Unlike many adults, kids are usually pretty immune to heat.
They don’t give it a second thought, which is why if you’ve little ones around
the house, pack them up and head off to Rancho Las Palmas in Rancho Mirage.
What with summer setting in on the desert, and parents
thinking about summer escapes for the family, which won’t break the bank as
gasoline soars to $4 a gallon, nearby is a perfect family destination.
You may remember Rancho Las Palmas from its previous
incarnation as a Marriott, but that all ended about two years ago when KSL
Resorts, whose recent California buying spree included acquiring the Del
Coronado and La Costa Resort, added this grand old lady of Rancho Mirage to its
portfolio—and then spent $35 million to convince you that it was no longer the
old Marriott.
They have succeeded.
At the heart of attracting a younger audience is a
fun-filled water complex trademarked as Splashtopia, which ringed by a 425-foot
lazy river, is the ultimate family-friendly spot at the resort. There are two 100-foot water slides, a
Cliffside Jacuzzi, expansive swimming pools, a sandy beach and a water-play
zone.
We overheard a 10-year-old tell his Dad that this was “the
coolest” fun that he and his brothers had had in a long time.
The KSL planners couldn’t have put together a more perfect
holiday adventure for kids. The water slides deliver 100 feet of twists and
turns that send you down a 35-foot man-made mountain and into the cool waters
of the shallow pool below.
Well, ok, enough about kids.
So what about the rest of us who are beyond the kid stage in
our lives.
For starters, there is an adult pool, a 27-hole golf course,
a 25-court tennis center and three other pools where all ages are welcome.
The resort has 444 guest rooms and 22 suites, with the
buildings done in a style of Spanish architecture. The rooms have been undated with plush down comforters and
top premium mattresses, and include 42-inch plasma televisions with cable and
satellite, two-line telephones with voice mail and high-speed Internet access.
I’ve always been doubtful about hotel food, a suspicion that
dates back to earlier days. Like airline food, hotels didn’t seem to care much
about what you were fed as long as they thought they held you captive to their
grounds.
Interestingly, the very upscale restaurant at Rancho Las
Palmas is attracting a huge local crowd, which is significant when you consider
how competitive the local marketplace is with a plethora of upscale restaurants
in Rancho Mirage and its neighboring communities of Palm Desert and Indian
Wells.
bluEmber is the resort’s signature restaurant, and when you
learn that Todd Claytor, its chef, arrived via Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago and
L’Auberge in Sedona, the KSL guys understand the significance of providing a
fine dining experience at their resorts.
We shared seared sea scallops, served with chanterelles,
pear tomatoes and pea puree, and a bluEmber ceviche, with its mountain of
shrimp, red peppers, avocado and orange segments.
For our main courses we chose an Angus filet mignon and a
baked lobster tail.
Claytor’s creative offerings include a “Mac and Cheese”
orecchiette pasta with duck confit, port wine onions and wild mushrooms. The bluEmber’s Sunday brunch is not to
be missed, either. Simply put, the
man can cook.
Nor did the wine list disappoint. We chose a Louis Latour
Chassange Montrachet from Burgundy.
The restaurant’s most popular drink is its bluEmbertini,
made with Grey Goose Citron, Blue Curacao, Triple Sec and muddled lemons. One should suffice!
For something a little more casual, the resort’s R Bar gives
you the feeling of an upscale sports bar but without the down market crowd
which overruns so many of them.
There’s a great vibe to the place, what with its sleek
leather seating, dark woods and three flat-screen TVs, a pool table and a
shuffleboard table.
If you’re into having a room service breakfast, you’ll note
the promptness of their service, but a nice alternative is the resort’s
Internet café which offers several computer stations as well as Starbucks
coffee, brick-oven pizzas and sandwiches to go as well as an offering of
lighter fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Locals as well as guests are making great use of the new Spa
Las Palmas, which experienced a complete makeover as part of the $35 million
which KSL put into the resort’s re-do.
The spa has 26 treatment rooms, including two for couples,
separate men’s and women’s relaxation lounges with peaceful verandas, a Turkish
steam room with cold shower, Vichy showers, chromatherapy soaking tub, Finnish
sauna and heated whirlpool.
The crème de la crème offering in the spa, however, is its
heated sanctuary pool, which is reserved exclusively for guests of the
spa.
You can enjoy a 50-minute Swedish massage or deep cleaning
facial for just $99, complete with a complimentary glass of Champagne.
Its only disappointment is the size of the fitness
center. For a hotel with 444
rooms, it seems fair to ask why they thought that only three treadmills would
do when the hotel is nearly fully occupied on weekends.
Celebrity stylist Billy Yamaguchi, while not personally
present on the grounds, has his own corner of the spa. While I’m not sure what these labels
mean, it is said that he integrates feng shui principles into modern
hairstyling and beauty services.
I should have asked his attendants there to explain a
“Shogun Pedicure for the Sports Warrior” not that I was interested beyond
curiosity. But shame on me for not asking.
All in all, the face-lift and the marketing strategy
designed to attract a younger, more vibrant crowd of guests seemed to be
working on the weekend we were there. The resort was crowded with couples with
children but even if you were traveling solo without them, Rancho Las Palmas is
a nice respite from the everyday workday world.
Location: 41-000 Bob Hope Drive Rancho Mirage, CA., 92270
Telephone: (760) 568-2727
(800) 423-1195
Golf: Ted Robinson-designed 27-hole course. The resort also
features practice facilities, a tiered grass hitting area and Bermuda grass
practice putting greens.
Rates: Ranging from summer, midweek rates of $109 to nearly $500 during peak seasons.