La Quinta
From Wikitravel
Contents
La Quinta is a city in California.
La Quinta is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, about 30 minutes southeast of Palm Springs. La Quinta is one of the nation's leading golf destinations, having over 30 golf courses within the city limits. Tourism is centered primarily on golf, hiking in the surrounding mountains, relaxing at the historic La Quinta Resort, and shopping and dining in the Village.
[edit] Get in
[edit] By plane
- Palm Springs International Airport (IATA: PSP), [1]. Located in the nearby city of Palm Springs. Scheduled daily flight connections with most major cities throughout the United States and Canada. Served by most major US and Canadian airlines. Some airlines serving Palm Springs Airport are seasonal and operate only during the busier winter season. One-way taxis from Palm Springs Airport to the La Quinta Resort and the La Quinta Village take 30 minutes and cost about $50.
- LA/Ontario International Airport [2] in Ontario, about 70 miles to the west of Palm Springs, has a few more flight options and is the second closest airport.
[edit] By train
- Amtrak Station, 300 North Indian Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs (.6 mi south of Interstate 10), 1-800-USA-RAIL (872-7245), [3]. Amtrak's Sunset Limited route connects Palm Springs with Los Angeles, Tucson, and points eastward with three westbound and three eastbound trains per week. Amtrak also provides bus connections to and from the San Joaquins trains, which run up California's Central Valley to the Bay Area and Sacramento. Be advised the "train station" in Palm Springs is an open platform with no services.
[edit] By car
From Los Angeles, take Interstate 10 East towards Phoenix, exit at Washington Street or Jefferson Street, and then head south about 5 miles. La Quinta is a two hour drive from Los Angeles and San Diego if there is not much traffic.
[edit] Get around
La Quinta has a small but friendly downtown known as the Village. Many boutique shops, outdoor restaurants, and art galleries are located there. La Quinta's heart is the adjacent eclectic neighborhood known as The Cove. The commercial retail corridor is in the northern portion of the city along Highway 111.
[edit] By car
Highway 111 runs east-west along the north side of La Quinta and connects all the cities in the Coachella Valley. This road has many signals and lots of traffic, so if you are going far, you should utilize Interstate 10. Washington Street and Jefferson Street are the major north-south arteries serving La Quinta.
[edit] By bus
- Sun Bus, +1-800-347-8628, [4]. Lines 111 and 70 serves La Quinta. Route 70 connects to the Village and Cove neighborhood and Route 111 connects to most neighboring resort cities.
- Greyhound has a bus station in the neighboring city of Indio.
[edit] By bike
La Quinta and the surrounding environs are mostly flat and dry and can make for good cycling during the cooler months. La Quinta has an extensive bicycle route network that connects to most neighboring cities. Colorful local bicycle clubs can often be seen riding around in groups.
[edit][add listing] Do
Golfers of all skill levels come to La Quinta in order to make a pilgrimage to the famous golf courses at PGA West and the La Quinta Resort. SilverRock Resort offers a very challenging golf course designed by Arnold Palmer, featured in the Skins Game and the Bob Hope Classic tournaments.
Hiking in the nearby mountains, gambling at nearby Indian casinos, bicycling, horseback riding, and dining out are also popular activities. There is an extensive network of hiking and horseback riding trails leading from the city into the nearby mountains, most notably the Cove trailhead located at the southern end of the Cove neighborhood at the corner of Calle Tecate and Avenida Madero. La Quinta is also home to a number of excellent day spas and massage parlors.
Lake Cahuilla Regional Park, located at the west end of Avenue 58, offers a campground, swimming pool, hiking, and fishing.
The City of La Quinta operates a public pool at the corner of Avenue 52 and Avenida Bermudas in the Village.
[edit][add listing] Buy
La Quinta is a popular place to purchase golf merchandise, as the city has numerous retail golf specialty stores, custom outfitters, and pro shops. The Village offers art galleries and small boutiques. The primary retail commercial corridor is along Highway 111, though most tourists prefer to shop at nearby El Paseo in Palm Desert. The Village holds a certified farmer's market from October through the winter season on Saturday mornings.
[edit][add listing] Eat
La Quinta is noted for having a wide selection of excellent restaurants, including Arnold Palmer's Restaurant, Devane's Old Town, Amore, Okura, The Hog's Breath, El Ranchito, Stuft Pizza, The Beer Hunter, Chapelli's, The Cliffhouse, Harry's BBQ, and Cunard's. Tourists seeking authentic Mexican cuisine often head to the neighboring cities of Indio and Coachella.
[edit][add listing] Drink
Although La Quinta is well known as a town that frequently imbibes in "golf and scotch," it is also well known for its random and frequent DUI checkpoints.
The La Quinta Resort is a popular place to enjoy a drink. There is a noted wine bar and cellar in the Village. The Beer Hunter is a popular sports bar with an extensive beer selection. Back Street Brewery inside Lamppost Pizza on Highway 111 makes very good craft beer. Most golf courses have excellent bar facilities.
[edit][add listing] Sleep
The La Quinta Resort and Embassy Suites, both in the Village, are currently the only hotels in the city, though most visitors choose to rent vacation homes and condos by the week or month. Neighboring cities of Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Indian Wells are home to numerous upscale hotels and resorts. The nearby city of Indio offers budget travelers numerous clean, affordable, hourly lodging options along Indio Boulevard. Lake Cahuilla Regional Park on Avenue 58 offers the only campground and RV park in La Quinta.
[edit] Get out
- Joshua Tree National Park. This desert park is a great day trip to take while at La Quinta. You can get there in less than an hour by taking Interstate 10 east to the Cottonwood Spring Road exit. Take a minimum of four hours to do the loop through the park. Camping is allowed as well as rock climbing.
- Idyllwild is a mountain resort approximately 45 minutes drive away on the beautiful Palms to Pines highway. It can also be reached by a challenging 10 mile hike from the top of the Palm Springs Tramway.
- The Salton Sea One of the world's largest inland seas and lowest spots on earth at -227 below sea level, the Salton Sea was re-created in 1905 when high spring flooding on the Colorado River crashed the canal gates leading into the developing Imperial Valley. Hundreds of years prior to that time, it was an ancient freshwater lake that had evaporated. Although the shoreline is receding again, the brackish sea is home to a variety of migratory birds. Increasing salinity in the Salton Sea basin has limited the number and types of fish that can be found there, and most fish currently caught are Tilapia. Consuming fish from the Salton Sea is not recommended. Kayaking, camping, birdwatching, photography, and hiking are the most popular recreation opportunities.
Other nearby desert resort cities include Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, Palm Springs and Indio.
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