A mid-winter night’s dream: Escape to Palm Springs

It’s the perfect Colorado storm: snow, wind, clouds an endless chill. Looking out the window of my apartment all I see is white. Every 30 minutes or so, I hear the frivolous sound of shovel to pavement. Good luck, the snow will last longer than your endurance. I pace around my apartment all day, holding out hope for summer, shorts and sun. It’s late now, I close my eyes and go to bed. The window is cracked just a bit. A few snowflakes dance across my nose like fairy dust.

There’s a gentle knock at the door. As I wipe the sleep out of my eyes, I see the sun breaking through the blinds. It’s too bright to be a sun muted by snow clouds. The king bed is too big to be my own. The hardwood floor, the black and white mid-century modern aesthetic – I’ve been transported, not to paradise, but the next best thing in the lower–48: Palm Springs.

I’m staying at Escape, owned and operated by refugees from the Rocky Mountains Greg Kafka and Mark Hunter. The Denver couple opened the clothing optional men’s resort in 2011. The recovering workaholics, after spending several years searching for the right property, discovered the 12–room boutique hotel on San Lorenzo Road (a $5 cab ride, from Downtown Palm Springs) restored and updated the property.

“The weather is going to be in the 80s, and perfectly clear,” Kafka says as I sip coffee on my private patio.

There’s a pool open 24 hours, a 15–man hot tub, and in each room a flat-screen TV, BluRay and DVD player, Gilchrist & Soames Spa Bath Amenities and plenty of space to spread out. While clothing is optional, and cruising permitted, there’s a more laid back vibe at Escape, the antithesis of other Palm Springs resorts like the Triangle Inn and INNDulge.

While I could lay by the pool for hours, soaking up the sun, there’s plenty more to-do in Palm Springs.

First there’s brunch at Pinnochio’s. The breakfast burrito rivals the best of the best in Denver. But the prices can’t be beat, like bottomless champagne, all day, for $3.95.

If soaking up cheep bubbly all day isn’t your style, explore the desert with a Jeep and walking tour of Indian Canyon. No, it’s not Red Rocks, but with more than 100 miles of hiking trails, streams, waterfalls and stunning landscape, there’s sea-level wonders around every corner.

After a trip through sand and dusts, nothing can compare to an afternoon at the spa. The Taking of the Waters experience at the Spa Resort Casino will refresh your mind and body. Steam, eucalyptus sauna, a private soak, and nap in the tranquility room, the Waters is like an amusement park for the soul, you’ll never want to leave.

But there’s dinner, and shopping, and nightclubs.

Sunnylands: A free public attraction, the winter home of Ambassador Walter and Lenore Annenberg, occupies more than 200 acres and was designed by A. Quincy Jones.

Zin American Bistro: patio dinning, people watching, fine wines and better steaks. Perfect for a date night.

Chase dinner with a bit of Villagefest: browse more than 200 booths offering art and handcrafted items, for more than 20 years, Villagefest is a free community event every Thursday.

Lulu Palm Springs is the Racine’s of the desert. There’s something for everyone.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway: Take a look at Palm Springs from 2,643 feet.

Have a salad at Jake’s Ready to Eat before stopping by Interior Illusions (as in the Interior Illusions’ Lounge on RuPaul’s Drag Race) in the Uptown Design District.

Happy Hour at Wang’s is the largest LGBT happy hour featuring cheap drinks and more boys than you can shake a pair of chop sticks at.

TRIO Palm Springs: three year’s old and still the place to be seen, an extensive menu, a hot staff (especially if you like Gaytinos).

Hunter’s Palm Springs: the classiest of the gay bars.

Streetbar: camp meets dive bar.