Palm Springs Preferred

To all sun seekers far and wide, Palm Springs has all the sunshine, and there’s nothing better than its vibrant sanguinity after those dreary months of fog. And now you can experience it with the help of the Palm Springs Summer Splash Pass. What’s that you ask? Well, it’s the best deal around — that’s what it is. The folks at Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels offer free nights, lower rates, early check-ins, late check-outs, and daily dining credits. This year, 26 hotels are participating. Every single hotel offers comfy, air-conditioned suites or rooms and inviting pools — some of them don’t even care whether you wear a stitch of clothing or not. (Imagine plunging into a cool pool with nothing between you and the water but those beads of sweat you’ve been working up in the sun.) And each offers the one thing that no one else on this planet can: Palm Springs hospitality. The Palm Springs legacy of hospitality began with Nellie Coffman, founder of the Desert Inn. From a hotelier family in San Francisco, Mother Coffman turned a dusty, nearly dead town into (as she put it) “an attractive place for attractive people.” That’s where you come in.

Palm Springs Summer Splash Pass is back with more great discounts

By StoryStudio on July 14, 2023

SPONSORED BY PALM SPRINGS PREFERRED SMALL HOTELS

Straight, gay, or somewhere in between or beyond, Palm Springs is a free zone; everyone feels comfortable and happy here. Seriously, pretty much everyone who is anyone has actually been here over the years… and came back. From US Presidents and movie stars to five-star generals and world-class geniuses to a defamed preacher and makeup-loving wife to newly minted reality TV celebrities. They’re all here. The only thing missing is you. This year's hotels are a mix of everything that’s cool about a Palm Springs vacation, each small hotel or resort with its own unique charm. From hotels with a provenance going back to the 1920s to brand-new builds, fantastic reimaginings of old spaces, tiki-inspired getaways, and those clothing-optional places we talked about earlier — there’s something here for everyone.

Here’s this year’s list of participating Summer Splash hotels divided into two categories: clothing-optional resorts that cater to men and the rest. Resorts that offer a clothing-optional experience and cater to gay men: Descanso Resort Palm Springs, Desert Paradise, El Mirasol Villas, The Hacienda at Warm Sands, Santiago Resort Palm Springs, Triangle Inn Palm Springs, and Twin Palms Resort Palm Springs. The rest: Aloha Hotel, A Place in the Sun Hotel, ARRIVE Palm Springs, Azure Sky Hotel, Blackhaus, Casa Cody, Dive Palm Springs, The Hideaway, Hotel California, Hotel El Cid, Inn at Palm Springs, Mahala, The Marley, The Monkey Tree Hotel, Old Ranch Inn, Orbit In, Skylark Hotel, and The Wesley.

You can be as posh and as fancy as you’d like or as laid-back and groovy as a hookah party. It’s all about your personal vibe. And with the Summer Splash Pass savings, you can afford to stay an extra day or two and go on a discounted adventure (also available through the pass). Besides waking, baking, and partaking in the sun, the cuisine takes you around the world, whatever you fancy: French, German, Mexican, Japanese, Italian, Moroccan, Indian, and American fare — all delicious. If you’re a breakfast kind of person, there are great spots to fill up your belly after being out all night kicking it at our nightclubs, late-night bars, and casinos. The always-crowded farm-to-table Cheeky’s is a great choice, as is Pinocchio’s (it’s a party!), Wilma and Frieda’s, Sam’s Place, Lulu, and don’t forget about Farm, Grand Central, French Miso, or L’Atelier in La Plaza. Bit O’Country on Indian Canyon has everything Mexican and American including grits. On the North end of town, we’ve got Rick’s Restaurant & Bakery and Billy Reed’s. If you’re not a breakfast person, we’ve got local coffeehouses galore. You may have heard that Seattle has their best, but we’ve got Koffi, our favorite local roaster with brick and mortars dotting the valley. Also, we have on the North end: Gre Coffee, Ernst Coffee, and Cafe La Jefa; South end: Ristretto; and Frisky Business Cat Cafe over by Araby Trail on the southeast side of town. If you love cats, or just good coffee and healthy fast food, grab a fun 45 minutes of kitty love for $22 including your beverage.

