10 Photogenic Hotels in Palm Springs Worth Checking Out

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palm springs photogenic hotel korakia

In April, I wrote a blog post recapping my first year living in Palm Springs. I also did an “ask me anything” on Instagram stories not too long ago, and it seems like many of you are intrigued by what my life is like out here in the desert. So, I’ve decided to start a new “Palm Springs” category under “Lifestyle,” where I’ll be sharing fun tidbits about Palm Springs living you won’t want to miss out on! If you are planning to visit Palm Springs or simply curious about what my life is like here, visit this category often for updates šŸ™‚ Since a few of you asked about hotels in the area, I’m starting this series with 10 photogenic hotels in Greater Palm Springs that are worth checking out – or potentially staying at, if you’re in town for more than just a day!

In case any of you plan to do a “hotel tour,” I will try to work my way from North Palm Springs (as you get into Downtown Palm Springs, basically) all the way to Indio, which covers a good chunk of Greater Palm Springs.

palm springs photogenic hotel korakia

KORAKIA PENSIONE

Okay, I lied. I’ve already gone on a detour on our hotel tour – only because Korakia is literally my FAVORITE hotel ever in Palm Springs. If you’re crunched for time, you must at least see this one! Staff can be sticklers about photography on a DSLR, but understandably so because they are a very unique boutique hotel. The good news is, that iPhones do a pretty good job taking pictures these days. They haven’t been opposed to me snapping away on my phone and that’s how I was able to get these photos to share with y’all! Korakia is ornately decorated with boho/rustic vibes and provides an intimate setting for a romantic getaway. We actually pulled a lot of inspiration for our home decor from Korakia. I eventually picked up the fact that they get a lot of their stuff from World Market. How do I know? There are some pieces that they have, that we were able to find at the store, such as their sun umbrellas, lounge chair cushions, breakfast plates, etc. I know, I’m obsessed!

palm springs photogenic hotel rowan

palm springs photogenic hotel rowan cafe

palm springs photogenic hotel rowan rooftop

palm springs photogenic hotel rowan lobby

ROWAN

Technically, the tour should begin with Rowan. This hotel is relatively new and is centrally located downtown near all the shopping and the Palm Springs Art Museum. It’s also not far from eateries. Just from taking a look on the outside, you can see the Palm Springs vibes with the symmetrical cacti screaming for you to take a photo (or several) with/in front of it! The inside is nicely kept and they have a gorgeous rooftop bar & pool! Fun fact: Rowan’s rooftop pool is the first and only rooftop pool in Palm Springs. Catch the gorgeous desert sunset from here while sipping on a cocktail with some friends šŸ™‚

palm springs photogenic hotel hotel california

palm springs photogenic hotel hotel california

HOTEL CALIFORNIA

Heading toward South Palm Springs, you’ll see a bright pink hotel with Spanish charm, called Hotel California. The front is beautifully decorated with a variety of succulents and cacti you’d normally see in the desert. Just from the outside, you can get super cute photos. In the parking lot right next to the hotel, there is an intricately designed doorway that reminds me a lot of Bali. This is a must-see if you’re at Hotel California.

palm springs photogenic hotel saguaro

palm springs photogenic hotel saguaro

THE SAGUARO

It’s pretty hard to miss The Saguaro – and you may have already seen it a billion times on Instagram because it is a very colorful hotel! It also caught my eye when we were first driving around the area and house hunting. Despite the fact that Palm Springs is known for being a retirement community for old rich people, I’ve heard that a lot of the youngsters like to hang out around here. Staff members are pretty friendly about people casually wandering in and out. We’ve taken a few of our friends here and they always enjoy the colorful hammocks in the back of the hotel behind the pool!

palm springs photogenic hotel parker

palm springs photogenic hotel parker

palm springs photogenic hotel parker

palm springs photogenic hotel parker

palm springs photogenic hotel parker

palm springs photogenic hotel parker

palm springs photogenic hotel parker

THE PARKER

We literally lived 5 minutes away from The Parker before we moved into our new house. Upon entering, you’ll be greeted by a striking orange door, which a lot of tourists like taking pictures of. The Parker is an eclectic, fun, and extremely photogenic hotel. Similar to Korakia, their lobby also has that rustic vibe going on and is quite cozy to hang out in. At the same time, some of the rooms have a very clockwork orange feel to them. The hotel has a super cute lemonade stand which is only open to visiting residents, so unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to check that out in person yet. We have yet to do a staycation in the area, and The Parker is top on my list to stay at.

palm springs photogenic hotel ritz carlton

palm springs photogenic hotel ritz carlton

THE RITZ CARLTON AT RANCHO MIRAGE

When we first moved to Palm Springs, The Ritz-Carlton at Rancho Mirage was one of our favorite spots to watch the sunset. They offer complimentary valet parking, and everyone is welcome. The view from the pool area is absolutely stunning, especially when the sun goes down. If you are traveling with a dog, you’ll be pleased to learn that this hotel is pet-friendly. They even have little poop bag stations should you need to clean up after your pooch! We have dined at one of their main restaurants, State Fare, which offers many delectable choices. The delicious food paired with the million-dollar view is simply unbeatable for a nice date night or any celebration with friends!

