The Best Hotels in Palm Springs for Every Traveler

This colorful, modern hotel is all about the good times; from twice-weekly taco nights to movies projected by the pool, and a full calendar of other social ‘happenings’, this is a great place to make new friends. During the day, the favored activity is hanging out in one of the poolside cabanas, fully equipped with a TV, sofa, and a fridge full of drinks and snacks – what more could you want?

An alcazar is a Moorish fortress, and this hotel lives up to its name, with its grand Spanish-style exterior and minimalist but luxurious guestrooms. The outdoor pool and jacuzzi are perfect for cooling off from the desert sun, and Cheeky’s restaurant is the hippest spot in town for brunch – order the chilaquiles with homemade chorizo, and you’ll soon see why.

Opened back in 1952 by actor Don Castle, this resort served as a getaway for the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Its lodge-style, wood and stone interiors still carry a classic feel, and the hotel’s bohemian heritage is upheld in its art collection, featuring works by the likes of Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari, and other Californian artists. For a homey atmosphere and to meet your fellow guests, there are family-style supper evenings – it’s chicken on Wednesdays and steak on Saturdays.

Intensely stylish at every turn, Sands Hotel & Spa is a glorious mélange of Middle Eastern and Californian styles. Rooms feature deluxe Acqua di Parma toiletries, Carrara marble countertops and Moroccan fountains on private patios, while the spa resembles a Marrakech riad, with its niches, latticed screens and arches. The same influences extend to the food at the Pink Cabana – try the Petaluma harissa chicken with saffron potatoes.

Palm Springs’ artistic spirit is writ large in the 1960s-style rooms at Ace Hotel & Swim Club, which feature acoustic guitars, hippie rugs and woven wall hangings. The angular swimming pool is open year-round, as is the relaxing outdoor hot tub – while the aptly named Feel Good Spa, with a menu of organic treatments like cane sugar and macadamia scrubs, is perfect for relaxing after a day pounding the streets of Palm Springs.

Striking mosaics decorate headboards and bathrooms in the Moroccan-inspired Colony Palms Hotel, with many rooms featuring sweeping views over citrus-shaded courtyards and the San Jacinto Mountains beyond. Take a ride into the peaks on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway for spectacular views over the Coachella Valley, or rent a bike and explore the cultural attractions of downtown – the Palm Springs Art Museum contains works by Henry Moore, Frederic Remington, and others.

With hammocks strung between huge date palms, mineral-rich waters flowing into bathing pools, and an organic decor inspired by the groves and deserts of the Coachella Valley, Two Bunch Palms is a wellness resort in tune with nature. Enjoy a set of tennis or a game of cornhole, or just kick back and relax in the baths of the Grotto, fed by natural water that does wonders for the skin.

Aesthetes will love the artistic stylings of the Parker, from the pop art hanging in the lobby to the mid-century modern furnishings of the guestrooms, designed to evoke the days when the likes of Presley and Sinatra made Palm Springs their escape from Los Angeles. You can be pampered like Hollywood royalty, too, at the Palm Springs Yacht Club, a deluxe spa incorporating a sauna, yoga studio and pool.

Sitting in 4.5 acres of gardens, lush with citrus and palm trees and in full view of the San Jacinto Mountains, Avalon Palm Springs offers a choice of vintage-styled studio suites and low-slung, terracotta-topped bungalows. Take your pick of three pools – one with firepits and dining lounges – or settle into the Estrella Spa, where treatments use organic ingredients including honey, sage and charcoal.

L’Horizon is pure vintage Hollywood, with Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable among the former guests to have stayed in its mid-century modern bungalows. Glass walls let the California sun flood in and look out on to neatly manicured lawns. Follow the paved pathways around to the spa cabanas for reviving treatments in view of the mountains, or head to Sopa for exquisite New American cuisine – try the wagyu flatiron with chimichurri.

The stone fountains, shaded patios and rustic European aesthetic of Hotel California are a classic example of Mission architecture, and the grounds are the setting for patio barbecues, curling up on sofas with a good book from the guest library, or sunbathing by the pool. To explore further afield, borrow a bike – the waterfalls and rock art of Tahquitz Canyon would be a good place to start – or jump on the BUZZ Trolley to the city’s restaurants and bars.

Named for the traditional pension lodges of Europe and North Africa, Korakia’s dwellings are divided into the Mediterranean villas, bestowed with a rustic luxury which evokes the Greek islands; and Moroccan villas, with arches, stone bathtubs and wood-burning fireplaces. Admire the art in the atmospheric library, long a meeting place for writers and painters, or take in views of the mountains in one of two saltwater pools – heated in the winter, so you can enjoy a dip year-round.