Palm Springs Hotels/La Quinta
 

Has anyone been to La Quinta Resort recently? I have been to several sites and found mixed reviews, but I love the pictures and style of the resort. Some say it is old & worn and service is slipping; others say it's wonderful. Very frustrating. Does anyone have any suggestions, a place with character/charm, good location and 4-5 star?

I was there last fall, and really enjoyed it. We had a casita with a private patio and hot tub. I'd definitely go again.
The people who report that the rooms are somewhat worn are correct. Our room was pretty, with a fireplace, but a bit dusty. There was a dead spider by the toilet. Overall, I'd say our room was clean enough, but not as immaculate as one might like.
However, the great beauty of the grounds, views, architecture and pools overcame any minor issues for me.
We were treated very well by the front desk, room service breakfast was good and delivered promptly.
It seems to me that nothing in the Palm Springs area is 5 star. I've stayed at other 4 star resorts, and La Quinta is my favorite.

We were there again, just last month, it is our favorite place to stay, and we have stayed at most of the big hotels over the years. I guess we are lucky, because we have never been in a Casita that we thought was worn. The private patio's, pool, fireplace and grounds are fantastic. The Spa is wonderful as well. We order room service for breakfast, but love El Adobe restaurant for dinner on the patio.

I was there last fall, too.

I agree with reviews that are a bit mixed. I booked through Hotwire and got a neat casita with a private patio. I wouldn't describe it as worn, but it has aged a bit.

What I found a bit annoying was that there were a couple of ants by the door. When I put down my bag and left it open, I needed to completely re-pack it in order to get rid of those creatures.
I later found that my neighbours had dropped their used room service tray in front of their room - and though clearly visible, this was never removed within two days - might explain the ants.

I wanted to prolong my stay for another day. The rate the hotel quoted me at front desk was about 3.5 times as much as I had paid through Hotwire (around US$ 90.-). So I checked out, booked through Hotwire again and checked back in (I know I am being cheap, but with a difference that high...). They assigned me a different casita and I refused it. It was behind the lobby building and absolutely dark, worn and dingy IMHO. Upon my request they kindly gave me back my old room.

The grounds, various pools that almost have a private air about them and the flora are indeed beautiful.

There seem to be quite a number of new or at least completely refurbished casitas in the direction of the Tennis courts and Spa. They might be your best option.

Frankie,MBnancy,hsv: Thank you so much for your opinions! I really want to stay there and I just needed to hear some positive feedback before making a decision. I want to reserve through Expedia or some other place so I probably won't be able to designate where I want the room to be located, but hopefully we'll be lucky and get a nicer one or a refurbished one. It's for our 25th anniversary so I want it to be special. Thanks again!

To get one of the newer buildings, you need to get a "Spa Villa". They are great, however be sure you get the part with the real bed, and not the pullout sofa. They were built for sale, and can be split up into two or more portions for hotel use. The one I stayed in had an upper floor with bed and sitting area. The downstairs half, which I also used, had a kitchen and pullout bed. The upper level had great views.

Forgot to add:

It was recently discussed around here and reported in the news that the Hilton group has acquired La Quinta and mean it to become a member of their Waldorf Collection (seems to be something similar to Starwood's Luxury Collection).
Whether this is good for you or bad, I cannot determine.
It depends a bit on when you are staying, I suppose. It's going to be interesting to see how the staff take it now that KSL's management contract runs out. In the long run, I guess, La Quinta will profit from this as most certainly Hilton will provide the funds necessary to improve and update the property. On short term, this might be a bit different.

It does say on Expedia's website "La Quinta Golf Resort & Spa - the Waldorf-Astoria Collection" so it sounds like it has already happened. We are going in April.

Anyone stayed here recently? Reviews on TripAdvisor are still pretty mixed. We're thinking about staying for a few nights after a business trip to LA. We love older historic hotels but I'm a bit concerned about some of the bad reviews.

I was just there this past week. I was in one of the resort (base-level)casitas. The housekeeping, cleanliness, and maintenance were just fine, no concerns in that department. You may notice an odd scratch on furniture or doors, after all the buildings are OLD, but my carpet was not dirty and everything worked. They have their version of the heavenly bed installed. The grounds and pools were beautiful. The front desk staff are perfunctory, just "Credit card, sign here, see the bell captain." Onsite restaurants are expensive, the food was edible but nothing special (we tried Twenty 6 and the Spa Bistro). All rooms have a little mini bar refrigerator, but the room service prices are shocking. (Ttake advantage of the nearby Trader Joe's.) You'll be paying for the grounds and the setting, the bed, and the pools.

I think you've sold me. We are looking for something relaxing after the business convention in LA. Probably won't do anything but sit by the pool or on our patio. I'm thinking about "splurging" on a casita with a private patio (pretty inexpensive low season summer rate).

Thanks for the suggestion of Trader Joes. I love that store! We can pick up our Two Buck Chuck and save on bar charges :)

Yes on Relaxing, it is lovely. Only caveat is that the groundskeepers start at 8am with lawnmowers. Even the base level resort casitas have a tiny patio. I would go up at least one level (deluxe casita) to get the dual bathroom sinks (my resort casita had one sink and a shower only). The Renker Pool was my favorite, look for it on the map that they give you at check in.