With rates only a little higher than some of the higher-end chain hotels in town, the Horizon also gives a good value for your money.
- Beautiful views
- Mid-20th century architecture so hip it looks 21st century
- Beautiful renovation retains character but with modern amenities
- Quiet and off the street - feels as exclusive as when it was built
- With no desk and erratic wireless Internet signals, this is not a business hotel
- If you wake up early, there's no coffee maker in the room
- We loved all the light in the room, but it could make it hard to sleep late
- Breakfast foods don't measure up to the quality of the rest of the place
- 1050 East Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA
760-323-1858
Website - 21 rooms, in clusters of three
One 3-bedroom residence - Continental breakfast served in-room, on the patio or poolside
Limited room service menu and local restaurants deliver - Free wireless Internet
The in-room safe is large enough to hold your portable computer - Chemical-free, natural spring-fed pool and hot tub
- Adults only
No pets allowed
100% non-smoking - This one is just for fun. The dog star of Wrather's television show Lassie had her own private suite at the hotel.
- Tripadvisor reviews
The Horizon Hotel was originally built in 1952 for Jack Wrather (who produced the Lone Ranger and Lassie) and his wife, actress Bonita Granville as a getaway for them and their friends. Architect William Cody designed the low-slung bungalows in a pseudo-diamond shape - all the angles are 72 or 108 degrees instead of normal 90-degree square corners. They cluster around a natural hot-spring-fed pool and spa.
By the early 21st century, the Horizon was filled with trash and nearly falling down. Real estate developer Dave Scharf could see the fine design beneath the mess, and his determination carried him through a sometimes-difficult renovation that rebuilt the structures from the ground up.
The result is a modern boutique hotel with all the touches: fine linens, plasma televisions, wireless Internet service. The decor is spare, in keeping with the architecture. Floor-to-ceiling windows make the rooms light, and the unique design affords many of them with panoramic views.
Keeping mostly-white buildings and interiors clean must be a challenge anywhere, but especially here. Palm Springs was lashed by a sandstorm the night before I arrived, but everything looked just-dusted and tidy by the time I checked in.
Sipping fresh-made coffee while sitting outdoors in your shirtsleeves on a February morning is a guilt-free pleasure. If the Horizon's owners were as attentive to the breakfast menu as they were to the architecture, this place would be darned-near perfect. Our advice: for something better than Kellogg's cereal and Yoplait yogurt, stop by a grocery store.
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with a complimentary accommodation for the purpose of review. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
