Where to stay in Palm Desert?
 

Palm Desert/Rancho Mirage area sound great, but where to stay? There is only two of us so a hotel room would be fine, the condo maybe next time, pricey!! Just nice grounds, pool area for relaxing a must. We'll be doing a lot of sightseeing while we're there so won't see much of the room but must be nice, clean etc.
Thanks!

What is your budget? Weekends or midweek? What time of year?

The Desert Springs Marriott is a very nice hotel complex, but relaxing by the pool on weekends would be nearly impossible, as it is quite a "scene"; loud music, pools jam-packed with people drinking cocktails, etc.

The Rancho Las Palmas Marriott is also nice and within walking distance of shopping.

From about May - September you can get very good rates at many of the desert properties.

Sometimes the Marriott Shadow Ridge is a better value if you don't need restaurants and hotel services. There is a "quiet pool" as well as an adult pool next to the main kiddie pool.

An older place with a fantastic pool is the Shadow Ridge complex (it's actually small apartment-type units). They are individually owned. The housekeeping is quite good although you might get one with older furnishings.

If you're searching under Palm Desert you'll also run across the Residence Inn and the Marriott Courtyard, which are located away from all the action. The Residence Inn gets good reviews.

There are some newer small places listed on Trip Advisor but I've not been to them (the Mod and the Mojave).

Sorry, I just noticed a "typo".. the older place with the fantastic pool is Shadow MOUNTAIN. It has a good location too, walking distance to El Paseo.

I see from your other post you are going in April. Early April is very busy time there. Many California schools are on spring break, and there is a large LPGA golf tournament then as well. This tends to drive up prices. If your trip is in late April, you should be okay.

Because so many snow birds leave at the end of March, I don't think there will be so much of a problem. The dates that might be most affected are April 4th and 5th. (The Nabisco Dinah Shore is being held the first week in April this year).

You could also stay a bit farther "down valley" such as La Quinta, since the tournament is at the north end of Rancho Mirage, near the Westin.

Hotwire is showing good availability for that week.

We normally stay in Palm Springs at the Hyatt. It is on the main drag and lots of places to explore on foot. Good restaurants in the area too.

Several nice hotels are Rancho Las Palmas in Rancho Mirage. It used to be a Marriott, but has been completely redone. Also, The Hyatt Grand Champions and across the street, The Esmeralda. Check their web sites for specials. We've stayed in all of them, and they all are perfect.

We used to stay at the Rancho Las Palmas and loved it (rooms are standard-issue Marriott, but the grounds are very nice). I didn't know it had been redone and isn't a Marriott anymore, but it looks really nice on their website.

http://www.rancholaspalmas.com/

NO! no loud music, pool areas or otherwise! Going for quiet. A condo would be ok, I've heard could be a better value than a hotel room anyway. We're flexible, we can go anytime after April 7 but before mid May. Just the 2 of us.
We're thinking maybe we just might fly into San Diego, drive that area, visit some relatives, we don't know. Would like to see a lot, coastline, mountains, etc. Our friends recommended Palm Desert. What do to?

There are a lot of small boutique hotels in Palm Springs set around a central pool. You wouldn't get the noisy party pool scene there.

One that my friends use is Desert Hills Hotel. Another is Calla Lily Inn. I think the two smaller places in Palm Desert, Mod and Mojave, might be similar. These places are small enough that you could call and ask.

The Westin in Rancho Mirage is nice but Palm Springs is a little bit more on the fun side however.

The further out Hwy 10 you go the lower the price. You might look at La Quinta. The Embassey Suites in PD isn't bad at they do a pretty good breakfast in the AM.

The Embassy Suites in La Quinta is also not bad, and can often be found on Hotwire.

I'll probably get my hand slapped for offering a suggestion rather than answering the question.
I own a townhouse and timeshare in Palm Desert and quite honestly, in April, it's HOT--do you like HOT? It can be 90-100.
You say you're flying into San Diego and like coastline--why not drive up to Laguna Beach; Newport Beach area. It's very pretty there, and lots of restaurants, hotel options, etc.
Just a thought-don't pigpile on me.;)