The Best Luxury Hotels in Palm Springs, California

In a great spot near downtown and just below the San Jacinto Mountains is Amin Casa. This was once the home of Hollywood star Gloria Swanson, who is said to have hosted Joseph Kennedy, father of President John F Kennedy, with whom Swanson had a notorious affair. You can stay at her original residence, which has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, or at four private bungalows or a pool-studio suite. The tailored gardens are gorgeous and there’s an intimate feel as the whole resort accommodates a maximum of 14 guests (adults only). The pool is heated and there’s an outdoor jacuzzi.

A Palm Springs staple since 1936, set just one block from the Design District, Colony Palms retains many features of its original Spanish Colonial architecture, with arched entryways, covered ceilings and original ceramic floor tiles. The accommodation features Moroccan fabric headboards, Spanish tiles and hardwood floors, and includes rooms, suites and casitas (little chalets dotted throughout the grounds where you get a private patio with a soaking tub or fire pit). There’s a spa too, and the esteemed Purple Palm restaurant – be sure to try the spiced beef empanadas with tomatillo salsa fresca, guajillo chili and chimichurri.

This desert-modern boutique hotel, formerly a motel with a Denny’s next door, is up there with the hippest places to stay in Palm Springs. A range of colorful LPs neatly spaced out on shelves greet you at the reception desk, and there’s more of that bohemian vibe in some of the rooms, which have old vinyl and record players to enjoy. There are also two big pools, a vintage photo booth and lots of communal fireplaces to relax around. Check out the Amigo Room bar, with live music, DJs and bingo.

If you’re driving into Palm Springs from the north, you’ll hit Arrive just as Palm Canyon Drive splits in two north of downtown. You won’t be able to miss it either, with its striking orange-brown facade constructed in 2016 in homage to the mid-century modern aesthetic of Palm Springs. It’s all arranged around a community space including a pool, fire pits, cabanas, ping-pong tables and a bocce ball court. The light-filled rooms are studios or patios – with the latter you get your own outdoor space and a poolside lounger reserved for you every morning. It takes its coffee very seriously too – there’s an artisan Cartel Coffee Lab café attached.

The location of Rancho Mirage is a big selling point, up in the hills on Frank Sinatra Drive, just south of Palm Springs and with astonishing views across Coachella Valley. It’s worth being a little removed from the city for that desert-oasis feel and great hiking right on your doorstep. If all you want to do is kick back by the pool – there are two of them – in a VIP cabana, you certainly can. There’s also a luxury spa with holistic therapies and indigenous ingredients and the Edge Steakhouse, with floor-to-ceiling windows to take in that view, or the Air Pool Bar by the water for sushi, burgers, tacos and cocktails.

Like the Ritz-Carlton, this is another real getting-away-from-it-all option, situated further southeast along Route 111. The desert views are of the Santa Rosa Mountains, and three swimming pools – hot, cool and a quiet option. You can take a shuttle service to the Indian Wells Golf Resort if you fancy a round. Try a Miramonte Bloody Mary the morning after a few too many local craft beers – it comes with a kosher salted rim garnished with black-pepper maple bacon, dill pickle and a steamed shrimp.

There’s a real Beverly Hills vibe at Avalon Hotel and Bungalows, with its immaculate grounds, Spanish-style studios and no fewer than three pools, surrounded by cabanas and private villas – all of which makes sense when you learn there’s a sister Avalon Hotel in Hollywood. You’ll never get tired of floating servers proffering coconut-water cocktails, and there’s croquet, table tennis or cornhole on the lawn, plus free yoga and meditation classes.