Although the month of December was a busy month booked with non-stop traveling and sightseeing, I couldn’t be more grateful to call this world my office. After all, I get an adrenaline rush whenever I pencil in a new destination into my planner. By being able to blog from any city in the world while making a positive impact on people’s lives, it makes doing what I love worth every single second of my life.

As soon as I arrived back in Orange County from my week long trip in Seattle (see previous blog post), I had less than one day to pack for my upcoming trip to Palm Springs. Also, I’m definitely not the kind of travel bug who schedules back-to-back trips, so this fast-paced schedule felt both new and exhilarating to me. Besides, it’s not every day that I get to visit two extremely different locations in such a short amount of time. By bringing my family along to the luxurious Riviera Palm Springs, I was nothing short of excited to be able to host their stay all the while giving them a sneak peek into my blogger lifestyle.

As soon as we pulled up to the lobby entrance, I hopped out of our vehicle and headed straight towards the front desk to check us in. The man at the counter was very fun to talk to and we shared a few laughs here and there. He clearly explained to me with a detailed map regarding the location of our suite, the parking situation, and addressed any other questions I had about the resort. As he was getting my keycards ready, I couldn’t help but steal a few glances at the glamorous, well-furnished lobby. The main lobby consisted of my favorite pastel blue, pastel pink, pastel green, and white and radiated a fun, bohemian modern-day look.

By the way, The Riviera Palm Springs wasn’t kidding when they said that they had renovated their resort with retro décor and furniture. Just take a look at their individual lounge rooms and tell me that these aren’t #interiorgoals?!

From December 26-28, we had the honor of staying at The Riviera’s gorgeous, two-story presidential suite for a total of three days. My family and I definitely felt like royalty here, as we opened our suite door to discover three bedrooms, four bathrooms, a private jacuzzi, a common dining area, and a spacious living room. As my entire family made themselves at home, the first thing I did was excitedly film a presidential suite tour upon our arrival on my Instastories (@missmisschelle)! May I add that after we entered our suite, my nephew and niece changed out of their clothes, into their swimsuits, and excitedly jumped into our jacuzzi?! I was so happy to know that my family was able to enjoy their holidays at the serene city of Palm Springs and that my work is able to spread happiness among my loved ones.

Explaining and showing you guys what the suite looks like versus actually living in it are totally two different experiences that cannot be put into words. Each individual bedroom and the living room featured a 37-inch plasma screen TV with premium channels. Furnished with a lush sofa and chairs, I can see why everybody hung out in the living room most of the time. In this room, my Dad played his guitar and sung along to his favorite oldie tunes as the kids played various games gifted by the Riviera Palm Springs. If anyone wanted to use their laptops, the dining room had one huge circular table with enough space and seats to host a college study group. The marble bathrooms featured a jetted bathtub, an individual shower, and a plentiful amount of amenities. With all of these amazing features, I never wanted to check out of our suite!

Sliding open the first floor patio doors will allow you to see the relaxing outdoor pool from your backyard. On our outdoor patio, there were several chairs facing a firepit - s’mores night, anyone? ;) The second floor featured a private balcony where you can take in the panoramic view that the resort had to offer. While my family enjoyed swimming in the pool or chilling by the poolside, I happily joined them as I snapped pictures around the resort.

After settling down into our suite on Day 1, we all knew that dinner was our next order of business to take care of. Just a two-minute walk away from our suite, my family and I made a spontaneous walk-in into Cantala – it’s crazy how we didn’t even have to leave the resort premises! Luckily, we were seated immediately at a cozy, intimate booth. To celebrate the end of a long 2-hour drive from Orange County, the adults in my party all ordered an alcoholic beverage while the kids opted for chocolate milk. We started off with several appetizers – the Calamari & Seppi “Fritte”, Salumi & Formaggi Board, and Well Dressed Caesar Salad. As for the entrees, we ordered the 16 oz. NY Prime Strip Steak, Bone-In Rib-Eye Florentina, and Salmon. For dessert, we satisfied our practically full bellies with the Citrus Berry Symphony and Coppa Marscarpone. After dining at Cantala, we all joked that we didn’t even need to eat lunch the next day, haha.

Although the food did take a bit longer to prepare than we would have liked, every single entrée was exceptionally packed with fresh, sustainable, and seasonal ingredients. I appreciated the time and care that Cantala put into each of their aesthetically presentable and flavorful dishes. If you’re staying at The Riviera Palm Springs, I would highly recommend dining at Cantala for a classic dining experience. The highlights of the night include the Well Dressed Caesar Salad, Bone-In Rib Eye Florentina, and Coppa Marscarpone. Don’t even think about leaving Cantala without trying any of these entrees! If you didn’t know, I also post solely food photography on my second Instagram account, @notsomisschealthy!

If you’re ever thinking about vacationing in Palm Springs with your loved one, a group of friends, or your family, I’ve listed a few perks that will absolutely have you head over heels for The Riviera Palm Springs:
- Free Wi-Fi
- Free hotel parking
- Pet friendly hotel (dogs only)
- Complimentary use of resort bicycles at front desk
- Outdoor swimming pool (with poolside food/drinks service)
- Nearby restaurants that are less than a five minute walk from your hotel room (ex: Rick’s Desert Grill for breakfast , Cantala for dinner)
- 20 minute drive from the Palm Springs Outlets (Couldn’t resist buying a gorgeous pair of suede taupe OTK boots from Steve Madden, heh!)

All in all, The Riviera Palm Springs was the most elegant hotel I have ever stayed in throughout the 24 years of my life. The Riviera Palm Springs will always be my number one choice if I ever return to Palm Springs and is worth raving about to both friends and family. I want to thank The Riviera Palm Springs so much for hosting us and making the end of 2016 a memorable experience. I’d love to return to Palm Springs when the weather warms up during the spring and summer so until then, be sure to stay tuned on Missmisschelle for future travel adventures!

Disclaimer: All of my thoughts shared in this post are based on my honest opinion :)

Much Love,