Old Hollywood glamour, poolside and unhurried, in the heart of the desert

Behind a row of towering palms and a low white wall, The Colony Palms Hotel and Bungalows occupies a stretch of Palm Springs history that few properties can match. Originally built in 1936 as a colonial-style compound, the hotel carries the weight of its past lightly, its Spanish architecture restored and reimagined with a modern sensibility that leans into bold color, natural texture, and the kind of mid-century confidence that has always defined this desert city. The aesthetic is layered rather than themed, mixing vintage furnishings with contemporary art, terrazzo floors with lush tropical plantings, and the feeling throughout is one of arrival at a place that has been quietly perfecting itself for decades.

The property's 57 rooms, suites, and bungalows are spread across the grounds with a sense of privacy and proportion that larger resorts rarely achieve. Bungalows offer their own patios and a feeling of seclusion, while poolside rooms open directly onto the scene that remains the hotel's gravitational center: a heated swimming pool surrounded by daybeds, cabanas, and a canopy of mature trees that filter the desert light into something softer. It is the kind of pool where hours disappear without explanation. The on-site restaurant, Purple Palm, serves California-Mediterranean cuisine in a dining room that feels both intimate and celebratory, its interiors dressed in jewel tones and botanical prints. Weekend brunch here has become something of a local institution. For more casual moments, cocktails and lighter fare are available poolside, and the hotel bar maintains a cocktail program rooted in classic technique with desert-inspired inflections.

Palm Springs itself unfolds just beyond the property's gates. The hotel sits within the historic Tennis Club neighborhood, walking distance from Palm Canyon Drive and its constellation of galleries, vintage shops, and restaurants. The San Jacinto Mountains rise dramatically to the west, their rocky faces shifting color throughout the day, and the Aerial Tramway, Indian Canyons, and Joshua Tree National Park are all within easy reach for those drawn to the landscape beyond town. But the property also understands that many guests come to Palm Springs with no intention of leaving the grounds, and it accommodates that impulse without resistance. A spa menu is available for in-room or poolside treatments, and the hotel's event spaces, including a courtyard and a restored ballroom, host weddings and gatherings with a sense of occasion that feels native to the setting.

What lingers about The Colony Palms is not any single detail but a rhythm. The mornings are slow, the afternoons poolside, the evenings candlelit and warm. It is a property that understands the desert not as a backdrop but as a collaborator, one that shapes the pace, the palette, and the particular pleasure of doing very little, very well.