38 Best Hotels in Palm Springs and the Desert Resorts, California

Manhattan-based architects Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat took a ho-hum Holiday Inn of yore and turned it into a rainbow-bright stay for sunseekers, where the proudly loud palette—said to be inspired by the surrounding desert's wildflowers—is carried through the grounds, the pool area (which always seems to be mid-party), and the rooms. Weekend DJs, reasonable rates, a 24-hour fitness center, two flower-shape hot tubs, and a speakeasy-style bar entered through a door hidden in a bookcase are all siren songs for the young and hip, especially those with active social feeds.

Accommodations at the closest lodging to Joshua Tree National Park's north entrance are in adobe-and-wood-frame cottages, some dating from the 1920s and '30s (indeed, James Cagney was often found playing the piano in the inn's bar back in the day), set on 70 acres of grounds that include the ancient Oasis of Mara, a popular bird-watching spot, and the organic farm that provides produce to the on-site restaurant. The innkeepers' gracious, personalized service more than makes up for the rusticity of the cottages. Weekends see free nature walks and yoga sessions.

By day, sip cocktails at the indoor–outdoor bar (which doubles as the reception desk), lounge in the pool while a live DJ spins nearby, or browse the trendy gift shop while slurping scoops of Coachella Valley Date from the in-store ice cream counter; at night, relax in the pool-sized hot tub, socialize around communal firepits (half of the rooms also have private patios and fireplaces), play drag-queen bingo (every other Thursday), or cozy up in your king-size bed amid tasteful urbane furnishings and boldly patterned wallpaper.

A stay at this pristine property, opened in 2022 by a trusted name in Golden State glamping, barely qualifies as roughing it thanks to refurbished Airstream and other more spacious RVs (four of them ADA accessible) that are done in calming neutral tones; filled with space-saving hacks; and equipped with panoramic windows, TVs, high-thread-count sheets on actual mattresses, kitchenettes, full bathrooms, and workhorse HVAC systems. The amenities fee covers the use of bicycles, weekly programs like stargazing and yoga, and morning coffee or tea and granola. Lawn games, a play area, and a pool that's heated in winter keep the kids happy. There's also an on-site market that carries food and booze, as well as an all-day café.

It's easy to fall in love with this new-in-2022, adults-only Acme Hospitality property in a restored mid-century jewel of an apartment complex—we're talking sun-dappled breezeways, clerestory windows, carved doors, a low-slung roof, and a full-wall white-brick fireplace fronted by a shag rug in the lobby living room. Your stay starts with a warm hello, a boozy welcome drink, and the first opportunity to decompress amid the hushed peace that can only be found at 21-and-over accommodations. The recuperation will continue in your spacious room, which will likely have a kitchenette and a patio hammock and will definitely be swathed in soothing organic tones and have gorgeous tile, custom millwork, and a bed built for deep sleep. Complete the relaxation process by meditating poolside or next to one of the longest (and best) firepits in town.

Boutique hospitality firm Casetta dusted off a hodgepodge of buildings—including an early-1900s adobe, a rare 1932 Olympic cottage, and a hacienda hotel once run by Buffalo Bill Cody's cousin, Harriet—to create the kind of exceptional lodging where you can easily lose track of time floating in one of two pools, eating fruit plucked off a property tree and sipping tea or coffee (available all day) in the bougainvillea-covered arcade, or watching sunlight and shadows crawl across the walls from your snuggly, never-want-to-leave bed. Studios, suites, and stand-alone casitas feature dark woods, Zellige tile, burnished metals, and rich colors like hunter green and burnt orange, which, when assembled just so, create a tailored, refined, farmhouse-meets-Santa-Fe-artist-studio vibe. This is a hotel for those who want to linger, finish their books, and eat fresh berries and cream every morning.

Opened in 2023, the third hotel from a thriving new name in West Coast hospitality is a neutral-toned nirvana that combines a touch of Tulum with mid-century nods and offers a desirable, convenient location and free self-parking; suites and studios can accommodate individuals and couples or families and other groups of varying sizes.  Desert-sojourn musts like a refreshing pool, yoga, lawn games, firepits, and photogenic cacti; and such mod cons as digital check-in, coded room entry, pour-over coffee equipment, and steamers that actually work are included. The on-site Mexican restaurant, Maleza, serves tasty Baja bites like tacos, ceviche, queso fundido (melted cheese with chorizo), and chimichurri chicken.

Expect homey accommodations for all budgets at this delightful hotel that's decked out in rustic Mexican furniture. Rooms vary in size and style, but all feature wooden accent walls, iron flourishes, and brightly colored throws. Many rooms have kitchens, and all have access to the outdoor barbecue area and a communal kitchen with 24-hour snacks and coffee. The pool and hot tub area features a firepit, as well as some more secluded hangout spaces.