palm springs photogenic hotel desert springs

palm springs photogenic hotel desert springs

DESERT SPRINGS

Fancy seeing some flamingos? You heard that right – head on over to Desert Springs in Palm Desert! The entrance is beautifully lined with palm trees and as you get in, you’ll see pink flamingos hanging out in front of the hotel. It’s pretty cool! I bet you didn’t expect to find these cool creatures out in the desert. Desert Springs offers complimentary boat rides around their premises, which I was fortunate enough to experience during the slow season. It’s typically busy, and you often have to wait in line to get on a boat. It’s totally worth it though!

palm springs photogenic hotel sands

palm springs photogenic hotel sands

SANDS HOTEL & SPA

If you make your way out to Indian Wells, you must check out Sands Hotel. From the outside, it looks like another ordinary hotel that happens to be pretty in pink. I promise that it’s much more than that though! The entrance of this designer boutique hotel is already super Insta-worthy. Wait until you walk into the lobby – it seriously took my breath away. Major Moroccan vibes. I am still dreaming of a trip to Morocco end of this year, but if I don’t make it I might just treat myself to a staycation here. They recently opened a restaurant there, which is open to the public. The Pink Cabana is a very pretty brunch & bar spot, for any of you craving some food and a refreshing drink!

palm springs photogenic hotel la quinta resort

palm springs photogenic hotel la quinta resort

LA QUINTA RESORT & SPA

Not too far off from Sands Hotel is La Quinta Resort & Spa. This resort is literally photogenic at every corner. I feel very ~zEn~ every time I visit La Quinta Resort. Something about walking around the premises is super calming, especially after a long stressful day. The good news is, staff members are very welcoming and friendly; nobody seems to care about people taking pictures on their DSLRs. David and I often shoot here because we’re able to crank out multiple looks in seemingly very different “locations” within this resort! There’s greenery, clean white buildings, rustic wood backdrops, you get the idea… Also, there are a few restaurants in the resort if you get hungry during your visit.

palm springs photogenic hotel tropics motor hotel

palm springs photogenic hotel tropics motor hotel

TROPICS MOTOR HOTEL

Far from your typical luxury hotel, but if you’re looking for a quick shoot spot with character and vintage vibes, you’ll love Tropics Motor Hotel. This quintessential road motel is located in Indio, a more run-down area of the Coachella Valley, about 30 minutes from Palm Springs. Unless you’re staying at the hotel overnight, there is no easy parking nearby. Tough parking is actually rare in the desert, but you can easily work around it by parking at the gas station nearby, or on the residential streets nearby and walk to the hotel. The sign in front is the photogenic spot – it’s beautiful when lit up at night too!

palm springs photogenic hotel rowan

Greater Palm Springs is home to a plethora of photogenic hotels boasting unique character and design, which is partly what sets this desert oasis apart from other vacation destinations. The list could seriously go on and on! Check out my post on my favorite iconic spots in the area if you haven’t already. If you get a chance to visit any of these and share any photos on Instagram, please tag me so I can see šŸ™‚ Dying to know more about a specific aspect of Palm Springs living? Let me know in a comment below and I’ll try my best to answer them or create a post about it soon! xo

Have you been to any of these iconic Palm Springs hotels?

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95 Responses

  1. Ahhhh! I’ve been waiting for this post for what feels like ages! Thank you for finally getting to it and sharing your favorite hotels. They are all so pretty and indeed photogenic. I can see why you love Korakia so much. Personally, I love the Moroccan vibes of Sands Hotel & Spa – would love to treat myself to a vacation there one of these days. Can’t wait to book my flight to Palm Springs!

    1. LOL! I finally sat my butt down and got to it! Aren’t you proud of me?! I have to say, it took me much longer than I anticipated because all the photos caused the loading time to be a lot slower than usual. I had to go back and resize all the images to make them smaller hahaha. Hopefully you didn’t encounter this problem! Anyways, YES! Korakia will forever be my fave but Sands is definitely gorgeous too! Really, all of these hotels are beautiful for their own unique design and aesthetics. I hope you’ll enjoy your stay in Palm Springs darling šŸ™‚

  2. Whoa! There are flamingos in the desert?! Doesn’t it get up to like 120 degrees in Palm Springs? How do they survive in that heat? Great article by the way – love your hotel choices. Need to see those flamingos at Desert Springs with my own eyes one of these days…

    1. That’s what I thought when I first saw these guys! It was a pleasant surprise haha. I honestly don’t know much about ideal living conditions for flamingos but these guys seem to do just fine in the extreme heat, unlike me lol. It’d be amazing if you could see the flamingos at Desert Springs! Time for you to visit hehe

  3. Ooohhh I stayed at La Quinta Resort with my brother during tennis season a few years ago! I remember it being super gorgeous – totally a place to unwind and relax. Love their pools but I’m sure you guys have pools everywhere in Palm Springs. Your post makes me want to revisit soon!!

