From artsy, boutique hotels in New Mexico to a revolutionary restaurant in Baja, explore what’s new in these desert cities around San Diego.

Coachella Valley

Terra Palm Springs, Palm Springs

Serenity-seeking guests (and, presumably, the free-spirited ghosts of naked people) roam this 13-room wellness escape that was once a clothing-optional resort. Opened a year ago, it offers exclusive, 24-hour access to a Himalayan salt sauna, cold plunge pool, and rain room. For food and drink, it’s tonics and juice cleanses, plus poolside bites from Michael Beckman, exec chef of the nearby Workshop Kitchen + Bar.

Casa Palma Hotel & Bungalows, Palm Springs

Opened last year on the historic, two-acre Movie Colony neighborhood property originally built by actor Errol Flynn (it was called the Normandy then), this is a micro-hotel for people who love Taschen books. Casa Palma reimagined the place as a minimalist, veneers-white 33-room escape with pickleball; tennis; and a mountain view bistro serving breakfast, salads, and sandwiches.

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DSRT Surf, Palm Desert

“Surfing in the desert” sounds like an absurd ayahuasca notion, but the Coachella Valley already has one wave pool (Palm Springs Surf Club), and, soon, a 5.5-acre surf lagoon will anchor DSRT Surf, an incoming resort at the Desert Willow Golf Courses. Planned for completion in mid-2026, it’ll include a 139-room hotel, 57 luxury villas, and restaurants.

New Mexico

Hotel Willa, Taos

Last spring, the Casetta Group (the same folks who own SD’s Pearl Hotel) resuscitated an old motor lodge in Taos, a longtime beacon for creatives, and named it after Willa Cather (who finished her novel Death Comes to the Archbishop in town). The 51-room Hotel Willa has adobe architecture, an artist residency, a pool with a giant weeping willow nearby, and a seasonal restaurant from husband-and-wife duo chef Johnny Ortiz Concha and artist Maida Branch.

Arrive Albuquerque, Albuquerque

Originally built in 1965 as the Downtowner, a classic, six-story inn on the motel-culture strip of Route 66 in downtown Albuquerque cycled through several identities before last year, when Palisociety reimagined it with the Secret Gallery (featuring modern work from Southwest artists), a cocktail bar, a restaurant, and 137 dog-friendly rooms. Like any good desert road trip hotel, Arrive Albuquerque hotel is a cheeky, midcentury affair centered around an umbrella-shaded pool scene and those strappy ’80s patio loungers.

Leo’s, Santa Fe

After forming Vital Spaces, an org that leased abandoned warehouses and rented them at a low cost to artists, furniture designer Jonathan Boyd launched Leo’s, a no-signage, no-reservations restaurant last August with James Beard Award–winning chef Zakary Pelaccio. It focuses on Thai and Malaysian dishes—catfish sum tum, pork belly with garlic prik phao, fried chicken with tofu-mustard sauce and jiao chili sauce—plus natural wines and inventive cocktails. It promptly landed on Esquire’s Best New Restaurants of 2025.

Arizona

Trailborn Grand Canyon, Williams

Trailborn is the base camp of hotel groups. It’s focused on America’s grand outdoorsy arenas, with spots in the Rockies; the Blue Ridge Mountains; and now, Williams, a mile from the Grand Canyon Railroad Depot. This kitchy, 96-room roadside hotel offers a moody, wood-paneled steakhouse; adventure excursions; free breakfast inside a bustling “camp hall;” and front-row access to the fanfare of Route 66’s centennial celebration this year.

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Kimpton Miralina Resort & Villas, Paradise Valley

Early this year, Paradise Valley (the mountain-wrapped town neighboring Scottsdale) will welcome the 40-acre Kimpton Miralina, with six pools; more than 400 rooms and villas; and three restaurants, including Hecho Libre, a new Baja-inspired concept from fellow Beard semifinalist Wes Avila (known for Angry Egret Dinette and MXO in Los Angeles).

International Dark Sky Discovery Center, Fountain Hills

As cities grow and stargazing becomes an endangered pastime, an org called International Dark Sky Places works to protect the best areas in the world to behold night skies. One of them is Fountain Hills on the outskirts of Phoenix. This summer, it’ll get even better with a $28 million discovery center featuring a massive telescope, a planetarium, science exhibits, and a stargazing terrace.

Nevada

Cote Korean Steakhouse, Las Vegas

Cote is the only Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse in the US, an idea from Seoul-born and James Beard nominated chef and restaurateur Simon Kim. Part of The Venetian’s $1.5 billion renovation, it’s a show—18,000 square feet, with stadium seating, VIP skyboxes, a crow’s nest DJ booth, a glowing central bar, 1,200 wine bottles, and the inimitable buzz of energetic impulse spending.

F1 Arcade, Las Vegas

2025 was a big year for Formula 1 racing—the sport celebrated 75 years with a Brad Pitt film (for which Rancho Bernardo–based Sony Electronics created a one-of-a-kind camera that took viewers inside the cockpit), and Caesars Palace welcomed a 21,000-square-foot F1 Arcade where fans can flex their inner Lando Norris with 87 racing simulators.

