Palm Springs has long been the desert playground of Hollywood's elite with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Bob Hope and Mickey Roony having homes there. One of the big draws to the high desert area is its warm winter climate and abundance of top quality golf courses, restaurants, shopping and resorts.

The Coachella valley runs for some 30 miles through 7 different towns which are all collectively known as Palm Springs, so when you see that a resort is located in La Quinta or Ranch Mirage they may be some way from the town of Palm Springs itself.

Palm Springs is located about two hours drive from Los Angeles but this can take longer especially on Fridays when everyone heads out of town for the weekend. You will also need to make reservations at the best restaurants as they also get very busy. Shopping is superb with a huge outlet mall located on the highway just outside Palm Springs and a number of top quality malls and shopping areas like El Paseo Drive featuring many of the world top brands. There are also a number of casinos in Palm Springs for those looking for a little flutter.

The golf is world class and whether you are a low or high handicapper you will always find superb golf in some spectacular desert settings framed by the mountains.

It really never rains in Southern California and San Diego is as far south as you can get before Mexico. The city is one of the easiest to navigate and it really does have everything from the Old Town with it's many bars and restaurants and the famous Horton Shopping Plaza to the beaches of Coronado and La Jolla. For the golfer there are a superb selection to choose from such as the world famous Torrey Pines North and South courses, where the 2008 US Open was played, to La Costa Resort long home of a PGA tour stop and many more courses offering a complete range of golfing experiences in a range of seaside and mountain environments.