PALM SPRINGS – A fabulous swimming pool complex. Some of the lushest landscaping in the valley. And an unbeatable location.
The Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage is hands-down the best family-friendly hotel I’ve stayed at in my half-dozen-or-so visits to the Palm Spring area; a truly wonderful spot I was able to enjoy with my wife, my Dad and his lady-friend.
We were able to get a pair of units next to each other, so it was easy to corral folks for trips or to get together on the patio for our 5 o’clock glass of wine. The rooms were quite large and nicely decorated in light, desert-like colours of gold and blue, with some small desert prints on the wall. We didn’t have a microwave but there was a coffee maker and a mini-fridge. The bathroom was huge, with a great shower, a make-up bench and mirror and more counter space than I’ve seen at almost any hotel I’ve been to.
The Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage, just south of Palm Springs. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Our rooms were directly outside the main pool, which is quite large and surrounded by palm trees, flowering bougainvillea and other plants. The hot tub is good-sized and features quite powerful jets; always a bonus in my book.
There’s a great kids’ swim complex adjacent to the main pool, with a pair of VERY fast water slides, a lazy river, a small sand beach and overhead toys that spray or dump buckets of water on the heads of delighted children (okay, and some adults).
The main pool complex also has a nice bar and restaurant, where he enjoyed a fine lunch of fish tacos and pretty good mai tais. Some of the seats look out over a beautiful, still pond on the Rancho Las Palmas Golf Course, which weaves its way around the resort and looks like a great layout. They’ve lined the fairway with dozens of slender palm trees that reflect in the still waters, as does the Spanish-style architecture of the main hotel building (white-washed walls and red-tiled roofs). The view is especially magical in the light of morning, with the sun shining on the snow-clad peak of Mt. San Jacinto in the distance.
The aforementioned main hotel building is a beauty and is surrounded (at least in late winter) with planters packed with snapdragons and pansies in vivid shades of pink, yellow and white. They also have comfy chairs and another pool near the lobby, plus gas-powered fire pits for those cool desert nights.
The lazy river feature at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa. JIM BYERS PHOTO
We had a lovely breakfast on the patio at BluEmber restaurant at the hotel, with fine waffles topped with ripe California strawberries and a delicious plate of chilaquiles; tortilla chips smothered in salsa, scrambled eggs, cheese, avocado, pulled pork and other goodies.
The hotel is perhaps a three-minute walk from The River, a lovely outdoor mall with a faux stream running through it and nice shops. Right next door is Babe’s, a fun spot for craft beer and barbeque specialties.
Downtown Palm Springs is less than a half-hour away, and you’re only a few minutes from the posh El Paseo shopping district in Palm Desert.
I didn’t stay the night there, but the folks at Miramonte Indian Wells Resort and Spa treated the four of us to an outstanding (and then some) chef’s dinner at their Citrus and Palm restaurant. Chef Paul Hancock, who grew up in North Carolina and likes to add the odd mid-Atlantic touch to his dishes, provided us a meal none of us will ever forget.
We got off to a tremendous start with a huge lobster salad with greens, grapefruit, avocado and Fresno chilies. Next up was a plate of green beans served with peanuts, crispy pancetta, chile yuzu glaze, fried shallots, mint and Thai basil. My Dad’s 87 and not the world’s most adventurous eater, but he called Chef Paul over to say thank you.
Mangalitsa Pork Chops at Citrus and Palm Restaurant at the Miramonte Indian Wells. PHOTO COURTESY CITRUS AND PALM
“I like green beans, but these are tremendous,” he said. “Best I’ve ever had.”
Dad’s friend, Lucy, generally likes here steak medium to medium well, but they served us a super-tender filet that was decidedly medium rare and it, too, got rave reviews. Hancock smiled when I asked him his secret, but a hotel worker later told me it involves a port wine reduction.
We also feasted on amazingly tender, crispy chicken, a nice serving of pasta with seafood and an amazing Mangalitsa Tomahawk pork chop, made from furry Mangalica pigs from Hungary that are sometimes called “the Kobe beef of pork.” It’s got a great type of fat, says Hancock, referring to the Mangalica pig as “a walking avocado.”
At one point during our meal, Hancock was talking about his vegetable garden. We commented on it and he disappeared for a minute, returning with a freshly-picked, large carrot in his hand that he had just pulled out of the ground. He cleaned it up, chopped it into bite-sized pieces and cooked it perfectly with honey and black pepper.
Hancock is also a whiz with desserts. We sampled crazy good, super-moist date cake with local dates, toasted coconut and toffee sauce, as well as a sensational eight-layer chocolate cake with Guillard chocolate ganache.
A truly remarkable meal from start to finish.
A decadent slice of chocolate layer cake at Citrus and Palm Restaurant. PHOTO COURTESY CITRUS AND PALM.
Hancock says he works with local farmers so they’ll get him exactly what he wants. He also makes regular trips to the coast to check on his favourite fishermen, where he said he enjoys watching them work and indulge in the odd bit of salty language.
The restaurant is a light and airy affair and has an open kitchen, allowing guests to see how it all comes together. It was a cool evening when we arrived, and the back patio at the resort was ablaze with light from a fire pit, with guests gathered around the fire admiring the outline of the mountains to the south.
Another fun food option is Chapelli’s in nearby La Quinta, which has excellent, creamy carbonara pasta, friendly service and an old-style, Manhattan feel. Not only that, everyone at the restaurant gets a small serving of bread pudding at the end of their meal, so you don’t need to order dessert.
My visit to the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa was paid for the hotel. My family’s meal at Citrus and Palm was paid for by the Miramonte Indian Wells Resort and Spa. Neither party approved of or saw this report prior to publication.
Comments or complaints: Email me: jim@jimbyerstravel.com
SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: @jimbyerstravel1
Twitter: @jimbyerstravel
