Where to Stay in Palm Springs: the Arrive, a Boutique Hotel
Palm Springs has consistently made my personal list of my top favorite cities in the world. I live for mid-century modern furniture and architecture (CB2 and West Elm are staples in my apartment) and Palm Springs is where I feel every discarded piece of that furniture style has ended up. It's a microcosm of fifty's style meets cacti meets bold and bright colors.
Our time in Palm Springs was part of a larger Southern California road trip and we drove from San Diego to Palm Springs in the evening. California is filled with scenic driving, even at night, passing small town after small town, going from flatter terrain to more hills and then to mountains over the course of a couple hours. Definitely not like the corn and soybean views of the Illinois driving that I'm used to. Even at night, we could faintly see the outline of the San Jacinto mountain range as we neared Palm Springs.
The Arrive Hotel, our home base for the next three days was incredibly easy to get to and near the northern edge of town. There are countless boutique hotels in Palm Springs. Each has its own vibe and helps give the city it’s quirky and fun ambiance. We debated between the Ace Hotel which is super hipster and perfect for filtered Instagram posts and the Saguaro Hotel which is covered in a rainbow of colors with crazy pool parties on the weekends reminiscent of day parties in Las Vegas.
As soon as we arrived at Arrive (pun intended) I knew we had made the right choice. The boutique hotel frames the outdoor pool which was blanketed in a light mist from sprinklers all around to combat the heat. Gorgeous string lights made the outdoor area sparkle. Since the hotel is 21+ we were greeted with a free welcome cocktail at the bar, which is included with all reservations. You don’t realize how amazing an adults only hotel is until you experience it. With the guarantee of not having loud kids screaming at all hours, it can be a very quiet and serene atmosphere.
The Perfect Boutique Hotel Room
Our room was gorgeous and felt more like an Air BNB studio apartment than a hotel. This is the magic of staying in a “boutique hotel”. The TVs came equipped with Apple TV, Netflix and Hulu so we were able to catch up on some of our shows without worrying about commercials or limited cable channel options. The furniture was incredibly styled and the bathroom was stocked with high-end bath products. Our room even had an outdoor patio with a seating area and small fireplace which would have been perfect cooler nights. However, staying in the middle of summer, we were all about the pool over the fireplace.
A nice touch was the "How to Palm Springs" guide provided by the hotel. This handy little manual was so adorable with little designs and doodles giving you pocket information about activities, restaurants, bars and an insider scoop of the town. It was a personal touch that Mike and I both really appreciated and we carried it around with us our entire time in the city in case we ever needed a quick recommendation.
The View from the Pool
The best part of this hotel was the view. My internal alarm clock wakes me up at 6:30am even on vacation so I went out every morning to get photos during sunrise. Walking onto the hotel patio, you realize how close you actually are to the mountains. Like crazy close. The view of our angled brown hotel against the natural mountain range behind it was stunning…you can tell the architects of the building were completely inspired by the landscape around them. These mountains are picturesque any time of day. The mornings create harsh shadows from the clouds in the sky and the bright afternoon sun brings out all the colors of the terrain.
The Arrive Hotel Pool
The pool at Arrive is the main attraction and the center of all the fun. Since we were there in July, people started lounging in the water by around 11 am for some relief from the heat. By 1 or 2pm it was filled with guests balancing on beach floaties (provided by the hotel) and sipping drinks while getting a tan. The pool is haloed by beach chairs and umbrellas as well as privet cabanas with their own ceiling fans and misters. Near the pool are ping pong tables, a hot tub, bocce ball court and cushions to lie on. Everything about the Arrive Hotel pool feels like a luxury resort, even though the nightly rate to stay there is very affordable.
Arrive also has an evening poolside movie series open to the public. While we stayed, they showed "Pretty Woman" on a huge screen allowing people to lounge in the water as they watch. It's a great activity to chill out with when you've been overheating outside all day.
The Boutique Hotel Extras
Let's talk the extra perks at the Arrive Hotel, all of which make a stay at this location a little more fun.
Ice Cream and Shop(pe)
We stopped for ice cream whenever possible while we were in California. It's one of those simple treats that we don’t normally purchase in our day to day life but we always splurge on during vacation. The Ice Cream Shop(pe) on the hotel grounds is CLUTCH. I swung by twice during our three day stay, both times opting for the amazing Mexican Chocolate flavor with whipped cream and sprinkles.
Attached to the ice cream shoppe is also a small Palm Springs gift shop. Different from the touristy stores further in town, this location specializes in all things Instagramable from pool floats to drink glasses to accessories and art prints, all in the bright colors Palm Springs is famous for.
Customs Coffee
Customs was our go-to breakfast while we were in Palm Springs. Every morning meant a Chai Latte and chocolate croissant. The storefront is small but the walls are covered with beautiful luggage tag designs from around the world.
Draughtsman
We didn't make our way here for dinner (opting to eat further in town) but it's a major plus having a well-rated restaurant with an impressive beer selection next door.
The Arrive Hotel was definitely the perfect boutique hotel in Palm Springs. With so many special touches from checking in with a cocktail, to the beautifully designed rooms, to the pool that will make you never want to leave, it’s a must-see for anyone that is staying in town without kids. Enjoy that adults only life!
