LA QUINTA RESORT & CLUB
Arrive: Los Angeles International Airport
Vehicle: Mercedes C63 AMG
Whatever the comfort of the flight into LAX, there’s little repose to be found in the traffic that greets you once you’re there. Between 2012 and 2017, LAX saw an increase of 10 million vehicles running round its slowest-racecourse-inthe-world layout, mostly due to the admittance of rideshare services in 2015. But you’re not concerned with that because you’re grabbing the Hertz bus, heading off site and picking up a Mercedes C63 AMG, a 503hp luxury escape pod. Who needs traffic? A capable vehicle like the C63, part of Hertz’s Prestige Collection, deserves room to run, and so getting out of the LA metro area makes sense. Palm Springs and the classic La Quinta Resort & Club provide the perfect endpoint and 141 miles of opportunity to enjoy just how wonderful the C63 can be. Built in 1926 to accommodate the burgeoning desert scene that was being spurred by getawayhungry Hollywood actors who weren’t allowed to travel more than a few hours’ drive from the studios (lest they be needed for a shoot), La Quinta has long been one of the Palm Springs area’s top spots for relaxation under the sun. It’s also been one of the desert’s top golf destinations, with 90 holes of golf over five incredible courses: two at the resort proper and another three at nearby PGA West. If we think we might be too relaxed, we’ll head for The Mountain Course, a Pete Dye design known for its incredibly challenging pot bunkers, rocks and tough greens. Dye’s Dunes Course provides a challenge as well with its links-style rolling mounds and thick rough in the desert, and it’s easy to see why it’s hosted by the PGA Club Professional Championship and the Californian State Open. Off course there’s a wide range of available accommodations, from straightforward rooms to large haciendas and suites, complete with private pools. We like the Starlight Casitas, which feature fireplaces inside the room and outside on the lounge-ready patio. Befitting its location, La Quinta offers fantastic Mexican dining at Adobe Grill (with more than 100 tequilas on offer). Games are best watched at Ernie’s, a pub of sorts, while Morgan’s offers some of the area’s finest dining, if you feel like dressing up. It’d be a shame to park the Mercedes for your entire trip, and so we recommend a spirited drive on the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway. Start at the Visitor Center in Palm Desert and head south on Highway 74, straight into a series of glorious switchbacks. Views along the way are tremendous, but you’ll want to keep your eyes on the road, which will change to rollercoaster-type ripples and rises as you head toward Ribbonwood. From there you can swing by Lake Hemet, grab lunch in Idylwild, take a photo at the Indian Vista Viewpoint and then rush back to La Quinta for dinner. It’s a perfect complement to a great road trip. Be sure to grab a date shake at King’s Highway restaurant as you pull out of town—just don’t pull out too fast unless you’d rather wear it than drink it. The trip back to LA should go relatively quickly, though we can’t speak for the trip to the airport. No mind; you’ll have plenty of desert memories to ponder on the flight home, from both the destination and the journey.