As the tallest building in town, this upscale boutique dazzles locals and guests (especially the under-45 set) with stunning mountain, museum-installation, and twinkling, after-dark, urban views from guest rooms and suites, the bar, the seventh-story restaurant, and the deck that surrounds the city's lone rooftop pool. It's classy and arty but unpretentious, making guests feel at home with free perks like sunrise coffee service, a daily social hour with beer and wine, and family fridges for nursing moms to store the goods. All accommodations have plush robes, Wi-Fi, a sense-of-place decor, and a signature Kimpton yoga mat.

This incredibly unique, Moroccan–Mediterranean mashup comprises Scottish painter Gordon Coutts' 1924 Tangier-inspired villa, a southern Europe–styled 1930s home once owned by silent film star J. Carol Naish, and a 1918 California adobe spread across 1½ acres on both sides of a quiet street a couple of blocks from downtown's main drag. Creative types and new bohemians are still drawn to the tranquil, sun-splashed grounds, which have generous day beds and turn sultry and dramatic at night with the flickering of hand-lit lanterns and fire bowls. In addition to full gourmet breakfasts served alfresco near the gurgling fountain, there's afternoon mint-tea service. No two rooms are the same, though most feature stone-heavy bathrooms, antique and hand-carved furniture, and plush bedding. Some have kitchenettes, outdoor showers, soaking tubs, or fireplaces. The resort fee is hefty at $60, but it funds lots of extras like poolside snacks, borrowable bikes, and welcome drinks. The spa is small and simple so opt for in-room chakra-balancing massages and vibrational scalp treatments.

The draws at this desert hideaway a short drive from Anza Borrego State Park include three guest-only pools, a hot tub, five night-lit tennis courts and two pickleball courts, a yoga studio, a spa, a restaurant, and the lively Fox Den Bar. The 42-acre property pays tribute to its surroundings with a cactus garden, a firepit, and two tall, welded-metal animal sculptures by local artist Ricardo Breceda. Deluxe guest rooms and spacious casitas—from one to four bedrooms—are all decorated in a minimalist desert style that focuses on comfort and have thick comforters, flat-screen TVs, and Wi-Fi.

At what is definitely not your grandad's luxury hotel, a cacophony of color, retro accessories, Moroccan textiles, and flamboyant art masterfully assembled by designer Jonathan Adler is paired with lush, mazelike grounds; attentive service; and amenities that include three saltwater pools, cozy firepits, free EV charging, clay tennis courts, pétanque, morning barista services, and a huge spa that looks like a Wes Anderson film set. The hip but rarefied air attracts a well-heeled and worldly clientele, who seem to enjoy not only the smell of the citrus trees and the jangly beats of a clubby soundtrack but also the wee bit of pretension. All accommodations—whether they be poolside kings, villas with multiple bathrooms and wooden swings, or quarters in the former Gene Autry residence—have private outdoor space that, in some cases, features a hammock secluded behind tall shrubs. This is a splurge for most people, but you can score deals on midweek or summer stays.

High on a hill overlooking the Coachella Valley, this posh resort spoils guests with exemplary service and comforts that include two pools, one of the desert's finest full-service spas, complimentary fitness classes, and two restaurants. Adding visual drama and more places to relax are several water and fire features, including a rocky cascade in the spa's outdoor lounge and 38 rooms with personal firepits on their patios. Rooms were made even more soothing and sumptuous with a complete remaster in 2023, so it will take some convincing to get out of bed. Just try not to miss the stargazing experiences or guided hikes.

Set in two adjacent, opulent, Mediterranean-style mansions built in the 1920s to host the rich and famous friends (Clark Gable, Shirley Temple, Albert Einstein) of millionaire William Mead, this sumptuous hillside B&B has gleaming hardwood floors, stone fireplaces, frescoed ceilings, hand-painted tiles, iron balconies, and a 50-foot waterfall that splashes down outside the dining room window providing breakfast entertainment. Stroll the private garden, planted with native flora and affording one of the best views in the area. Guest rooms are decorated with antiques—some even have clawfoot tubs—to evoke Hollywood's golden era.

The good times always seem to be rolling at this former Howard Johnson's that was brilliantly transformed into a buzzy boho boutique hotel by the hipster, Seattle-based Ace brand. Don't be surprised to find gaggles of guests playing trivia games while gathered around cozy communal fire pits, waving their hands in the air during a live show at the big wackily shaped main pool, or guzzling drinks in the Amigo Room. Rooms, on two floors, are spacious and immaculate with simple vintage appointments and fully stocked minibars. Some have fun extras: turntables, open-air showers, or ground-floor patios with fireplaces. The hotel is canine-friendly, with its own dog park. Weekend events and the pool day-pass program draw locals and enhance the party atmosphere.

