Lobby

I didn’t expect Palm Springs to be so low key. Everything about this town in the desert is understated and unassuming. The buildings are all low. Even the homes celebrities live in look small from the road. The main strip of the town has small t-shirt shops and nothing that screams wealth or excess. The town hunkers down, surrounded by mountains, quiet in the hot desert air, trying not to be noticed.

The Triada Palm Springs is no exception. It took us a couple of passes to even find it on North Indian Canyon Drive, one block over from North Palm Canyon, the main strip. It doesn’t look like a hotel as you drive past. There’s just one small sign in front of a low building that has no windows. There isn’t even a driveway, but just an area to pull over on the side of the road so the valet can take your car. And that valet? He’s not outside in the hot desert air so you’ll have to go inside to make your first human contact.

The lobby is unassuming and Spanish in style, but calming with its tile floors and architectural couches. If you’re looking for the mid-century modern vibe that Palm Springs is known for, you won’t find it in the lobby.

The hotel is located near the main strip, but it’s several blocks away from the main area of shops and restaurants so it is a walk. The resort next door has a good restaurant (The Purple Palm) and if you want to walk somewhere easily.

The grounds of the resort itself are small and cozy feeling. Everything is arranged around the two pools, all fit within about a half of a block. The Spanish vibe continues as you find rooms arranged in three or four buildings with orange tile roofs and whitewashed walls. The resort felt quiet to us when we visited in the off season in June. The rooms are all carefully tucked under overhangs to shield them from the hot desert sun.

Our first floor room was comfortable with two double beds and an expansive bathroom with walk-in shower. Some mid-century touches make it into the rooms, in the artwork and lamps. We weren’t destined to stay long in this room though since the air conditioning broke down the first night, leading to a very sweaty and uncomfortable night as we tossed and turned, wondering why the room felt stifling. In the morning, once we realized what had happened, a call to management first resulted in an effort to repair it (no luck) and then an offer to either move us to the room next door or upgrade us to a suite. That was a no-brainer and we rolled our bags to the suite.

Our first room

The suite was lovely with a full kitchen with granite counters and stainless appliances, including a full refrigerator with an ice maker and water dispenser (no more walks over to the fitness room to get ice for us). Another lovely bathroom, coupled with our double beds and a gorgeous patio that wrapped around the room, complete with outdoor table and chairs and bench seating (although it was simply too hot for us to sit outside in the heat wave) made this a very comfortable upgrade. We found that both rooms were a bit challenged when it came to lighting, with lighting in the wall behind the beds or only on the nightstand, but none elsewhere in the rooms, making them a bit dark. The management also gave us a comp for $10 in free drinks for our trouble.  This time the air conditioning worked, but the toilet was plugged when we went to use it so we had to call for help with that immediately.

While we’re listing the negatives, we had a small problem with room security. We left our room one morning before it had been cleaned, carefully closing the door behind us. We returned in the late afternoon to find the door partially open. The room had been cleaned and the door had not been shut behind the staff when they left (or so we assumed). Not only were we concerned about our belongings, but the room was not the comfortable 72 degrees we had set the temperature at and was close to 90. A call to the front desk evoked concern and relief that nothing was missing. We received apologies and nothing else.

If you’re looking for views, you won’t get many here. The rooms are low and surrounded by trees. Ask for a room that does not face the pool if you want a quiet room.

We enjoyed the two pools. The pool by the bar is smaller and was warmer when we were there. The other pool is larger and a bit cooler. The lounge chairs by the pools were comfortable. If you’re really hot (and we visited during a 122 degree heat wave) you may want to sit by the small pool under the misters that blow off the bar. We had some frozen drinks and found the female bartender aggressive but competent.

Our package included breakfast and one of the reasons we chose the Triada was because they did offer breakfast. It was a bit disappointing since they don’t actually have a restaurant. They serve bar food during the day and breakfast in the morning. We were given a choice of the type of eggs, bacon or sausage, and type of toast. There was no fruit. The breakfast was acceptable but not exciting in any way. It did its job though, and fueled us up for the day.

Room #2

We found the resort to have a sleepy vibe that fit the extreme heat and the character of the town. The resort was convenient to everything in town. We enjoyed the pools very much and it it had been cooler, we would have spent more time there. The staff were generally friendly and helpful. Our room was comfortable (once we resolved the many issues) and we felt at home here.

The suite’s kitchen

The suite’s patio