2021 Christmas time in L.A was very wet and cold, as we were hit by a series of unusually powerful rainstorms. We can’t complain about that too much, because Southern California usually needs all the rain it can get. But we had been invited invited by the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, in Indian Wells, right down the road from Palm Springs. It’s most often warmer and drier in the Low Desert area in Winter, so we were happy to go there to celebrate our Christmas.
We decided to make the drive down there on the day before Christmas, and the trip was easy, smooth, and pretty fast, about 2 1/2 hours. It turns out there are not a lot of people on the road on Christmas Eve day, so the traffic was light, and the sky was clear and beautiful after the rain.
As we checked in at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, the desk clerk told me that guests who checked in a day earlier complained about heavy traffic, and a 5-hour drive from Los Angeles. Glad we waited that extra day! (Actually, we have learned that travel ON holidays, like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year, is usually easier that just before or after, and we usually don’t mind taking advantage of that.)
Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa is located in the town called Indian Wells, a few miles from Palm Springs and even closer to the world’s famous Coachella music festivals. The area has developed a lot in the last few years, and it is a great place to get away from city hustle and bustle, especially when our city weather is cold. The Low Desert towns feature a lot of great restaurants and shopping, and recreation of many kinds.
The Resort & Spa is set at the foot of a mountain range that provides cooling shade in the afternoon, and the rest of the area is flat desert with palm trees seemingly everywhere, developed with restaurants, shopping, and country clubs. With the mountain views and the palm trees and all the greenery, the views were quite beautiful. Our spacious suite, with 2 queen beds, a dining area, and a sitting area, had a great view of the swimming pool, and I loved to look at it, and the mountains behind.
What I Wore: Feather Hem Set(ASOS, sold out, also love these feather set) // Shoes: (Manolo Blahnik)//
Bag: (Chanel, also love this) // Sunglasses: (Linda Farrow)
The swimming pool had just opened after a makeover one day before we arrived, and it was so wonderful — big, blue, and heated to 85-degrees! Everything at the Renaissance Esmeralda seemed to be new and clean, and there was friendly and efficient staff everywhere.
We had our Christmas Eve dinner at The Place, which is a restaurant / lounge in the main area of the hotel, one level below the lobby. It had live music, too. When I told the restaurant manager that my husband and son are vegan, he huddled with the chef and they created a delicious vegan pizza — my men loved it! They also cooked up “falafel burgers” that were so good. The Place has good American food, and also a sushi bar, so I feasted on those items. Delicious! We ate well, and were full and happy when we went to our room to wait for Santa!
What I wore: Dress: (Carolina Herrera) // Shoes (Manolo Blahnik) // Bag: (Chanel, similar here)
On Christmas night, we decided to dine again at The Place, and the chef and manager came up with a wonderful vegan pasta dish for my men, while I enjoyed more sushi.
For this holiday trip we were test driving a new Mazda CX5, a mid-size (5 passenger) SUV with all-wheel-drive, a complete suite of safety monitors and warnings (ActivSense, they call it), and a very powerful and fuel-efficient turbocharged engine. The CX5 is top-rated for safety by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which is a really important feature for me. I really appreciated the safety reputation and all-wheel-drive when we finally drove home, going through another big rainstorm as we got back near Los Angeles! I was happy with the way the CX5 drives, and with the really good fuel economy, too (about 28-miles per gallon for us).
We had a very Merry Christmas, and I hope you did, too!
We give special thanks to the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa for their wonderful hosting and the happy time we had there, and special thanks, also, to Mazda for arranging the test drive. As always, all opinions here are honestly my own.
