La Serena Villas

Palm Springs may be virtually synonymous with mid-century modernism, but it’s far from the only style in town. La Serena Villas is the latest transformation of a 1933-vintage Spanish-style hotel, and while its new owners have thoroughly updated it for the boutique-hotel era, they’ve kept its stylistic inspiration intact — in fact you’d be hard pressed to find a lovelier example of colonial-contemporary architecture and design.

Despite its central location, just off Palm Canyon Drive, La Serena feels pleasantly private, a compound comprising 18 individual bungalows, each with a kitchenette and a private patio with an outdoor bathtub. They’re not all identical — some are rather more elaborate than others — but all are luxe enough, and certainly more than spacious enough. (They’re also dog-friendly, if that’s your travel style.)

There’s a lovely pool just off the lobby, and a second one at Whispers, the spa, which forms something of a compound within a compound. Bikes are available for guests to borrow, for a spin around downtown Palm Springs. Just be sure you’re back in time for dinner — Azúcar, the poolside restaurant, serves Mediterranean- and Mexican-inspired Californian fare, and has a lively bar to go along with it.