visitor information
calendar of events
meeting planner
media
live here
sign up

Itineraries

Stephanie Landes is an athletic, energetic, intelligent and deeply spiritual person. Sunrise to sunset, Stephanie lives a hectic life supporting her husband, Michael Landes, President of the Eisenhower Medical Center Foundation, and their three children, ages 12, 16 and 18. Family is her everything, yet when there is just time for two, Stephanie and Michael get away to play like they used to do.

Here is Stephanie’s 3-day romantic get-away, each day includes a round of tennis or golf.

Stephanie Landes with husband Michael speaking to Executive Chef, Pascal Lallemand, Wally’s Desert Turtle.
view day 1 >

Stephanie Landes
  Michael needs to relax; a sunrise round of tennis does the trick. The City of Rancho Mirage tennis courts at Whitewater Park are ideal – easy parking, no court reservations or fees, no crowds – just go and play. The San Jacinto Mountains appear to crown the courts. We both love to win, sometimes that means wearing him out before he is victorious.
breakfast Feeling fine, we relax after tennis at It's A Grind Coffee House with our favorite Java brew and pastry. The people-watching is great as the regulars parade through and peruse the morning paper.
< bio | day 1 continued >

Stephanie Landes
  With a blink of the eye, we are at Spa Las Palmas for a luxurious retreat and pampering. Michael and I enjoy a 50-minute Couple’s Massage. Sometimes we’ll select a Therapeutic Massage or the spa’s signature treatment, a Mirage Stone Massage.
  Michael will read the paper and float around the Spa Sanctuary Pool, while I visit the adjacent Yamaguchi Salon for a style and dry.
lunch Cross the inner courtyard to bluEmber at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa for lunch: heirloom tomato salad followed by seared sea scallops. It’s a taste of heaven: palm trees glistening in the sun, egrets and migrating ducks feeding in the lakes, and the lush greens of their world-class golf course.
< day 1 previous | day 1 continued >

Stephanie Landes
  We grab our clubs for a round on the 27-hole Ted Robinson designed golf-course at Rancho Las Palmas Country Club. Something in his eyes tells me Michael enjoys the beautiful, palm-lined courses and magnificent mountain views.
dinner For a perfect ending to a perfect day, reserve a table at Wally’s Desert Turtle. We think, it is the most beautiful and romantic restaurant in the Palm Springs Valley. Designed by Stephen Chase, Wally’s has hosted presidents and celebrities for over three decades. We love being greeted by owners Michael and Nicky Botello, chatting with Executive-Chef, Pascal Lallemand about the restaurant’s vast wine selection and enjoying a delectable dinner.
< day 1 previous | day 2 >

Stephanie Landes
breakfast Grab a quick coffee and pastry at Starbucks at The River. We have a big day of golf ahead.
  Reserve an early tee-time for the Gary Player Signature Course at the Westin Mission Hills Resort and Spa. An enchanting light illuminates the mountains and the sky is so blue as the sun rises over the Palm Springs Valley. For Michael and I, playing this 18-hole, par 72 course is challenging but so exhilarating.
lunch We love to lunch at Native Foods in Palm Desert. A vegan restaurant and not-to-be-missed food experience for the health conscience. I enjoy the Ensalada Asteca while Michael often orders the Scorpion Burger… it’s a spicy ride!
< day 1 | day 2 continued >

Stephanie Landes
  After lunch, Michael and I window shop along El Paseo, the Palm Springs Valley’s exclusive shopping and arts district. Stop into Sax Fifth Avenue – their candles and Jo Malone® products are perfect gifts for friends and family.
dinner Tonight is date night – dinner and a movie. Thai Smile offers delicious curries, pad-thai and light noodle dishes in a contemporary South-East Asian atmosphere. Across the street is Century Theaters at The River where we catch a movie. Afterward we might enjoy a night-cap alfresco on the patio over-looking the lake at Piero’s Acqua Pazza or a sinfully decadent scoop of Ben and Jerry’s. Never say goodnight.
< day 2 previous | day 3 >

Stephanie Landes
  The Bump and Grind Trail gets Michael and I up with the sun and energized for another day. Alternating between the “goat-trail” and the fire road we ascend the mountain 1050 feet to gaze upon the entire Palm Springs Valley in all its glory. The 1-hour trek up and back is a great cardiovascular work out which you will need to be in shape for.
breakfast No frills, American breakfast-counter culture of yesteryears, Keedy’s Fountain Grill rounds out our morning with a 2-by-2. Here socialites dine alongside truckers off a menu that offers every classic breakfast dish and Mexican twists – bacon and eggs, breakfast burritos, pulled pork and chorizo.
< day 2 | day 3 continued >

Stephanie Landes
  Fall in on the deep end and float with a book or just relax poolside at the adult’s-only “Tranquility Pool” at Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa. My book of the year was Dinner With a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory. Pick up a copy on your way to Las Palmas at Borders Books and Music at The River.
lunch Sherman’s Deli is a cozy place to lunch: sipping ice tea and nibbling on the pickle platter. Michael and I often share a pastrami sandwich – it's so good.
< day 3 previous | day 3 continued >

Stephanie Landes
  Not yet ready to give in? Finish with one last round of golf! Reserve a late afternoon tee time for the 9-hole West Course, the most beautiful and challenging course at Rancho Las Palmas Country Club. As the sun wanes on another perfect day in the Palm Springs Valley and Rancho Mirage, I look at Michael, the love of my life; he looks at me. Lucky us.
dinner It’s Flemings Prime Steakhouse at The River for a shared cut above chop, caesar salad and two dry martinis, straight up with a twist. Cheers to us and cheers to all that fall for the charms of the Palm Springs Valley and Rancho Mirage.
< day 3 previous