Colony Palms Hotel

Once a hideaway for owner and purported Purple Gang mobster Al Wertheimer, who equipped the property with a basement casino, speakeasy, and a brothel, this recently renovated 1936 three-acre Spanish property is a welcome departure from the Midcentury Modern and Hollywood Regency styles so prevalent in Palm Springs, California. The reception area is small, but the lush courtyard serves as an outdoor lobby where cool guests such as rock singer Perry Farrell might be spotted dining at the Purple Palms restaurant or sunbathing on supersize lounge chairs by the mammoth open-all-night pool trimmed with Spanish tiles. Fashion and design folks unpack in the 58 Moroccan-inspired guest rooms and suites, all featuring custom Suzani headboards, Matteo linens, and iPod docking stations. For boldfaced names in search of privacy, the casita rooms built in the 1950s also offer Bullard-designed private patios with two-person tubs and daybeds.