We had to be in Palm Springs for Thanksgiving because my sisters family is involved in field hockey, and the annual Field Hockey Festival moved from our backyard (Wellington, Florida) to Palm Springs. Since I knew about Terra Cotta Inn, we figured we could add some fun to what was mostly a family get-together by planting ourselves at the nudist resort. It worked out great, even though other family members were staying at other hotels.
Terra Cotta is a very short drive from the airport in P.S., where we flew in and rented a car. America West has a great connection from Ft. Lauderdale through Phoenix to P.S. The inn is small, but lovely. From the outside, it doesnt look like much: a parking lot in front, nice landscaping and a California-ranch style building. The entrance is a solid door with a foyer providing privacy from anyone looking through the door when opened. You ring the doorbell, and either one of the owners, whose names Im embarrassed to say I dont recall (I am writing this trip report 8 months later), or one of the employees comes to let you in.
From our arrival, the standout feature of the resort was the hospitality of its owner/managers, who go far above and beyond the call to take care of guests and provide top-notch service. We got a tour, and complete run-down of the services offered and the times things happened, instructions on working the hot tub jets, the heat lamps, etc.(it was November).
The inn is made up of a quadrangle of single-story building surrounding a beautiful courtyard with a crystal clear pool, a hot tub and lots of lounge chairs, patio tables, umbrellas, benches, a shaded garden area, lovely soft grass and gorgeous, impeccably groomed landscaping. Theres not much there, but whats there is perfect. Also, there is a dog named Godiva, in case you are missing your canine friend back home (I was). The rooms were spotless and very comfortable, with big windows looking out into the courtyard. All have microwaves and bar-sized refrigerators, and they have rooms with small kitchen facilities, although ours was not one of those. Some rooms have heat lamps and a seating area just outside your door.
The service was great a beautiful buffet breakfast in the morning, served in the main office. Tons of fruit, bagels, muffins, English muffins, croissants, all sorts of things I dont even remember. It really hit the spot every morning. Every afternoon around 4pm out went wine and a wonderful assortment of munchies. That was always a great time to settle into the hot tub with a plate full of snacks and a couple of glasses of wine. On Thanksgiving itself, they did up a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings, the turkey having been roasted all day in the grill. We couldnt participate, having family plans for our turkey-day dinner, but we saw the whole thing since it took place long before we were eating it looked fantastic, and John couldnt keep himself out of the pies, which he said were wonderful.
The other thing that made the service so wonderful was that our hosts provided us with all the inside info on things to do, places to eat (they are food critics), how to get discounts for area attractions, whats worth seeing and doing and whats not, who has the best jeep tours, where to buy a watch when mine flooded in the pool and quit working, anything and everything you might want help with they provided. They were absolutely great. I have never stayed anywhere friendlier.
To sum up, Terra Cotta Inn gets our full recommendation, and we will go back.