getaway to the Rancho Las Palmas resort in Rancho Mirage.  I'd been wanting to stay there for a while, knowing that the kids would love it. The hotel calls their water play/pool area "Splashtopia"  and it boasts a lazy river, a zero entry sand-play area for the toddler set, 2 twisting water slides, a spray zone, and large regular pool.

This was definitely one of our more kid-centric escapes to the desert, which is also typically our romantic-getaway spot.  The rates during the winter high season at the resort are crazy high, especially for what was, to me, a three and half star hotel.  It's an older property, notably in the architecture, which is sort of a watered-down '70s hacienda style.  I was also not a fan of the beach chairs, which are the same strappy white plastic style we keep down at our HOA pool. They get dirty so easily with wet feet. (The rooms were nice and spacious, and the bathroom was updated in granite.)

Thanks to an internet sale site, I didn't pay the crazy-high winter rates, but a much more reasonable one, which made the negatives not too big a deal. (I'd have been a lot more cranky about the cheap chaises if I'd paid $300+ per night.)

It was hot out, of course. I'm used to and enjoy the desert heat, but I tell ya...sitting by the pool with the sun bouncing off all that scorching concrete, with other bodies in close proximity -- even under an umbrella, it was hot.

Obligatory pool-side feet shot:

By the way, on our last morning, the pool attendant wouldn't let us bring in our inflatable whale (christened Shamwow), because he wasn't transparent like the similar dolphin toys sold at the resort's swim shop. He said it was because the life guards couldn't see through it. My husband pointed out that no life guards were on duty, anyway.  Still, no go for Shamwow on Tuesday morning.  Oh well.

Here's the lazy river, before it opened at 10am. (The pool opens earlier, and then people, us included, line up around 9:30 at the gate to the the river, to score chairs in the shade.)

The lazy river shortly after opening:

 Me and my boy:

 Our ground-floor room overlooked one part of the golf course:

This was the reading in our car, after we returned from lunch:

It wasn't really that hot at all --  only a mere 104 or 105 degrees.

Like I said, it was a very kid-friendly, kid-centered trip this time around. One good side effect of spending so much time in the sun and water is that my monkeys, sharing a double-bed, were too tired to fuss and whisper and not sleep well, like they typically do when sharing a hotel bed.  They were conked out but good.

I'd go back, but not without my children. The husband and I definitely prefer the quirky charms of the small boutique hotels near downtown Palm Springs.  But for a family outing, this was, like I hoped, a great way to kick off our summer.

For a different take on what to do in the desert with the family, check out my post, "Palm Springs Break...with Kids."