Celebrate New Year’s Eve with an escape to The Willows Historic Palm Springs Inn, a luxurious eight-suite inn featuring all the amenities of a full-service resort only without the crowds. Rooms are still available for December 31 and a three-night minimum stay is required. Rates start at $325.00 per night.
Bid farewell to 2012 with a quiet escape to the desert where guests have the option of enjoying the luxe surroundings of The Willows or ringing in the New Year at one of the many venues around town. Le Vallauris, located across the street from The Willows, will offer an elegant New Year’s Eve prix fixe menu with a live band and party favors. LuLu Palm Springs, located a short walk from The Willows, will serve a special four-course dinner with party favors and live music. Those who want a more energetic start to the new year can attend the Spa Resort Casino’s Club Glo featuring DJs, dancing, a midnight balloon drop and a date with Lady Luck on the casino floor. The Fabulous Follies, a Palm Springs institution, will offer a pair of performances on New Year’s Eve with guests receiving a Swag Bag, hat and noisemakers.
Afterwards, revelers can sequester themselves behind the gates of The Willows for a peaceful slumber and awaken to elegant surroundings on the first day of the year. Built in 1925 for prominent Los Angeles resident William Mead and his wife, Nella, The Willows has enjoyed an illustrious history. Designed by William J. Dodd, whose portfolio included such landmark buildings as the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner and The Pacific Center, this once private home sheltered famed New York attorney Samuel Untermyer as well as silent screen star Marion Davies, remembered as much for her 30 year affair with William Randolph Hearst as her movie roles and business savvy.
With just eight suites, each boasting its own architectural flair and unique design elements, The Willows is a welcome departure from the many low-slung, mid-century hotels and non-descript resorts that dot the arid landscape. Guests can slumber in the Marion Davies Room, named for the inn’s most famous resident, with its large fireplace, two-person claw foot tub and private balcony; or Einstein’s Garden Room, where the famed genius often stayed, cradled in Art Deco elegance with French doors that swing open to reveal a private balcony overlooking a waterfall. All rooms are a study in elegance with king or queen-size beds, plush linens and hand-selected antique furniture reminiscent of the era in which the inn was built. Modern amenities within each suite are plentiful and include high-speed Internet data port, iPod docking station, individual climate control, flat screen television with cable access and DVD player, en suite coffee maker and refrigerator plus plush robes for lounging.
Each stay includes a three-course, gourmet breakfast served in the stunning dining room with an adjoining verandah overlooking the inn’s 50-foot waterfall. After a day of shopping, golfing, tennis or lounging by the inn’s intimate pool, guests can gather on one of the outdoor terraces or inside the reception area for evening wine and hors d’oeuvres. Fresh fruit, seasonal edibles, iced tea and other refreshments are available throughout the day. Room service is provided by Le Vallauris, the critically-acclaimed French restaurant located adjacent to the inn.
One block from the inn is Palm Canyon Drive, a pedestrian-friendly shopping and dining destination. The Willows is also just a short distance from some of the desert’s best championship golf courses, tennis facilities, and luxury spas. The staff can assist with tee times as well as reservations for dinner, wellness and spa treatments, and other welcome desert distractions.
The Willows Historic Palm Springs Inn, a AAA Four Diamond property and one of TripAdvisor’s top-ranked inns in Palm Springs, is located at 412 West Tahquitz Canyon Way just one-block south of Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs. For reservations and information, call 800.966.9597 or visit us online at www. TheWillowsPalmSprings.com.