Palm Springs shopping is hard to beat. Downtown we’ve got The Block, which actually covers two blocks and has all the name stores you’ve come to love, like Kiehl’s, Johnny Was, and H&M. But how about shopping in the smaller local stores that line Palm Canyon Drive, the main street of Palm Springs? It has so many niche offerings in clothing, shoes, memorabilia, retro, antiques, and mid-century modern textiles and furniture that you’ll stay entranced for hours. Across the street is the enchanted section of Palm Springs at a store called Crystal Fantasy that even caught the fancy of Robert Downey Jr. on one of his many Palm Springs vacations. They’ve got crystals and stones, sage and palo santo, and a patchwork of items that lean toward the woo. On weekends they hold their Psychic Fair with discounted readings from local practitioners. And yeah, they’re offering deals through the Summer Splash Pass, too. There’s an antique mall on the South end, off Sunny Dunes near Townie Bagels. You could spend an entire weekend wandering from room to room of mid-century marvels, tiki culture, and some of the most unique pieces of home furnishing you’ll ever find.

And art — it’s everywhere. On the benches, electric boxes, walls, parks, museums, and galleries including Shag. Palm Springs is an art-lover's Mecca — even our most famous resident, Frank Sinatra — was inspired to put paint to canvas. If you’re into architecture, specifically mid-century modern, Palm Springs has the highest concentration in the country. Self-guided (apps and paper) tours are available year-round if you’re not into the hustle of Modernism Weeks. All you need to do to reap the benefits of the Summer Splash Pass is to sign up. The website will send you a text and a link to all the hotel deals. It’s a smoking hot deal with cool, cool prices in the hippest little city in the California desert.

Dive Palm Springs

Twin Palms

Clockwise from main: Alcazar, Dive Palm Springs, Tiki Hotel

Dive Palm Springs

Santiago Resort

+*^$# A Place in the Sun Hotel, +*^ ARRIVE Palm Springs, +*^ Aloha Hotel, *# Azure Sky Hotel, *^ Blackhaus, +*^$! Casa Cody, @*! Descanso Resort Palm Springs @+ %# Desert Paradise * Dive Palm Springs, @+%$ El Mirasol Villas + *$! Hotel California, + *^ Hotel El Cid, +*^# Inn at Palm Springs, Mahala, +*^$ Old Ranch Inn, +*$# Orbit In, @+%^ Santiago Resort Palm Springs +*# Skylark Hotel @%% The Hacienda at Warm Sands The Hideaway, *# The Marley, +*$# The Monkey Tree Hotel, +*^# The Wesley. @+%$# Triangle Inn Palm Springs @+*%$# Twin Palms Resort Palm Springs

Small Hotels (*)

LGBTQ+ (@)

Locally owned (+)

Clothing Options (%)

Pet Friendly (^)

Historic ($)

Mid-century modern (#)

Spanish (!)

Locally Owned

Small Hotels

LGBTQ Friendly

Pet Friendly

Clothing Optional

Mid-Century Modern

Blackhaus

Aloha Hotel

ARRIVE Palm springs

A Place in the Sun Hotel

Azure Sky Hotel

El Mirasol Villas

DIVE PALM SPRINGS

Desert Paradise

Descanso Resort Palm Springs

Casa Cody

Old Ranch Inn

Mahala

Inn at Palm Springs

Hotel El Cid

Hotel California

The Hideaway

The Hacienda at Warm Sands

Skylark Hotel

Santiago resort palm springs

Orbit In

Twin Palms Resort Palm Springs

TRIANGLE INN PALM SPRINGS

The Wesley