The Colony Palms Hotel and Bungalows — Hotel in Palm Springs

My husband surprised me with a local staycation for our 16th wedding anniversary and the entire experience was divine. ||Given that we are locals I know Palm Springs like the back of my hand, I’ve passed the Colony Palms countless times but have never been on property. So, when my husband decided to surprise me with a weekend getaway here, I was shocked that this little gem has been sitting under my nose all along. ||Upon arrival we were promptly greeted by Jared the valet who welcomed us and got us situated. As I walked into the hotel I was immediately transported to old Hollywood, everything about the place exuded vintage charm, from the classic green and white décor to the rich wood furniture. As I stood there surveying the lobby under dim filament lighting with soft jazz filling the space I couldn’t help but feel like any moment Rita Hayworth was going to sashay through the lobby doors. ||At check-in we were greeted and cared for by a pleasant woman named Tara who served each of us a glass of bubbly and walked us to our suite where we were greeted with bronze door plates engraved with our name. We were blown away by this special gesture, it truly is the little touches that makes a place memorable. ||As we opened the door to our suite the whole experience went from great to amazing, the room was exquisite! The décor which was vintage charm meets contemporary coolness immediately drew us into the space. The room which was airy, and light featured a beautiful fireplace as the focal point along with a sitting area situated next to the bed which looked clean and comfortable. The marvelous restroom was large and included a claw foot tub, with a separate shower area. Two separate doors on each end of the room led to the balcony which overlooked the pool and restaurant and was large enough to accommodate a sofa and two club chairs along with a separate area for dining. ||After scanning the room, my eyes landed on two champagne flutes next to a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries along with a note wishing us a Happy Anniversary. By this point I was so pleasantly surprised with the attention to detail and exceptional service thus far that I was wishing the weekend would never end.| |Once we got settled, we decided to get dressed and head down to the pool for the day. Upon reaching the pool, we were immediately approached by our server Josh who welcomed us with a warm smile and ensured all our wants and needs were taken care of. After enjoying a delectable lunch, the rest of the day was spent sipping Rose poolside on a comfy daybed surrounded by lush green foliage with soft background music. The entire atmosphere was a vibe which catered to all my senses and left me feeling as if all the tension had melted out of my body the moment my toes touched the water. ||After such a lovely day we simply didn’t want to go off property for dinner, so we decided to dine at the restaurant. The ambiance of the restaurant was on par with the rest of the property. Our server, Nate was welcoming, graciously answered all our questions, and made excellent dinner recommendations which we greatly enjoyed. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the name of my chicken dish which I seriously regret not notating as I have never had a more tender, moist and flavorful chicken, each bite was pure perfection. Ezekiel who also tended to us went above and beyond to ensure we enjoyed our anniversary dinner with a lovely bottle of wine, after which we retired for the evening. ||When we awoke in the morning, we headed back down to the restaurant for breakfast. |Our server, Elizabeth was a vibrant woman, and our interaction with her was a refreshing start to our day. As a light morning eater, I chose to go with their avocado toast and peanut butter date protein smoothie, one word Delicious! Avocado toast is standard anywhere you go but the Colony Club somehow managed to take avocado toast to the next level, the bread was soft and fresh while the avocado had a guacamole consistency with a light lemon taste which in my opinion brought the whole dish together wonderfully. ||After breakfasting my husband surprised me with a massage appointment, so we headed down to the spa to meet our masseuses Elizabeth and Christina who checked us in and provided us with a relaxing experience. |||Alas our short weekend was over! :( Our check-out process however was seamless thanks to Skylar at the front desk and Martin our valet. |||I’m not often so benevolent with my reviews and to be completely honest as a mother, wife and entrepreneur I seldom have the time to write them, I say this to provide some perspective on how truly enjoyable our experience was, so much so that I honestly have nothing negative to say. This property which is an adult only hotel was a welcome respite from our daily lives as parents. Although we chose to stay locally to make the most of our time while still being close if needed the whole experience made it feel as if we were miles away. I truly appreciated the staff’s exceptional service and their consistent attempt to go above and beyond to make our short stay truly memorable. I want to give a special thanks to Bruno Santos the General Manager as my husband later revealed how instrumental, accommodating and truly helpful he was in fulfilling my husband’s requests and making this weekend beyond special. ||The Colony Palms will forever hold a special place in my heart as this was the perfect romantic weekend for our 16th Anniversary. ||Thank you Colony Palms!!!!!||||** Side note this is a historical property which in my opinion adds to its charm. |Please keep in mind as with any historical property don't expect modern perfection if this is what you are seeking then this may not be the...

