Best Places / Southern California

Orbit In ***

Excerpt by Stephanie Avnet Yates

From the bones of a classic 1950s motel – all boxy lines and streamlined simplicity – rose this homage to mid-century motifs, cocktails-by-the-pool Rat Pack lifestyle, and the individual architects, photographers, and designers responsible for Palm Springs’ reign as a mecca of vintage modernism. It’s ultra-groovy in a sophisticated way….. imagine the chic 1956 living room of your parents’ swinging, childless friends, and you won’t be far off. Savvy connoisseurs of collectibles will dig the museum-quality furnishings in each carefully themed room (Martini room, Bertoia’s Den, Atomic Paradise, and so on), while the rest of us enjoy tripping down memory lane with amoeba-shaped coffee tables, glowing lava lamps, Eames bikini chairs, kitschy Melmac dishware, and strappy vintage chaises on every rooms’ private patio. Requisite modern comforts range from super-luxe bedding, Internet access, and lounge-music CDs for your in-room listening pleasure to a fleet of complimentary Cruiser bikes, secluded whirlpool, and poolside misters to cool even the worst summer scorcher. Restored fixtures, original built-ins, and pristine tile grace the kitchenettes and bathrooms. Guests gather at the poolside boomerang bar for the complimentary “orbitini hour”; a central “movies, books and games” library encourages old-fashioned camaraderie amid this chic atmosphere. At press time, the Orbit In had just expanded to include the Hideaway, another architectural gem just a block away that’s been given the same impeccable face-lift.