La Quinta Resort & Club Review
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BOTTOM LINE
La Quinta Resort & Club is a sprawling historic desert resort near Palm Springs, open since the 1920s as an old-Hollywood escape and now part of Hilton's Curio Collection. It suits golfers, tennis players, and anyone who wants low-slung casita rooms spread across acres of gardens rather than a high-rise. As a Curio property it books on Hilton Honors points. Note: this is not the La Quinta Inn budget chain.
Let me clear up the confusion first, because it trips a lot of people up. La Quinta Resort & Club has nothing to do with the La Quinta Inn budget hotel chain. This is a historic luxury desert resort in the town of La Quinta, near Palm Springs, that dates to the 1920s and once served as a quiet getaway for old-Hollywood stars. The oldest corner of the property is my favorite bit of that history: a cluster of smaller bungalows around an open field, kept much the way the resort looked when it opened, and now used for events.
The scale here is the story. Hundreds of casita-style rooms are spread across dozens of landscaped acres, wrapped around pools, tennis courts, and some of the best golf in the country. I toured a Spa Studio room and walked the grounds, and here is my honest read on this desert classic.
Booking the La Quinta Resort & Club
La Quinta is part of Hilton's Curio Collection, so it books through Hilton Honors on points or cash. The Palm Springs area is very seasonal, with high winter and spring rates falling off in the summer heat, so the value swings hard depending on when you go. Price both and let the calendar guide you. Worth knowing: this property used to fly the Waldorf Astoria flag before moving to Curio, so you are getting bones and grounds built for a five-star operation even if the brand label is a notch below that now.
Hilton elite status is worth having here, since Gold and Diamond members can pick up food and beverage benefits and space-available upgrades. This is also a resort where booking through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, when available, can add breakfast, a property credit, and an upgrade, which is a nice way to soften the resort fee and dining costs.
Because the resort is so spread out and self-contained, those dining and credit perks carry more weight than they would at a city hotel where you can walk out for cheap food. When most of your meals happen on property, a daily credit and free breakfast take a real bite out of the bill. I would factor that into the booking decision rather than looking at the room rate alone.
Best cards for booking
To get the most from a stay here, the cards I would reach for are the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express, Hilton Honors Surpass, and The Platinum Card from American Express.
Location
The resort sits in La Quinta, in the Coachella Valley, roughly a 30-minute drive from Palm Springs proper. You are surrounded by the Santa Rosa Mountains, with that dramatic desert light the valley is known for, and you are close to the golf, dining, and events that make this stretch of the desert popular.
Because the resort is so self-contained, a lot of guests barely leave, but a car makes it easy to reach downtown Palm Springs, the outlet shopping in Cabazon, and the wider valley. If you are coming for golf or tennis, the location puts you right in the heart of it.
The setting also shifts a lot with the seasons. In the cooler months, the valley is one of the most pleasant places to be outdoors in the country, and the resort's grounds shine. In peak summer, the heat is a real factor, which is exactly why cash rates fall so far, so plan your visit around the weather you actually want.
Lobby and Check-In
The arrival sets the tone. Rather than a towering lobby, you get low Spanish-style buildings, red-tile roofs, fountains, and courtyards that feel like a desert village. It is calm and unhurried, which is exactly the mood a resort like this should open with.
Check-in was relaxed, and the staff oriented me to the sprawling layout, which really helps given how large the property is. This is a place where you will want a map at first, since the casitas fan out across the grounds and it takes a bit to learn your way around. The place feels like it covers a square mile, with hundreds of rooms tucked into small casita-style buildings and actual streets running through the property where much of the parking lives. Honestly, a lot of the charm is in just wandering the grounds — on one of my walks I even stumbled onto the presidential suite.
The Room
I toured a Spa Studio room, and it captured what makes staying here special. The casita style means you are in a low building close to the gardens, so you step out almost directly into the landscaping rather than into an interior hallway. It feels private and grounded. My spa studio suite sat up its own staircase — nothing to deal with on the ground floor — opening into a lovely sitting area with a TV, a king bed off to the left, a pull-out couch so a family can share the space comfortably, a fireplace, a little sitting table by the window, and a balcony looking out over the neighboring casitas.
The room itself carried warm desert tones, a comfortable bed, and that indoor-outdoor connection the resort is built around. Many of the room types across the property add features like fireplaces or private patios, and the villas go much larger with kitchens and multiple bedrooms for groups.
The trade-off with a casita layout is that you may have a short walk from your room to the main dining, the spa, or a specific pool, depending on where you land on the property. For me that was part of the appeal, since the strolls through the gardens are lovely, but if mobility is a concern, it is worth asking for a casita near the areas you plan to use most.
