Found to be the Best
Four local spas ranked on the top 10 lists in SpaFinder Wellness’ 2012 Readers’ Choice Awards. While ineligible for some of the 27 categories (Best Beach Spa, Best for Ski & Snow, Best Urban Hotel Spa, Best on a Cruise Ship), desert spas won in prestigious categories. The Well Spa at Miramonte Resort & Spa won Best for Romance and Best for Girlfriend Getaway & Bachelorettes. Spa La Quinta won Best for Golf, Best for Weddings, Best for LGBT, and Best Pet Friendly. Agua Serena Spa at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa won Best Medical Spa, and Two Bunch Palms Resort & Spa in Desert Hot Springs won Best for Mineral or Thermal Springs. Incidentally, SpaFinder Wellness President Susie Ellis lives in La Quinta.
Forty-Six Diamonds for $80
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar has released a private-label, limited-production wine produced with Napa Valley’s premier Hall Winery. The 2009 Forty-Six Diamonds — a blend of 75 percent cabernet sauvignon, 12 percent merlot, 12 percent syrah, and 1 percent petit verdot — sells for $20 a glass and $80 a bottle. The name refers to a decorative wall border of 46 diamond shapes at Fleming’s original restaurant in Newport Beach. The label features a painting by Thomas Arvid, known for his realistic, wine-themed paintings that adorn the walls of Fleming’s restaurants.
Photo courtesy Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Word Association
Herman Wouk, who lives in Palm Springs, has published The Lawgiver (Simon & Schuster). The best-selling author — whose books include The Caine Mutiny, Marjorie Morningstar, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance — has written an epistolary novel featuring himself in the process of writing a book about Moses and investors wanting to make a movie about Moses based on a screenplay by a young director in consultation with Wouk.
Rex John of Palm Springs has published The Pillow Goes Under Your Head (Rex John), a collection of 34 humorous stories and musings based on events in his life. The experiences he relates include the time he wore a sombrero to a black-tie event, the time he almost drowned when he went parasailing, the time he burned off his fingerprints while making holiday treats for his kids, and more. John also is the author of Makeovers.