12 Top-Rated Resorts in the Palm Springs Area

Author Freddy Sherman lives in Palm Springs and reviews luxury properties all over the world.

Palm Springs is a beautiful desert city about 100 miles east of Los Angeles. This resort destination offers year-round warm weather and sunny skies, along with incredible natural scenery, amazing hiking trails, golf courses, and excellent restaurants.

The Greater Palm Springs area, which includes the surrounding cities of Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, La Quinta, and Indian Wells, includes more than 100 golf courses, and is home to many resort hotel properties, offering a full range of activities and amenities. You may also want to visit the hot springs of nearby Desert Hot Springs.

Accommodations in the Palm Springs area range from sprawling resorts like La Quinta Resort & Club, Curio Collection by Hilton, which is set on 45 acres, to intimate boutique resorts like the Ingleside Inn, located a few steps from downtown’s Palm Canyon Drive shopping area.

The high season for Palm Springs runs from early September through the end of May. Prices drop, as it gets very hot during the summer, with daytime temperatures routinely exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit, creating an off-season time between June and August.

Find the best place to stay with our list of the top resorts in the Palm Springs area.

1. Ingleside Inn

Accommodation: Ingleside Inn

This luxury boutique resort is at the very south end of downtown. It’s one of the original, Spanish-style bungalow properties that were some of the first Palm Springs accommodations built in the early 20th century.

There are only 30 rooms and villa-like casitas, which means guests get a lot of personal attention from the caring and friendly staff. Rooms have an old Hollywood Spanish style, and all of them have some kind of a private terrace or patio.

The location at Ramon Road and Belardo means you can easily walk to downtown Palm Springs’ Palm Canyon shopping and dining, which is only a block away.

When you’re ready for great food and some lounge music, the Ingleside Inn is home to Melvyn’s, a legendary Palm Springs restaurant, once frequented by Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.

2. The Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa

Accommodation: The Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa

This vast resort fills 360 acres in Rancho Mirage. It’s about five minutes off the 10 freeway and only about 15 minutes from Palm Springs Airport.

This resort is in a good central location to explore the Greater Palm Springs area, as downtown Palm Springs is about 15 minutes one way and Palm Desert shopping and dining is about 15 minutes the other direction.

The Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa has two championship Troon golf courses (one designed by Pete Dye, the other by Gary Player) and three swimming pools, one with a 60-foot-tall waterslide.

The resort has three restaurants, along with 24-hour room service. The Westin has an extensive kids’ program with camp-like activities all day long and into the early evening.

There are more than 500 rooms at the property, including suites and large villas. The Spa at Westin Mission Hills has an extensive treatment menu, along with day-use facilities like whirlpools, saunas, and steam rooms.

3. The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage

Accommodation: The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage

The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage sits on a low mountain, overlooking the entire Coachella Valley. The resort’s mountain setting creates beautiful views from its rooms and suites, and there are more than 20 miles of hiking trails that start from or include the hotel property.

Foodies will enjoy the two on-site restaurants: State Fare Bar & Kitchen and The Edge steakhouse. State Fare focuses on locally sourced products and has a seasonal menu. The Edge lives up to its name, sitting right on the edge of a ridge, providing spectacular views of the valley below, along with great steaks and fresh seafood.

This luxury resort has plenty of wellness activities, including group sunrise and sunset hikes, lawn games, and bike (and helmet) loans. There are two large pools: a main pool and an adults-only cliffside pool. Of course, being a Ritz-Carlton, there is a also a large and luxurious spa.

The Ritz-Carlton is in Rancho Mirage on Frank Sinatra Drive, off Highway 111, about 15 minutes from downtown Palm Springs.

4. JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa

Accommodation: JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa

This large, luxury mega-resort is in Palm Desert, also about 30 minutes from downtown Palm Springs. Palm Desert is an excellent area for golf and shopping. There’s a large Westfield mall close by, and the resort is only 10 minutes from El Paseo, the Coachella Valley’s version of Rodeo Drive.

The JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa has everything you could want for a great vacation experience: two golf courses; five resort-style swimming pools; a wellness-focused spa; and even little rivers throughout the property, complete with gondolas to take guests around.

