How to Spend a Weekend in Palm Springs

More than just a souvenir store, Destination PSP was born out of frustration with Palm Springs’s existing tourist traps. Its NYC-born owners couldn’t find anything to send back to the Big Apple that reflected Palm Springs’s vibrant design history and relaxed vibe so they decided to create their own. The store is packed with products that you not only want but will actually use, and its mid-century memorabilia and gifts are deliberately designed to make you feel like you’re taking a small piece of Palm Springs home with you. Recommended by local insider Jennifer Weil

Anywhere that can get away with spelling coffee in this manner must be worth knowing about, and it’s certainly true for this locally-loved independent coffee shop. There’s multiple Koffis all over town, but the original – and best – is in the newly-trendy Uptown Design District. Despite the sweltering desert heat, don’t be tempted to stay inside the air-conditioned interiors. Instead, make like the locals and go through the back door and into the relaxed courtyard to enjoy your cup of joe with Mount San Jacinto as a background. Recommended by local insider Jennifer Weil

During the Swinging Sixties, Palm Springs was almost overrun with celebrities who used it as a time out from Tinseltown. They fell so deeply for the weather and relaxed vibe that staying in hotels simply wouldn’t do, so they built whole villages of extravagant houses that still stand in all their glory today. You can learn more about this grand love affair on one of these celebrity tours. Expect to follow in the footsteps of movie titans like Elizabeth Taylor and more modern residents including Leonardo DiCaprio. Recommended by local insider Lauren Malestic

A collection of 11 boutiques and a handful of galleries hidden inside a mid-century modern building designed by E. Stewart Williams. It’s the kind of place where you can lose half the day wandering around and taking in the vintage-cool atmosphere. Its ever-evolving collection of items including art, homeware and clothing will please even the savviest of shoppers. What’s more, there are a couple of antique stores that are a veritable gold mine, if you’re willing to dig, of course. Recommended by local insider Lauren Malestic