Palm Springs Hotel Zoso is a great place to stay.  I read reviews on line before I got there that made me leary about the size of the pool and the politeness or lack there of of the staff, but I must say it was really a tremendous stay all around.

Number 1 tip for Palm Springs, if your schedule allows go during the week.  I know that is probably easier said than done but Sunday - Thursday prices for hotel rooms are 40-50% less, plus occupancy is much less so you have more to any hotel for yourself.  That was certainly the case for the Hotel Zoso.  We did stay overnight on Saturday (our rate that day was about 40% higher than the other days) and shared the hotel with a crew of pre-teen cheerleaders - there was a huge preteen cheerleader competition in town - I never paid attention to the fact that a bow is such a prominent accessory in a cheerleading outfit, but for Saturday and Sunday morning Palm Springs was overrun with pre-teen cheerleaders with bows in their hair.  I digress, tip No. 1 stay in PS Sunday - Thursday.

So I don’t necessarily have any more tips but we did have any excellent time at the Hotel Zoso.  Top things I liked:

1) The staff was incredibly nice - Robert who works the shuttle van - free shuttle service from the airport happens to be from Portland, but he was a great reception to PS.  We had three different waiters for breakfast - free continental breakfast I would say two of the three were great.  The hotel manager was also a gem, whenever we saw him it was like he was the cruise director just making sure we were doing ok but not in an annoying way by any stretch.

2) The Hotel is extremely nice for the price - great value hotel.  The lobby and Pool area received new furniture, there was new carpeting throughout and the rooms were awesome, amazing view from our second floor balcony of the mountains around Palm Springs which are really breath taking.  There is an exercise room with brand new modern equipment that is great just below the lobby.

3) The Pool is not super huge but the pool area is extremely nice.  There is a huge outdoor gas firepit that is lit at night, there is as I said brand new furniture, cabanas and lounge mats on all the pool furniture.  As I said, if you can go Sun-Thursday the size of the pool is not an issue.  In four days there we only shared the entire pool area with one other couple each time.

4) Location - right in the heart of downtown Palm Springs, now the downtown area was a bit depressing on some levels as a retail shop owner - there are far more vacant available spaces than there are places being rented, but hopefully that will change as the huge fashion mall downtown is in the process of being renovated and re-tenanted, if you are looking to start a business this would be a great place to do it.  PS is ripe for a big upswing.  Despite the number of vacancies, the downtown has amazing bones and a great energy amazingly, we loved it.

Now the weather completely sucked when we were there, we arrived to rain (which is very uncommon) and practically shut the town down, had two days of cloudy weather and one reasonably nice day.  Despite that we had a great time.

Couple final tips:

1) Great moderate hike just behind the art museum about 3.5 miles.

2) Palm Springs Bike Rental  - Bike Palm Springs, is a new shop with great high end cruiser bikes at very affordable prices, make sure to book before you go to make sure you get one.  The shop owner Rocky is a great guy, he recently opened his shop after retiring from his career in construction in San Fransisco - Rocky is bound for glory!  Congrats on your new retirement and career Rocky.

3) Happy Hours at The Falls and Kaiser are great and about a block away from each other - hit both!

Overall loved Palm Springs despite the weather and plan to go back, very charming town.

Portland Swimwear Shop - Popina Swimwear offers Portland’s largest selection of Swimwear in Portland.  We are open year round and offer the largest selection of Women’s Swimwear in Portland.  Owner Pamela Levenson designs the Popina Swimsuit brand which is currently sold in over 40 boutiques, spas, resorts and water parks in twelve states.  Looking to set up a Wholesale Swimwear account?  Contact Popina and we will be happy to set up a Swimwear Wholesale account.

Popina is easy to get to and has lots of off street parking so for some it might be out of the way if you are looking for Beaverton Swimwear, Gresham Swimwear or Lake Oswego Swimwear but at least it is very easy to get in and get out with our own off street parking lot.  We are also very easy to get to for Vancouver, Washington Swimwear shoppers, we are just over the I-205 bridge.

