As my husband and I were looking at the menu of the Adobe Grill at La Quinta Resort & Club, Victor brought us his specialty — the signature guacamole he has been creating on the spot for 22 years.
“No one makes it better than me,” he said with a charming laugh. As we started chatting, we learned that he has served his guac to numerous celebrities and guests over the years.
Victor does it right. We could not stop dipping our chips into his perfect combo of fresh avocados, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and salt. As we learned more about Victor and the resort, our conversation naturally veered to family. “I always tell my kids, whatever you do, do it right,” he said. Great advice for guac and life.
“Working here is like a big family,” Victor said as he introduced us to two other gentlemen working at the restaurant. Each had been with the resort for more than 20 years.
This is La Quinta Resort & Club — a luxurious desert getaway where old world Hollywood charm, cozy family vibes, orange groves, white-washed casitas and the majestic Santa Rosa mountains comingle to create a place unlike any other.
The resort first opened its doors in 1926 and quickly became a haven for movie stars such as Greta Garbo and Clark Gable. The city of La Quinta is actually named after the resort. You can still feel that old Hollywood glamour and romance throughout the 45-acre property with its terracotta roof tiles, colonnades, bell towers, fountains and bougainvillea arching over doorways.
The grounds are filled with colorful flowers and fragrant orange, lemon, tangerine, tangelo and grapefruit trees. A zesty, fresh scent streams throughout the resort, thanks to these magnificent fruit orchards.
Vintage photos and quaint Talavera ceramic tiles are decorate the buildings. Walking up our stairs adorned in these colorful Spanish tiles to our second-story casita transported us to another time. Opening the azure blue wooden gate to discover our private, enclosed mountain-view patio with an outdoor fireplace was love at first sight.
Throughout our two-night stay, I kept wishing we had more time here. There was a part of me that wanted to explore the expansive grounds with all the different beautiful, tucked-away spots, but I also wanted to retreat to our own patio, relax on our lounge sofa and just gaze at the palm trees and the mountains. The resort is built at the foot of the Santa Rosa mountains, and these rugged ranges rising from the desert surrounded us with a distinct calming energy.
The colors and flavors of the desert
We arrived at the resort in the late afternoon and, after pre-dusk stroll, we had dinner in the fire-lit courtyard of Morgan’s in the Desert. While savoring our moonlit dinner, we had the pleasure of meeting Chef Rene Reyes who came to chat with us for a few minutes. He told us how he loved to watch cooking shows as a kid growing up in Indio. He fondly recalled his 8-year-old self watching Chef Jacques Pépin sharing favorite dishes on his long-running PBS cooking show. “I told my mom, ‘I’m going to be a chef and take care of you,’” Reyes told us with love and pride. “And now, I’m doing it.”
La Quinta developer Walter H. Morgan first invited the Hollywood elite to share some good food with friends at his resort on Christmas 1926. Today, Reyes, along with Executive Chef Andrew Cooper, are continuing the resort’s culinary tradition in this elegant hacienda with a contemporary California focus on locally sourced, seasonal ingredients celebrating the bounty of the Coachella Valley. Their farmers market soup changes regularly based on what’s in season. Our winter dinner options included quince and persimmon salads, Chilean sea bass with a smoked hazelnut crust, eggplant risotto with maitake mushroom and braised short rib with roasted celery root puree.
After dinner, we relaxed under the stars and palm trees back in our patio. The warm desert sun had set, and the cool night air provided the perfect backdrop for our cozy outdoor fireplace.
We started the next morning early with a private pickleball lesson with Marcus, a tennis pro from Munich who fell in love with a girl from Cali and has been teaching tennis and pickleball at the resort for the past eight years.
“I was just here for some sun and met my wife and didn’t want to leave,” Marcus said with a smile. “Look at this place.” He motioned to the mountains on view in every direction of the courts. “It’s spectacular.”
It was Marcus who told us about the sunrise here. He took out his phone and showed us the tennis courts with the backdrop of the mountains lit up with a reddish-golden hue. “This is a regular morning here,” he said.
Guess what we did the next morning? Got up at 6 to see the magic happen. As we strolled through the property in the quiet of the early dawn, the moon was still glowing above the mountain peaks. Then the sky glimmered with strokes of pink. An orange glow slowly blended in and then the Santa Rosa mountains took on their signature reddish morning radiance. It felt peaceful and inspiring, as though these mountains were gently welcoming the new day for us all.
Pools and spa
What makes La Quinta truly unique is its charming architecture and winding paths and courtyards with individual pools. Every turn we made, there was another pool surrounded by a cluster of casitas. The resort has a total of 41 pools and 53 hot spas. The main pool near the spa and tennis courts features cabanas, food service and a children’s pool. There is also a 21+ plunge pool.
We spent some time at the pool near our casita, which was intimate and private, as well as at the larger main pool, where we could order drinks and lunch. Then I headed to Spa La Quinta while my husband hit the fitness center.
Simply walking toward the spa will calm all your senses as rows of palm trees and cascades of bougainvillea welcome you. I smelled the resort’s signature citrus blossom as soon as I walked in the 23,000-square-foot spa. I poured some tea in the sage room and found a peaceful spot to unwind in the Sanctuary Courtyard, which features an outdoor wading fountain, a fireplace and a fabulous view of the mountains framed by a whitewashed archway.
My Spa La Quinta Signature Massage began with a grounding ritual where I picked my intentional word to focus on this year: faith.
As Kristen dripped essential oils onto my back, I breathed in and allowed my mind and body to relax. Every time I found myself drifting back to my to-do list, I re-centered my thoughts back to faith and this moment. This is where I wanted my mind to be — in a dessert oasis, surrounded by the beauty and tranquility of ancient mountain ranges.
Elena Epsten is Creative Director of L.A. Parent.
Resort Overview
- The historic property boasts five golf courses, as well as tennis and pickleball facilities, a fitness center and a variety of boutiques and shops.
- Features 21 tennis courts with both hard and clay surfaces and eight pickleball courts.
- Located 140 miles southeast of L.A. and 20 minutes from Palm Springs. The resort has 617 guestrooms and 161 villas with views of the gardens or mountains.
- Nearby you’ll find Old Town La Quinta, scenic hiking trails, restaurants, shops and museums.
- Pets are welcome.
- The Marketplace offers quick bites, snacks, breakfast sandwiches and wood-fired pizza to go. Other restaurants on the property are the Adobe Grill, Morgan’s In the Desert , Twenty6 and Centre Court Café.