The streams also lead out to a central island in front of the hotel’s main entrance, where a flock of pink flamingos resides. There are tennis courts and no less than eight on-property dining options.

The resort’s Spa at Desert Springs is large and offers a wide range of treatments for mind, skin, and body. The JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa is a great place to stay in Palm Springs for golfers, as there are two championship courses on-site.

5. Parker Palm Springs

Accommodation: Parker Palm Springs

The Parker Palm Springs is the city’s ultimate retro-luxury resort and offers a much different vibe than the old-school luxury of La Quinta Resort. When it first opened in 2004, the Parker Palm Springs led the city’s latest renaissance as again being a hip, luxury destination.

Created from the state’s first Holiday Inn and a series of bungalows, this Jonathan Adler-designed property is on 13 acres of densely and beautifully landscaped gardens and plants, with pathways throughout.

There are multiple swimming pools, a giant outdoor chess board, croquet lawn, tennis courts, a bocce ball court, and even a poolside lemonade stand and snack bar.

Dining: When you get hungry, the resort also has a good (but expensive) retro coffee shop and diner called Norma’s and a stylishly designed fine dining restaurant called Mister Parker’s. There’s also a beautiful spa, humorously named the Palm Springs Yacht Club.

6. Two Bunch Palms

Accommodation: Two Bunch Palms

Located in the foothills above Desert Hot Springs, about 30 minutes from downtown Palm Springs, Two Bunch Palms is a secluded, luxurious resort.

Desert Hot Springs is one of the few places in the world with naturally occurring both hot and cold springs, located close to each other.

Rumored to have once been a desert hideaway for Al Capone, this spa resort now offers a range of luxurious treatments, hot and cold pools, and healthy food.

The pools and spas are fed and heated with natural mineral spring water, which comes out of the ground from an on-site aquifer at 99 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius). Wellness is the focus here, with a healthy restaurant featuring locally sourced food (mostly organic and vegan) and an on-site juice bar.

The rooms, suites, and villas at the resort are beautiful and luxurious, with natural linens and products. Some are designed for technology detox with no phones or other electronic devices present or allowed. Day passes with spa and mineral pool access are also available.

7. Avalon Hotel & Bungalows Palm Springs

Accommodation: Avalon Hotel & Bungalows Palm Springs

Avalon Hotel & Bungalows Palm Springs combines classic Spanish-style casita accommodations with modern interior design and luxury amenities.

This boutique luxury resort is a member of Design Hotels, a part of Starwood that includes architecturally unique properties. It’s kind of an urban Palm Springs resort, as it’s right downtown.

The Avalon Palm Springs is on four acres of perfectly manicured gardens and has 13 private villas and 54 guest rooms. The villas are mini houses, with full kitchens, fireplaces, and living rooms, and all the rooms and suites are done in a striking Hollywood Regency style.

There are three pools to enjoy, each surrounded by private cabanas, two Jacuzzis, and a small but well-appointed spa.

The hotel has a restaurant, Chi Chi at The Avalon, serving American cuisine. Guests can also dine next door at the legendary Melvyn’s at the Ingleside Inn (under the same management); breakfast is also served there.

Importantly, the Avalon also puts you right in the heart of historic downtown Palm Springs, as the property has been here since the 1920s. It’s on Belardo Road, only a block and a one-minute walk from Palm Canyon Drive’s shopping and dining.

8. Ace Hotel & Swim Club

Accommodation: Ace Hotel & Swim Club

This retro-style resort started life as a Howard Johnson’s motel with an attached Denny’s. About ten years ago, it was transformed into the ultimate hipster getaway resort, complete with an on-site lounge, retro diner, and many curated experiences.

The former Denny’s retains a lot of its original design and architectural elements, but is now called King’s Highway. It serves meatless burgers while the resident DJ spins a curated playlist. The resort doesn’t do room service, but you can get things to go and pick it up yourself.

This desert mid-century modern resort has two pools, lots of games like pool and ping pong, and other things to do.

Rooms and suites exude MCM style, with premium accommodations adding more space, outdoor fireplaces, and patios. Although kid-friendly, kids would probably be happier at one of the larger resorts with more amenities.