So come in to Popina and see what the buzz is about, many of our customers say it is the best swimwear shopping experience they have ever had.  See our on line reviews :

Portland Swimwear Boutique Review - Yelp

Portland SwimwearBoutique Review - Citysearch

Portland Swimwear Boutique Review - Insider Pages

Portland Swimwear Boutique Review - Merchant Circle

Web Development, Coding Portland - HomeSpun Websites is my new local source for web coding.  The owner Cherie Collins is very on the ball and organized, I felt like they had my project under control from the get go.  I had a chance to personally meet the coder on my project, he was very helpful, earnest about doing a great job and offered many great suggestions. 

Looking for a local Portland Flash Developer, they do that too.  Although I went to HomeSpun specifically for coding work, I was referred to HomeSpun by a friend who has a Portland Photo Booth Rental company they did his Portland Small Business Website from start to finish for a very reasonable price.  So if you are a small to medium sized business looking for Portland Website Designers, I can tell you first hand that my friend had a great experience and his site looks great.

Portland Photo booth Rental Company, Flash Photobooth has a Photobooth in Portland for Rent for you.  What a great idea if you have a Wedding, Birthday, Graduation, Fundraiser or really any special event.  Portland Photobooth Rental company, Flash Photobooth  is a very current way to add value and make your special event even more special. 

Imagine your guests being able to get a great momento of the thing they like the most from your event, a picture of themselves from a local Portland Photobooth company and each photo strip is personalized with the name of the event and the date!

Flash has a custom designed a Photo Booth that provides a true Photo Booth experience. When you enter one of their Photo Booths you will take a seat on a bench, hit a red button, take up to four pictures, and receive your photo in the slot on the side of the Photo Booth (many companies have a tent of curtains or a large sectioned off area that they call a “Photo Booth”, where you will stand while taking your pictures and receive your photos from a Photo Booth attendant sitting at a table with a printer next to him; this this is not a true Photo Booth, it is a glorified picture station!)  Be careful of imitators!

Flash Photobooth serves the entire Portland Metro area including Beaverton, Lake Oswego, Gresham, Hillsboro and Vancouver, Washington.

Popina, the Portland Bathing Suit Boutique is very excited to be taking part in the PDX Collective Sale on Sat-Sun Jan 23-24 at the Ace Hotel Cleaners, with eight other great Portland boutiques (Idom, Pin Me Apparel, Parts + Labour, Suite 6, Zella, Bubble, Radish Underground and Flora/Space Design).

The PDX Collective Sale is an opportunity for us boutique owners to clear out past season merchandise and move on to the next great thing.  What that means for the shopper is a chance to get 30-70% offfabulous garments (and bathing suits).  At the Popina merchandising area we are expecting to be rolling out some amazing deals.  So if you have a trip coming up or you are ready for spring break or summer and you can shop early, you are going to find some amazing Clearance Swimwear !  Amazing deals on Tankinis, Retro Swimwear, Bikini Separates, Cover Ups, Sunglasses, Flip Flops and more!

Portland Swimsuit Store, Popina Swim is your local source for Swimsuits in Portland. Today Popina is going to be featured on the local television show Keep it Local on 4pm on KOIN channel six.  You can expect a little Retro Swimwear fashion, plus a sampling of some of our outsdie brands including La Blanca, Kenneth Cole, Ralph Lauren, plus new items are arriving daily from Jantzen, Tommy Bahama, L*Space and many more.  Be sure to check out Popina live today at 4pm!

Brazilian Bikini Wax Salon Portland - Urban Waxx is Portland’s favorite spot to get a Portland Brazilian Wax.  Urban Waxx is a unique salon where all they do is Wax in Portland.  Urban Waxx is committed to making your time extraordinary.  There motto is “The best wax you’ll ever have. Seriously.” That is something that has shaped their vision of Urban Waxx from the ground up.  Urban Waxx uses their own AHA Ingrown Hair Eliminator called Serious Serum.

