Have I mentioned lately how much we love it here in the Coachella Valley? Aside from the beautiful scenery, (who would’ve thought the scenery in the desert would be beautiful?) the rainless days, the clear, crisp nights, the great swimming pools and the abundance of dining possibilities there is also fabulous shopping, outstanding golf courses and fantastic entertainment. By fabulous shopping I mean not just clothing and shoes but really good grocery options, something that I hold dear to my heart (okay…stomach).

The area is widespread, spanning two sides of Interstate 10 and consisting of several towns and suburbs. There is Desert Hot Springs, North Palm Springs, Sky Valley and Thousand Palms located north of Highway 10 and Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio and Coachella on the south side of Highway 10. The southern cities all run together and were it not for the street signs, it would be impossible to tell which one is which. They all have their own charm, including some old town ambience as well as some pretty fancy haciendas (if you know what I mean) and neighbourhoods.

It seems no matter what kind of lifestyle a visitor wants, they’ll find it somewhere here in the Coachella Valley. We have learned that though there are many retirement parks here, there are an equal number of young family and singles communities as well. Golf is the most obvious recreation with the existence of in excess of 120 golf courses, but there is plenty of hiking, bicycling and rock climbing opportunities as well. One of the best things is the consistent weather which remains dry and lacks any humidity. The nights are cool, making it great for sleeping and the daytime highs vary between 20C to 28C, making for comfortable motorcycling trips. We’re getting well acquainted with the area and yet daily we are still discovering places we haven’t been to yet. So far though, we haven’t been disappointed and by winters end we should know the area well making a return visit next year a good possibility. Uh huh, we sure do love it here!