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What is The Parker Palm Springs' 'Waz-Za?'

Where: 4200 East Palm Canyon Drive [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92264

It's called the "Waz-Za?" and we're assuming that's because of the jealousy of other diners when this $20 Belgian waffle is deliver to you. Like a "what's that?" The menu description says only "fruit inside, fruit outside—crackly brulee top," but the magic isn't in listing off ingredients; it's in seeing the blueberries and bananas right there, glistening under the hot desert sun.

The Waz-Za is something we recently tried at the emphatic suggestion of a good friend and Palm Springs veteran. Our waitress nodded approvingly at our choice, so we knew we'd done well.

Normally we wouldn't shell out $20 for a glorified fruit waffle, but this is Norma's at The Parker Palm Springs, where regular buttermilk pancakes are $18 and a Lobster Frittata can be ordered with 1oz of Sevruga Caviar for $100, or 10oz for $1,000. In other words, this hotel restaurant isn't your average diner breakfast. But alas, there is a way to get that Waz-Za without worrying at all about the cost...

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The Saguaro Heads to Another Desert Locale, Palm Springs

The Saguaro Hotel in Scottsdale hasn't even been open for more than a month but it's already doing well enough to expand to Palm Springs. The LA Times reports that the Saguaro will take over the old Holiday Inn at Sunrise Way and East Palm Canyon Drive.

We've got word that the Saguaro Palm Springs will be very similar to the Scottsdale property featuring a complete redesign done by Stamberg Aferiat using vibrant colors inspired by the indigenous flowers of the region. And we presume there will also be a great F&B scene and a mucho affordable price point.

All this fun stuff means that the Ace Hotel Palm Springs, the reigning fun boutique spot in town, will have some fierce competition. (Not that it really matters though because the Sydell Group which owns the Ace is also opening the Saguaro PS.)

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Welcome To The (Refurbished) Hotel California

Where: 424 E Palm Canyon Drive [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92264

Welcome to the Hotel California, Palm Springs style.

You might not have wanted to be welcomed in the past. When we first caught sight of the property in January, it had builders outside and that pretty garden area was all torn up. The name made us want to investigate, but the sight of the place, not so much.

Fast forward a few months, more refurbishment and some seriously rave TripAdvisor reviews, and we decided it was time to look through the gate.

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The Parker Palm Springs Wants Your Truthful Feedback, As Long As It's Good

Where: 4200 E Palm Canyon Dr [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92264

The Parker Palm Springs, it would seem, is as Marmitey as the W London: you either love it or you hate it. Except, in the case of the Parker, it’s not the guests making those snap judgments: it’s demanded by the hotel.

A few days after we had our largely wonderful, but marred by things like paper-thin walls and snobby staff, stay at the Parker, we had a particularly perky tell-us-how-your-stay-was email. It read:

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The Good, The Bad And The Snobby: Inside The Parker Palm Springs

Where: 4200 E Palm Canyon Dr [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92264

You know where we’d rather be on this chilly, depressing Wednesday? In Palm Springs, that’s where. Specifically, at The Parker Palm Springs. Yes, it’s been a while since we tantalized you by telling you our stay at the Parker beat our night at the Colony Palms, so in a bid to liven up your hump day, we’re giving you the lowdown on the Parker.

We scored an awesome deal (well, actually, our mom scored it, since it was her Christmas present to us): rooms over our dates started at $189, but with the Spa Junkie package we got a room and $200 spa credit for $199 (though with tax and resort fee it came to $261 a night). Here’s what it got us.

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Opt Out Of Tradition With The Ace Palm Spring's Black Sheep Thanksgiving

Where: 701 E Palm Canyon Dr [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92264

For some folks, Thanksgiving is a magical, heart-warming time with family. For others, it's hell. Even more so this year now that the flying home for the holidays has become so much more traumatic. Which is why we like the sound of the Ace Hotel Palm Springs' non-traditional holiday lineup.

If we were in California, we'd totally ditch the aunts and uncles, ditch the TSA, jump in our (imaginary) convertible, and hightail it to the funky hotel in the desert to get drunk and swim.

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Ace Palm Springs and Havianas Team Up for Limited Edition Ace Flip-Flops

Where: 701 E Palm Canyon Dr [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92264

Here's some more hotel fashion you might want to buy. The Ace Hotel Palm Springs has partnered up with the popular Brazilian flip-flops brand, Havianas, to create a limited-edition Ace Hotel set which will be sold out of the hotel's in-room mini-bars. Oooo. Hipsters love easy access!

Here's how the hotel describes bringing a little bit of Brazil to the hipsters in the desert...and just in time for Coachella too!

The design of the Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs limited edition flip-flops and packaging was inspired by simplicity and a return to the classics. The white rubber sandal with black strap pays homage to the original Havaianas design from 1962.

Each pair features a pin modeled after the hotel’s signature coyote mascot that was custom designed by Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs for hotel guests and visitors. The sandals are made from Havaianas’ ultra-high quality, top-secret rubber recipe that makes the flip-flops as soft as marshmallows.