We were so excited to hear and have a booking at the CPH with the new owner/team. We have been going to CPH for years (When the restaurant was The Purple Palm) and thru all its highs and lows. Unfortunately this was a low for us. Totally understanding the growing pains (We were there March 25-28) and ironing out ALL the kinks if you are seriously aspiring for the 5⭐️ experience–Even open later in the year to QA ALL the details.

A few misses for the CPH: -3rd Party Bookings. As noted in an earlier a review from another guest, our booking with Hotel.com was “lost” and it took 3 attempts on my part to confirm the reservation-the last attempt to confirm and honor it was at the lobby during check-in. The previous 2 attempts where made by Hotels.com reaching out directly to CPH and I was confirmed both times by H.com that we were booked.

-“Adults Only”. Adults Only means Adults Only and as noted in other recent reviews there were kids present at the last evening we where there 🙌🏽 and I asked the same question as we were being given a tour by William and he verified it was AO. Additionally at the time CPH’s site was giving the option for how many kids traveling?! (It’s still giving that option as I post this review)

-Self Parking vs. Valet. I asked if valet was the only option or can we self park(we could self-park in previous incarnations of CPH. Which makes it handy if you want to get something in the auto and use the side access points.) Never got an answer but found out PAINFULLY with our folio listing it was $40 every time you asked for your vehicle!

-Room Misses. One of the dresser drawers immediately misaligned as I pulled it out. Called the lobby to let them know and was given a $20 food voucher and a technician would repair it–it never happened. We were in an upper room pool/garden view and there are only 2 windows; a small one in the bathroom which opened and a larger set by the bed. The larger windows by the bed would not open because the hinged/cranks were missing. Ugh. Now there was these lovely vines growing over the windows and I don’t know if the crank-less windows were to protect it but we didn’t have the option of cross-air ventilation, unless we left the room door open. No Nespresso/Coffee appliance in the room even though it was stated in the room details there should be one. I miss the days of complimentary coffee available every morning poolside.

We are giving a very generous 2⭐️ because we’re biased and really do love the CPH, the great travelers we meet there and the revamped The...

Extremely disappointing to say the least.

We previously stayed at this hotel —before their closure & renovation by the new owners— and what was supposed to be an improvement ended up being a major let-down.

We stayed 2 nights, and specifically requested a very quiet bungalow with a private courtyard, which is their most expensive bungalow.

Our “quiet” bungalow ended up being located directly on Indian Canyon Drive at the intersection of another street, Via Colusa. Indian Canyon Drive is a major 4-way street that is quite busy. It was probably the most exposed bungalow, and we never got to use our private courtyard, as traffic was incredibly loud. We had to keep the windows closed at all time because of the traffic noise.

The hotel is supposed to have been renovated under new ownership, and reopened less than 2 months ago. We assumed everything would have been brand spanking new, but: -Base of shower was stained and cracked. -Half the light switches were not operational. -No hooks in the bathroom to hang clothes or robes. -Tiny closet with hardly any hanging space. -Incredibly loud ventilation in the non-decorated (read: bare walls) restroom. -Shower head was squeaking when water is running. -No full length mirror anywhere in the room. -Noisy mini fridge humming sounds all night long. -You can’t figure out the TV as the channels are just plain numbers with no channel names. -A 7-ft tall plexiglass insert next to the front door will blind you with the morning light, and prevent you from sleeping after 6:30AM. Is it too much to ask to be able to sleep in a hotel room? We mentioned the noisy room at check-out. Not one apology.

After all taxes and fees, we paid close to $700 for each night (just for the room), which would have been fine if only the room amenities felt a bit more luxurious, and if our courtyard had been usable. Unfortunately, this is an outrageous amount for a small, impractical, and very noisy room.

Speaking of charges, beware that there are lots of hidden and unexpected charges! Parking your car is a crazy $40 per day, and another outrageous daily “Resort Fee” of over $50 will be automatically charged. Just between these 2 charges, your daily bill will go up by $100! Several minibar items that we didn’t use were charged. It took us multiple back-and-forth to get these charges reversed, which was further aggravating.

Very sad —as we used to love this hotel— but between the noise, the charges and the impracticalities, we will definitely never be returning to the...