"Design-centric boutique hotel brand Life House (which also runs properties in Miami, Nantucket, the Berkshires, and Denver), breathed new life into this dated 1960s hotel with a massive 2023 renovation, turning it into a dreamy getaway done up in mod decor. Hues of sage green and burnt orange mirror the property’s surrounding habitat, along with native cactus-heavy landscaping to honor its desert home (and its location across the street from the longstanding Moorten Botanical Garden). The 66 rooms—including four suites—mix Japanese and midcentury-minimalist styles, with East Asian ceramic wall art, natural woods, sunset-colored ombre fabric headboards, and glossy tile-and-glass showers. Many of the rooms’ balconies provide killer mountain views, as does the pool area, equipped with a bar and first-come, first-serve shaded beds. Minerva's, the hotel’s tiny restaurant and bar, churns out craft cocktails and an innovative plant-forward menu with dishes like roasted sunchokes splashed with lemon yogurt and charred eggplant bruschetta." - Lizbeth Scordo