There’s nothing like Vancouver on a sunny day. But sometimes 10 months of rain feels like too high a price to pay for two months of summer. In the meantime, if you need a quick hit of sunshine, with an equal dose of fun, consider Palm Springs.

Before you roll your eyes and move on, believe me I once did the same. I’m not a golfer, tennis player, or recipient of the Old Age Security Pension, so how could I enjoy Palm Springs? Easy.

First, getting there’s a breeze. The flight is relatively short and cheap, with no jet lag involved. Three hours after leaving the rainforest, I touched down in the desert.

Palm Springs International Airport itself feels fresh to a Vancouverite, with its open roof, palm trees, and cheap drinks. But I didn’t hang around long. Instead, I got a lift from the free limo provided by my centrally located home base for the following week, Hotel California.

Yep, I’ve heard all the jokes. Admittedly, the thought of “mirrors on the ceiling and pink champagne on ice” put me off booking, but I got over it.

The hotel is the second venture for former rainforest dwellers, the Stearns of Portland. A visit to Palm Springs six years ago got Larry and Patty looking for a way to stay. That’s when they bought their first property, a mid-century hotel called Desert Riviera.

They gave the hotel a face-lift, maintaining its ’50s funk, and hired Larry’s sister, Judy Block, to manage it. A sleek pool and contemporary rooms got customers flocking in, and Judy’s attention to detail kept them coming back.

Now peak season, from February to April, is often booked a year in advance. That left me disappointed when I tried to reserve on a gloomy January day for a March visit. But Judy offered another option. “How about our sister property, Hotel California?”

I’d seen the name on a Palm Springs boutique hotel website but figured it would be as outdated as the Eagles (apologies to fans). I was wrong.

Larry bought the place in 2011, upgraded the circa-1942 building, and brought in another Portland transplant, daughter Lucy Stearns, to manage. Judy schooled Lucy in the best of Palm Springs: restaurants, bars, shopping, hiking, biking, spas, and more. She now helps guests feel like locals.

The hotel has a Spanish revival feel, including a pool surrounded by flowers, shrubs, and dozens of hummingbirds. They hover overhead while you float in the warm, blue water. There was even a nest in the hedge across from my room, with a mother hummingbird constantly on guard.

Besides atmosphere, there are plenty of things that make Hotel California stand out. They have an old limo that will take you anywhere in town for free, with a suggested $5 tip to the driver. This practically eliminates the need to rent a car and makes it even easier to take advantage of cheap Happy Hour cocktails.

There are also bikes to borrow and a club card for the local grocery store, Ralph’s, which gives you a discount on food and ridiculously cheap liquor prices (compared to B.C.). How cheap? With the card, a 750-millilitre bottle of Bacardi Superior White sells for $7.99. It’s $23.75 in Vancouver. At home, a $28.99 bottle of La Crema Chardonnay is a treat. At Ralph’s it’s an everyday wine at $11.99.

Cooking’s a cinch. There’s a fully equipped guest kitchen and gas barbecues on the deck. Even better, the staff tells you not to do dishes. You’re on holiday, so make a mess and let other people clean up!

If you want to eat out, there are plenty of options, from modern, SoCal cuisine to family-run Mexican cantinas and a blast from the past, Melvyn’s Restaurant. Lucy recommended this gem, which is straight out of Mad Men. It was Frank Sinatra’s haunt for decades and they’ve named a steak after him. The tuxedo-clad waiters and maître d’s are all past retirement age but still going strong. The place has old-school charm, with dishes like Châteaubriand and Crepes Suzette flambéed tableside. There’s also a piano bar where you can dance off dinner.

For something a little more active, consider a hike. Palm Springs is surrounded by a string of canyons, and hiking introduces rainforest natives to a new set of flora and fauna.

The closest canyon is Tahquitz, just five minutes’ drive from the hotel, on land owned by the Agua Calliente Indian Band. It’s a relatively easy three-kilometre loop that climbs up 106 metres to waterfalls, past boulders, cacti, desert flowers, and all kinds of birds, lizards, and other animals. Within an hour, you’ve gone from arid desert to an oasis in the mountain.

Chino and Indian Canyons are a little further, with a mix of easy and more strenuous hikes, so you need to bring some good boots and plenty of water on your journey.

If hiking around a mall is more your style, Palm Springs offers that too. Twenty minutes west of the city, Desert Hills Premium Outlets makes Vancouver shopping centres seem quaint. It’s a super-sized version of Seattle Premium Outlets, with one section devoted entirely to designer shops. You’ll find great buys on brands like Versace and Dolce & Gabbana, as long as you think a sale price of $1,500 for shoes is a deal.

For retro style, downtown Palm Springs is packed with thrift stores, overflowing with Old Hollywood glamour. But don’t count on that lasting. Palm Springs has recently been discovered by a new generation of Los Angelinos. Hipsters are snapping up cool, cheap, vintage clothes almost as quickly as they’re renovating mid-century modern hotels and Arts and Crafts bungalows.

I left thinking I can’t wait to go back. Not bad for someone who doesn’t play tennis or golf. If you do, don’t worry. There are dozens of tennis clubs and more than a hundred golf courses in the area. I’ll be by the pool, enjoying a dose of sunshine to see me through the next few months of rain.