Gay Palm Springs Guide
Gay Palm Springs is making a comeback! The city has a new dynamic downtown with stylish hotels, fashionable restaurants, a burgeoning art scene and edgy vibe.
Palm Spring, pools, cocktails and fun in the Sun!
Ever since the 1930’s. Palm Springs has been welcoming the discerning traveler, from A-List celebrities to aspiring actors. Just a 2 hour drive from Hollywood, Palm Springs enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine and is home to some of the biggest gay events in the United States, including the White party and Cochella Music Festival.
This is our insider gay guide to Palm Springs best bars, restaurants, hotels and things to see and do!
Table of Contents
Gay Palm Springs Hotels & Resorts
Palm Springs has some stunning gay/adult only resorts with beautiful pools, large rooms and clothing-optional zones.
4 Star – Offering a year-round outdoor pool and men’s-only accommodation with pool views. Santiago Resort – A Gay Men’s Clothing Optional Resort is set in the Palm Springs Uptown district in Palm Springs.
Recommended Hotels in Gay Palm Springs
5 Star Just 4 minutes’ drive from Palm Springs International Airport, this luxurious resort boasts 3 pools, a spa wellness centre and 2 restaurants on-site. It offers uniquely-styled guest rooms with free Wi-Fi.
Located in a Spanish-style hacienda in the Movie Colony District, Triada Palm Springs boasts an outdoor pool and a spa and wellness centre. Palm Springs International Airport is 4.1 km away.
Set in Palm Springs, this unique hotel offers contemporary guestrooms with free wireless internet access, a spa and an on-site restaurant. Guests can relax at the 2 outdoor pools.
Gay Map of Palm Springs
Palm Springs Gay Bars
Palm Springs Gay Scene
Palm Springs is relatively spread out. Taxis are available, but usually must be called for in advance. Rates are also higher than in big cities. If you plan to experience more than just your hotel’s swimming pool, your best bet is to rent a car.
Palm Springs is one big gay town but some of its neighborhoods are more popular. Warm Sands and Arenas are good for walking. If you plan on visiting Deepwell or Las Palmas, then you should rent a car.
- Warm Sands – Home to many of the gay clothing optional resorts. Night time cruising is popular.
- Arenas – Here you will find most of the gay bars, shops and restaurants between Canyon and Calle Encilia.
- Deepwel – Upscale neighbourhood with stunning mid-century modern architecture.
- Las Palmas/Movie Colony – Home to the movie stars and gated communities – worth a drive through.
Palm Springs Gay Bars
Whether you want to catch a high energy drag show, sip on a classy cocktail or take in some sunset views on a rooftop, Palm Springs has a bar for you.
- Alibi – Happening spot serving bar food, plus steak & burgers, in breezy environs with outdoor seating.
- Barracks – Eclectic gay bar offering cocktails & beers, plus rotating DJs & a no-frills backyard patio.. Popular with bears and fetish guys, Sunday beer busts (2pm to 2am)
- Chill Bar – This roomy gay bar & lounge offers cocktails in a sleek, contemporary space with an outdoor patio., also check out Scorpion Room Adonis Lounge Thursday night male strippers, guest porn stars, lap dances.
- Hunters – A local institution bar and dance club, lots of action from early evening until late; go go boys and theme nights.
- Oscar’s Cafe & Bar – Saturday and Sunday breakfast until 2pm, lunch and sandwiches, dinner and cocktails; drag, music, cabaret. The Tea dance is an old school favourite and starts on Sundays at 4pm. Great Vibe and energy.
- Tool Shed – A well know bar for leathermen & bears cruisebar from 10am daily, free pool games underwear nights, beer and soda busts, leather and fetish nights, DJs, go-go dancers.
- Toucan’s Tiki Lounge – Gay cocktail bar & lounge with drink specials, drag queen performances, weekend dance club, cabaret shows, go-go dancers, many ages/ genders mix; Latin and bears’ nights, DJ sets.
- Street Bar – set among some of the best restaurants in Palm Springs, this friendly bar is great for pre or post dinner cocktails, with cute staff!
- High Bar – While not gay per-se, the views from the roof at the High Bar in Kimpton’s Rowan Hotel should not be missed.
- Cruise in the All Worlds Annex – not to be missed sex club featuring 5000 sq feet of play space, glory holes and slings! Their sex maze is legendary.
Gay Palm Springs Events
Gay Restaurants in Palm Springs
Palm Springs dining scene is endless and ranges from the casual brunch to fine dining. For the top restaurants a reservation is required.
Breakfast and Brunch
- Lulu – Start the day here with a great breakfast or a delicious dessert.
- Cheekys – In a city that loves to brunch, Cheeky’s is a Palm Springs institution. Yes, there’s always a line, and yes, it’s always a bit of a scene, but this place has been churning out consistently fresh and inventive breakfast and brunch fare for years.
All day dining
- Blackbook – Delicious comfort food late into the night.