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Get Your Heeb On This Christmas Eve at The Ace Hotel Palm Springs

Where: 701 East Palm Canyon Drive [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92264

Still scrambling for Christmas travel plans? Not all that into Christmas? You may want to consider Heebing it up in Palm Springs. That’s where you’ll find the annual Heebonism celebration, going down this year at The Ace Hotel Palm Springs. Now, this ain’t no fake “Festivus” holiday. Heebonism is an annual Jewish Christmas tradition complete with Chinese food, DJs, and dancing. It’s put on by the Jewish hipster kids of Heeb magazine, who explain the bash like this:

Get ready for the annual event that the Travel Channel recently called, "one of the largest, glitziest, rowdiest and most untamed shindigs in the world." That’s right, the mother of all Christmas Eve parties.

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The New Spa at The Parker Palm Springs Believes in a Good Stiff Drink

Where: 4200 East Palm Canyon Road [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92264

Heading down to the Parker Palm Springs for a relaxing weekend in the desert? It turns out there's more to do there than just lay by the pool and sip on cocktails. The hotel has just finished renovating their Palm Springs Yacht Club spa (PSYC) and it's not exactly what you would expect. Take a look at the spa's mission statement:

We believe in the American country club experience: mixed doubles, a long steam, and a stiff cocktail.

And indeed the new spa space makes access to a cocktail just as important as access to a heavy-handed masseuse.

The spa has created a new lounge with dark leather chairs, coffee tables and lit by candlelight with real treats available to guests (not a bowl of apples, they promise) and even shots of whiskey will be passed around. Well, that will certainly bring a "glow" to your face fast.

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Get Into Levi Strauss' Pants At Ace Hotel Palm Springs' Suite 501

Need an outfit to compliment your new Ace Hotel Palm Springs sneakers? Levi Strauss has partnered up with the desert property to transform one of the hotel's rooms into Suite 501, an environment that evokes the Levi's denim-filled lifestyle.

According to the LA Times, the result is a space with a lived-in, rustic look:

The room featured a denim upholstered headboard, Levi’s pillowcases and artwork from Levi’s most recent campaign, shot by Ryan McGinley. The Walt Whitman poem “Go Forth,” the focus of Levi's recent marketing campaign, is painted on a denim tapestry. The curated ephemera vibe matches the hotel's rustic chic campground aesthetic; canvas covered walls, salvaged furniture, Native America throws and portable record player in every suite.

The stay in the suite, in which case we hope you love Levi's, guests can request the Suite 501 at the Ace Hotel Palm Springs. We're going to guess that it's tagged with nightly standard suite prices, which run between $209 - $369. It's just too bad that it doesn't come with a closet full of Levi's clothing; we love not having to worry about dirty laundry.

[Photo: LA Times/Levi Strauss]

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Ace Palm Springs to Host Arts and Crafts Parties with Potato Prints

Where: 701 E. Palm Canyon Dr. [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92264

In case you didn’t notice, it’s practically mid-July already! Which means if you’re not spending your weekends relaxing poolside and trying your hand at summer camp-style crafts, you might as well chalk up summer ’09 as a waste.

OK, so maybe that’s a tad overly dramatic. Our point is: Pools plus craftytime equals awesome (maybe not as amazing as boozy sno-cones, but still pretty great). Don’t believe us? Check out The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs this weekend. July 11th and 12th, the Ace is hosting an “all-inclusive art making weekend” at the hotel’s Swim Club, hosted by L.A. artists Karen Kimmel and Apple Via.

Arts & Crafts will run poolside from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., including handmade projects that include cardboard looms, macramé, mosaics, potato prints, potholders, sprouted gardens, stencils, and more.

Package bookers can craft to their heart’s content, plus enjoy family-style breakfast and a hotel room for two nights. Rates start at $557 for the two-day package; book using code ARTACE 09. Ten percent of proceeds benefit Children in the Arts.

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Chicks Who Likes Yoga and Fruity Drinks Can Be 'Parker Princesses'

Where: 4200 East Palm Canyon Dr. [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92264

The firepit: gossip and s'mores central.

We will never stop making fun of these silly girlfriend getaway hotel packages. In fact, we'd like to take this opportunity to encourage Sarah Haskins, the brilliantly funny lady behind the hilarious Target Women videos, to do a "Target Women" segment on hotel packages. That is, make fun of those silly girlfriend getaway packagey-things that are made up of what some hotel believes will appeal to women (gossip magazines! Manicures! Shopping!)

Um, that's not to say we wouldn't secretly go and book these packages ourselves if they happened to appeal to us. What? Some of us like manicures and Us Weekly. Whatever.

So, here's another from the vast and varied collection of girly getaway packages: The Parker Palm Springs encourages you to leave the dudes at home and hit up the famous-from-TV resort. That is, if you're willing to call yourself a "Parker Princess."

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