Desert Oasis

A $35 MILLION MAKEOVER has led to a magical transformation of this former Marriott. After years of desert resort-hopping, the Rancho Las Palmas is at the top of our “return” list. Stand by the pool and look out over the main building right at sunset, and you’ll think you’re staring at the cover of the Eagles’ Hotel California album: a Spanish-style structure with towers flanked by a small army of tall, straight palms. Step inside and you’re in a grand Spanish villa with a decidedly Palm Springs twist, from a gift shop that sells mostly Tommy Bahama resortwear to gardens dominated by petunias and snap - dragons, which must be the official flower of high-end desert resorts.

The highlight of the makeover at the Rancho Las Palmas——which, incidentally, is a sister of the Hotel del Coronado, La Costa Resort & Spa and the new Beach Village at the Del——is Splashtopia, a water park with a sandy beach playground and two 100-foot-long, rushing- water slides encircled by a 425-foot lazy river. But don’t think a water park means chaos; there are plenty of friendly but firm lifeguards on hand to maintain order. And the fact that the huge lap pool is right next to the kid zone means parents are close by.

In fact, this is one of the few Palm Springs–area resorts that’s ideal for families as well as couples. Families should book a room by the pool, while couples can stay in one of the other buildings sprinkled among the gardens and greenways of the 27-hole golf course.

Rooms are elegant but not overdone, with lots of carved-wood elements and glass doors. The 444 guestrooms and 22 suites boast private balconies or patios as well as 42-inch plasma screens. There are four restaurants onsite, most nota bly the signature bluEmber, which offers seating inside and out, in a beautiful courtyard surrounded by flowers and overlooking the golf course. In the morning there’s a first-class breakfast buffet; in the evening, after the firepits filled with “blue embers” are turned on, a sumptuous menu of sea food and prime meats as good as anything at a destination restaurant.

The 20,000-square-foot Rancho Las Palmas Spa, which also received a makeover, offers 26 treatments and a private Sanctuary pool with underwater music.

If You Go

Guestrooms at Rancho Las Palmas (41-000 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage, 800-965-8275) start at $249 for a breakfast package; in the summer months, the same package, which consists of a regular guestroom and breakfast for two, goes for as little as $149. More info: rancholaspalmas.com.

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