There’s something special about traveling alone. No schedules to coordinate, no compromises to make and no need to fill every minute of the day. Just the freedom to wake up and ask yourself: What do I need today?
Palm Springs is one of our favorite places for exactly that kind of escape. Sunshine, mountains, desert air and a slower pace make it easy to step away from everyday life and reconnect with yourself.
At La Casita Palm Springs, we think a solo trip can be less about seeing everything and more about feeling like yourself again. So leave some room in the itinerary. Sleep in. Take the long walk. Read by the pool. Book the massage. Have dinner at the bar.
Here’s how we’d spend the perfect solo wellness getaway in Palm Springs.
Morning: Wake Up Slowly
One of the best parts of traveling alone is waking up whenever you want.
Open the curtains at La Casita and take in the San Jacinto Mountains from bed before reaching for your phone. Make coffee in the kitchen, bring it outside and start the morning on your private patio.
This is one of our favorite places at La Casita—a quiet little corner surrounded by desert landscaping where you can journal, read, meditate or simply sit in the morning sun and listen for hummingbirds in the eucalyptus trees.
No agenda required.
Take a Morning Walk for Coffee
When you’re ready to venture out, lace up your shoes and walk to Koffi South Palm Springs, about 0.7 miles from La Casita.
Grab a coffee and pastry and enjoy the garden before wandering home. There's something wonderfully grounding about starting the day outside, especially when the mountains are your backdrop.
For another neighborhood option, Kreem is about 0.4 miles away and is perfect when your morning coffee somehow turns into an afternoon ice cream.
Move Your Body—Without Making It a Workout
Wellness doesn't have to mean squeezing an intense workout into your vacation.
For something gentle, roll out your mat at La Casita for yoga or stretching before heading outside. Guests also have access to the community fitness center, so you can fit in a workout without leaving the property.
If being outside is more your style, take a walk through The Mesa. The neighborhood's quiet streets, palms, desert landscaping and mountain views make an ordinary walk feel surprisingly restorative.
And if you want a little more adventure, head for the South Lykken Trail. Go early, bring plenty of water and take your time. You don't have to conquer the entire trail—the views over Palm Springs are worth it even if you simply hike up, stop to take everything in and head back down.
Cool Off with a Swim
Back at La Casita, trade your hiking shoes for a swimsuit.
The property has four pools and two spas, making it easy to turn an ordinary afternoon into your own little wellness retreat. Find a quiet spot, swim a few leisurely laps and stretch out with a book afterward.
During the cooler desert months, the heated pools are especially lovely after a morning walk or hike.
And because you're traveling alone, there's absolutely nothing stopping you from spending the entire afternoon there.
Give Yourself Permission to Do Nothing
This might be the most important part of the itinerary.
Come back to La Casita, shower, put on a robe and don't immediately make another plan.
Read on the patio. Take a nap. Write. Make lunch in the kitchen. Sit by the fireplace. Put on your favorite playlist. Leave your phone inside for an hour.
We created La Casita as a place where slowing down feels natural, and solo travel gives you the rare opportunity to actually listen to your own rhythm.
Wander Through Moorten Botanical Garden
When you're ready to explore again, Moorten Botanical Garden is only about a five-minute walk from La Casita.
Wandering through the garden's collection of cacti, succulents and unusual desert plants feels almost meditative when you aren't rushing through it. Take your time exploring the paths and don't miss the famous Cactarium.
It's one of those simple Palm Springs experiences that reminds you how beautiful—and strange—the desert can be.
Treat Yourself to a Spa Afternoon
A solo wellness trip is an excellent excuse to book the treatment you always say you'll make time for later.
Palm Springs has a long history as a place for rest and rejuvenation, and there are plenty of spas around town where you can spend a few hours getting a massage, facial or body treatment.
For a bigger wellness experience, The Spa at Séc-he is worth making part of your day. Build in enough time that you aren't rushing straight from your treatment to the next thing.
The point is to have nowhere else you need to be.
Take Yourself Out to Dinner
Eating alone is one of the underrated pleasures of solo travel—especially when you sit at the bar.
Get dressed up, bring a book if you want one and take yourself somewhere you genuinely want to eat.
For a special night, Bar Cecil is one of our favorites. Our favorite place to sit is at the bar, where you can watch the cocktails being made and soak up the energy of the room without needing a dinner companion.
For something moodier, slip into Seymour's at Mr. Lyons for a cocktail. Del Rey at Villa Royale is another beautiful option when you're craving an intimate, tucked-away atmosphere.
And the best part? Several of our favorite South Palm Springs restaurants and bars are within walking distance of La Casita.
End the Evening Under the Stars
There's no need for your solo date to end when dinner does.
Walk home, change into something comfortable and head to one of La Casita's two spas for a soak beneath the desert sky.
Then return to your private patio, cozy up by the fire pit with a cup of tea or a glass of wine and look up. Palm Springs becomes wonderfully quiet at night, particularly in our little corner of South Palm Springs.
Let yourself enjoy it.
Why Palm Springs Is Perfect for a Solo Wellness Trip
A great solo trip doesn't have to be about finding yourself or reinventing your life. Sometimes you simply need a few days where your time belongs entirely to you.
Palm Springs makes that easy.
You can hike in the morning, spend an afternoon at the spa, eat somewhere beautiful, swim beneath the palms and still have hours left to read, write, think—or not think at all.
And at La Casita Palm Springs, you can do much of it without ever getting in the car.
Our pet-friendly South Palm Springs retreat offers a private mountain-view patio, four community pools, two spas, a fitness center, tennis and pickleball courts, a full kitchen and dedicated workspace, with coffee, restaurants, trails and neighborhood favorites just a short walk away.
Come alone. Stay awhile. Do as much—or as little—as you want.
Sometimes the best person to travel with is yourself.