Review of the Alcazar Hotel, Palm Springs

by Scott S. Smith and Sandra Wells

The Alcazar Hotel in Palm Springs, Calif., https://alcazarpalmsprings.com/ gives a first impression of a Spanish colonial hacienda, a style popular when it was first built. But since its redesign and opening as a boutique hotel in 2011, it has the cool, sleek, white minimalist interior that fits its location in the bustling Uptown Design District. Yet the rooms are surprisingly quiet, the perfect oasis near the San Jacinto Mountains, yet just a stroll from the fun. It's also the rare local hotel whose modest $15 nightly resort fee includes convenient parking and the amenities below. Check-in is normally 3 p.m. (but ask about room availability if you want to arrive earlier) and checkout is 11 a.m. Dogs up to 40 lbs. are welcome for a $50 charge.

The outside patio with a virtual waterfall wall is relaxing place to meet in a city where there are 300 days of sunshine a year (only in June-September do average highs go over 100°). During our March 2021 visit, the staff was very easy to work with and responsive to requests. Next to the front desk is the snack room, with coffee, OJ, and pastries available from 7:30 a.m. and espresso and tea all day (at 8 a.m. the adjacent Cheeky's opens for breakfast, while Birba offers dinner and cocktails). Just behind the office is the business center with a computer, printer, wireless Internet access (also available in the rooms), and a small conference table. Parked in the patio are easy-to-ride Towne bikes for free use to explore the neighborhood. 

The normally saltwater-purified pool is, understandably, using chlorine during this time. It and the Jacuzzi are very popular, so with social distancing, you may not always find a lounge chair, but if you do, you can hang out as late as midnight (we went to bed early and were surprised there was no noise, so guests tend to be considerate, it seems).

The entire hotel has just 34 (non-smoking) rooms and each one is unique, so you can choose to have a private patio or a fireplace, for example. The size means response to requests is quick, you aren't put on hold for 10 minutes when you call the front desk, and you don't have to wait for elevators from the umpteenth floor. There are no in-room safes, so you can either stow valuables in your car or the office.

It was nice to be handed a real key--no struggling with an uncooperative cardkey to get in. Our Poolside King Deluxe was 210 sq. feet, but seemed larger, with plenty of room to move around and set down our gear. We particularly enjoyed the quiet and adjustable ceiling fan. The lighting was much better than most hotels, who make it too dim in an attempt at sophistication. It was nice to have a mini-frig, a set of drawers to separate clothing, and closet doors with that were mirrored (inside were the bathrobes and iron and board). The was a desk and an unusually comfy easy chair (for a contemporary design). The phone was conveniently direct dial for local calls. The art throughout the hotel is by noted fantasy painter Kelly Tunstall, an occasional guest.

The TV was a Samsung 40" LED flat screen with cable on the wall across from the bed, which was easy to see, but the sound was a tad unclear for Sandra (we always find the onscreen guide laborious to scroll through and prefer a printed list of channels so we can go right to our faves; most guests apparently prefer to browse and see what's on).

The most important element of any room is the mattress and secondarily, pillows. Inexplicably, hotel reviews in books and elsewhere often don't rate them, as if every top hotel had comfortable bedding. We've been all over the world doing this, from the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong to the Four Seasons Giza in Cairo, so we have some perspective when we say this bed and the two pillows for each of us were among the best we've ever had. Italian linens added to the comfort.

We were impressed that with plenty of space for the bedroom, the bathroom and walk-in shower were separated from that rarest of amenities in contemporary hotels, a full-length, deep bathtub in its own room (but it did require some experimenting to understand how to get the water the right temperature).

Overall, we had a very pleasurable stay at the Alcazar and would award it four out of five stars.