Looking to the desert for an ideal meeting environment. (Meeting & Event Guide Fall 2002).

Meeting planners from around the world continue to find that the Palm Springs Desert Resorts can be a planner's dream come true. The desert's natural splendor and serenity provide an environment that puts the mind at ease and allows meeting and convention goers to relax, rejuvenate and focus on productivity. It is also home to a sophisticated world of unforgettable resorts and legendary golf courses, gourmet restaurants and first-class meeting facilities.

Located in the premiere desert region of Southern California's Coachella Valley, just a short two hours from Los Angeles, the Palm Springs Desert Resorts area is comprised of eight distinctively charming desert resort cities -- Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage.

The resort cities are a Mecca for golf, tennis and sunbathing, sporting 109 golf courses, more than 600 tennis courts and 30,000 swimming pools. There are also more than 14,000 rooms available in 230 hotels and motels, offering accommodations for every taste and budget.

When meetings wind down and your group is ready for activities, the recreational opportunities are endless. Visitors can travel by Jeep, covered wagon, horse back or on foot through historic Palm Springs Indian Canyons, along the San Andreas Fault or enjoy a picnic by a peaceful running stream. There are also world-class polo matches, celebrity golf and professional tennis tournaments, and jazz, art and film festivals. For something different, some guests spend dawn or dusk toasting the beautiful desert Iandscapc with champagne from a colorful hot air balloon.

The Palm Springs Desert Resorts also offers more than 40 world-class spa facilities where guests can rejuvenate with soothing treatments or soak in hot natural mineral waters that spring from the ground. Recently opened, new spa facilities include the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, Rancho Las Palmas Marriott Resort & Spa and the soon-to-open new Spa at Miramonte Resort.

From a full service resort standpoint, the desert continues to prove itself as having some of the greatest destination resorts available, as existing properties continually reinvent themselves by adding amenities and taking quality to the next level. A prime example is the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort in Indian Wells, which will fully re-open in January 2003 after a $65 million expansion that includes 142 well-appointed guestrooms and a 50,000 square-foot meeting facility that houses a 20,000 square-foot ballroom.

For a taste of desert culture, your group might want to visit our unique desert, air and children's museums and art galleries, or sample a date shake and learn about the desert's second largest industry, agriculture, at a local date garden. There are plenty of shopping opportunities too, from trendy boutiques on historic Palm Canyon Drive and the exclusive El Paseo district, including the new Gardens on El Paseo, to air-conditioned malls such as Westfield Shoppingtown Center Palm Desert, Desert Crossing Shopping Center or the Palm Springs Mall.

More than 680 restaurants vary from formal and elegant to casual or poolside, with cuisine ranging from French, Mexican and Italian to seafood and California Bistro. Vibrant nightlife includes professional theater, piano bars, coffee house jazz and dance clubs.

Fine amenities in the Palm Springs Desert Resorts add a special touch to every visit. Perfectly manicured landscape, public artwork, colorful flowerbeds and clean streets create a serene ambiance. Friendly poolside service, golf and tennis clinics for players of all levels, relaxing afternoon tea and customer-oriented staff help every visitor feel pampered.

Did we mention the weather? Spirits are kept bright with sunshine about 350 days a year, and year-round desert dwellers can attest that our low humidity makes even high temperatures comfortable. Winter highs reach the 70's and spring and fall temperatures ride to the perfect 80's. Summer days are perfect for morning golf and a stress-free, relaxed pace. Magical summer nights will lure you outdoors to dine, dance and play under starry, balmy skies.

In addition to its luxury accommodations, the Palm Springs Desert Resorts offers hotel rates to fit any budget, from privately owned inns built in years past by Hollywood celebrities and self-contained destination resorts designed to be secluded "cities." Prices vary according to hotel and also to season. Summer visitors get a deal and a suntan when rates often drop up to 50 percent during summer months.

Mark Craves is Media Relations Manager for the Palm Springs Desert Resorts Convention and Visitors Authority, the official marketing arm for the eight desert cities in Riverside County, California. For more information, visit www.PalmSpringsUSA.com