THE ACE HOTEL AND SWIM CLUB, PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

Photo: Ace

It’s pretty much the hippest thing going when it comes to hotel swimming pools right now: The Ace Hotel and Swim Club in downtown Palm Springs. It was built on the site of a mid-sixties Howard Johnson’s motor lodge. The Ace’s restaurant is in an old Denny’s. It’s the ultimate contemporary ideal of mid-century modern. There’s an old trailer on the property–scrubbed clean of course, but perfectly old school and there to create a glamorous camping vibe. Some rooms feature turntables with retro vinyl selections. Vintage furniture abounds. I wonder if the Brady family knows all of their stuff has been stolen and is now a short walk from downtown Palm Springs?

Our resident 20-something hipster A, visited The Ace pool on a busy August weekend and here’s what she had to say:

“It was crowded, but not so crowded that we couldn’t have fun. It felt very hipster Hollywood. With lots of dogs. The pool stayed open until 2am which was really nice. During the day there were a bunch of thirty something, good looking families with super well-dressed little kids. Then at night it was all young people. Bikinis and funky glasses.

They have tons of inflatable balls and flamingos in the pool so everyone had something to play with. The drinks were well-priced and really strong. I didn’t know about the alcoholic snow cones. Maybe the machine was broken that weekend?  That would have been fun. There was a band playing and it was just a nice, party vibe. People were borrowing bikes from the resort to go into town. They have all these acoustic guitars in the lobby and anyone can just go and play them.

Because it’s so hot and you are out in the desert, far from LA, it’s extremely chill. People are having fun and relaxing and partying but it’s not a full on scene. Even if you dont’ quite fit in to the typical pool party scene, you can chill at Ace.”

Check out her photos on Instagram feed: Hotelswimmingpools

Resort guests have full access to the pool, and day passes are available for $20. Full year membership, giving access to the pool, the gym and most poolside events and parties is $240 per year. DJ parties, live music, fitness classes and dance parties are common.

It’s a pet-friendly property. So it’s perfect for all of those Hollywood hip-pups tired of the same old scene at Runyon, looking for some fresh dessert smells and new places to lay their paws. And the dogs will like it too.