Palm Springs, California

The decadent desert hideaway of the Rat Pack in the 1950s and 1960s has recently reemerged as a hip hangout for 21st century holiday makers, whether you are a hedonist, architecture buff, culture lover or spa-seeker. Palm Springs is the prime city of the Coachella Valley, surrounded by desert towns as varied as the upscale outdoorsy playground of Palm Desert and the self-styled ‘spa city’ of Desert Hot Springs. All across the valley, your desert surroundings are fittingly cinematic, with weathered volcanic peaks and red dunes contrasting with searingly blue skies and swaying emerald-green palm trees.