The Saguaro Palm Springs: An Honest (and Unsponsored) Hotel Review

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The Saguaro Palm Springs. If you’ve ever seen a randomly colorful building on social media with #palmsprings…it was probably this insta-famous establishment. I admit, I am a sucker for anything bright and rainbow that remind me of Skittles, so the second I heard of this hotel, I wanted to stay there.

And finally, the opportunity presented itself. I was headed down to Coachella Valley for the 2019 exhibition of Desert X, so the timing was literally perfect.

Now, I want to stress that this post is NOT SPONSORED. AT ALL. NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT. I paid for this hotel with my own money. I am doing this review because I feel like it is a popular hotel and one that catches a lot of attention, so I want to offer an unbiased and honest review.

Well, even if it were sponsored (it’s not), I would still be honest – but you know what I mean!

Check-in at the Saguaro

Pricing

My flight from Portland left early in the morning, and since I’m cheap, I opted to fly into LAX instead of flying directly to the Palm Springs airport. In hindsight, I should have just coughed up the extra $60, but one day I’ll learn. I rented a car and drove the ~1.5hr from Los Angeles to Palm Springs.

Again, I was in the area for Desert X 2019, which is basically a collection of art pieces spread throughout Coachella Valley and integrated into the cities and natural surroundings. It’s basically an art road trip. Pretty dope, right? So I chose Palm Springs as my home base so I could stay at the hotel!

If you’re from a metro city, the prices are going to seem pretty cheap. The price per night ranges from ~ $115 USD (the cheapest room, 2 Queen room) to ~160 USD (the most expensive, a suite). They also have bachelor/bachelorette room packages for the suite rooms that are about $250 a night and they throw in some pool floaties, champagne, “4 pineapple cups.” I’m not sure what to make of the fruit cups, but sounds refreshing at the very least.

So what was my bill?

Anyways, I ended up booking one of their “refurbished rooms” with a pool view. The refreshed rooms have an upgraded bathroom, some mid-century modern furniture, and some cool art pieces. But more on that later. I was there during the low season (February – aka not summer), so prices were a little lower. I think in total my room was about ~$130ish USD a night. BUT, there is also a $35 additional resort fee (which I’ll talk about later) and California’s infamous hotel taxes. Yanno, the tax ON the resort fee, the California tourism tax, Occupancy tax, and the Riverside County tax. Yeah, that’s a lot of taxes. I know. So in total, the cost per night was about ~$190 USD. If you book directly on their website, instead of a 3rd party site, you get a few perks like free late check-out, and like ~$20 food and beverage credit.

Check-in

Actual check-in was super fast and super easy. Parking was free and (thanks to the low season) plentiful. We arrived a tad early, so we grabbed lunch nearby until the room was ready. Boom bam Sam. I do want to say that the service was very quick and efficient at check-in.

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NOW THE NOT GREAT PART.

So, unfortunately, there aren’t a ton of elevators in this hotel. I think there are like…2? I forget. Anyways, they are on opposite sides of the building, and unfortunately, if your room is not close to one of them, you’ll have to either take the stairs, or make the journey from the elevator to your room.

Which is exactly what I had to do.

So I moved my car to be parked near one of the elevators, took my bags up to the third floor, the made the LONGGG (about 3-5 minute) walk to my room. It wasn’t too bad, just a minor inconvenience.

The Room

Once I got in my room, the first thing I noticed was….it was kind of dark. It was midday, but maybe basically the only light in the room was from the giant balcony sliding glass door (which was amazing!). Even when I turned on all three lamps (2 bedside, one floor), the room still felt a little darker than I would have liked. I personally prefer overhead lighting, but alas, the world doesn’t revolve around me.

Aside from the lighting, I really liked the rest of the room. The decor was super cute and fresh, the pillows were soft, and the TV image was great! I really appreciated the updated bathroom and the pops of color were a nice touch. The room was spacious enough for two people, though it might feel a bit cramped if you opt for 4 people sharing 2 queen beds. But, more affordable. So pick your poison.

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There wasn’t anything super stand-out about the room. It had all of the normal features (microwave, mini fridge, iron, etc), but nothing noteworthy.

