Checked In: Saguaro Hotel

During one of my very short trip to Palm Springs, my friend and I decided to stay at the Saguaro Hotel – a hotel that can start flooding my instagram feed during Coachella. At first glance, it’s no wonder why that is. Palm Springs as a whole has quite the subdued color scheme as they try to make an earthy color palette that fits the desert vibe. The Saguaro hotel, however, has color, and lots of it. From the outdoor area to the rooms themselves, the hotel brings some youthful fun to a city that normally attracts the older generation.

THE PARKING:

Ample uncovered parking with no overnight fees for the win.

THE SERVICE:

As we walked in, a few guests cluttered the front desk. It was apparent that the front desk clerks were a little flustered, and I could feel that my trying to check in did not help ease their stress levels. We weren’t greeted with smiles or even a simple ‘hello’. There weren’t any hitches in checking in, so aside from just an unpleasant air, everything went swimmingly.

THE VIBE:

As I’ve mentioned before, the hotel as a whole is very colorful and rather whimsical. Take, for example, these Barbie setups that depict the dolls enjoying all the various ways one can spend their time at the Saguaro hotel. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a decor as youthful as those in this hotel – unless you’re staying at a hostel.

THE ROOM:

Our room was located on the first floor with a patio overlooking the parking lot, whomp whomp. In fact, our car was right outside our walled-up balcony. But lack of view aside, our room kept up with the colorful theme as accents of orange, magenta and purple filled the decor. It was a little much for me, and I had hoped that the room itself would be decorated a little more with wall art or little knick-knacks, but for the mid-range price of the hotel, I couldn’t knock them down too much. You can tell that it had recently been renovated as much as possible, but the old room also showed through with a few cracks through the wall and the outdated shower.

THE AMENITIES: 

Pool – Even though the room itself was lacking, the rest of the hotel was not short of that “wow” factor, especially for the price. For starters, the pool is possibly the main reason to book a room. Although the pool itself is nothing grand, the atmosphere surrounding the pool – the yellow poolside chaise lounges, the cabanas, and the pool bar – is somewhere I could definitely spend a whole afternoon in. It’s a chill environment, especially as the colored hotel wall enclosed the pool.

Lawn Games – Just outside of the pool section is an artificial lawn full of lawn games that you can beat your friends in. After a successful victory, relax and sip on some hard cider while rocking on a hammock, and watch the moon light up the starry sky.

Bikes – For a max of 4 hours per day, you can borrow one of their many cruiser bikes and explore Palm Springs. The hotel is well-located in the already small city, so it won’t take much energy to get to some of the interesting spots in town. We took a couple of bikes for a spin for just a few blocks nearby, and it was so sweet to feel the morning desert heat on our skin and to hear the birds chirping about.

Yoga – Every morning, there is a yoga class in one of the rooms overlooking the lawn. I quite enjoyed the class, and when we went, there were only eight of us. I did wish it was outdoors, however, just to maximize the vibe of the hotel a little more.

OVERALL:

For a weekend getaway, the Saguaro hotel is somewhere 2 hours away from Los Angeles and and 2.5 hours from San Diego and a great place to just slip away to recharge in a more active way – by swimming, by biking, by doing some yoga.

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