The trip out to the desert can be a long, dusty and obviously hot one. Palm Springs is one of those weird, rare meccas that draws countless of visitors — Californian or otherwise — every year, especially during peak season. For events like Coachella, and its sister country music festival Stagecoach, finding a place to stay can be precarious and pricey. But it doesn’t have to be that way — especially if you start planning now and get a good group of people to pitch in.
Instead of splurging on a fancy hotel, why not rent out a historical home in the area? That’s the conceit behind Natural Retreats, a new luxury resort hub of historical homes in the area — and around the country — that allows you to book lodging at one of the homes in their Beau Monde Villas collections instead of dealing with the hassle and frigidity of a hotel, the brutishness of camping, or the disorganization of an Airbnb.
I’ve been to enough music festivals to know that while it may seem fun and glamorous to watch ten or twenty (or thirty) of your favorite bands over the course of one weekend, it can also be grueling. If you’re not getting enough sleep and proper nutrition, it can even be potentially exhausting. Booking a nice place to stay can be the difference between actually enjoying that Beyonce performance you invested so much in seeing and wishing you were back home watching from a screen.
And once you’re out in the desert, it might just be feasible to hang for a few more days or weeks, right? Check out some potential — or daydream — options below from Natural Retreats Palm Springs estates.
The Merv Griffin Estate
Sleeps: Twenty-six people, comfortably
Cost per night: Starts at $5650 a night
Go big or go home. The name kind of says it all — yes, this is the former home of entertainment mogul Merv Griffin, and it includes an equestrian racetrack (!) Odds are most people in town for Coachella won’t need access to that, but hey, sometimes extracurricular activities are necessary. Now, with all of these properties I’m going to do the per-person math breakdown to show how affordable they really could be. With twenty-six people, this house breaks down to just around $220 a night. Plus, if they peg it at twenty-six, you know that it could easily fit thirty people or so with a little coziness. Truly, that isn’t bad for thirty-nine acres, including a huge two acre pond, an infinity edge pool, a spa, a bocce ball court, a huge lawn to lay out or party on, and that equestrian racetrack. If you’ve got a huge crew heading to Coachella for more than just the weekend, this could still affordably be your spot. You don’t have to be a celebrity just to live like one for a weekend, or a couple weekends one month. Check out more here.
Bermuda Dunes Oasis
Sleeps: Eight people, comfortably
Cost per night: Starts at $1195 a night
The math here is even more reasonable for a traveling festival-attender. Split eight ways this house comes in right around $150 a night, which is still way less than a hotel room in the area probably would be during peak season. The pool alone is worth $150 a night in my estimation, plus this villa has an enormous kitchen with granite countertops, four full bedrooms, a whirlpool tub in the master suite, and sits right on the Bermuda Dunes Country Club golf course, hence the name. An exercise room, fire pit, and outdoor grill situation will have you wondering whether or not spending a month out in the desert is part of your summer plan. Check out more here.
Frank Sinatra Twin Palms Estate
Sleeps: Eight people, comfortably
Cost per night: Starts at $2200 a night
All right, in the interest of keeping it real, this house is markedly more expensive for the size. It comes in around $275 per person a night. But hey, that’s what comes with name recognition right? Yes, this was Frank Sinatra’s old house, and it was designed by architect E. Stewart Williams, who helped helm a period referred to as the Desert Modern style. The house clearly shows markings of the period it was from, as the above picture of a bedroom illustrates, but the mid-century modern feel doesn’t stop it from feeling very luxurious. The piano-shaped swimming pool is an obvious highlight, as is the memorabilia from the period scattered throughout the residence. This is half historical memory/half museum and half desert getaway, but it looks like the kind of place that you come away from changed. Even if you don’t find a band on the bill to suit you, throw on some old school Frank jams back at home and go for a dip in his musical pool! Check out more here.
Enchanted Oasis
Sleeps: Ten people, comfortably
Cost per night: Starts at $1195 a night
True to its name, this house offers a relatively tropical vibe, with lots of lush vegetation all along the spacious outdoor pool area. It’s available for a little under $120 a night if you get a group of ten, and the spacious five bedrooms should make fitting a group of that size no problem. When you’re not out cavorting in the waterfalls though, there’s a bunch of massive TVs, for re-watching livestreams of the festival the next day, or for zoning out to music videos after the festival is over for the day. And given how dusty and hot it will be out at the grounds, this gorgeous oasis is going to be a necessary part of recuperating. Check out more here.
Casa Cristal
Sleeps: Eight people, comfortably
Cost per night: Starts at $2325 a night
No, it’s not literally a house made of crystal. But that pool just out of doors is intricately tiled with the kind of blue, reflective colors that evoke crystals in your mind. A straight-forward modern — if enormous — house that revolves around the big outdoor area surrounding the massive pool, a huge grill and food prep space outdoors, and the piece de resistance for some, a pool table. Maybe that’s why this one runs a little pricier, close to $290 a night, but for the pool aficionados it may just be worth it. As long as it is isn’t so distracting it keeps attendees away from the festival, then this place is a win-win. Check out more here.
Sand Acre Estate
Sleeps: Ten people, comfortably
Cost per night: Starts at $1299 a night
They call the neighborhood where this estate is located “Movie Colony” for a reason — stars as big as Marilyn Monroe used to come crash here when Hollywood got too boring (or too boisterous for that matter.) This secluded five bedroom home is in the Spanish villa style, as opposed to some of the more modern homes, or the more common Desert Modern. The five bedrooms easily fit ten people, so it comes in around $130 a night, and that includes your own personal tennis court. Again, if there’s a mix of music lovers and racket-heads (is this a tennis freak nickname? it is now, I made it up), this could be an ideal getaway for more than just the music festival weekends. Check out more here.
La Chureya
Sleeps: Ten people, comfortably
Cost per night: Starts at $1395 per night
Another Movie Colony property, La Chureya translate literally to “a roadrunner chickadee” which was actually, somehow, a flirt? The house itself is fairly romantic too, and it’s most often rented out for weddings. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a perfect pad to crash at for Coachella/Stagecoach/some combination of days this spring or summer. This place comes in around $140 a night for ten people with a gorgeous and enormous Spanish-tiled pool, fountain, tiled floors and massive wooden furniture all throughout the house, a ping pong table and a detached casita for even further privacy from the group. If you were looking for a spot to host your own Coachella party during the weekend, this would be it. Pretty sure most of the festival could fit in that pool, and if you had talent visiting who needed some seclusion, the casita is right over there. Check out more here, and start calling your loved one a roadrunner while you’re at it.
1955 William Cody
Sleeps: Eight people, comfortably
Cost per night: Starts at $975 per night
If you stay here with eight other people, you’ll almost be paying less than $100 a night. It works out to about $120 per person, which is a steal in any area of the country for a night’s rest. There will be plenty of non-resting if you book the William Cody though, thanks to the possibility of night swims. The master bedroom has glass walls for better views of the nearby golf course, and the entire home is still outfitted in retro mid-’50s furniture and styling, which perfectly dovetails the architecture of the home itself. Unsurprisingly, the home is named after its creator, William Cody. I can’t prove it, but to me this looks very much like a house that some of the California scenes from Mad Men were filmed in. And even if you can’t figure out a way to stay here for more than a weekend, it’s an ideal place to hold a party, photo shoot, or any event that requires a formal, quirky elegance. Check out more here.
