The Coachella Valley Has Been a Popular

SoCal Retreat Since the 1920's

If wonderful desert and mountain views are etched into your memory for safe keeping or if two great new golf courses are your golfer’s dream or if world famous speakers at dinner tease your quest for knowledge and challenge your intellect or if lush surroundings of beauty and affluence get your attention, then Indian Wells is the place.

This delightful, perfectly-groomed resort community, a desert destination without peers, meets the expectations of the most discriminating visitor and is the jewel of California’s Coachella Valley.  Situated 16 miles and four communities east of Palm Springs at the eastern end of the valley, Indian Wells offers superb resort accommodation to go with that beauty and special sort of charm to create a combination of all things good that appeals to its multitude of visitors at every turn and year around.

That resort accommodation comes in four packages.  Surrounded by the two golf courses are The Renaissance Esmeralda Hotel and Spa and The Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, Villas and Spa.  And just across Highway 111, the city’s main thoroughfare, are the Miramonte Resort and Spa and The Indian Wells Resort Hotel.  Together they offer 1,416 rooms complete with many swimming pools, ample meeting venues, tennis courts and luxurious spas plus the two new and beautiful golf courses and, opening in March, a spectacular new clubhouse.

Quite apart from the accolades and the flowery descriptions there is the weather.  The city boasts 350 days a year of abundant sunshine including those moderate to warm winter days for which the desert is famous.  If indeed there are 15 days a year when the sun doesn’t shine, blame it on the westerly winds that bring the Pacific cloud cover which sometimes looks like rain but rarely are there falling drops to prove it.  Rather, the rain falls in and below the Santa Rosa Mountains to the west while only the clouds escape to Indian Wells and its east-valley neighbors.

Thus we have a recipe for nonstop activities at which the Indian Wells City Council and its

residents excel.  Just last Thanksgiving weekend the city played host to The LG Skins Games at its sparkling new Celebrity Golf Course.  The equally beautiful new and challenging Players Golf Course  will host the 2008 Thanksgiving weekend LG Skins Game, the second of the city’s three-year Skins Game contract.  (See Welcome to SoCal’s story of the city’s major golf resort re-building in this issue)

This month the first of the four annual Desert Town Hall gatherings bringing renowned speakers from around the world will welcome to the resort area’s Renaissance Esmeralda Hotel, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.  Mr Blair will be followed in February by former White House Press Secretary, Tony Snow.  Retired General Colin Powell headlined last year’s impressive speaker list.  A lavish dinner is featured at each lecture and the hugely popular dinner package is sold out for this season.

And in March the tennis world focuses on Indian Wells with the annual Pacific Life Open, 5th largest tournament by attendance worldwide at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden equally famed for this great tournament and for its magnificent center court, 2nd largest in the world.  (See Welcome to SoCal’s tennis story in this issue)  

Indian Wells summers are the quiet time.  Deserts, by nature, get hot.  And during the hot months things slow down.  But don’t think those summer days and warm summer nights deter the avid desert lovers.  They visit in great numbers to take advantage of moderate hotel rates, minimum traffic and lots of pool and swimming time to spread on the lotion and soak up the sun.  Like those busy high-season winter months, the summer has its special but different attractions.  

Add it all up and Indian Wells indeed is the place – year around.