Best Weekend Getaways from Palm Springs - Pacific Beach

Especially during the summer, Palm Springs residents need a place to get away to escape the heat. Pacific Beach, a part of San Diego, is an excellent weekend getaway destination. Within a few hours, you can find youself in the beach city, enjoying sun, waves, great food, the boardwalk and the fun nightlife.

Pacific Beach

Located adjacent to Mission Beach and La Jolla, a few minutes from Sea World or San Diego Airport (SAN), Pacific Beach is a part of the city of San Diego legally, but its own hip beach town. Pacific Beach is very dog-friendly with dogs allowed on the beach and boardwalk (Ocean Front Walk) (on-leash) in the mornings and evenings. The town is filled with restaurants and interesting things to eat and when night falls, there are bars and nightclubs for fun involving alcohol and music.

What to do

Pacific Beach is focused around its beach and Ocean Front Walk boardwalk, and all the activities that happen thereon. Surfing, swimming, bodyboarding are all popular sports in Pacific Beach and there are several surf schools which offer first-timer programs. People also move up and down the boardwalk on all types of things from bikes to scooters to rollerblades to skateboards, most of which can be rented by visitors. If you're there on a Tuesday night, check out the beach Spikeball party. It's a two-on-two beach game, like volleyball, but using a small trampoline-like net.

What to eat

For best food in town, from pasta to steaks to fresh seafood, it's all about being World Famous. That's not just a description, that's the name of the beachfront restaurant, World Famous. Located right on the Pacific Beach boardwalk, at the Surfer Beach Hotel, the restaurant has been making people happy since 1970.

For the best breakfast in Pacific Beach, with incredible views, Woody's is the spot to go. Also located on the boardwalk, at the Surfer Beach Hotel, Woody's may have a line, but it's worth the wait.

Where to stay

For Pacific Beach visitors, beach proximity is everything. The hip, pet-friendly Surfer Beach Hotel puts you in the center of the action, as it sits right on the boardwalk at the end of Pacific Beach Drive. Leave your room and just walk through the gate and you're on the boardwalk.

It's like a mini resort as you can spend the whole weekend in Pacific Beach and never have to really leave the property. Have fun on the beach, go for a swim in the pool, have a nice dinner at World Famous, then have a great breakfast at Woody's. All without ever having the leave the property.

Getting there

For visitors coming from Palm Springs, the scenic route, through the mountains via SR 74, is usually faster and is a shorter journey than just taking the freeways. The part of the 74 from Palm Desert to the Idyllwild area is known as the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway for a reason. It takes you from the palm trees of Palm Desert to the pine trees of the alpine environment of Idyllwild, rising 5,000 feet over just 50 miles. It's a thrilling drive popular with car and motorcycle enthusiasts.

Travel writer Freddy Sherman is based in Palm Springs and travels the world in search of the best life has to offer. With articles appearing on Yahoo!, Insider, CNN, and Business Traveler, he covers luxury lifestyle, travel, and automotive subjects. Check out his popular travel and automotive YouTube channel.