Every year we head to Palm Springs for the Smeal Invitational (a family golf tournament). In prior years we always went to different destinations but once we found the Palm Mountain Springs Resort we haven’t switched it up. The hotel is awesome and in the perfect location in Palm Springs. We headed out in the fully loaded 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe LTD FWD making our drive out super comfortable.
We tested out the Santa Fe in regal red pearl for a few days in San Diego before heading to Palm Springs. My favorite thing about these newer cars is the proximity key entry with the push button start. As long as you have the key faub in your pocket or purse, you can hold a little button on the door to unlock and lock the car. It makes it so much easier when traveling with a toddler! These little luxuries really make a huge difference. It is so much easier to get in the car and go without fumbling for keys in a giant bag while trying to get a kid buckled in the seat.
We went to breakfast to try out Cafe Cantata then we headed to the beach in Del Mar. My girl was super excited to see the train go by.
It was a somewhat typical week at our house before heading to Palm Springs. My girl had preschool 3 half days while I got work done, she had swim on Tuesday and she took a few afternoon naps in the car - this time it was in the Santa Fe. After swim I grabbed a Starbucks and headed home to get a little work done while she napped in the car. Yes, I work in the car with the air conditioning on. This lasts anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.
Have you heard the Meghan Trainor song, All about that Bass? It's a new favorite and we heard it a few times on our trip.
Friday afternoon we headed out to Palm Springs.
When we got to Palm Springs we met up with some friends and let the kiddos play on the grass while we waited for our room. After we unpacked we headed for dinner at Matchbox. It was happy hour so we order one of each item. (only $5/item) Score! We went in the pool for a little bit then put our kiddo to bed. I love that this hotel has patios heading out to the pool. We can easily hang out with our friends on the patio while our kiddos are right in the room.
The next day we ate breakfast at Pinocchio’s, went shopping, swam in the pool, ate lunch at Maracas and then headed to the Kaiser Grille for the Banquet Dinner.
On our final morning in Palm Springs we hoped in the Santa Fe and went to breakfast at Rick’s with some friends. Rick’s is an awesome diner with everything imaginable on the breakfast menu.
We packed up our stuff and headed back to San Diego. We made a quick pit stop to Fill Up.
We were also potty training this week so I was a little scared my kiddo would have an accident in the car. I packed up some wipes, a change of clothes and a bucket for just in case. She had no accidents and is doing great!
After driving the Kia, the Mitsubishi and now the Santa Fe, I am going to have a tough time picking out my next vehicle. (Which I hope to be getting early next year!!) They are all actually pretty comparable in size, prize and comfort. My momma-in-law has a Santa Fe too so we were already pretty familiar with the SUV but this one had a few extra features to check out. I found the backup camera to be extra helpful too. The ability to see my surroundings behind the vehicle help me from second guessing my depth perception. I am really leaning towards the Santa Fe though. I loved the features, the style and comfort that the Santa Fe provides.
Have you driven a Hyundai? What did you think?
I received the Hyundai Santa Fe as a press loan for one week as editorial consideration. All opinions are my own.
terri ehret says
Try the Tucson like mine I love it.