GSR Arena, Reno

When built in the 1970s as the MGM Grand, the Grand Sierra Resort was one of the biggest hotels in the world with over 1,000 rooms. Almost 50 years later, it’s nearly doubled its occupancy and is undergoing a billion dollar upgrade. The star will be the $435 million, 10,000-seat GSR Arena, which broke ground in September. Once completed (hopefully in fall 2027), it’ll be home to the University of Nevada men’s basketball team.

Utah

Dendric Estate, Kamas

Utah’s High West Distillery was a groundbreaker, the first legal distillery in Utah when it opened in 2006. Now High West’s master distiller Brendan Coyle has left to open his dream project with his wife, Carly. They purchased 20 acres in Kamas Valley at the foothills of the Uinta mountain range, where they’re growing high elevation apples and flipping them into bone-dry boozy cider with Dendric Estate. You can tour the estate or wait for the onsite tasting room, planned for 2027.

The Inn at Sundance Mountain Resort, Sundance

In 2020, Robert Redford sold his famed, conservationist-minded mountain ski resort to Broadreach Capital Partners and Cedar Capital Partners, who promised to keep his “build some, preserve more” vision going. Since, it’s earned a Michelin Key. This month, The Inn at Sundance Mountain Resort—a 63-room, ski-in/ski-out inn—opens with views of the 12,000-foot Mount Timpanagos. Perched right out front, the Outlaw Express chair lift takes you to the Mandan summit in seven minutes (getting there used to take 20). There’s a wrap-around porch, relaxation pools, a sauna, outdoor showers, and a cold plunge at The Springs.

Canopy by Hilton Deer Valley East Village, Park City

Four years after hosting the Winter Olympics, famed ski-only resort Deer Valley is undergoing a massive expansion of its East Village, including eight new hotels (the Grand Hyatt is already there, and the Four Seasons and others are incoming). Scheduled to open this summer, Canopy will be Hilton’s 180-room, ski-in/ ski-out property with après-ski and rooftop lounges. Deer Valley has also added 2,000 additional acres of skiable slopes, 100 new runs, and 10 new chairlifts.

Baja

Diego, Valle de Guadalupe

In the 2010s, Ensenada-born chef Diego Hernández was a headliner in the food-culture revolution in Valle de Guadalupe with Corazón de Tierra—named number 30 in the 2018 “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list. It closed in 2020 (damn pandemic!). Last January, he returned with an eponymous 40-seat restaurant, Diego, inside Valle’s Museo de La Vid y El Vino, relying on onsite gardens and in-house butchery to prepare seasonal, multi-course tasting menus and à la carte dishes nodding to his Corazón roots.

Kadún, Cabo San Lucas

Over the years, the trend in Cabo resorts has been to get away from the action with secluded beachfront hideouts. Well, not all who travel to Cabo want to be tucked away. Last October, Mexico Grand Hotels (known for elaborate luxury resorts like Marina Fiesta and El Encanto) opened a smaller but still opulent thing: Kadún, a 110-room hotel with a rooftop pool and sundeck. It’s within walking distance to the Cabo Marina (the Vegas of Baja’s southern tip) and Medano Beach (one of the only swimmable beaches in Cabo).

Ensenada Bay Village, Ensenada

Carnival Cruise Line has a vested interest in building up the ports it parks in. It’s established spots in Grand Turk, Roatan, and Cozumel, and its next elaborate disembarkment project is a $26 million beachside playground in Ensenada, planned for completion in 2027. Expect a sort of Pinocchio’s Island isthmus packed with zip lines, dune buggy rides, river rides, an adult pool, thermal springs, a spa, and wine and cheese pairings from Valle de Guadalupe (the wine region is 15 minutes inland).

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Photos Courtesy of Beth Demmon

Take the vogue of Palm Springs, add it to the Instagrammability of Joshua Tree, slash the size of the crowds—and prices—and what’s left is The Courts. The four court tennis club in the heart of Anza Borrego Desert State Park isn’t just for hitting some balls around, although there’s ample space to do so across the five-acre sprawl.

The compound also boasts an outdoor pool and covered cabana, hot tub, basketball court, painstakingly designed clubhouse, coffee bar, communal library and grill, two fully stocked camper trailers to rent, and all the desert scenery one could ask for. It’s like walking into a Wes Anderson set, but without Bill Murray lurking around (yet).

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Owned and operated by partners and artists Adil Dara and Leah Goren, The Courts seem more like a desert mirage than an actual venue. Anyone who’s spent time in the desert knows what I mean: there’s a stillness, a mystical quality to the bleak landscape. When someone curates it to the level Dara and Gohen have, it’s otherworldly.

Every detail across the property has been restored or built according to their sharp aesthetic (which makes sense, considering they also run a design studio). For those too far for a visit, there’s even an online shop to get your kitsch fix.

