Greater Palm Springs, United States

Sands Hotel & Spa

Price per night from$190.03

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (inclusive of taxes and fees) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD190.03), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Cali-Moroccan medley

Setting

Exclusive Indian Wells

Pretend to be a sanctuary-seeking Sixties ingenue at retro-chic Sands Hotel & Spa, in the Coachella Valley city of Indian Wells. Thanks to Brit-hit designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, this charming desert escape is blessed with bright prints, exotic tiles, pink stucco walls, greenery galore, cacti and fire pits, and a perfect pool with humbug-striped cabanas. Likewise, rooms are dressed with playful sophistication; many star a private patio or a balcony with a Moroccan-style water fountain. Additional desert-cosseting comes courtesy of the Cali-meets-Marrakech spa (which has a trio of treatment rooms and a tempting menu) and the sceney Pink Cabana restaurant and bar.

Smith Extra

Get this when you book through us:

A bottle of sparkling wine on arrival, plus early check-in and late check-out (subject to availability)

Facilities

Photos Sands Hotel & Spa facilities

Need to know

Rooms

Forty-six, including three suites.

Check–Out

Noon; earliest check-in, 4pm.

More details

Rates usually exclude breakfast.

Also

Free coffee is there for the taking in the lobby. Breakfast will be available – at an extra cost – from autumn 2018.

At the hotel

Superstar spa; outdoor fire pits; free WiFi and parking; Cali greenery galore (palm trees, cacti and olive trees by the spa). In rooms: Chromecast TV, in-room entertainment system, Waterworks brass fixtures, Revival New York bed linens, Carrara marble countertops, Acqua di Parma bath products, full-size minibars with vintage crystal stemware, air-conditioning, tea- and coffee-making kit.

Our favourite rooms

Deluxe King Rooms are spacious and swellegant; a highlight is the big bathroom, which has a walk-in shower and a freestanding soaking tub; a tiny Moroccan-style window with pretty shutters by the tub opens up to the living room. If you’ve got some extra bucks to spare, upgrade to the Junior Suite for its soaking-tub-graced patio (and private alfresco seating area) and cosy living area with a sofa and two armchairs. A lot of thought has gone into all of the Sands’ sleeping-quarters, from the vintage stemware to the bedside USB chargers. Top marks.

Poolside

Pack your finest bikini/beach shorts for the heated outdoor pool, flanked by sun loungers, daybeds and cabanas. A fleet of attendants clad in preppy pink polo shirts and white shorts are on hand to take food and drink orders and keep things looking shipshape; there’s also a towel station and an ear-pleasing soundtrack. Go for a dip at night, if you fancy...

Spa

Sitting pretty in the olive grove, the hotel’s spa has three treatment rooms and a list of treatments that look to North Africa for inspiration. Opt for the Royal Rhassoul body treatment or the Moroccan Radiance facial, perhaps.

Packing tips

Tennis rackets for the local courts. Light-sleepers might appreciate ear plugs to guard against any noise from the Nest, the live music bar next door. Bring a camera to capture the devil’s-in-the-detail design and interiors.

Also

Two of the Superior rooms are suitable for wheelchair-users. Aside from the second floor, the whole property is ADA compliant.

Pet‐friendly

For an extra $100 per booking, you can bring your pooch, too. They’ll be spoiled with a special canine welcome bag, containing doggy bags, treats and information on the best local walks. See more pet-friendly hotels in Greater Palm Springs.

Children

This is a gloriously child-free stay: it's over-18s only.

Food and Drink

Photos Sands Hotel & Spa food and drink

Top Table

Some like it hot; if you’re one of them, sit outside. Air-con-appreciators can remain as cool as the metaphorical cucumber by bagging barside seats.

Dress Code

Pretend you’re attending a poolside cocktail party in the Sixties, then dress accordingly. Bring vintage sparkle worthy of Betty Draper for the Mrs; kitsch shirts worthy of Don D for the Mr.

Hotel restaurant

The Pink Cabana riffs lovingly on the Californian racquet clubs that were popular in the Fifties and Sixties; picture punchy, fun decor and a menu that fuses Mediterranean and Moroccan influences. Sandwiches don’t get much better than the Pink Cabana’s chicken tagine batbout: a Moroccan-style sandwich starring curried chicken, raisins and yoghurt. Less pink, more green: the dining room is kitted out with vivid green walls, lending the space a memorable Old Hollywood feel.

Hotel bar

The restaurant has a cocktail-toting bar area; try the Pool Thyme Mimosa (prosecco, local citrus and thyme) or the Perroquet Pastis, made with Moroccan mint tea.

Last orders

The restaurant is open from 11am–9pm Sunday–Thursday (until 10pm on Friday and Saturday). The same hours apply to the bar.

Room service

Pick from a tempting selection of shared plates, mains, greens and vegetables during the restaurant's opening hours.

Location

Photos Sands Hotel & Spa location
Address
Sands Hotel & Spa
44-985 Province Way
Indian Wells
92210
United States

You’ll find Sands Hotel & Spa in the exclusive city of Indian Wells, which lies between Palm Desert and the resort town of La Quinta.

Planes

Palm Springs Airport is half an hour away by car; let Smith24 sort your flights.

Trains

It’s a 40-minute drive to Palm Springs station, which offers Amtrak services from Los Angeles, Tucson, El Paso, Albuquerque and San Antonio, Texas.

Automobiles

You can drive here from Palm Springs in 20 minutes; the hotel has on-site parking (including valets).

Worth getting out of bed for

The sunny city of Indian Wells is famous for its all-bells-and-whistles spa resorts, emerald golf courses, world-renowned tennis centre and fabulous fine dining. Year-round R&R are par for the course here. The main local pursuits are tennis – try Deep Canyon Tennis Club at Frank Feltrop Circle or admire the pros in action at the Indian Well Tennis Garden on Miles Avenue – and golf. Perfect your swing at JW Marriott Golf Club, at 74–855 Country Club Drive. Make the 45-minute drive to Joshua Tree National Park to admire stark desert landscapes, rugged rock formations and the Park’s eponymous, twisted Joshua trees.

Local restaurants

Try Wilma & Frieda’s for a comfort-food-style brunch; Italian joint Sirocco Pizza Company (44400 Indian Wells Lane) for lunch; and the Venue Sushi & Sake Bar for a relaxed dinner. If you want something a little more fancy, head to the Lavender Bistro and its twinkling candlelit garden on Calle Barcelona.

Local bars

Sip boozy creations at the Nest, your nocturnal next-door neighbour. This local favourite hosts buzzing live music nights, too.

Reviews

Photos Sands Hotel & Spa reviews

Anonymous review

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this hip hotel near Palm Springs and unpacked their vintage swimsuits and giant sunnies, a full account of their desert break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Sands Hotel & Spa in Indian Wells

If you’re not in touch with your inner Marilyn Monroe/Dean Martin before a trip to Sands Hotel & Spa, you certainly will be after one. This desert hideout  in the exclusive city of Indian Wells – where tennis and golf rule OK – has a ravishingly retro sensibility, which works a catnip call on visiting hipsters, bloggers, vloggers et al. Acclaimed British designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard is the man to thank for all the pops of pink and green, the Morocco-inspired tiles, dazzling prints, gold flourishes and kitsch curios; Mother Nature is to thank for the sizzling temperatures and desert greenery. Expect to spend a lot of time starfished by the preen-worthy pool, decorated with monochrome striped cabanas and daybeds. Reasons to get vertical again include the colourful Pink Cabana restaurant and bar, and that spoiling spa...

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Price per night from $190.03