King's Highway, the Amigo Room and the Palm Springs Hyatt for a snowy desert weekend

Crispy fries at the intimate Amigo Room at Palm Spring's Ace Hotel

It might seem like I'm constantly wallowing in Palm Springs nostalgia, but really, Palm Springs just keeps just getting better and better as a weekend destination, with finally-edible restaurants and a slew of hotels getting updates and revamps.
This time around, we arrived as the storm was dumping five feet of snow on the mountains above Palm Springs and the rain was tapering off on the ground. Last time we just had drinks at the Amigo Room bar at the Ace Hotel; this time we ordered some food as well from the adjacent King's Highway restaurant. The restaurant is a perfectly intact Googie coffee shop -- perfect for breakfast but a little stark at dinner, when the bar is cozier. Prices are better than at your average hipster hotel, and the burger and fries were ample and satisfying. Even better was a cup of roasted tomato and fennel soup, topped with a grilled crouton, perfect for the blustery night.
Suites near the Hyatt pool have cabana-style patios with curtains for privacy.

We were invited to try out the remodeled Hyatt Regency Suites right in the middle of Downtown Palm Springs. On a tour of the hotel, I was tickled to learn that the elevator scene from one of my favorite movies ever, "Less than Zero," was filmed in the Hyatt's atrium lobby. The hotel has gotten a tasteful overhaul that's stylish without being as retro-kitsch as other Palm Springs hotels, and rooms are often very reasonable through travel websites. The hotel has a brand-new sleek bar and a restaurant in the lobby atrium, and it's walking distance from my favorite spot Cheeky's as well as Matchbox Pizza, the art museum and some great vintage stores.