The Ace’s Feel Good Spa is compact but offers quite a wide range of beauty and skin treatments along with salon services for men and women.

The location is excellent—you’re about a 30 minute bike ride from downtown Palm Springs, or a 10 minute Uber trip.

9. Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa

Accommodation: Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa

This Hyatt Regency resort is in Indian Wells, home of the annual BNP Open tennis tournament (held each March) and about 40 minutes past Palm Springs off the 10 freeway. It shares some amenities with and sits right next to the Renaissance Indian Wells; together they sit next to the Indian Wells Golf Resort, a 36-hole club.

Aside from some good-sized rooms, the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa has 70 suites, including some spectacular villas and penthouses. There are four different dining options at the hotel, plus 24-hour, in-room dining and a little take-out coffee bar in the lobby.

For water fun, there are seven pools to choose from (one just for adults) and one with a 60-foot-tall spiral waterslide. Of course, there is a full tennis center with multiple courts of all different types (regular, clay, and grass) along with a full golf center and two championship golf courses.

10. Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, Indian Wells

Accommodation: Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, Indian Wells

Also adjacent to the Indian Wells Golf Resort, the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa is a more luxurious option than the neighboring Hyatt Regency.

Both resorts are a short walk away from the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens, home of the BNP event. They are also only about 15 minutes from the site of the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals.

Every stylish room at the Renaissance has its own balcony, and the property boasts three popular restaurants. There’s a sushi bar, an Italian restaurant with a big wood-fired oven, and an American restaurant focusing on dry-aged steaks and locally sourced products. There’s also a small coffee shop serving Starbucks products and a poolside grill and snack bar.

This is a large property with many hiking and walking paths, as well as beautiful landscaping. The Renaissance also boasts a full-service luxury spa with a wide range of treatments and amenities.

11. La Quinta Resort & Club, Curio Collection by Hilton

Accommodation: La Quinta Resort & Club, Curio Collection by Hilton

The La Quinta Resort & Club, Curio Collection by Hilton is set on 45 scenic acres of desert landscape, about 35 minutes outside Palm Springs in the city of La Quinta.

With 41 swimming pools (yes, 41), 53 whirlpool spas, nine golf courses, five restaurants, and a range of on-site activities, it’s hard to find a reason to leave the property. The resort caters to romantic getaways, family vacations (they have excellent kids’ programs), even pet parents, with dogs getting a bone on arrival.

The historic hotel first opened as a desert luxury resort in 1926 and was popular with Hollywood stars of the time. Some of the history is retained in the design and style of the individual accommodations, which include some original Spanish-style suites, villas, and casitas. You can also check out the history of the resort in a fascinating display of historic photographs in the lobby area.

This resort is a great place to stay for the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals, which take place each April, about 10 minutes away in Indio.

12. Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa

Accommodation: Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa

The Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa is a huge family-friendly resort property in Rancho Mirage, about 40 minutes from Palm Springs. It offers 240 acres of fun and relaxation, including its own water park.

For golfers, there’s a 27-hole championship golf course and for spa-lovers there’s a 20,000-square-foot European spa. There are 25 tennis courts and three enormous resort-style pools, one reserved only for adults.

In addition to the pools, the resort boasts its own two-acre water park called Splashtopia. The park has a range of attractions, including its own beach, a lazy river, and two 100-foot-tall waterslides.

There are five different restaurants at the resort, and if you still want something different, you’re right across the street from The River, an upscale shopping and dining destination with several more restaurants and a movie theater.

Map of Resorts in the Palm Springs Area

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best time of year to visit Palm Springs?

Palm Springs is great to visit all-year-round. The winter is high season, with more people and higher hotel prices. The season starts around Labor Day (the first weekend in September) and ends around Memorial Day (the last weekend in May). Summer has less crowds and lower prices, but the daytime temperatures are extreme, often exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius).

What’s the best way to get to Palm Springs?

Palm Springs has an international airport, with daily flights to many cities across the U.S. and Canada There are more direct flights during the high season (wintertime).

For drivers, Palm Springs is right off I-10, about 100 miles from Los Angeles. Without traffic (avoid afternoon rush hour) the drive takes just about two hours. You can also take the bus: both Greyhound and FlixBus have routes that stop in Palm Springs.