    1. Hi Grace! šŸ™‚ La Quinta Resort is a popular one during tennis season! Glad you enjoyed your stay. You’re right, we sort of can’t live without pools here since we are so far from any beach! 😔 hahaha

  4. Gorgeous and informative post as usual! Photos are stunning and reading this made me homesick for Palm Springs. That’s right, homesick for an area I now consider my second home! Thank you for the virtual tour. Can hardly wait for the next post about Palm Springs living!

    1. Awwww thank you Jason!!! I totally love how relaxed and happy you look in the hammock at The Saguaro šŸ™‚ Can’t wait for you to be back so we can do some more exploring. Of course Palm Springs is your second home, because you know you’re always welcome here! XO

    1. Thanks so much, Hayden! I’m really happy to hear that. You should totally come visit Palm Springs this fall – it should be cooler by then and everything (including the weather) will be beautiful! XO

    1. Both are amazing and definitely worth seeing if you ever visit Palm Springs šŸ™‚ Hope you’ll be able to make a larger California road trip soon so you can stop by! xx

  5. I live in LA and think it’s the best cuz of ya know, BIAS, but geez you make me want to go to Palm Springs ASAP. I mean sure it’s gonna be 394838289772874 degrees out there but if I can stay at Hotel California, it would so be worth it!!! You stay killin it, Sharon =]

    Danielle | FollowMyGut.com

    1. Haha I moved to Palm Springs from LA! I personally am not a big city kinda gal – lol the traffic is difficult to deal with on an everyday basis but I do miss being closer to the beach. It is super hot this summer, and humid too! šŸ™ Fall might be a better time to come lol!

  6. Wow! I love this in-depth suggestions / guide. I’ve only been to Palm Spring once but, I definitely have to make another trip happen again. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Omg! You have to come visit! Maybe in the fall when it cools down some? šŸ™‚ The pink flamingos at Desert Springs alone make it worth the visit!

  7. Love, love, love this post! It makes me so happy exploring and I spend hours looking for pretty/interesting places to visit. Every single hotel you mentioned is now on my wanderlust list. I especially like the Tropic Motor Hotel. I have a thing for Motel type places ;p I think they’re still a novelty for me. I think Rowan would be my next stop and I wouldn’t want to miss the flamingos so that would follow after… Haha. I’m looking forward to seeing what your next installment in this series will be! xxx

    1. Awww thank you for reading Jess! I’m glad you enjoyed the post šŸ™‚ Next time you come to Palm Springs, you know where to hit up! Tropics is a fun place to take pictures – parking is just a bit stressful but still nothing compared to LA hahaha

  8. I didn’t realize Palm Springs had so many beautiful hotels worth checking out until I read your post! I am definitely taking notes for when I visit during a trip to California. Love this!
    xo Samantha

  9. My fiancĆ© and I had originally hoped to visit Palm Springs on our honeymoon – but it was just so expensive to fly there! Now you’re making me sad that we won’t be going because I’d love to visit all these hotels! Maybe someday!

    1. Omg noooo! I’m sorry that the flights were so expensive! I think it might depend on the time of year; you might be trying to come here when the weather is super nice and everyone’s trying to get here LOL! I had two friends visit me in April from NYC and I think they said that the flights then were pretty cheap. And the weather is pretty great that time of year in case you want to look again next Spring šŸ™‚ Where are you honeymooning instead, darling?

  10. Wow all of these locations are so gorgeous to do photos and I can see that all of your photos always turns out beautifully! I have never been to Palm Springs but it would be so cool to go someday! ā¤ļø

    1. Thank you Helena! I am truly blessed to live in such a beautiful paradise, and be able to share it with so many people through photos. I hope you’ll be able to experience it for yourself in Palm Springs one of these days.

    1. Yay!!! So glad you find this helpful! And yes, definitely be sure to check these ones out if you ever come šŸ™‚ You won’t be disappointed xx

  11. OMG these pictures are stunning! I just love Palm Springs, there’s nothing better than spending a weekend away there!

  12. Wow your photos are absolutely amazing! So beautiful! I’ve never been to Palm Springs but you just made me wanna go so much!

  13. I love seeing all of the beautiful photos of Palm Springs and it’s definitely a place I need to visit! These hotels are all so beautiful – I need to visit each one!

  14. Stunning shots of all these hotels! You make Palm Springs look so beautiful. Hope to make my way out there very soon!

  15. WOW! Amazing post—from the gorgeous photography to the descriptions of each Palm Springs gem! Now, I really want to visit!! ā¤ļø

  16. Oh my gosh I need to go out to Palm Springs! Everything is so photogenic, it’s unreal. I really love your photography and the way you create your blog posts. So different then what’s around lately, and it’s very refreshing. Keep up the amazing content!

  17. Palm Springs has been on my travel bucket list for ages and this makes me want to book a girls trip asap! So many cute places to take photos there!

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