Vacations Blog

I let my wife do the planning for my recent 40th birthday party; she suggested a local weekend getaway, sans kids. (I would have suggested a Chuck E. Cheese party, or perhaps a trip to the local indoor go-kart track – this is why she puts together our Social Calendar.) The thought of hanging out by a pool and drinking for two days was appealing. And the in-laws would provide babysitting services for the kids and the dog. And we’d be back in time for Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Done and done.

Where to go? For a 40th b-day, it seemed fitting that we kick it Old School, as the kids say (do they still say that?) The destination hotel would have to answer the question WWDDD – What Would Don Draper Do? I tell you what he’d do. He’d go to Palm Springs. And he’d stay at The Riviera.

The Riviera Resort and Spa is the epitome of mid-century cool. The hotel was originally built in 1959, and quickly became THE spot for the well-to-do Palm Springs visitor; among the regular guests (according to the resort’s media kit) were Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis (Presley, not Costello). The resort reopened after undergoing renovations in 2008, and the look and feel of early 60’s Cool permeates the place. Rooms are spacious, the suites are gigantic, and if you go during the offseason (like now, when daytime temperatures can go into the low 100’s – you see the golfers wearing stillsuits and dodging giant sandworms), rates are lower and upgrades can be found at a very reasonable price. There are two bars, and the restaurant offers both inside and outside dining; the food’s great, and reasonably priced for a destination resort.

A view of the main pool at The Riviera.

The epicenter of the resort is the main pool, and it’s quite a scene, at times resembling a Plastic Surgery Victims Convention. The pool gets VERY crowded; we rented a cabana for Saturday, and had to battle with other guests for extra lounge chairs (and a zealous manager, who made it a point to stop and ask us every 15 minutes if we were using all of the chairs). And if good service is something you like, be prepared for disappointment – with two exceptions (our waiter and bartender on Friday night, both of whom were excellent), the servers were slow and unresponsive, and in a couple of cases downright rude. (And while the food was decently priced, the drinks… I wouldn’t pay $65 for a pitcher of mojitos if Fidel Castro himself made them using his secret recipe and a conga drum-playing Desi Arnaz brought it to our table.)

Still, the place was undeniably cool. I’d definitely go back, and recommend it for anyone looking for a fun place to stay in Palm Springs.