Vitamin Daily

Feeling the need to build an ark? Don't gather the animals two-by-two just yet, there is a warm-weather reprieve in sight.

Take a jaunt to sunny Palm Springs for a Vitamin Daily-approved vacation at completely reno'd desert bungalow. You'll live like California royalty with high-quality modern designer furniture fit for a magazine spread (speaking of, it will be a magazine spread soon enough!). Lounge on the 1800 square foot pool deck or seek some shuteye in the shade in an outdoor cabana-covered bed. Make mealtime a breeze with an outdoor kitchen and dining area or ditch dinner prep altogether (after all, you're on vacation) and hit one of the nearby downtown restaurants for some West Coast fare.

Tip your family and friends to what you really want for Christmas and forward this dose (or play hero this holiday season, and book it as a gift for someone else).

California, here we come.

Exclusive to VitaminDaily.com readers: use promo code VitaminVIP for  25% off your booking - click here for more details.

Our Editor-in-Chief moves some of her favourite things to her new Palm Springs getaway.

The Elephant in the Room

For my girls’ shared bunkroom, this Elephant is the perfect mid-century kids décor. Originally designed by Charles and Ray Eames for their own family in plywood, it’s now reissued in glossy plastic. $320 at EQ3, www.eQ3.com

Glad-iators

Other than my Nexus card, these made-in-Italy Roots sandals ($168) were the life-saver of my last trip. Breezy enough for the weather, yet sturdy enough to traipse through succulent nurseries. www.roots.com

Block Party

Designer Trina Turk owns a home in Palm Springs, and has recently expanded her store there to include a swim boutique. I especially love the Palm Springs Block Towel ($58) in orange, inspired by the decorative “brise soleil” walls you see everywhere.

Modern Love

Most of our décor is coming from the amazing consignment shops in and around Palm Springs, but this stunning poster for my friends’ architecture documentary, Coast Modern, will take pride of place in the Master. $150 at www.coastmodernfilm.com

Keep Calm and Carry On

When the reno stress gets to me, I’ll simply spray on my Dermalogica UltraCalming Mist, which also hydrates and reduces redness from heat, sunburn, waxing, or, I hope, concrete dust. $45, www.dermalogica.ca

—Sarah Bancroft

We headed to Modernism Week to bring you the best and the brightest of Palm Springs (just in time for Coachella).

Stay
The new Saguaro Palm Springs took a foreclosed Holiday Inn and brought it back to life in full living colour, adding an Iron Chef for good measure. With wide-open mountain views (request 3rd floor facing the pool), daily yoga on the lawn, cruiser bikes, Ping Pong and boules, the place was built for good times. But if you prefer to doze by the pool listening to French pop songs, gazing up at the palm trees and sipping bubbly, we’ll meet you there. Saguaro Palm Springs, 1800 E. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, CA, 877-808-2439, www.thesaguaropalmsprings.com

Shop
At the recently opened Mr Cox vintage couture (named for the owner’s late dapper dad) we spied a gorgeous YSL cape with Gwyneth written all over it, ’70s caftans for the pool, and a gold-and-ecru Pierre Cardin wet bar (pictured) that we really need for the cabana.  Mr. Cox, 457 N Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, CA, 760-898-6443, www.mrcoxps.com

Do
The Sunnylands 200-acre estate in nearby Rancho Mirage is a sight to behold, with its golf course, stunning Visitor’s Center (with Rodin’s Eternal Spring sculpture sitting casually in the corner), and of course, the estate itself, built by publishing magnate Walter Annenberg, the founder of Seventeen magazine. Go for lunch and peruse the multi-media exhibits that take you back to the height of the Mad Men era. The Sunnylands, 37977 Bob Hope Dr., Rancho Mirage, CA, 760-328-2829, www.sunnylands.org

Eat
The new Tinto restaurant, helmed by celebrity chef Jose Garces, is named for red wine (in Spanish) and looks to the Basque region for culinary inspiration. And inspired we were by standout dishes like Suquet ($11), a sublime tomato-saffron soup with mussels, shrimp, escarole and potato (so much so we ordered it three times)! The arugula salad with Serrano ham and perfect spheres of deep fried goat’s cheese was an excellent pre-flight snack. At dinner, be sure to finish with the date ice cream (even if you are dateless). www.jdvhotels.com/dining/riverside/tinto

Book
Palm Springs Modernism Week, February 14-24, 2013, www.modernismweek.com

For more from Modernism Week, please visit our Editors’ Diary.

