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

The closest lodging to the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park, the funky 29 Palms Inn scatters a collection of adobe and wood-frame cottages, some dating back to the 1920s and 1930s, over 70 acres of grounds that include the ancient Oasis of Mara, a popular destination for birds and bird-watchers year-round. Guests can sign up for free one-hour nature walks guided by a naturalist. Innkeeper Heidi Grunt's warm, personal service more than makes up for the cottages' rustic qualities.

With the hotel's vintage feel and hippie-chic decor, it would be no surprise to find guests gathered around cozy communal fire pits enjoying feel-good music. Rooms, on two floors of the former Howard Johnson's, are spacious; some on the ground floor have patios with fireplaces. Vintage appointments are simple, and everything inside and out is immaculate. The hotel is canine-friendly, with its own dog park. The Ace's weekend events draw locals and enhance the party atmosphere.

As in Las Vegas, the Agua Caliente casino is in the lobby, but once you get into the resort's spacious, beautifully appointed guest rooms, all of the cacophony at the entrance is forgotten. The decor is a contemporary take on the Arts and Crafts style, with lots of white offset by dark wood. Niches hold original art, and high ceilings and wall-to-wall windows frame mountain views. Bathrooms have marble everywhere, flat-screen TVs, and oversize sunken tubs. Poolside cabanas push the concept to the limit; each has Wi-Fi, a phone, a TV, misters, ceiling fans, and a mini-refrigerator. The on-site Sunstone Spa rejuvenates guests with luxurious treatments, private pool, and a fitness center.

Tucked at the border of the Uptown Design District and an area known as the Movie Colony, the hip, modern, and affordable Alcazar features ample, blazing-white guest rooms that wrap around a sparkling pool; some rooms have Jacuzzis, and many have private patios or fireplaces. Gardens holding beds of geraniums and lemon trees frame the pool area, where guests hang out on warm afternoons. The hotel's two restaurants are among the area's trendiest: Cheeky's, which serves a gourmet breakfast, draws long lines from the moment its doors open. Nearby Birba is packed for dinner.

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.

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.

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.

Guest rooms at the most intimate of the Indian Wells hotels are in red-roof villas on 11 acres of bougainvillea-filled gardens against a backdrop of the Santa Rosa Mountains. Many rooms have private patios or balconies with views of the perfectly manicured gardens, filled with citrus and olive trees, roses, bougainvillea, herbs, vegetables, and sculptures. Reading nooks and hammocks are tucked into secluded corners. Guests may use facilities at the Indian Wells Golf and Tennis Center.

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.

The desert's most family-friendly resort, this large venue holds Splashtopia, a huge water-play zone. Kids and their parents can spend an entire day cruising the lazy river, crashing down two waterslides, and building sand castles on a beach. Rooms are in two-story Spanish-style buildings that surround courtyards and gardens; one section is primarily for families. French doors lead to balconies or patios where you can take in the golf course or mountain views, or watch ducks cruising a pond in the fairway. The suites are splurge-worthy choices for those who want to spread out.

When new owners took over this motel built in 1946 as a bunkhouse for film stars shooting in and around Pioneertown (like Gene Autry, who used Room 9 for late-night poker games), they gave it a much-needed rehab while respecting its cowboy movie roots, so, although there are still beat-up wood doors and exposed-beam ceilings, there are also new sink basins, tiled showers, air-conditioning, and property-wide Wi-Fi. The decor leans hard into the Western-meets-high-desert aesthetic, with Mexican blankets, potted succulents, rope curtains on the closets, black-and-white photos of rock formations, and cowhide rugs. Guests can gather at outdoor tables and seating vignettes or in a 24-hour lounge with games and gourmet coffee; there's also an event space. It isn't fancy, but it isn't trying to be, and it definitely has a vibe. 

Rustic earthiness meets haute design at the adult-centered Sparrows, just off Palm Springs's main drag. A rusted, rolled-steel roof caps the one-story redwood structure, whose rooms hug a stone-tiled pool, an open-air barn/bar, and sitting areas near the vegetable garden. Hand-carved sleigh beds topped with Turkish cotton sheets and old army blankets capture immediate attention in the guest rooms, some of which have horse-trough tubs. Other design touches include open stone-tile bathrooms, concrete and pebble floors, high ceilings, and closets with old school lockers as storage spaces. There are no TVs or phones in the rooms, but the Wi-Fi is fast.

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.

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.  

On a hilltop perch overlooking the Coachella Valley, this luxury resort spoils guests with exemplary service and comforts that include a trio of pools, access to the desert's finest spa, and private outdoor sitting areas for each room. The modern lobby's high-backed leather chairs and couches, some positioned around a blazing fireplace, hint at focus on relaxation with style to unfold during a stay here. The rooms, done in desert tones, have walnut walls and limestone floors. Additional perks of this stellar property include two restaurants and a pool bar, a kids' club, a state-of-the-art fitness center, access to Mission Hills golf courses and tennis, and a central firepit overlooking the valley.

A startling, rainbow-hued oasis—the brainchild of Manhattan-based architects Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat—the Saguaro caters to young, hip, pet-toting partygoers who appreciate its lively pool-party scene. Swathed in purple carpets, multicolored striped throws, and orange curtains, rooms also embrace the exterior's rainbow theme. For a splurge choose a room facing the Olympic-size pool and its two flower-shaped hot tubs.

A sprawling resort on 360 acres, the Westin offers a slew of activities for all ages and is surrounded by fairways and putting greens, two family-friendly pools (one lagoon-style with a 75-foot waterslide) and an adults-only pool. Rooms, in two-story buildings surrounding patios and fountains, have a stylish Spanish-Mediterranean look with sleek mahogany furnishings accented with sand-color upholstery and crisp white linens. All have private patios or balconies. In the cool early morning, enjoy a walk or jog on the property's many paths, which wind past bougainvillea-covered walls, beds planted with blue salvia and pink petunias, families of ducks, and a koi pond.