To be honest, I haven’t put much thought into my retirement until recently. It wasn’t the stock market’s rally these past couple of days that sparked my interest in a pending “trip into the sunset,” it was my buddy Jay’s trip (livin’ the dream Mr. Carroll, livin’ the dream) to the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. He sent back a whole bunch of photographs of the new design focused hotel – or should I call it a motor lodge? – that instantly struck me as what I envision my retirement to look like, kitschy, cool and warm. And you know there’s no question as to what brand of beer I’ll be swigging poolside. Why wait for your retirement, book a flight and head to the Ace in the desert. An in-depth look at what’s waiting for you at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club after the jump.
The Ace is really a domain of relaxation. Might even say “A bene placito”.
The Ace lives up to its hype. I was there in February and it was the perfect weekend get-away. The hospitality was great, the food was amazing and the design and environment was unique and very relaxing. We couldn’t ask for more. To top things off, they serve my version of the “high life”, Tecate. In a can. In a beer coozie. (pictured above)
I’m doing some work near there a few times a week and I dropped in about two weeks ago to check it out. The staff was very friendly and I was given a full tour of the facilities. I’d been following the progress on this project I was curious about how it would turn out, and I gotta say it exceeded my expectations in every way. Great design details and amenities, down to the taxidermy diorama above the front desk and the cool Moroccan kaftan bathrobes in every room (to name two things that these pictures didn’t really capture). I was pissed that I forgot to take pictures so thanks for posting these. I also got lunch in the Kings Highway restaurant and the food was excellent and strangely inexpensive. I have a feeling they’ll tweak those lunch prices up a tick.
I’m looking forward to staying there soon and a little bit afraid that this place will turn into the frat boy party hotel by the end of Spring, ruining it for the grownups.
Great photographs. Can anyone tell me what type of lights those are hanging over the headboards?
Great place. I was there two weeks ago for a much needed “weekender” and while the hotel is technically going through a soft opening, I found the staff, service and amenities to be spot on.
Wow. These are truly fabulous shots that accurately depict the vibe at the Ace. I stayed there last month and was blown away by the service, the hip bar and the design of the rooms. I highly recommend the hotel to everyone considering a trip to Palm Springs. Here’s a link to the post I wrote about our stay:
as a swede, bringing up fjallraven was totally okay. ace of base not so much
Ha ha Kim! My good friend likes to say “ace of base” when something is good, so it seems I’ve adopted that.
ACL
Stayed in Seattle and in Portland – just a great place to hole up for awhile. And their dry goods – blankets, bags – are spot on.
Very, very groovy. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
When the Area-51 flyboys complete the cross-hatch chemtrails one can play sky tic-tac-toe twixt one’s ears as the magical mystery pixie dust wafts Ace-ward. Eden.
Just stayed there this past Sunday night after a weekend of camping in the desert. So relaxing, well designed, and the food we had at the restaurant was a-mazing. My wife and I just stayed in the Standard King, and it was only $89 – An astonishing price for all of the amenities and good vibes…
I was born in Palm Springs but now live in Brooklyn, and while I love Brooklyn with all of my heart and soul, your post is just another reminder of how much I miss the desert sometimes. And while I said I would never return on a permanent basis, the prettyful pictures just serve as a reminder that my future 78-year-old, loafer-wearing, 12-persian-cat-owning ass is probably going to find himself walking around those desert sands yet again.
Like William, I was born and raised in Palm Springs. I now live in San Francisco, and while I love it dearly, there is nothing my heart yearns for more than the vast expanses of the desert, the shitty hot death sweaty weather, and swimming pools in every backyard. Only since living in cities (NY and SF) have I truly been able to appreciate the inherent quiet of desert landscapes. It’s interesting (and sometimes really frustrating) how Palm Springs kitsch is becoming chic and modernist architecture, which was so relevant to its particular historical moment, is now all of a sudden so relevant. To me, Palm Springs was the place of my childhood, and not some glossy photoshoot. However, I am so glad to see it getting the proper attention it deserves because I always felt that it was lovely.
I usually stay at the Orbit In or a few others when I need my weekend fill of The Springs modernism, but I think I’ll give this a try, tho I must say there is something vaguely creepy looking about the place too, Manson-family-hideout-esque possibly?
I recently stayed at the Ace in Palm Springs. The rooms are nicely decorated, the vibe is cool and laid back. It had a half and half mixture of adults and “Abercrombie” college kids….but because of the 2 pools, it’s easy to separate the two groups. The biggest complaint I had was that you can hear everything in the rooms. Footsteps, doors, conversations….everything. Get a downstairs room by the small pool with a fire place, if you have the choice. But my final assessment is, I’d rather stay at The Parker for one night of bliss, than at The Ace for 3 nights of mediocre.