Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs blends vintage-cool with boho vibes, featuring saltwater pools, a dog park, retro diner, and chill desert scenes.
"Rather than the usual Rat Pack retro or duffer chic, this hip oasis is a slightly rugged desert escape. The Sahara-circa-1950s decor has walls covered in tent canvas (and matching quilts on beds), steamer trunks (which store extra pillows), striped Berberesque robes, magazine racks stuffed with vintage National Geographics, and a clock/MP3 player that appears to be World War II surplus. The bathrooms could be bigger, and the water takes a while to get hot, but that just adds to the illusion of being far, far away. The grounds of this onetime Howard Johnson motor lodge have been transformed into a garden of mature palms and olive trees, with outdoor fireplaces. The King’s Highway restaurant, a former Denny’s, now serves seasonal produce with a Mexican and Cajun influence. Despite its petite size, the spa has an awesome array of treatments, while the sprawling pool is framed by royal palms, rocky outcrops, and snowcapped peaks. David Hockney, eat your heart out."
"Chef Paco Moran of La Cha Cha Chá and Loreto is heading east this weekend to cook at King's Highway inside the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. Moran is part of the hotel's ongoing Taste Buds guest chef series and will be cooking carnitas, leche de tigre ceviche, and more from August 25 to August 27." - Farley Elliott
"Ace Hotel & Swim Club pays a celebratory respect paid to the past rather than an ironic arched eyebrow." - Mark Fedeli
"Ace Hotel & Swim Club: vintage but not retro, with a celebratory respect paid to the past." - Mark Fedeli
"Ace Hotel & Swim Club, a repurposed roadside motor inn. The hotel is vintage but not retro, with a celebratory respect paid to the past rather than an ironic arched eyebrow." - Mark Fedeli
