Palm Springs Surprises With History and Sophistication

When you think Palm Springs, simple lines, Nelson bubble lamps and plenty of white concrete probably come to mind. No destination lays claim to the midcentury modern aesthetic quite like the desert oasis just under two hours east of Los Angeles: Palm Springs has the largest concentration of preserved midcentury modern architecture in the world. But the history is deeper and the architecture more diverse. 

Hollywood pioneers began building homes in Palm Springs in the early 1900s, and many of these jewels remain preserved as luxury boutique hotels and restaurants like the Willows Historic Palm Springs Inn, a romantic Mediterranean villa that hugs the mountainside (and where Albert Einstein, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were guests), and Carey Grant’s former estate, now Copley’s restaurant. In the shadow of the San Jacinto Mountains, visitors may stumble upon everything from desert Craftsman homes to Spanish Colonial Revival–style cottages. 

Palm Springs continues to evolve with sleek contemporary architecture, like the seven-story Kimpton Rowan Hotel that opened in 2017, and sophisticated retreats with an emphasis on wellness and refined cuisine rather than overserved pool parties.

Here’s where to experience a different side of Palm Springs, olive-topped martinis still included.

Where to Stay

The property where Harriet Cody — cousin of William “Buffalo Bill” Cody — and her husband settled is now Casa Cody (from $189 a night), the oldest operating hotel in Palm Springs. It reopened in April 2021 following a yearlong restoration and renovation project. Accommodations are in four historic hacienda-style cottages and the 1950s Apache Lodge transplanted from the Francis Crocker estate. Interiors are old-world Mediterranean with glazed Moroccan tile, dark wood, coral velvet and Otomi-patterned pillows for contemporary flair. The hotel’s complimentary “Rituals” programming includes Saturday morning yoga, poolside evening tea and citrus picking on the spot’s one-and-a-half lush acres.

Award-winning designer and hotelier Chris Pardo (his other design projects include ARRIVE hotel and the Scandinavian-inspired Sandfish Sushi & Whiskey) designed the Fleur Noire Hôtel (from $185 a night), opening in the city’s Uptown Design District in a month. Twenty-one casitas and suites will showcase Georgia O’Keeffe –reminiscent over-size desert flower murals hand-painted by muralist Louise Jones and accent walls with muted garden flower wallpaper. The focus on botany continues outside, where a common area is beautifully lined with native palo fierro trees.

The Avalon Hotel & Bungalows Palm Springs (from $329) Spanish-style studios, suites and bungalows have been a Hollywood playground since the 1930s, and the current look draws inspiration from the opulent but comfortable Hollywood Regency style that was popular during that period. Accommodations, featuring gas-burning fireplaces and metallic and glass accents, are surrounded by citrus trees, gardens and three secluded pools. Wellness seekers will be pleased with the complimentary yoga and meditation classes on offer, as well as tai chi and Integral Life coaching. Estrella Spa has nervous system–calming massages with CBD-infused oils and oxygen facials. 

While under different ownership, the same globe-trotting couple, Doug and Josie Smith, whose other projects include renovating a horse farm in Portugal and a plantation in New Orleans, are behind two of the chicest and most distinctive hotels in Palm Springs. The adults-only Sparrows Lodge (from $329 a night) is a 1950s motel-turned-rustic-modern retreat. Twenty quiet guest rooms (there are no televisions) have redwood furniture, horse trough bathtubs and hand-poured concrete floors inlaid with pebbles. At the Smith-designed Korakia Pensione (from $359) guests might feel transported to Tangier with Moroccan daybeds and lanterns scattered throughout the property; even Moroccan tea is served each afternoon. Book the Moroccan Villa, Scottish painter Gordon Coutts’ 1920s hideaway, where Rudolph Valentino, Errol Flynn and Winston Churchill hobnobbed, for a truly transportive escape.