The driveway into the La Quinta Resort and Club in La Quinta, CA,
I recently took a trip to the Waldorf Astoria, La Quinta Resort and Club. What a refuge from the recent cold to be where the flowers are blooming and the temperature is a mild 70 degrees. Outside my hotel room door was a pool, and the most beautiful roses…
These beautiful roses blooming right outside my hotel room door
The history of the La Quinta Resort goes way back. In the early 1920s, San Francisco businessman Walter H. Morgan was drawn to a place in the California desert that dwellers in these lands had long referred to as the Land of Eternal Sun. He envisioned a tranquil retreat that captured the essence of quiet hacienda-style living. Purchasing 1,400 acres from the native Cahuilla Indians, he enlisted the renowned architect Gordon Kaufman, along with scores of artisan craftsmen to make his dream a reality. From more than 100,000 hand-formed adobe bricks and 60,000 locally fired roof tiles, a small grouping of quaint casitas and a cozy dining room sprung up. Morgan called this place La Quinta.
An image of the resort from 1926. Via http//laquintaresort.com
The resort became a playground for Hollywood legends like Gretta Garbo, Clark Gable and Frank Capra’s “Shangra-La of Sreenwriting”.
I of course also indulged in the food and drink. This bacon infused vodka Bloody Mary is I am sure, a complete meal unto itself!
The Bacon Bloody Mary at Twenty6
Of course the indulgence also included some delicious food too. I was particularly intrigued by the selection of Eggs Benedict dishes they offered at Twenty6. Legend has it that the original inspiration for the dish was born from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. I was so inspired by the story and the Frank Capra Benedict that I had, that I have begun the culinary research on the Bohemian Benedict of course! A future blog post is being created around the story and the endless possibilities for the breakfast classic.
Beautiful Southwest style architecture of these carved wood doors was stunning.
From the Hacienda style architecture to the food made fresh and in house, to the gorgeous gardens and perfect weather, it was the retreat I needed after the overwhelming stress of the holidays. If you get a chance to take a trip to the beautiful Coachella Valley in the Palm Desert of Southern California, check out the La Quinta Resort! Oh, and take me with you!
