DETAILS

Desert Hot Springs, Calif.

GETTING THERE: Desert Hot Springs is about 15 miles north of Palm Springs and 110 miles from Los Angeles. From L.A., take I-10 east past Palm Springs and exit at Palm Drive/Gene Autry Trail. Follow Palm Drive north about five miles to the center of town. Several airlines offer connecting service to Palm Springs from the Washington area; flights start at about $360 round trip, with restrictions.

WHERE TO STAY: Many hotels require a two-night stay on weekends and don't allow kids or pets, but exceptions may be made during the slower summer months. Rates below generally apply year-round, but many offer 20 to 40 percent discounts in July and August.

Lido Palms (12801 Tamar Dr., 760-329-6033, http://www.lidopalms.com/ ; doubles from $90) has three pools (one cool, two hot), a casual, beachy environment and 11 large, comfortable rooms, most with full kitchens.

Midcentury cool is the theme at Sagewater Spa (12689 Eliseo Rd., 760-220-1554, http://www.sagewaterspa.com/ ; from $195), whose seven cozy rooms come with flat-screen TVs, homemade coffee cake and full kitchens. Another refurbished 1950s hotel with an independent flair is the eight-room Beat Hotel (67840 Hacienda Blvd., 760-288-2280, http://www.dhsbeathotel.com/ ; from $150). Rooms feature original paintings by William S. Burroughs and photographs by Allen Ginsburg. Owner Steve Lowe also owns the Lautner (760-288-2280, http://www.lautnermotel.com;/ from $135), a sleek four-room inn designed by architect and one-time Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice John Lautner.

For those with a luxury budget and the desire for anonymity, consider the 256-acre Two Bunch Palms and Spa (67425 Two Bunch Palms Trail, 800-472-4334, http://www.twobunchpalms.com/ ), where doubles with private patios start at $325, and cell phone and stereo use are restricted.

WHERE TO EAT: The town's fanciest restaurant is Capr i (12260 Palm Dr., 760-329-6833), a family-owned Italian steakhouse with a full bar. Pastas start at $9.50, and a complete steak dinner with three sides is $25. Casa Blanca (66370 Pierson Blvd.) is a busy Mexican cantina with a huge menu that includes shrimp with garlic, carne asada and a variety of combo plates. Dinner for two is about $25.

For burgers and other diner fare, try Sidewinder Grill (66121 Pierson Blvd., 760-329-7929), a local favorite with friendly waitresses and old black-and-white photos of Desert Hot Springs covering its walls. Prices range from $6 for chicken-fried steak to $24 for a grilled tri-tip (a huge roast) dinner for two. Locals also like Palm Korea (13440 Palm Dr., 760-329-2277) for its tasty noodle and Korean barbecue dishes and bargain prices. Entrees from $6.

WHAT TO DO: A visit to Cabot's Pueblo Museum (67616 Desert View Ave., 760-329-7610; $6, open October through May), once the home of original settler Cabot Yerxa, is a must for anyone interested in a glimpse of early American desert life. The 35-room adobe structure remains much like it was when Yerxa lived here in the early 1900s.

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve (11055 East Dr., Morongo Valley, 760-363-7190, http://www.bigmorongo.org/ ), a few miles north of Desert Hot Springs, has easy-to-moderate hiking trails that wind past cactuses, scrub brush and forests of cottonwood and willow trees. Scenic hiking is also available at Tahquitz Canyon in Palm Springs (760-325- 3400, http://www.indian-canyons.com/ ; $14). Operated by the Agua Caliente band of Cahuilla Indians, the area was recently restored and cleaned up after years of neglect and vandalization.

INFO: Desert Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce, 760-329-6403, http://www.deserthotsprings.com/ .

-- Laura Randall