Well…there was ONE thing…

I think my favorite feature of the room was the balcony. Since I had a pool view, it was nice to just look out at the colorful rooms of the hotel and the vibrant courtyard in the center. BUT, if you get a mountain view, I heard those are beautiful as well. I didn’t stay in one, but the mountains near Palm Springs are pretty darn picturesque.

The Pool

Arguably the BEST part about this hotel, in my opinion, is the pool. In fact, probably the entire courtyard area, but I’ll focus on the pool first.

Will my kids wander in and drown???

So the pool itself is enclosed and requires a room key to get inside the gate. So if you have children or preteens and let them wander around outside alone, they can’t access the actual pool without a key. But they can play in the grass and chill in the courtyard.

Once you are inside the pool area, there is one giant pool and two smaller jacuzzies on each end. Each jacuzzi could very comfortably fit 5 or 6 people, but if they’re complete strangers, I don’t know if you want to be that cozy. But the water in the jacuzzi is very hot, which is amazing! I didn’t see a lifeguard on duty. But! Both the hot tubs AND the pool have wheelchair lifts!

How’s the pool tho??

The pool itself is slightly heated, which is a plus as well. I hate cold water with a fiery passion. At night, the pool feels a lot warmer, maybe about room temperature water? There are also lights inside the pool so the water isn’t completely DARK once the sun sets. Though, I think technically the pool closes at like 9 or 10pm, and they stop playing music around 7pm.

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Oh, speaking of!! During the day, the pool area has a very nice bar and huge speakers to set the summer vibes! When I was there (during the low season), only like…1/5 of the chairs were taken. Which was primeee! I personally don’t like laying out next to people, but maybe you are more social than I am hahah. I didn’t stick around at the pool that long (I ventured out to the Desert X exhibitions every day), so I didn’t get a chance to order any of the pool food. That said, I DID eat at the restaurant for dinner, so I’m sure the EXTENSIVE pool menu is equally fantastic.

Pool Extras

If you want to be real fancy, you can rent out a cabana! You get a dedicated server, a TV, a completely stocked fridge, and a special cabana menu! The cabana menu is meant to serve 4-6 people. I didn’t try this either. I actually think they were closed during my stay, so maybe it’s only a summer thing.

If you are ONLY interested in the pool and amenities, The Saguaro Palm Springs actually offers a membership pass! For $300 a year, you get access to the pool and hot tubs, the 24-hour fitness center, bike cruiser usage, and special events for membership holders! So if you’re local to the area, it doesn’t sound like a bad deal! Especially since The Saguaro Palm Springs throws some pretty epic ragers during summer and Coachella Music Festival season. Literally, they have guest DJs for their weekly pool parties all throughout summer!

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The courtyard has a few fun outdoorsy activities like horseshoes and cornhole. But my favorite was the hammock area! At night, they turn on the string lights and it’s a nice place for some late night (and probably drunk) chats.

The Amenities

Speaking of all the fun stuff, let’s dive into the amenities offered at The Saguaro Palm Springs. STARTING WITH THAT MANDATORY $35 RESORT FEE. What’s the deal with that????

Resort Fee

Well the resort fee covers all the fun “free” included perks. Like WiFi! Yayyy. And

But the nicest little perk is the beach cruisers that you can rent to bike around town! You can check them out for a max of 4 hours at a time from a little check out stand just outside the front lobby. Palm Springs is a VERY bike-able city. One of the flattest cities in the United States, for surreee. Plus, they’re SUPER CUTE and a fun way to get around town. That said, I had a car, so I didn’t check one out. But a nice option nonetheless.

And speaking of transportation, there is an included shuttle van that can take you into town! So if you wanna be REAL low key and not rent a car, you still have some options if you stay here.

Fitness Center

There is also a 24-hour fitness center. Which I appreciate. I either work out reallyyyy early in the day (like, 5am) or late at night after my day is finished. So I like the flexibility of being able to work out whenever. The fitness center is also bigger than most hotels I’ve stayed at, though I don’t frequently stay in hotels. So that’s good too!