This resort feels like a small-scale Sin City, thanks to a lobby-level casino, a 2,101-seat concert venue that welcomes household names, a cigar lounge, eight eateries (including a sports bar and a decadent steak house dishing up 32-ounce bone-in tomahawks), clubs and bars, a pool with cabanas, and a lavish spa. As in Las Vegas, though, once you ascend the 16-story tower to your spacious sleeping quarters—appointed with dark woods and classic beige color schemes—the cacophony below melts away. Niches hold original art, wall-to-wall windows frame mountain views and sandy expanses, beds are pillowtop, and marble bathrooms have oversize sunken tubs. 

At the crossroads of the Uptown Design District and the Movie Colony neighborhood, Alcazar, with its ample, modern, blazing-white guest rooms that wrap around a sparkling pool, does hip, simple, and comfortable well—and at a more affordable price point than most of its competitors. Many rooms have private patios, fireplaces, and large soakers. Basic needs are met and then some, thanks to a heated saltwater pool, soft Italian linens, free morning coffee and pastries, a hot tub, two restaurants, and a small business center. 

With three pools and a spa spread over 4 acres of gardens, the upscale Avalon Hotel Palm Springs calls back to 1960s swanky, with private bungalows, lush gardens, and an emphasis on style. Guest rooms for two and villas for three or more, some with fireplaces and private patios, are spread out over four tree-shaded acres. Secluded nooks and black-and-white-striped cabanas make for excellent lounging. You can dine indoors or poolside on healthful Latin fare at the stylish restaurant, Chi Chi. The on-site Estrella Spa is one of the most luxurious and unique wellness centers in Palm Springs.

It's fitting that this healthful haven is set on Miracle Hill—in 2021, using the bones of an old hotel, it was resurrected and revitalized as an adults-only boutique property with individually decorated rooms and suites, a full-service spa, a juice-cleanse program, a café, a 100-foot mineral-water pool (the longest in Southern California), saunas and jetted hot tubs, a cold chamber, a Himalayan salt room, and thatch-shaded soaking tubs that are continuously refilled with fresh mineral water. Landscaped with native plants, this 1-acre oasis also features glorious valley and mountain views, a bucket shower, and a reflexology walk. Expansion plans are in the works to incorporate 5 more acres that will accommodate event space and additional holistic huts and treatment rooms.

When this stone mansion was built back in 1925 (by a WW I vet who married into a wealthy family before being sent to the desert as a remedy for mustard-gas exposure), no expense was spared, as evidenced by the 50-foot-long great room's planked-maple floor, the intricate carpentry, and the huge stone fireplaces that warm the house on cold nights. Accommodations include two-bedroom suites in the main house, rooms in the converted barn, and cottages—one of them by the pool and hot tub—sprinkled across 25 secluded acres amid Washingtonia palms. Amenities vary by room but can include private patios, firepits, fireplaces, and kitchenettes.

Old-world French design, contemporary style, and luxe creature comforts make this lakeside inn a good choice for those who want intimate, upscale lodgings near La Quinta's main attractions. Rooms range from deluxe to bungalows, and all have a private or semi-private balcony or patio. Some have fireplaces. Order a cocktail from the bar, nab a seat by a firepit, and watch the swans and turtles swim in the lake before a fine-dining feast at the on-site restaurant, Mélange.

A hip place to stay since the 1930s, when gangster Al Wertheimer built it to front his casino, bar, and brothel, this Spanish colonial–style property later became the Howard Hotel (hosting a young Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, and Liberace) and has now been been returned it to its art deco roots and further gussied up for the social-media age to once again attract tastemakers, pretty young things, and other adults with the desire (and budget) to live the good life. It's one of those places that seems to reverberate with the echos of the old Hollywood elite who once ruled the town. The center of the Colony-verse is the pool courtyard, with its darling striped cabanas and umbrellas, which is where you'll find the bar and the excellent contemporary-American restaurant. Rooms and bungalows radiate out from the courtyard along paths that wind through leafy grounds. All accommodations are striking, with bold wallpaper and velvety furniture, yet comfortable, with Frette linens, custom beds, and Le Labo bath products. Allow time to visit the spa or to just lounge around, whether inside or out.