“Sea, Sex and Sun” sings Brigitte Bardot, but if you’re willing to trade sea for Seabreeze cocktails, you’ll be right at home at The Parker, Palm Springs.

South of France meets Alice in Wonderland best describes the sprawling grounds, where dwarf rabbits hop along the winding paths amid massive bougainvilleas and outsize rosemary bushes.

A tiny door in the hedge leads into the lawn of the marble ballroom, and an authentic French pétanque court with French bistro furniture lures near the adult Lemonade Stand.

Twelve beautiful private villas are celeb-friendly (Will Ferrell was checking out when we arrived) and even the regular rooms come with Jonathan Adler décor, chic amenities, and cult novels like Jacqueline Susann’s Once is not Enough.

We couldn’t agree more.

www.theparkerpalmsprings.com

To see behind-the-scenes photos in Palm Springs, please visit our Editors' Diary.

Last year we regretted not going to Coachella music festival in Palm Springs—partly because Jake Gyllenhaal showed up and partly because of the brilliant bands—so this year we’re making the trek. But if you’re only motivated by good music, there’s no need to cross state lines.

A slew of the best are playing back-to-back Vancouver dates next week before heading down to balmy California for the weekend. Here’s the lineup, take your pick:

Saturday, April 10
Sia at Commodore Ballroom.

Sunday, April 11
Spoon at Orpheum Theatre, Charlotte Gainsbourg at Vogue Theatre or Passion Pit at Commodore Ballroom.

Monday, April 12
Miike Snow at Commodore Ballroom.

Tuesday, April 13
The xx at Commodore Ballroom.

Wednesday, April 14
Florence and The Machine at Commodore Ballroom.

It’s going to be a ‘hella good week.

Grab your bikini and your besties, we’re off to Palm Springs for a retro retreat!

stay
The Parker is where Angelina lays her head come film fest, noshing at French brasserie Mister Parker’s and perhaps bowling on the pea gravel boules court near the “adult” lemonade stand. Boasting a stately spa called the Palm Springs Yacht Club (PSYC) in Givenchy’s old haunt, this luxe, sprawling property feels more like the private estate it once was. “Parker Princesses” rate from $99. 4200 East Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, 760-321-4620, www.theparkerpalmsprings.com

shop
Art Style Innovation is a brand new design store opened by the L.A. event design duo behind The Oscars and Grammys. Find stunning creations in every shade of acrylic imaginable (think transparent fluorescent trays and vases) plus custom chairs that turn your house into gala central. 668 North Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, 760-322-3344,  www.artstyleinnovation.com

shop more
Stock up on Minnetonka Moccasins at amazing prices ($25-$50) but beware the Japanese girls buying 20 pairs at a time. This season’s hot style is the “Tramper.” 182 North Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, 760-320-2339.

do
Rent a beach cruiser from the new Bike Palm Springs and follow one of their free touring routes or explore the surrounding movie colony neighbourhood where mid-century star-chitecture abounds. Look for Frank Sinatra’s estate (now owned by Vancouver’s Jimmy Pattison). $25/day. 625 North Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, 760-832-8912, www.bikepsrentals.com

When taking off to Sin City for a wild weekend with the girls, it’s bevies and blackjack you want to burn your money on, not the flight down. Which is why we’re developing an allegiance to Allegiant Air.

Flying out of Bellingham, the airline offers flights to our fave western US cities like Vegas, San Fran, LA and Palm Springs at fares as low as $28 each way.

It’s true, we do solemnly swear.

www.allegiantair.com