I am going to LA with a couple of girlfriends (mid 30s, movie buffs) in mid-June. It's their first trip to CA and they'd like to see something more than LA, ideally Palm Springs. Are we bonkers to go in June? Is anything open? And any recommendations for a great pool are much appreciated. Thanks very much.

Well it will be hot but what do you mean will anything be open?

You can take the aerial tram up and go hiking around. It's much cooler up there. Take a picnic lunch.

Here's a link for other hikes that are worth taking:

http://www.hiking-in-ps.com/indiancanyons.html

Great pools can be found in Indian Wells at the Esmeralda and the Hyatt.

Hi,
We went to LA last August. Our side trips were Santa Barbara and Palm Springs.
The only reason for Palm Springs was to visit our former neighbors. It was horribly hot with very few people in sight. We spent our day at the water park and relief was also found on the tram. The temperature dropped 40 degrees when we reached the top. It was wonderful.
I much prefered Santa Barbara. It was really cute with fun shops, restaurants and much cooler weather. We also took a drive like the movie Sideways for a bit of wine tasting.

Mid June will be hot but not as bad as August. It used to be that many establishments closed for the summer but it seems now that most things stay open. I did notice some shops on El Paseo in Palm Desert that closed down last summer.

Looking at weather.com, it shows the average temperature for June around 104 but it does cool down at night to the 70's. If you just want to lay by the pool and relax, I think you will be OK. You will get some good prices on the resorts in June.

I was just there today for work. It was 84 degrees and beautiful.

If you don't want to deal with the heat, uptowngirl's suggestion of Santa Barbara is a good one.

Just curious, how long you will be in LA and where are you staying? If your time is short, then driving to Santa Barbara or Palm Springs might not be worth it. There is so much to do in the LA area, it's hard to get to everything. Also, keep in mind that in June, we have something here called "June Gloom". The marine layer from the ocean comes in causing it to be overcast and cool. Often it will burn off by noon. However, if you want to see the sun all you have to do is go a few miles inland. June 2006 had almost no gloomy days but that is unusual. Just wanted to let you know about that for your beach days.

Other ideas of day trips from LA would be to go to the Orange County area such as Laguna or Newport Beach. You could also go to San Diego for a couple of days.

I would also take the tram and a drive to Idylwild (it's much cooler in the mountains). Maybe a couple of nights would be fun, even with the heat. I'd watch the temperatures though.

I think I prefer Santa Barbara.
You can visit Oprah.

I don't think you are bonkers to go to Palm Springs in June..its better than August and prices drop at 4* hotels.
I love Santa Barbara but the coastal areas are usually fog bound with our June Gloom and inland areas have sun/heat..
Palm Desert/Rancho Mirage/Indian Wells have great resorts..
Love La Quinta, Hyatt Grand and Rancho las Palmas but they are in the middle of remodeling..
Great deals to be had for around $100+
You can cruise down to San Diego or take the ferry from LA to Catalina..great place and they seem to not get the gloom in June..

I just used Priceline and stayed at the Hyatt Grand (Indian Wells) for $60/nt + the resort fee ($18). Max temperature was 100, but this doesn't happen til the afternoon around 3-4pm. The Hyatt is a conference hotel. Staff are pleasant and the self parking is convenient to the lobby. Rooms (even the less expensive ones) are large, with a sleeper sofa, so might be good for friends sharing. The fitness center and spa is nice, and bonus is that the fitness center is open 24 hours. Love the outdoor showers in the spa, and you have a nice view outdoors from the treadmills. The pools are interesting, set amid a palm "grove". However lots of kiddies making noise because Camp Hyatt is part of the pool complex. If you don't want to hear them from the balcony, ask for a golf course view. If you don't mind, the 3rd-4th floor pool view rooms have the better views. I wouldn't take a ground floor room unless you're going to be at the pool all day.

I love the grounds and pools at La Quinta, but you'll have to walk a long way (or drive) to reach the fitness center. The grounds are beautiful, and you can probably find a pool without a child. However the staff are bordering on surly and I didn't think all that much of the restaurants. There is a Trader Joe's nearby, at least you get a refrigerator in the room.

I've just come back from Palm Springs and, although hot, it is bearable (it was around 110F when we were there) if you have a pool to cool off in. We found it much more comfortable than Las Vegas. Perhaps consider renting a house for a few days? I paid around $800 for 3 nights in a 3 bedroom/3 bathroom property, with private pool and hot tub, with nice gardens. (vrbo.com) Everything, from what I could make out, was open.