Blink and you'll miss this Miracle Hill adults-only gem, the sole Black-owned hotel in the Greater Palm Springs area, which—with a tiny spa, a sizable yard, a springs-fed pool and hot tubs, a chaise-lined terrace, and a firepit—feels like a cross between an updated Joshua Tree hotel, a wellness camp, and your childhood friend's parent's ranch house. Despite being peaceful, there's no escaping other guests or day-pass holders in the common areas so make sure to book one of the five suites with a back patio to give your best-behaved public persona a reprieve. Good House gets bonus points for participating in the Kind Traveler program and emphasizing sustainable tourism measures.  

A half-block from El Paseo shopping strip, this hip, pet-friendly hotel (under Marriott's Autograph Collection umbrella) reflects the mid-century modern history and upscale, yet casual lifestyle of the desert. Contemporary art is on display in public areas, as well as in rooms and suites, most of which have a balcony or small terrace. Regular pop-ups take place in the lobby, which contains a 1955 cherry-red Cadillac, or in the courtyard, which has an airstream trailer, a pool, a hot tub, firepits, lawn games, and a putting green. Amenities also include a café, restaurant, spa, and morning yoga classes.

Spread across 45 acres, this behemoth resort adjacent to the Golf Resort at Indian Wells is one of the grandest in the desert (especially after a $21 million renovation in 2020), with its nine pools, two golf courses, a water park that has dueling 30-foot slides and a 450-foot lazy river, a marketplace with Starbucks, three restaurants, outdoor games, tennis/pickleball courts, and a full-service spa. Standard rooms, large even by local standards, come with furnished patios or balconies, and villas have entire backyards. Despite its resort-y trappings, the Hyatt actually caters to business travelers, who take advantage of the opportunity to hit the links, jogging trails, and bike paths on free-to-borrow cruisers between meetings in 88,000 square feet of flexible event space.

Set on 450 landscaped acres,18 of which are lakes and waterways, this crisp, contemporary resort is the size of a small village and attracts business travelers, couples, and families who appreciate the amenities that give it a "park once and never have to leave" vibe. You can play tennis or pickleball, get in a round of golf on one of two courses, or lounge beside one of three pools. Facilities here also include seven restaurants, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a huge spa with a Turkish hammam, and the largest hotel ballroom in the Greater Palm Springs area. Rooms have lake or mountains views, balconies, work spaces with built-in USB ports, and oversize bathrooms.

Offering all the comforts of home, this small B&B contains large rooms that surround the terra-cotta–tiled and very comfortable pool area, where you can spend quiet time soaking up the sun or taking a dip. In the morning, guests and the convivial innkeepers gather for a light breakfast. The rooms, done in soft yellows and beige, have European accents—headboards that resemble rustic French gates in one, and antique furnishings in others. For the most privacy, ask for an upstairs room. The inn does not encourage guests under age 14.

Opened in 1926 and now a member of the Hilton's Curio Collection, the desert's oldest resort, a 45-acre oasis, feels like a small town made up of expansive lawns with quiet, flowery spots to sit and myriad adobe casitas, suites, and villas. (Coincidentally, it is one of only two resorts in America with the city named after it.) With 23 tennis courts, eight pickleball courts, 41 pools, 53 hot tubs, five restaurants that pride themselves on partnerships with local farms and visiting wineries, five world-class golf courses, and a 23,000 square-foot spa with a trendy recovery-focused treatment menu, every guest, no matter their interests, will be able to find something to keep them occupied. Historic rooms have interesting backstories involving 12 presidents, titans of industry, and famous folks like Charlie Chaplin, Tom Hanks, and Barbara Streisand. Newer two-story units showcase mineral-color tiles, individual swimming pools, fireplaces, stocked refrigerators, and fruit-laden orange trees.

Designed in 1935 by Albert Frey, this intimate, adults-only hotel leans hard into the mid-century minimalist aesthetic throughout its gleaming-white, balcony-studded, two-story buildings and its residential-style rooms, where the accents and bright colors are era-accurate. Although some of the furniture feels like its part of an IKEA golden age collection, the property has recently added such mod cons as Wi-Fi, Keurig coffeemakers, flat-screens, and pillowtop king beds. A cool vibe prevails—in the morning over coffee and continental breakfast, in late afternoon by the pool, and in the evening by the courtyard fire feature.

Home to the Splashtopia water park—with a lazy river, two 100-foot waterslides, fountain and sprinkler zones, a cliff-side hot tub, and a sandy beach—this is probably the desert's most family-friendly resort, though guests without kids can escape to the adults-only pool, the spa, or the golf course. There are also pickleball and tennis courts; a kids club; and lots of daily activities like bingo, water aerobics, movies, and sand-art workshops—some of which are included in the daily $55 resort fee. Spacious rooms are in two-story Spanish-style buildings that surround lovely courtyards and gardens on 240 acres.