atmosphere, it also provided the ideal location where celebrities could blend into the desert landscape, away from the jarring glare of adoring fans. Palm Springs soon became just as famous for its celebrity patrons with single digit names—Elvis, Frank, Liberace—as its enchanting beauty.

LA QUINTA—GEM OF THE DESERT
Some celebrities opted for the extra 20 mile drive to the La Quinta Hotel, a legendary hideaway with the reputation for being the most secretive of all the resorts. Garbo—perhaps the most reclusive of all Hollywood stars—slept here.

So did Frank Capra. He also wrote on the premise It’s A Wonderful Life, It Happened One Night and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Later he called La Quinta home. Today the Spanish hacienda-style hotel is spread over 45 manicured acres at the foot of the magical Santa Rosa Mountains. It is quite literally a city within a city, complete with 796 suites and casitas, 41 swimming pools, four restaurants, 90 holes of golf, and the world class Spa La Quinta, which features PGA WEST Golf Massage, open-air Celestial Showers, Sacred Stone Massage and more. (“More” would include my firstmud bath)

The city of La Quinta—incorporated in 1984 and named after the resort—has done much to maintain its exclusivity and heritage, while still making