Writing about moving on made me ponder my reasons for going back to places I have lived. Let’s face it, with more than 26 houses to revisit across three continents, I could almost do it constantly. At some point it’s time to leave that baggage behind and make new memories, preferably ones that include a road trip.
So there I was, newly minted plans in ruins before I’d even left home. The very first place I had decided to go was Pasadena, the city in Los Angeles where I lived as a 5 year old. Once I had decided not to go and stay there for three days, I’d already organised other things around this, including my much awaited Disneyland Adventure.
So what could I do instead? I considered other options in LA. Santa Monica for the beach, Beverly Hills for the celebrities and Downtown LA for a kind of urban retreat. But still no excitement materialised.
Then I looked further afield. I had never been to San Diego as an adult. I had heard it was fun. Still no excitement. I have great memories of trips to San Francisco, but it wasn’t ‘new’.
I even googled “wellness retreats”. They quickly lost me at the “no alcohol, green juice and 5.30am yoga”.
But this research did uncover a fresh idea. Somewhere amongst my research into the zero fun, herbal retreats, hot springs were mentioned. This gave me an idea…
A few more days DTRH (Down The Rabbit Hole) and I was at peace. I had found the answer – Desert Hot Springs. About a three hour drive from LAX, Desert Hot Springs is just outside of the famous celebrity resort town of Palm Springs. It ticked all the boxes: relaxing, fun, luxurious and somewhere I had never been. The Azure Palm Hot Springs resort even has individual spa baths filled with hot spring water.
![](https://festivaloftina.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Screen-Shot-2021-11-11-at-2.32.26-pm.png)
The only problem was the lack of easy public transport to get there. There was only one option left…a road trip in a Mustang. Who said Thelma needs Louise?
![](https://festivaloftina.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Screen-Shot-2021-11-11-at-2.25.38-pm-1024x576.png)
Sounds marvellous. Have a spa for me