Your experience with Urban Waxx begins the moment you schedule your appointment. Are you nervous? Are you a first time waxer or have you had a bad waxing experience in the past?  Urban Waxx will ease your fears; . their front desk team is warm and friendly, and no question is too personal or too embarrassing.  Trust me, they have heard it all before!  After you Schedule Your Portland Wax Appointment, either by phone or online, it’s time to come and visit Urban Waxx! Walk through their door and you’ll experience what makes Urban Waxx so special. You’ll be greeted, offered a cup of tea or a glass of wine. You’ll then be led to their lounge where you can read a magazine or have a snack, all while soaking up the hip, modern, comfortable surroundings. Your Esthetician will greet you and show you to a waxing room, which is immaculate and private. After answering any questions, your wax will begin. You’ll be astounded by how comfortable you will feel, and how painless the wax will be. In no time, your wax will be complete and your life as you know it will be changed forever.   

Urban Waxx is more than just your typical salon: it’s a culture. They love what they do, and it shows. Urban Waxx has a team of super talented, highly trained gals that have 2 things in common love of wax and we satisfaction of their guests.

Visit Urban Waxx and see for yourself how different a waxing experience can be.  Their wax pots are always on and their team of “Smooth Operators” is always available to address all of your hair removal needs. One visit and you will see: it’s the best wax you’ll ever have. Seriously.

Shannon Conley is the founder and owner of Urban Waxx. Shannon became a licensed Esthetician 12 years ago, and during that time has waxed literally thousands of clients. Shannon began her career in her home state of NJ, and has also worked in some wonderful day spas in Charleston, SC, and Los Angeles.

Clothing Boutique Alberta Portland - Tumbleweed is the inspiration of the Portland Clothing Designer Kara Larson.  Tumbleweed features Kara’s Portland Clothing Line Kara-Line which are simple, romantic and timeless.  Kara-Line Dresses drape your body, leaving something to the imagination.  Tumbleweed has also evolved into a great Portland Gift Store.Kara Larson began humbly sewing in her sister’s garage, selling her dresses from a clothing line in her back yard or out of a suitcase while on the road. Nothing is traditional for this gal. With a flair for making dresses, Kara created an entire line for women, and the Wild Carrots line for little gals (and guys).

Loving her hometown of Portland, Oregon, Kara decided to put down some roots. In the spring of 2000 she opened her Alberta Boutique called Tumbleweed.

Inspired by her young son, in the fall of 2004 she opened her latest venture, a whimsical Portland Children’s Shop with toys clothes and books called Grasshopper.

Though life and business is thriving, she still creates a laid back atmosphere that makes you feel like your stepping into a dressing room when you walk into Tumbleweed. Her dresses hang on the racks accompanied by other designer’s offerings.

“You can get just about anything a gal would love.” Kara explains, “We offer beautiful clothes for everyday life. I feel you should be able to wear a dress strolling down the aisle of grocery store then off to a wedding.”

Versatile and beautiful quality clothing is what you will find at Tumbleweed.

So if you would like to get in touch with Kara regarding any info on ordering kara-line dresses or just to say howdy, you can email her at kara@tumbleweedboutique.com

Need Wedding Dresses in Portland, Oregon  Silver Lining Bridal needs to be your first stop.   There are a handful of Bridal Shops in Portland, Oregon however none have the selection of Pronovias in  Portland, Oregon like Silver Lining, and if you are a bride to be you know Pronovias Bridal Gowns are what every bride dreams for.  

The Portland, Oregon Bridal Boutique is breathtaking, it is awesome to look around to see all their dresses on display and with ample space to move around.   Believe me this is a rarity, typically bridal shops keep their dresses inside plastic bags and are so packed together that you can barely see what they look like.

Silver Lining not only has beautiful dresses but very nice accessories and jewelery as well.  Also a great selection of Couture Bridal in Portland for the smaller size of our city. 

Mabel and Zora is a perfect pairing with Portland Swimwear Boutique Popina, we have Retro Swimwear, Mabel and Zora has the Portland Luggage and cute dresses and cover ups to complete your vacation shopping.  Brands at Mabel and Zora include Trina Turk, Milly, Bailey 44, Ella Moss, Halsea and Butter by Nadia.

But the most underrated aspect of Mabel and Zora is that it is very hard to find a Portland Luggage Store that has cute stuff.  Sure your run of Luggage Stores in Portland would offer the boring old rectangles, but if you really want to look great when you travel be sure to swing by Mabel and Zora.