Sands Hotel & Spa

"The Sands is a thorough reimagining of the 1950s-era original, updated by designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard into something very contemporary." - Mark Fedeli

"Including this gem of a hotel in the Palm Springs guide is technically cheating. You have to go to Indian Wells, about 30 minutes outside PS, to soak up the Moroccan splendor that is this compound of 46 rooms, cabana-surrounded pool, unapologetically pretty restaurant, and small-but-mighty spa. There isn't much to explore in the town itself, which is just fine: this is a self-contained luxury retreat for those looking to stay put and disconnect. The light salmon tone that pervades the grounds gives you the impression that you're always looking through rose colored glasses. The rooms are done in gentle tones of blue, with massive bathrooms, complete with the kind of soaking tubs that keep you from getting to whatever you have planned. Don't be afraid to take all your meals at The Pink Cabana (find an abridged version of the Mediterranean dishes on the room service menu), everything from the amlou tartine for breakfast to the meze plate for lunch to the harissa chicken for dinner, is just that good. The spa has three treatment rooms, each one prettier than the next. Any of the masages are a safe bet, especially when you tack on an acupressure treatment (just try not to snore on the table). "

"Set the scene.Pretty in dusty rose stucco and surrounded by royal palms, olive trees, and agaves. While it would have been easy for this former Fifties motel to default to mid-century nostalgia, its owners looked to another desert, the Sahara, for inspiration, and the kasbahs of Marrakech—going all out with bright ceramic tiles and patterned textiles. But the swinging pool scene, cheery, suntanned staff, and locavore menu keep you unmistakably grounded in contemporary Cali. What’s the story?A Los Angeles-based boutique hotel group, PRG Hospitality Group, which owns a collection of lifestyle-driven properties throughout California, including Sparrow Lodge and Holiday House in nearby Palm Springs, is behind Sands. The hotel opened in the late 1950s in the heart of Indian Wells and has been renovated with substantial interior and exterior renovations, and a complete redesign throughout by interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard—known for his adventurous use of color and pattern as well as for his on-camera turns on Bravo’s Million Dollar Decorators. What can we expect from our room?The gilded palm-tree door knocker outside every room is a lovely, tone-setting touch. The Deluxe King, with its custom sofa lined with Moroccan textiles (and sprawling bed covered in more Moroccan textiles), full bar, and all-tile black-and-white bathroom with bursts of yellow, is the largest and, yes, the most luxurious. Some of the second-floor rooms have balconies, which are nice when they overlook the San Jacinto mountains and not the parking lot, but the ground-floor rooms with private terraces that open onto the swimming pool area are the way to go. How about the food and drink?The switched-on staff at the Pink Cabana restaurant is eager to tell you how chef Jason Niederkorn (protégé of Jeremiah Tower, who, along with Alice Waters and Wolfgang Puck, pioneered California cooking) sources his poultry from the family-run Mary’s Free Range Chicken and that his wild king salmon is rod-and-reel caught by Native Americans on the Columbia River. In whole, though, the menu and the experience isn’t too precious or provenance name-droppy and the shrimp cocktail is a nice nod to the deliberate throwback country-club ambience—as is the apple-blackberry popover. Breakfast is outstanding, especially the amlou toast, a thick almond honey butter served with cranberry jam and the Turmeric and Honey Granola with homemade yogurt, crunchy and just tangy enough. Anything to say about the service?Seamless, with a special nod to everyone in Pink Cabana who really knew the menu and what to recommend. Check out took less than five minutes and included sweet Moroccan tea served in glass cups. Even the car valets were considerate and extra helpful, giving directions and making route recommendations. Who comes here?Guests channel their inner Talitha Getty or Yves Saint Laurent or both at this modern embodiment of sleek desert bohemianism. These neo avant-gardes are fitter than their spiritual ancestors, eating their shrimp cocktails sans sauce and making sure the grapefruit on their ahi tuna crudo is organic, but no less stylish. Plenty of James Perse T-shirts by day and lightweight cashmere and Moncler for those cool desert evenings around the fire pits. How does it fit into the neighborhood?Indian Wells is a little more staid and more elegantly laid out than the rest of the Coachella Valley towns. It’s a 20-minute drive to the vintage shopping and mid-century-modern institutions of Palm Springs, depending on traffic on Highway 111, which can get dense. As comfortable as the hotel is, it’s worth heading next door to the The Nest, a still-swinging Rat Pack-era haunt, to dance until the small hours. Is there anything you'd change?La Vittoria coffee is available by the pool starting around sunrise, but given this is California (and the desert where days need to start early to beat the heat), it would be a good idea to offer breakfast earlier than 8 a.m. And anything we missed?Rooms have especially good local-leaning drinks cabinets stocked with Ballast Point Brewing Co’s California Kolsch pale ale and Our/Los Angeles vodka. The fig, date, and harissa chutney served with the Pink Cabana’s cheese plate is delicious. Is it worth it—and why? Definitely. It makes for an easy weekend getaway from L.A. or a great place to come and thaw out during a Midwest or East Coast winter. While close enough to the vintage addresses of Palm Springs if so moved, it’s lovely to just stay put and lounge by the swimming pool and eat at Pink Cabana, which has some of the best food in the area." - Cynthia Rosenfeld

"For a long time after its Fifties and Sixties heyday, Palm Springs was in a mid-century-design time warp, frozen in a world of extremes—Bacchic pool parties and staid games of golf. Over the past few years, though, a different energy has emerged, with young Angelenos choosing the town as a drivable weekend destination. A different type of traveler has followed—one seeking sun but also wanting to hike in Joshua Tree, catch live music at Pappy & Harriet’s and get inspired at the Palm Springs Art Museum. Sands, a reimagined Fifties motel, has this more worldly visitor in mind, like Rossi and The Rowan did the year before. Interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, sought after for his ability to color with wild abandon, applied his flair here: bubble-gum-pink walls, Warhol banana-yellow against black and white. He channeled another desert 6,000 miles away with Moroccan zellige and ceramic tiles, kitting out the 46 adults-only rooms with Beni Ourain rugs, ikat upholstery and zebra-striped furniture, and shading the chaises longues at the pool with Bedouin-tent-style cabanas. But not forgetting Sands is in the Sonoran not the Saharan desert, there are just enough Hollywood nods to bring you back: mirror-backed liquor cabinets in the rooms; an obvious homage to the Beverly Hills Hotel in the leaf-print wallpaper of the Pink Cabana restaurant; and photographs of stars including Farrah Fawcett. This is next-level Americana escapism, with a global influence. FLASH POINT Next door at The Nest, a swinging Rat Pack-era haunt, dancers of all ages still sweat it out till the wee hours. (760) 321-3771; sandshotelandspa.com. Doubles from about $249" - CNT Editors