When it comes to choosing the perfect home base for your stay in Palm Springs, you’ll always have a choice between large resorts and intimate boutique hotels. The grand resort properties can be found all throughout the desert, from Palm Springs proper to Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells and Palm Desert down valley. And while these larger properties certainly have their perks (luxury spas, award-winning restaurants and golf courses, to name a few), there’s nothing quite like the heart and soul you can feel the second you step onto a privately owned boutique property.
Sparrows Hotel, a boutique hotel with a farm life theme — Photo courtesy of Sparrows Hotel
Palm Springs is filled with dozens of boutique properties, each with their own history, character and design. Many draw upon Palm Springs’ Old Hollywood era for inspiration, featuring mid-century modern architecture, retro furnishings and even black and white photos of the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley for a true nostalgic feel.
Properties like the Del Marcos and Orbit In hotel have a distinctly retro, funky vibe, while boutique hotels like the Ingleside Inn are all about the glitz and glamor of Hollywood’s heyday. Meanwhile, the Viceroy offers a chic desert escape, while the whimsical Parker Palm Springs features its acres of gardens, eclectic array of lobby furnishings and nautical-themed spa. And for the ultra cool, pool party vibes? The Riviera, Ace Hotel & Swim Club and Hard Rock Hotel are all reliable options.
But while the retro, the chic and the funky are all well represented, a new player in town is bringing a whole new concept to the Palm Springs boutique hotel theme – and it starts with a barn.
A room at Sparrows Hotel — Photo courtesy of Sparrows Hotel
The former owners of the beloved Moroccan-themed Korakia Pensione recently debuted the Sparrows Hotel in the up-and-coming South Palm Springs area. The hotel is a completely renovated and reimagined boutique property that uses the onsite barn as its inspiration. Throughout the hotel, exposed wood beams, river rock accents and adirondack chairs create a vibe that’s distinctly farm living, but with that Palm Springs flair.
The 19-room ranch-inspired property opened in October 2013. Each guest room features hand-built wooden furniture, redwood and stone walls and its very own outdoor fireplace for nights under the desert sky.
During the day, you can lounge by the pool as you soak up the farmstead atmosphere. Grab a drink or a freshly fired pizza at the 25-foot barn, or play a round of horseshoes or tennis between swims. And in true boutique fashion, herbs and veggies grown onsite will be used in the kitchen to create the hotel’s pizzas.
If you’re looking for something new to try in the desert, then don’t miss the newly debuted Sparrows Hotel in South Palm Springs.
The pool at Sparrows Hotel — Photo courtesy of Sparrows Hotel
