One Monday morning I saw the ‘ROADTRIP’ bag come out from its home in the closet, and I knew at once something exciting was going to happen!  This particular bag (in fact all bags) had been collecting dust since March 2020, and now it was time to flick that off and experience our first travel venture since the pandemic hit.

In the pug mobile we jumped and off we set.  Peeping out of the window, I saw the sign for the 10 Freeway and I thought to myself ‘Oh I am either off to Joshua Tree or Palm Springs!’.  Upon swinging by my Aunt S’s house and her tossing a bagful of swimwear into the trunk, I realised Palm Springs it was, and in addition...how lucky was I that Aunt S was coming with us too.  This was going to be fun!!

It is normally a pretty uneventful drive along the 10 - I wave at the highrises as we pass Downtown LA and I look out for the big rusty woolly mammoth who stands on the hillside looking down at all the cars, and then after wondering how many shoes Skechers can possibly house in their giant warehouse I enjoy a little nap until we reach the first sightings of the big grey windmills and my favourite sight  - my old friend T-Rex at The Cabazon Dinosaurs.  This past year Mr. Rex and his faithful friend Dinny the Dinosaur have been painted for the different seasons.  I went to see him at Christmas when he made a very dandy Santa and in April he made a very cute Easter Bunny.  My dear friend Dotty, had a marvelous photo taken with her and her dad with Mr. Rex creeping up to them in the background, so we always have a go at capturing that same image, but we haven’t totally mastered it yet, so we will keep coming back to get the money shot!

After a quick pit stop and a few selfies, the wind was getting up and it was getting rather toasty, so we hopped back into the pug mobile and turned up the A/C.

Rolling up to the pink palace, we were greeted by a lovely lady whose name was Itzy. Itzy instantly made us all feel very much at home, especially moi.  After a refreshing beverage, we were shown to our rooms and I approved of my patio complete with a big long sofa.  I knew where I would be lounging!  But I didn’t lounge there for long as the next stop was the pool.  

Now normally on many of our roadtrips, the pawrents take it in turns to have a dip as I am not allowed in the pool area.  Not a problem here - I was welcomed with open arms and a towel and I chose my cabana and was perfectly happy chilling and watching them bobbing up and down.  I can’t deny that I had a fair amount of tickles from other guests - that was a bonus, but the real delight was we were all able to enjoy the facilities together - what a treat.  It was such a treat that we soon realised we didn’t need to go anywhere else - at least for the foreseeable future - we had everything we needed right there.  

We had cocktails by the pool and a very tasty dinner at the onsite restaurant The Pink Cabana. We met a truly wonderful couple who totally loved me (they had an adorable frenchie and chihuahua back home in Seattle).  It being one of our first trips since the pandemic and even with vaccinations in full force, we were still feeling cautious, so it was a good feeling to be social but mindful and respectful at the same time.   We all went to bed feeling elated.  It was such a good feeling to be out enjoying what we once considered very normal things. 

I couldn't wait to enjoy the pool area again the next day and that is what I did. We nipped out into town in the afternoon for a bit to have a look around.  I enjoyed a Starbuck’s Pugachino - I always have a pugachino when I travel with Aunt S! 

After mooching around a few shops,  it was getting a little toasty again, and the pool with the cabanas with the misters and the cool drinks were all too inviting, so we hopped back to the hotel to enjoy the chilled Palm Springs ambience.

Flipping through my instagram feed, I saw that my friend Zira was also visiting Palm Springs.  This was big news!!  I had only travelled from Los Angeles, but Zira had come all the way from Texas, so I knew it was only polite to meet her and say hello.  We zoom each week on our @atxpugheartsmeetup virtual meets, but we could not miss the opportunity to shake paws in person!

So, we both got our social secretaries to sort this out for us and how appropriate it was to meet at the very newly opened super pug friendly restaurant - Boozehounds Palm Springs! 

Such a fun time we had - not only was the food great (they have a special doggy menu) and the staff super friendly, the feel of the place was spot on.  They had only been open 5 days, but the operation was running well and we all thoroughly enjoyed our time there...and I got to meet my friend from another state - how ace is that!

We were lucky to spend another wonderfully chilled day by the pool before it was time to head home. I was sad to leave the grounds of the pink palace.  It was everything we ALL needed for a quick trip away - friendly, comfortable, safe and pug inclusive. Thank you very much Sands Hotel & Spa for making our few days away so special.  We will be back...and we hope our new friends from Seattle and my Texan friend Zira will be too!

(P.S The hotel is adults only...and dogs!)