I always like to plan something extra special for my boyfriend’s birthday, and this year something told me to pick Palm Springs! Some may think me crazy, Palm Springs in July, and yes it was hot, but entirely bearable! I wanted to pack a lot in to our two days out there and Mark had a great time, which all I can hope for 🙂

We started the morning off with breakfast at Serrano inside Casino Morongo. I ordered my standard of eggs benedict and it, and the service, were both outstanding.

I basically had to break several traffic laws to make it to the Living Desert to make it in time for the giraffe feeding. I knew it was something we absolutely had to do while out there. We both love animals and are all about the hands-on experiences.

After the zoo, we freshened up a bit and headed to Chi Chi’s at the newly renovated Avalon Hotel, formerly the Viceroy. I was super excited to try out this menu, after looking it over online. We were not disappointed and I would certainly return for the tasty bites and the California-casual chic vibes.

See what I mean? Gorgeous and relaxed. I could spend all day here, lounging around this room, around the pool, etc.

We checked in to our hotel, enjoyed a couples massage, went back to the room to shower and get ready for a lovely dinner at Trio in downtown Palm Springs. We shared a bottle of wine, a couple of entrees and dessert. After all of that indulging, we felt like walking around for a while, and we were in luck, because it was market night! We stopped in to one of my favorite Palm Springs haunts, Las Casuelas, for a round of drinks (for him a classic marg, for me, a Paloma.

I’m sad I didn’t get a better shot of this show-stopper, from designer Gabriela Cadena. It was a tiny but snug up top and around the waist, but the fabric on the bottom was so incredibly gorgeous, I got loads of compliments on it.
Gown – Gabriela Cadena – rented
Bag – vintage
Heels – Gucci

The next morning, we craved nothing more than to sip on a bloody Mary poolside while catching up on some reading.
Sarong – Mara Hoffman from the Box of Style

After that, we packed up, checked out, walked around downtown for a while then sat down for a late lunch at Lulus, another of my must-go-to’s in Palm Springs. Then began the shortish drive back home, but not without a stop at the Desert Hills Premium Outlets, known to locals as Cabazon, where I picked up a few gems at the J.Crew outlet.

Leather envelope bag
Iridescent stone necklace
Jewelry dish
Cuff
Chevron bracelet

I was hoping to find some new skinny jeans for summer, but no such luck.
We were wiped after shopping for a few hours, so we happily headed home where our puppies were waiting for us and we went to sleep at 8:00. Party animals haha.