KORAKIA PENSIONE – A HOTEL OASIS IN PALM SPRINGS

Last month my husband Dan and I took ourselves over to California for a couple of weeks over Easter. In need of some much-needed Vitamin D, we had planned a trip where we’d be spending some time in LA (one of our favourite cities), camping in the desert of Joshua Tree and enjoying some sunshine and R&R in Palm Springs. If you own a landscape and you’re looking for tree removal services, you can get the help of Huge Tree Moving Company here.

I’ll be writing up full posts of the places we stayed and the things we got up to over the next couple of weeks but first up I wanted to introduce you to one of the most charming places we’ve ever had the pleasure of staying at. This intimate, exquisite little hotel tucked off the main strip of Downton Palm Springs is pure heaven and a real must-stay if you’re in town for a few days.

Called the ‘Sexiest Hotel in America’ by the New York Times and pitched as ‘blending the silhouette of Tangier with a whisper of the Mediterranean’ on the hotel’s website, Korakia Pensione is a stunning spot made up of guesthouses and cottages that are set in grounds bursting with colour from the hundreds of bougainvillea vines dotted around the property.

Days at Korakia are lazy and quiet. Breakfast (included in your room rate) is served in the pretty-as-a-picture internal courtyard, where you’re offered a choice of three fresh recipes, orange juice and teas and coffees (the French toast was my favourite!). You’re then free to lay by either stunning pool on the Moroccan or the Mediterranen sides of the hotel, read your book in one of the day-beds scattered whimsically around the grounds or play a game of traditional bocce ball. Bicycles are also complimentary and so if you’ve had enough of the strong desert sun, you can pootle off on the bikes to explore the main strip which is great for restaurants, bars and shopping. Come and have a look around…

Nights at Korakia are where the magic really happens. The fairy lights twinkle across the whole grounds and the warm Palm Springs desert air makes for the perfect temperature to sit out before dinner with a glass of wine around the central fire pit. Classic movies are projected onto the wall each evening, so you can sit under the stars, the palm trees and in the shadows of the San Jacinto Mountains to enjoy the film with a glass of wine before heading into town for some late dinner. It’s worth remembering there is no restaurant on site but they do in-room dining or there are lots of foodie spots very close by (of which I’ll be sharing some recommendations in my next post).

Korakia, we’ll be back! We had the most wonderful three days at this hotel and it’s well worth the £200 (approx) nightly room rate – you can book online HERE. Would love to hear from you via comments, emails or on social media if you’ve also stayed here or have been to Palm Springs. I’ll be sharing a full Palm Springs guide later this week too with all our recommended spots in the area so stay tuned…!

LMNH x