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The town of Borrego Springs doesn’t have the glitz and glam of nearby Palm Springs and, frankly, I prefer the solitude of the sparsely populated oasis. When I visited The Courts for a weekend stay this past spring, I didn’t see a single other person on the grounds, although on tennis tournament weekends, I doubt that’s the case. I also doubt this “hidden gem” will remain as tranquil as it has forever. Due to the staggeringly (and increasingly) hot summers, The Courts is only open between October and May and campers book up fast.

Campers fit up to three guests, but from personal experience, I recommend capping it at two (unless the third member of said party is a child—the fold-out bed is best suited for the diminutive.) Be sure to bring plenty of flashlights: Borrego Springs is a designated International Dark Sky Community, and they mean it.

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Even with the glow from a crackling campfire, the night sky is almost entirely void of residual light pollution and it makes for some epic star-gazing. Other necessities? Cocktail supplies, a tennis towel, a floppy Coachella-style hat (not a headdress, please), and perhaps an extra phone battery charger. Expect to take pics. Lots of pics.

Without traffic, it takes about two hours from downtown San Diego to arrive at The Courts, so while a day trip is certainly doable, staying the night is never a bad idea. The Courts’ campers aren’t the only place to stay in town, although it’s relatively slim pickins in the rural area, so I strongly recommend making a reservation at a nearby spot ahead of time.

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Because, let’s face it, we all need a drink after a rousing tennis match or two. I’m more of a pickleball player myself, so if a tennis court can turn me, it’s gotta be pretty legit. Consider me a Courts convert.

The Courts (286 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs) is open seasonally for public tennis play on Fridays from 1 p.m. – 8 p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sundays from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Day passes are $20, and camper reservations are available here.

Glamp with a Butler

Is our California Adventure Bucket List too intense for you? La Quinta Resort & Club in Palm Springs partnered with outfitter Camp’d Out to develop a luxury camping experience inside a national park that lets you enjoy nature with (lots of) creature comforts. They’ll set you up in the otherworldly landscape of Joshua Tree in a large tent with Waldorf Astoria bedding, butler service, and a meal for two. Even better, you’ll wake up in the desert chill to a cup of freshly made coffee.

Sip Around SoCal

This month kicks off the California Wine Festival, a celebration of sipping that happens in multiple cities in Southern California over the course of a few months. It starts in Dana Point on April 17 and makes a stop in Carlsbad at the Park Hyatt Aviara on May 29 and 30 before going back up to the coast to Santa Barbara on July 17. Sample wines from all over the state, including acclaimed vineyards in Napa.

Book a High-Design Hotel

There’s a new place to hang your hat in Palm Springs. Les Cactus is a small boutique property (only 27 rooms) that has the cozy feel of an Airbnb, albeit a really well designed one—common areas have funky pineapple wallpaper, decorative cacti made from rattan, and breezy hammocks. It’s in a refurbished building that dates back to the ’30s, and it’s close to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

Glamping in Joshua Tree

GRAB your bags! We’ve got 13 flyable and road-tripable destinations, packed with secret wine tours, outdoor theater, rooftop yoga, and regatta-viewing madness.

Ojai, CA

Gaszton Gal

Joshua Tree

Palm Springs

Picasa

Las Vegas

Photographer: Alina Solovyova-Vi

Borrego Springs

Los Angeles

Santa Barbara

Adrian Houston

Paso Robles

Lake Tahoe

Joy Strotz

Guadalupe Valley

Todos Santos

San Francisco

Portland, Oregon

Isaac Koval

Sirtaj Beverly Hills Hotel

RivaBella

Vespa

Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe

Vacation Home

Mountain Livin’… at the Ritz

Time to upgrade that log cabin. If you have an extra $1.25 to $4.5 million lying around, you could own one of 23 luxury penthouse condos recently opened as The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Lake Tahoe. The two-, three-, and four-bedroom residences come with an all-season pass, ski valet and concierge services, private entrance, and priority access to the hotel’s spa and restaurants. Three of the penthouses are custom homes designed by Jay Jeffers, in what he calls “California Mountain” style. Own 3,000 square feet at 7,000 square feet, at a ski-in, ski-out residence in a Forbes Four-Star and AAA Five-Diamond resort? Where do we sign?

Oia

Art

Travel… in Your Imagination

Following a two-month painting trip in the Mediterranean, local artist and native San Diegan Grant Pecoff will show his series of plein-air and studio paintings called Greece & Croatia: Mediterranean Summer at his Little Italy gallery. Receiving the signature Pecoff treatment were Greece’s blue-domed churches, valleys of olive trees, and views from monasteries and mountaintops. He also painted from the vantage point of Croatia’s medieval fortresses and while sailing through 400 islands. “When you open your heart to the environment and people around you, everything seems so much more vibrant and alive,” says Pecoff. Indeed. Artist’s reception is April 13; oil paintings on display through April. Pecoff Gallery, 1825 India Street, pecoff.com

golfer

Now Playing

Swingers in Vegas: See celebs swing golf clubs (last year, stars like Wayne Gretzky and Tom Welling competed) at the 12th Annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational in Las Vegas, April 4–7. Shadow Creek Golf Course at ARIA Resort & Casino. mjcigolf.com

382,376

Americans traveled to Mexico during Spring Break 2012

Source: mexicotoday.org