The Life
June 2007
06/08/07El Morocco Inn & Spa -- A new Desert Hot Springs inn transports guests to another worldPhotography by Elena RayBy Janice KleinschmidtJewel-toned sheers dance in the breeze to the soft lilt of belly-dancing music. An innkeeper pours warm rosewater over the hands of a guest about to enjoy refreshments. The scent of apricot wafts through the air as two other guests simultaneously inhale flavored tobacco from a hookah pipe. This is Morocco.Well, actually, this is the Moroccan "experience" -- and it's only eight miles north of Palm Springs.John Aguilar -- co-owner with Bruce Abney of the 4-month-old, 11-room El Morocco Inn & Spa in Desert Hot Springs -- fell in love with Casablanca during a one-day side trip from Spain (an eight-mile ride across the Strait of Gibraltar). "Everybody was warm and friendly. I felt embraced, and I wanted to bring that sense of... |
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06/08/07Getaway: The New O.C. -- Beyond Surf & SandBy Sharon Apfelbaum Every California dream, past and present, locks in the iconic wedge of Pacific coastline now known as The O.C. -- hyped to the point of cliche for its wealth and status. However, the dream teeters close to reality when considering the richness of the area's nonpareil landscape and its cornucopia of culture and lifestyles. morephoto gallery |