Lake La Quinta – The Best Desert B&B! (Palm Springs, CA)

Author: bonesting
Date of Trip: July 2006

After seeing Lake La Quinta Inn online and wishing to visit there for the last three years, I finally planned a one-nighter for my wife and I at this “UNIQUE Bed and Breakfast”. Our expectations for a $129 desert B&B on a weeknight included a quiet atmosphere, hot sunny Coachella Valley weather by the pool, nice cooked to order breakfast, views of the lake, intimate two-person jacuzzi in a large well-appointed suite and plenty of places to eat.

Almost completely our expectations were met… the La Quinta Inn was a charming B&B with elegant but inviting common areas (living room, circular staircased foyer, large dining room) with only a dozen or so rooms. We stayed in the Desert Spirit, a recommended mid-level jacuzzi suite, that just so happened to be upstairs and an end-unit. Although the inn was at least half-full of guests, the room was quiet and relaxing. The relaxation followed us out to the pool area as well. A small but adequate area with a french flair that was comparable to the overall architecture of the property. The lake views were beautiful and exclusive… the community seemed to be mostly single-family homes with La Quinta being the only way to “rent” your way into the pretty water environment. Speaking of water and returning to the room, the jacuzzi was ample for two and had a splendid view across the suite through the double french doors! Quite romantic, says this romantic! And so says his wife!

Not to forget the ample dining opportunities… El Paseo (Palm Desert) is only a few minutes north on the 111 (ate a casual meal at Sammy’s Woodfire Grill) and then had a slightly more sophisticated meal at the bar at PF Chang’s a little farther up the road at The River (which also included a Fleming’s and Cheesecake Factory in Rancho Mirage).

Our only expectation that wasn’t fully met was that I hadn’t researched carefully enough to make note beforehand that the off-season (summer) breakfast is extremely abbreviated, and in the inn’s defense, there’s much fewer guests wanting 110F temps and the rates are approximately 50% of their high-season rates. Needless to say, we didn’t even think the fruit and english muffins warranted a walk to the dining room… we were too busy enjoying the 100F weather by the pool at 9am and eating Chang’s leftovers instead!

In summary, our budget won’t often support $250+ spring weekend getaways to experience the milder weather and more substantial breakfasts, but you can bet that we’ll be back this summer… and definitely for many summers to come!

Final note: Laura and Pat were quite helpful and friendly… they had the place running so smoothly that it was like they were your unseen wait staff at your very own mansion… 🙂