Discover Our Boutique Resorts

Small, Stylish and Quick – Palm Springs is the Answer to a Healthy and Safe Getaway!

By Barbara Beckley

Palm Springs is always perfect for a stylish change of scene. And now, its incredible abundance of boutique resorts– arguably the largest collection of boutique properties in Southern California — makes it the ideal choice for a safe and healthy getaway.

Small is good and Palm Springs’ petite properties are the best, with fashionable rooms, suites and individual cottages set in fresh open-air gardens and pool patios with no –none – closed corridors or hallways.

Coincidence?  Not at all. Remember those movie stars who escaped to the desert’s small hotels to distance themselves from the crowds? Palm Springs was designed as a safe haven getaway.

While the town has grown a bit since those early glamor days, Palm Springs itself is still small, basking under the clear desert sky with plenty of open space for fun and relaxation. Walking and hiking trails abound. Many begin right in town to the Indian Canyons and San Jacinto Mountain foothills. Bikeways and comp hotel bikes welcome scenic cycling. Outdoor retreats such as Ruth Hardy Park, with picnic tables and BBQ pits, and Frances Stevens Park, in the heart of Downtown, offer lush green space. The vast surreal wilderness of Joshua Tree National Park is only minutes away by guided tour and do-it-yourself.

Best of all – Palm Springs is a quick, short getaway. Only two hours from SoCal’s big cities and airports.

Boutique – But Never Boring  

Luckily, the Hollywood celebs preferred their privacy with a shot of creativity. Pick a theme and you’re likely to find a boutique resort to match.

Feeling Western?

Nestle into the rustic-chic Sparrows Lodge, with 20 oversized, exposed beam ceiling rooms; a spacious pool area and open-air “barn” bar and restaurant. Or the chintz furnished Old Ranch Inn offering eight suites with private patios and French doors opening onto the open garden pool.

Go the distance at the Smoke Tree Ranch in one of 49 cottages spaced throughout 400 desert acres, amazingly in the heart of town. Its fresh air activities include horseback trail riding, hiking and an Olympic-size pool.

Mad for Mid-century?

Easy-peasy in Palm Springs which boasts the largest collection of mid-century buildings on earth. Two of the hundreds include. The Weekend Palm Springs delights with 10 sleek and spacious one-and-two-bedroom suites including an ADA Premier one-bedroom, each with a private patio. And the retro-hip Orbit In features gorgeous mountain views, nine designer vintage-furnished rooms with kitchenettes and sitting areas. A spacious pool and the breezy outdoor Boomerang Bar serves its famous, and free to guests, Orbitini cocktail.   

A Yen for Japanese?

Sakura – The Japanese Bed & Breakfast Inn welcomes you with authentic architecture and two Japanese-style guestrooms. This boutique resort offers handmade futons, Kimonos and slippers, sliding Shoji doors that open to the pool and gardens and Koto and bamboo flute music wafting through the fresh air makes you feel as if you’re in Kyoto.

French Flair?

Go cheeky-chic at Dive Palm Springs, where the French Riviera permeates its 11 rooms and suites and private poolside day beds amid lush grounds. Its Orchard Suite offers the ultimate seclusion with a private patio, a private hot tub and the only private three-hole golf green in Palm Springs. For traditional, La Maison Hotel features 13 country French-dressed guestrooms with French doors opening into the sizeable walled gardens. It includes a 40-foot heated pool and Jacuzzi. Perfect for sipping the complimentary lattes, espressos and cappuccinos.

Casablanca Dreams?

In 1924, an eccentric Scottish painter built a Moroccan villa to relive his days in Tangier. Today, it’s the Korakia Pensione, a Casablanca-like collection of 24 rooms, suites and cottages, with beds in alcoves, arched doorways and stone tubs. Candle-lit lanterns, fire pits, fountains and two heated pools are spread throughout the old-growth gardens. Classic vintage movies play nightly on the white-washed walls.

Spanish-Mediterranean Magic?

Where to begin? The early celebrities loved this architecture and Palm Springs’ movie-mogul-turned-hoteliers happily obliged. Serenity reigns at the ultimate boutique resort of Casa Cody, Palm Springs’ oldest operating hotel, founded in the 1920s by Buffalo Bill Cody’s cousin! Choose among 28 historic accommodations from studios to a four-bedroom adobe house spaced across acres of manicured gardens in the heart of downtown.

You’ll find turn-of-the-century Spain at the 1921 Spanish Revival-style Andalusian Court, with eight villas nestled among lush vegetation with water features, pathways, fire pits and a beautifully landscaped courtyard pool. For Spanish modern, The Alcazar Palm Springs pairs historic red-tile charm with 34 modern white-on-white guestrooms and suites, many with private patios. Complimentary expresso, coffee and croissants from adjoining Cheekys restaurant is an added perk.

The charm of 1935 architecture and luxury lives on at the Andreas Hotel & Spa, with 25 ultra-large Spanish Revival- and Craftsman-style accommodations, many with stately fireplaces, surrounding a manicured courtyard and pool area.

Art Deco Anyone?

The Westcott, Palm Springs dates from the 1930s and preserves the Hollywood glam with a dash of Art Deco amid the utmost privacy in its 10 rooms and suites. You need a gate pass code to get into the spacious compound. And another to get into your room.

Want a Movie Star Pedigree?

Hollywood slept around a lot in Palm Springs’ small gems. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez stayed at the Andalusian Court in Villa 4. Charlie Chaplin sang at the Casa Cody. A Place in the Sun Garden Hotel was built in 1951 as a retreat for the production crew of the 1951 movie of the same name (starring Elizabeth Taylor). It has 18 accommodations including a very private 1,300-square-foot bungalow! Say “Welcome to The Hotel California!” There’s no connection (that we know of) to the Eagles’ 1977 hit song. But the 14 friendly rooms, California Mission style architecture and gardens with outdoor BBQs for do-it-yourself dine-in fun and numerous areas to hideaway in give you no reason to leave.

But when you do have to leave – no matter which boutique hotel you enjoyed – rest easy knowing that dozens more are waiting to welcome you back to another safe and healthy getaway in Palm Springs.