La Quinta was the perfect spring break trip – plenty of warm, sunny weather, swimming in the pool at the house, and fun things to do in the area. The accommodations were built for relaxing, with a big living area opening onto a patio that had a pool and spa. The place overlooks the golf course so it feels very open, and has black and white pictures of Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe, very Hollywood ranch-style.

I played golf at two great courses – the Stadium Course at PGA West, and the Classic Club, a new, must-play course near Palm Desert. We also had fun at the Living Desert Zoo, a local and African zoo with giraffes, warthogs, ostriches, coyotes, bighorn sheep, birds, and other desert creatures.

High Country Club is perfect for us – affordable with reasonably-sized properties. We don’t need 10,000 square feet! It’s usually just three of us, and we didn’t want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to join a vacation club. Our trips have been fantastic. You can’t beat walking into a fully-stocked luxurious million-dollar residence, staying a week, and then leaving with no cleanup, maintenance, repair or headaches. No worries!