- Blaze Pizza. Blaze Pizza is a hip counter-serve pizzeria dishing up crispy, thin-crust pies made with creative toppings & sauces. Their assembly line format lets you build your own artisanal pizza. Then it’s just 180 seconds in their blazing hot over for fast fired perfection.
Dine in style
- Azucar – Contemporary cuisine with local ingredients. Enjoy a great roof top deck located in the luxury boutique hotel, La Serena Villas. Reserve early!
- The King’s Highway at The Ace Hotel, retro chic, eclectic Cal-Mexican menu highlighting locally sourced ingredients.
- Zin American Bistro European-American Cuisine for lunch or dinner, and an elaborate Sunday brunch menu.
- 4 Saints is the Kimpton Palm Springs fine dining establishment As the highest restaurant in Palm Springs, 4 Saints raises the bar — literally — on desert dining. Perched on the seventh floor of the Kimpton Rowan Hotel, our rooftop restaurant showcases clever cocktails and the global cuisine, set against a backdrop of 270-degree valley views.
- Copey’s – Part of the former Cary Grant estate, this romantic restaurant offers elevated American dishes. A must-do restaurant!
- Mister Parkers – Located at the Parker resort in Palm Springs, fabulous bistro food from Wednesday through to Sunday.
- Le Vallauris , a typically French restaurant, is located in a restored historical landmark with Flemish tapestries and furniture designed to look like it was from the era of France’s Louis XV.
- Spencer’s, Set in the San Jacinto Mountains, this elegant spot serves upscale fare with occasional piano music. Enjoy dishes such as Chinese style kung pao calamari, pan-fried Lake Superior white fish, and a New York strip steak with parmesan-truffle fries.
- Mr Lyons – Seventy five years in and this swanky, retro spot is still at the top of the city’s food-game food chain. It’s all the glamour and vintage charm of a steakhouse during Palm Springs’ heyday,
Top things to See and do!
There are countless places to visit in Palm Springs that will only cost you the gas to get there.
- Take the cable car up to the top of San Jacinto Peak. At the top you’ll get great views of the city and the entire Cochella valley.
- Palm Springs VillageFest. The city closes Palm Canyon Drive between Baristo and Amado where you will find an authentic market selling crafts and artwork plus live entertainment and lots of eating options!
- Go on the Icons Tour in an open air jeep where you will lean the history of Palm Springs and see the best homes of the stars including Lily Tomlin, Liberace, Judy Garland, Cher and Barry Manilow.
- Take a tour of Palm Springs Modern Architecture! Visit the “House of Tomorrow,” which is a prime example of mid-century modern architecture. The home used to belong to Elvis Presley and his bizarre décor style are evident throughout.
- Joshua Tree is located about one hour from Palm Springs, where the Mojave and Lower Colorado deserts join to form the park. Great for photos.
Shopping in Palm Springs
The Downtown and the Uptown Design District offer a vast collection of mid-century modern retailers, fashion boutiques, consignment dealers, art galleries and antiques shops.
- Krave & Culture -Unique fashion, artwork and accessories for the t perfect outfit for the clubs or a swim suit for the White Party!
- The Shag Store – dedicated exclusively to the artist Shag,, the stores offers prints, original art, books, merchandise.
- Stroll through a dozen artist-owned galleries and working studios the first Wednesday of each month at the Backstreet Art District.
- Rough Trade – great leather, fetish and club gear with sizes for everyone.
- Division – from beach items to bear t-shits, this store has it all.
- Gaymart – America’s favorite gay superstore. Huge collection of swimsuits and underwear.
- BearWear – Everything a bear could ever need on a Palm Springs vacation.
Getting Around Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California lies on the western edge of the Coachella Valley, within the Colorado Desert. Located approximately 110 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 140 miles northeast of San Diego, it’s an easy two hour drive.
Palm Springs International Airport is serviced by 10 airlines with direct flights to hundreds of cities worldwide, including most major airline hubs. Conveniently located in the center of town, this is one of the most pleasant and manageable airports on the planet.
Gay Palm Springs – When to visit?
Palm Springs has more than 350 days of sunshine with less than 5 inches of rain. Winter temperatures average in the 70’s with nights in the mid-40’s. The dry desert heat of summer pushes daytime temperatures into the 100’s,
Palm Springs Apartments
Palm Springs is home to some unique architecture. Why not experience some of it first hand and book one of our to 10 Villas! Complete with pools, high end amenities and luxury touches, these Palm Springs Villas are perfect for groups seeking 5 star luxury, or those celebrating a special occasion.
Number 444 Palm Springs
Sleeps 4 Guests
Boasting an outdoor swimming pool and a 24-hour front desk, Number 444 is attractively set in Palm Springs, 1.4 km from Palm Springs Square Shopping Center and 2.5 km from Palm Springs Visitor Center
Desert Elegance
Sleeps 6 Guests
Boasting air-conditioned accommodation with a private pool, pool view and a patio, Desert Elegance is set in Palm Springs. It features a garden, garden views and free WiFi throughout the property.
Share this Page with Your Friends!