Often regarded as the blanket name of the entire Coachella Valley, "Palm Springs" is really just one of eight cities. Its outdoor cafes, charming shops and cozy inns rest snugly at the base of Mt. San Jacinto, taking advantage of the steepest escarpment in the continental US (the mountain rises from sea level to its towering 11,000 feet in a dramatically short distance).

Bold, but never brassy, Palm Springs can be as sophisticated as it is quaint. Palm Springs' "Mid-Century Modern" designs in architecture and furnishings have caused a world-wide sensation.

The city's desert and air museums would be a cultural jewel in any large city, and the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway's revolving cars excite guests as they ascend near the top of Mt. San Jacinto.

The Indian Canyons, home to America's only indigenous palm trees and sacred healing waters, remain to mesmerise and remind us of the city's rustic past.