Any Recommendation for a DESERT Vacation in CA?

Palm Springs weekend trips are very nice, especially off season. Lots of options for hotels or you could look to rent a condo for the weekend on vrbo.com. that may be cheaper than some hotels, plus you have a kitchen to make meals, and many are located walking distance from the main areas. We've stayed at the Residence Inn, i think it's in Palm Desert. They serve breakfast daily and each room has a kitchen complete with cookware and serveware.

Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert. A nice short trip (under 2 hours from San Diego). Great weather, plenty of activities. Have fun.

It depends on what you define as "desert." Do you mean camping or staying in a hotel? If you're looking for desert-like scenery but with all the amenities, I would recommend going to Palm Springs. It's a little less than a two hour drive, you get the desert scenery but you can stay at a nice hotel and lounge by the pool. It gets HOT there in the summers but a lot of people from Socal go there to escape for the weekend.

The Anza Borrego Desert is beautiful this time of year. It's not as touristy as Palm Springs and you won't spend nearly as much money there. If camping is in your blood then definitely Google "Anza Borrego Desert".

We just returned from Palm Desert. It was beautiful and you would definitely need to stay overnight. It is a two and a half hour drive.

I would also head to Palm Springs and do day trips over to Joshua Tree.

Last year we visited the Anza-Borrego desert during the spring flower bloom in March. We hiked Palm Canyon with our little guys and it was just beautiful. This is a nice (but long) day trip that was really nature-focused.

A friend of mine is going to a time share in Palm Springs, but it sounds like the highlight of her trip is the spa facilities.

I agree - Palm Springs area. We have a 15 month old and usually stay at the Embassey Suites in Palm Desert. They have free cooked to order breakfast with fruit and cereal and a free cocktail hour in the evenings. But our son loves the lobby at the Embassey Suites because of the trees and they usually have a fish pond. They have some nice open spaces there so he just loves to run around the lobby and courtyard. Plus their rooms are suites so you once you get your little one down you can hang out in the other room. And depending on the time of year you can get a decent rate - but not always. Have fun.