Palm Springs, California
Colony Palms Hotel
Storied Hideaway
What it is
A 57-room Spanish colonial respite since 1936 in downtown Palm Springs, with a cabana-flanked saltwater pool and doting spa.
What it isn't
Tired. Hollywood designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, famous for starring in “Million Dollar Decorators” and designing homes for Cher and more than a few Kardashians— recently revamped it with intricate Moroccan detailing.
What we think
Mobsters hid out here: the hotel founder was Al Wertheimer, reportedly a Detroit mobster, who was charged with running glammed-up gambling rings in the hotel den. Hollywood glitterati hid out here, too, especially when it was a 1950s supper club that hosted Zsa Zsa Gabor, Frank Sinatra (who once lived in Palme d’Or, the hotel’s event space), Howard Hughes, and Ronald Reagan. It’s every bit as alluring for Tinseltown stars today, thanks to plush and pampering amenities, such as expertly curated in-room bars, twice daily maid service and turndown, and gas fireplaces and clawfoot tubs cozying up many rooms. Book a Casita for your very own al fresco patio, tricked out with a deep soaking tub and a firepit for true R&R.
You're here because
The hotel has loaner bikes for cruising around Palm Springs. You’ve got a map of throwback celeb homes, and you intend to use it.
The Moment
Breakfasts at the hotel’s Purple Palm Restaurant are something of a legend, and not just because Bullard turned the poolside dining room into a tented dreamscape—its walls and ceiling lined in intricate Moroccan wallpaper. The real reason locals collect here? Dishes to salivate over. Your order: a BLTA croissant with avocado harissa mayo and, this being a bona fide Vacationland, a Purple Palm Bloody Mary.
Restaurants & Bars
- Purple Palm - creative New American fare served in a modern setting
Location
A mere block from Palm Springs’ main drag, Palm Canyon Drive, putting nearly everything within walking distance, including the Palm Springs Art Museum and Melvyn’s Restaurant, which turned Ali MacGraw and Steve McQueen away because they wore jeans and weren’t up to dress code.