Pools and Amenities
Amenities are where La Quinta flexes. The resort has dozens of pools scattered across the grounds, so you are rarely far from water, along with more than 20 tennis courts and pickleball courts that make it a genuine racquet-sports destination. We’re talking more than 20 tennis courts plus pickleball, stadium courts for events, a tennis shop, and the Center Court Cafe so you can grab a snack without trekking back to the lobby. The fitness center and several spin studios sit in the same zone, and since the resort doubles as a private club, locals actually hold memberships here — always a good sign for how facilities get maintained.
Then there is the golf. The resort connects to the PGA West complex, home to multiple championship courses, including the well-known Pete Dye Stadium Course. Add a full spa and fitness facilities, and you have a resort where you could stay a week and never run out of things to do. For golfers, the PGA West access is the headline: the clubhouse for the Mountain course and the Pete Dye Dunes course sits right next to the resort, while the Stadium course and Nicklaus Tournament course — both of which I played — run out of the original PGA West clubhouse a few miles away. The courses are genuinely hard and full of unique moments (on the Stadium course you literally drive your cart through a sand trap), but note the resort shuttle mostly runs in the morning hours, so time your tee times accordingly.
Food and Drink
The resort keeps several restaurants on property, led by its signature dining room, Morgan's in the desert, which leans into farm-to-table cooking. With a resort this large and self-contained, having a real range of dining on site matters, and La Quinta delivers it. Twenty-Six, the lower-level restaurant and bar, stays open late; Adobe Grill upstairs handles Mexican for dinner; and Morgan’s in the Desert near the lobby is the fine-dining splurge. On my stay, my Hilton Diamond status came as flexible credits I could spend anywhere on property, so I skipped a traditional breakfast and grabbed-and-went from the marketplace near the lobby — and yes, there’s even a Polo Ralph Lauren store among the retail.
Beyond the signature spot, you will find more casual options and poolside dining across the grounds. Given the drive to off-property restaurants, it is a relief to have solid choices without leaving. Prices sit at resort levels, which is where an FHR credit or elite benefit helps.
Service
Service matched the resort's easygoing character. Staff across the grounds, the tour, and the dining areas were warm and helpful, and there is a sense that the team knows the property's long history and takes pride in it.
On a resort spread across this much land, a little coordination is part of the deal, and the staff handled directions and requests smoothly. It is polished without feeling formal, which fits the old-Hollywood, desert-getaway spirit of the place.
Because so much happens across the grounds, the shuttle and the front desk become your best friends for getting around and getting oriented. Once I had my bearings, the size stopped being a hassle and started feeling like a luxury, since there is always a quiet pool or a shaded courtyard to disappear into. That sense of space is hard to find at a more compact resort.
Who Should Stay Here
Great fit if
Look elsewhere if
You golf or play tennis and want it on your doorstep
You want a compact, walkable hotel with everything close
You love low-slung casita rooms with an indoor-outdoor feel
You expected the budget La Quinta Inn chain
You collect Hilton points and want a Curio desert redemption
You want to be in downtown Palm Springs nightlife
You want a spread-out resort with dozens of pools and quiet corners
You want to skip the drive and stay right in central Palm Springs
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is La Quinta Resort & Club the same as the La Quinta Inn chain?
No. This is a historic luxury desert resort in the town of La Quinta near Palm Springs, part of Hilton's Curio Collection. It is unrelated to the La Quinta Inn budget hotel brand.
Can I book the resort with Hilton points?
Yes. As a Curio Collection property it books on Hilton Honors points or cash. Because the desert is highly seasonal, compare both before you book.
What are the rooms like?
Most rooms are casita-style, in low Spanish-style buildings spread across the grounds, with an indoor-outdoor feel. Many add fireplaces or patios, and villas offer kitchens and multiple bedrooms for groups.
Is the golf on site?
The resort connects to the PGA West complex with multiple championship courses, including the Pete Dye Stadium Course, so serious golf is right there.
How far is the resort from Palm Springs?
It is roughly a 30-minute drive from downtown Palm Springs, in the town of La Quinta in the Coachella Valley. A car makes exploring the wider valley easy.
Is this a good resort for tennis?
Yes. The resort has more than 20 tennis courts plus pickleball, which makes it one of the stronger racquet-sports destinations in the desert.
Bottom Line
La Quinta Resort & Club is a proper desert classic, the kind of spread-out, casita-style resort that feels like a village rather than a hotel. Between the golf at PGA West, the tennis, the dozens of pools, and nearly a century of history, it gives you a distinctly relaxed way to experience the Palm Springs area.
If you collect Hilton points or hold an Amex Platinum for Fine Hotels + Resorts, this Curio property is a rewarding place to spend them, especially in the cooler seasons. For golfers, racquet players, and anyone who wants room to spread out, La Quinta earns a warm recommendation from me. Just do not confuse it with the budget chain that shares the name.
