stay. Amid a flurry of new boutique lodgings, a stand-out is the 21-room Fleur Noire Hotel opened by a couple from Seattle. Roomy, redone 1940s apartments with kitchenettes and porches encircle a pool and beautifully desert-landscaped courtyard. The exterior is adorned in bold floral murals by artist Louise Jones, whom they discovered (how else?) on Instagram (@ouizi) while the interiors are festooned with Ellie Cashman bespoke floral wallpaper. Opening soon is a walk-up rosé wine bar called La Boisson, and conveniently next door is Sandfish sushi and whiskey bar.
shop. Look no further than Mojave Flea Trading Post a new, 10,000-square-foot maker’s market. Grab a desert dome hat from West Perro, housewares from Geode and Gypsum, vintage patchwork jeans, amazing baby gifts, Martha Stewart’s CBD gummies and natural wine from the Palm Springs Bottle Shop in the back (Scribe or Donkey & Goat are excellent choices.) Some Sundays there is a bonus vintage market in the parking lot.
play. While Bar Cecil has been the hottest seat for steak-frîtes for over a year, this boisterous brasserie has first-come seats at the bar (from 5 p.m.) if you get there in advance. Many dishes are meant for sharing; a huge Bibb salad and sprouting cauliflower go down well with a glass of Sancerre and some girlfriend gossip.
tour. Mark your calendar for October 2022, when the lesser-known Modernism Week Preview Week takes place. Far less busy that the main February event, it has many of the same open houses and architectural tours. Definitely bookmark the Frey House and The Frey Cree House, both nestled into the mountains, The Lautner Compound and Kirk Douglas House, now owned by Roots co-founder Michael Budman and his architect wife, Diane Bald, who restored it.
quick bites. Savoury crêpes are having a moment: Gabino’s is a new little takeaway spot (close to Dead or Alive, a must-visit natural wine bar). Les Cactus and Azure Sky are two new boutique hotels to check out. Tailor Shop is a dark and sexy room for high-quality cocktails and discreet people watching. New to the Palm Canyon Galleria is Sophie, a French vintage couture shop from Paris via Beverly Hills, with understated and elegant finds. —Sarah Bancroft
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