Boujee Budget Travel

Earlier this year, I read about a festival called The Dinah Shore, which takes place in Palm Springs every year. After some brief research, I was convinced I wanted to go. I got a friend to agree on going and this is how it went…

Flights:

I saved a lot on flights by flying different airlines and using miles. I flew American Airlines to Palm Springs after work on Wednesday  and returned on Southwest Monday, passing only $11.20 total in fees! Flying Weds-Mon meant lower-cost fares and maximizing miles. 

Total for 2 one-way flights:

$11.20

Accommodations 

The festival had pre-parties and opening night events in downtown Palm Springs, but the festival itself was held at (what was formally) Margaritaville, so we booked two different rooms during the 5 day trip. For the first two nights, we stayed in a very cute Airbnb in the downtown area. The Airbnb was a studio in a motel-esque complex, complete with a small kitchen and pool in the courtyard. It was close to the scheduled pre-parties, downtown street market, and other restaurants and shops. It was an excellent choice for the first part of the trip and helped reduce costs since it was less expensive than staying at Margaritaville the entire time, plus we were able to prepare our own food and drinks in the room after making a quick grocery run. 

We moved over to Margaritaville Friday for the start of the weekend festivities. It was a little chaotic since the resort was in the process of rebranding. We weren’t able to get our room until later in the day, which hindered the fun for a while. The hotel itself was nice enough, the room was something similar to what you would find in a budget Vegas strip hotel (think Flamingo), and the pool was very nice. It was great to be situated within walking distance to the festival daytime and nighttime activities, although our room was about as far as it could be on the property. Overall, the proximity was worth the expense, but I may look into other off-site options nearby if I attend in the future.

Total for 5 nights: $1,090.67 ($545.35/pp)

Airbnb $384.92

Margaritaville $705.75

Food and Entertainment

The Dinah Shore was a bit costly at $315.20 for the full festival pass, but really it was the most economical way to go compared to buying individual event tickets. The pass gave access to the following events: pre-party, opening night party, 3 afternoon pool parties, 2 evening balls, and a closing night party. I attended 7 of the 8 events so I definitely got my money’s worth. I would totally attend this festival again in the future for the community and fun. 

As I mentioned, we made a quick grocery run for food and drinks, which was very helpful. We also ate at restaurants or ordered food maybe once a day and purchased some drinks while at the festival, which of course, slowly added up. None of the meals were all that remarkable, except brunch on the last day (yummy gluten free options!), at Wilma & Frieda’s. I wish I had eaten there earlier in the trip. Also, there were so many wonderful people that I met that shared snacks and bought me drinks. A good time was had. 

Total food and entertainment: $600.02

Festival Pass: $315.20

Misc (meals,souvenirs, donations, etc.): $284.82

For a 5 day trip to sunny California, complete with pool parties and concerts and tasty beverages and wonderful new friends, I spent a total of $1,156.57. Budget friendly and wonderfully boujee.