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There is also a free yoga class every morning! I, naturally, slept through all of them, but I’m sure they’re great haha. (mention free yoga classes)

Spa

The Saguaro Palm Springs also has an onsite spa. I didn’t try any of the services, but I really wanted to. They have facials, massages, and body treatments. The least expensive facial they have is a quick firming treatment at $75, but most of them average about $100 for about an hour. Massages averages about $130 an hour, and they also have pregnancy massages!

Spa Hours: Thurs-Sat 10am-6pm | Sun 9am-3pm
Mon-Wed: By appointments only760.969.6483

Restaurants

In short, the food at The Saguaro Palm Springs is great.

There are two restaurants, El Jefe and Rocco’s Electric (only open Sat and Sun for brunch). Hands down, my favorite restaurant was El Jefe. You can’t really go too wrong with any of the menu options at El Jefe, but if you happen to be in town on a Tuesday or Thursday, YOU MUST GO FOR TACOS. They are bomb.

But make sure you get there right at the start of dinner. Taco Nights are so legendary that even non-hotel guests line up for a seat!

The Historical Significance of The Saguaro Palm Springs

I want this forever
Just you in the grotto
With nothin’ but your nights on
Keep the fuckin’ lights on
Same again tomorrow
We don’t need no bottle
Purple-colored lipgloss
Room with the Saguaro

Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine

So, what started this insane hype about the hotel anyway? Was it actually built JUST FOR THE GRAM, or is there some history behind its walls?

Well, if there wasn’t, this wouldn’t be a section now would it?

Despite it’s insta-worthiness and fresh vibes, the Saguaro Palm Springs has very old bones. Well, not THAT old. It is California after all. Not too long ago, it used to be an old (and unfortunately dingy) Holiday Inn. And even before that, an even older (and dingier) International Hotel and Suites built in 1977. That old hotel had…very bad reviews. No WiFi. No AC. IN PALM SPRINGS? Can you imagine??

The Renovation

But in 2011, The Sydell Group Ltd bought the property. They’re the same folks that did the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. Their mission was to do a complete overhaul to get the hotel up and ready for Coachella Music Festival season. They had a budget tighter than a Kardasian waist-trainer and they needed to transform essentially a dumpster into the next hip and trendy boutique hotel. And they only had 4 months to do it.

Sound like a FyreFest waiting to happen?

WELL – they met the deadline. While the framework for 245-room building essentially stayed the same, the design team (led by Mexican architect Luis Barragán ) took the boldest -and yet simplest- approach. They painted it.

The rainbow (well, 14 colors to be exact) facade of the building represent the colors of the indigenous wildflowers of the Coachella Valley. Keeping with the mid-century modern aesthetic of Palm Springs, they used the bright colors as a stark contrast to sharp whites and clean straight lines of the building.

Genius.

It just recently underwent renovation again in 2016, this time to expand the ballroom and terrace. I’d say they did a pretty darn good job rebranding.

Final Conclusion on The Saguaro Palm Springs

Alright, so you want to know my final verdict? OKAY, here it is. The Saguaro Palm Springs is a super fun hotel. Like, SUPER FUN. The lobby is colorful and quirky, the vibe is energetic, and the location is pretty great too. It is a great place for a group of friends to relax and party and have fun.

But, it is NOT so great if you want a romantic couple’s getaway. Honestly, it’s just not…luxurious. Or pristine. Or elevated. It didn’t feel like a “treat yo’self” hotel, if that makes sense. The carpets in the hallway were visibly not-fresh, the beds were squeaky, the elevators were dated, stuff like that. For me, the quality just wasn’t there to consider it a lavish or lush treat.

Would I stay there again? Errr…probably.

BUT.

I would not want to stay as a romantic getaway or lover’s retreat. The Saguaro Hotel Palm Springs is great for a more casual party environment. For example, it is perfect for a bachelor/bachelorette party. In fact, a giant bachelorette party was checking out the day I arrived and they were nothing but grins with their matching bikini tops and dildo headbands.

You can learn more about The Saguaro Palm Springs (and book!) on their website!

Know someone headed to Palm Springs? Share it!

I’m hoping to get a few of my gal pals together this summer and hit the pool! Or maybe I’ll head over to Arizona to check out The Saguaro Scottsdale! Who’s down to join me??

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