Miracle Springs Resort & Spa
10625 Palm Drive
760-251-6000
miraclesprings.com
Miracle Springs Resort & Spa in Desert Hot Springs is nestled in the foothills of Mount San Jacinto, just about 30 minutes from Joshua Tree. Eight pools are all fed by the natural hot mineral waters that made the city world-famous. The resort features 110 rooms overlooking the springs or out onto the majestic mountains.
Enjoy access to championship golf. Rejuvenate at the Spa, which provides massages and facials. Dine at the landmark restaurant, Capri.
The hotel offers 10,000 square feet of space, including two ballrooms, which are well-suited for filming, weddings, and retreats. Miracle Springs has received TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence, a listing as one of Vogue’s Desert Elite Escapes, and a Palm Springs Life award for Best Italian Restaurant.
El Morocco Inn & Spa
66810 Fourth St.
760-288-2527
elmoroccoinn.com
When Las Vegas born Bruce Abney purchased a dilapidated 50-year-old building in 2001, he saw past its disrepair and envisioned a lavish boutique hotel focused on healing. After all, the site had its own well and the ability to pump 104-degree water into its Jacuzzi and pools.
Abney transformed the place with a curated collection of artwork and architectural elements found on treks to Morocco and around the globe — goatskin lamps, a pair of antique entry doors, handmade canopy fabrics that cascade from the rafters. He opened the 12-room inn and spa in 2007.
The guest experience includes traditional Moroccan tea and hand-washing ceremonies, as well as complimentary “Morocco-tinis” at happy hour. Spa treatments range from dry brushing and salt scrubs to essential-oil massages and reflexology.
The Spring Resort & Spa
12699 Reposo Way
760-251-6700
the-spring.com
Built in 1957 in Desert Hot Springs as the Moors Hotel, the modest Miracle Hill hangout was charmingly rustic, with a partly hand-painted sign and a rectangular pool positioned against a dramatic mountain backdrop. It saw a few celebrity regulars who sought a private escape, but their names were kept under wraps, as they are today.
Purchased in 2003 and aptly renamed The Spring, the resort and spa now overtly advertises its main attraction: natural hot springs that flow into three on-site pools, as well as a host of other cleansing spa therapies. The low-key locale accommodates up to 13 guests.
PHOTOGRAPH BY @BEARLEADERCHRONICLE
Two Bunch Palms
67425 Two Bunch Palms Trail
800-472-4334
twobunchpalms.com
Since its founding in the 1930s, this adults-only retreat changed hands seven times over seven decades; at one point, it was even said to be the secret refuge of Al Capone.
In the ’70s, part of the property was designated clothing-optional; that soaking spot has become the stone grotto, where today’s bathers bask beneath the palm fronds between luxurious spa treatments, yoga sessions, and meditative workshops.
Two Bunch Palms is the first carbon-neutral resort in the United States. In addition, the on-site Essense restaurant focuses on sustainable eating, using local farm-to-fork produce and whole foods.
Bungalows and cabins, some with private pools, wind through the beautifully landscaped property. All rooms are stocked with organic linens and natural toiletries, providing a genuine escape to nature where guests can relax and rejuvenate between dips in the world-
renowned, mineral-rich hot springs.
The Lautner Compound
67710 San Antonio St.
760-832-5288
thelautner.com
A hybrid between luxury rental and boutique hotel, this three-part property started with the renovation of a four-unit prototype pad designed and built in 1947 by modernist architect John Lautner. It was developed as part of a planned Desert Hot Springs housing community the brainchild of director Lucien Hubbard, whose silent film Wings won the first Academy Award for Best Picture. When plans fell apart and Hubbard died, the place was left to crumble.
In 2008, interior designer Tracy Beckmann and furniture designer Ryan Trowbridge purchased the building. The Lautner, as it came to be called, reopened as it stands today in 2011. Beckmann and Trowbridge expanded with the sprawling renovation of a neighboring 1957 ranch-house bungalow and a conjoining 10,000-square-foot open-air event space that has become quite the commodity. Couples looking to tie the knot book a year in advance.
The draw is the compound’s quiet luxury and sharp attention to decorative detail, conveying the desert’s coveted midcentury aesthetic in a contemporary California manner.
