Not terribly long after The Bucket List came out, I learned of The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. Until this point I didn’t know there was anything cool in Palm Springs, and I had certainly never heard of a young person spending any time there. After looking into it, staying at The Ace was now on my newly-forming “bucket list.” Fast forward what, like 5+ years? Thanks to a coupon code, we made it happen for July 2015.
There are people out there who don’t understand staying in cool/nice hotels “just ’cause” when they could book a Super 8 for half the price. I don’t think that type of person has ever laid poolside at The Ace for two days with zero responsibilities and no itinerary. I really do like doing things on vacation (gimme the Freedom Trail in Boston or the whole slew of Smithsonian museums in DC any day), but after a very crazy spring semester at work and action-packed summer (so many weekend trips!) it was nice to have a little getaway and no obligations.
A few years ago we got a good online rate for The Saguaro which we really liked, and I was curious to see what The Ace would be like since those two are the most popular “hipster” hotels in Palm Springs. We really liked The Ace in Portland so my expectations were pretty high.
Luckily, my expectations were met, nay, exceeded. The bed? comfortable. The room, a welcome cool retreat from the unrelenting July-in-Palm-Springs heat. Next let’s talk amenities. Not that we cracked into anything on the minibar (something like $5 for a bag of chips? $8 for water? and up & up & up), I like a place that gives you quality options. Also, the hooded caftan-style robes provided were the most addicting things to wear ever and had me contemplating buying one, but alas, they cost almost the price of the room. There was also a record player on the bedside table with a pretty robust little speaker system and records to play! I planned ahead and brought along some favorite LPs as well.
The room’s interior was so inspiring! I liked the industrial-chic glossy sealed concrete floor, and the wood & white color combinations. Someday we’d like to get a little bit more in-depth with redoing the inside of our condo and I definitely want to draw a lot of inspiration from The Ace’s clean and crisp vibe (including the Portland Ace, too).
We had originally planned on bringing Mosey along, so we got one of the dog-friendly rooms with a patio and fireplace. After looking at the forecast for that weekend, (highs in the 110s!), we left him at my parents’ house. Even sans pooch it was nice to have the large patio with locking gate. The afternoon we arrived with our friends, we shared lunch that we’d brought in a cooler (a really great way to save money). We could hang up our swimsuits and towels to dry– almost instantly in that heat! The fireplace was easy to operate, a simple light switch, but not needed. If staying at The Ace in the fall or winter, I think the fireplace in the evening would be very nice indeed.
The pools: When we arrived Sunday afternoon, the main pool was packed and loud. The house DJ had things bumping. Locals can buy a pool day pass so it’s kind of a place to see and be seen, I think. There were no available chairs so we went to the other, smaller pool where it was nice and quiet. They have these awesome, huge, circular padded poofs and my pals and I were able to snag one. The next day, Monday, the large pool was much quieter and the music they played was perfect for lazing in a pool chair, snoozing in that gray area between awake and asleep. And getting a killer sunburn (ouch).
The cool sunshades are what you’ll see a gazillion instagrams of… I wasn’t sure how they’d compare to a standard umbrella but let me tell you… game changer!! You can pivot them in any direction for ultimate sun blockage! Solid endorsement from me. Now I want one for my condo patio… The chairs are really cool, too. Not sure if you can see in the photo, but the backrest part of each chair had its own little canvas tent piece for ultimate sun protection.
Well, 700+ words later I guess you could say I enjoyed myself! I didn’t even get to touch on the brunch at King’s Highway, the on-site restaurant. Anyway, what a nice getaway not too far from home. Definitely more expensive than The Saguaro but if you can get a coupon, or if it’s a special occasion, I say The Ace is hard to beat!
My Friend Staci 