The view from the Penthouse at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells
I just spent a few days in the California desert with a group of girlfriends. It was hot (there is a reason that Coachella is held in April and not in August) but we had a lot of fun.
The Auga Serena Spa has workout facilities open 24 hours a day
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort and Spa. The resort has an award-winning spa and the workout facilities are open 24 hours a day, which is a feature I really like in a hotel (and took advantage of). The gym is great.
Gorgeous desert flowers
The Usual Palm Tree Suspects
Desert beauties: Elisa Chacon of Hyatt with the lovely ladies of Smartyflyer.
From left to right: Elisa Chacon, NYU student and Smartflyer Taylor Methfessel, honeymoon expert Katie Frederick, the fabulous Erina Pindar, Africa specialist Clare Eastwood, and the ever energetic and multi-lingual Lauren Saiger Machowsky.
My friend, Erina Pindar, is the managing director of Smartflyer New York. I met her on twitter and we’ve become real life friends. She’s one of the smart and fabulous women behind the Smartflyer blog, which is a great resource for luxury travelers. I know some of her colleagues through social media relationships, so it was a lot of fun getting to spend some face time with them in real life.
If you’re looking for a luxury travel agency to work with, then check out Smartflyer.
Looking at Erina through my wine glass at the chef’s table
The highlight of the stay was having dinner at the Chef’s table with the hotel’s executive chef, Chris Mitchum . The resort focuses on locally sourced produce, and Chef Mitchum likes his dishes to be “recognizable” yet elevated.
Left: our salad course Right: the yellow tomato soup & grilled cheese course was my favorite
It was really fun to get to see all the inner workings of the kitchen (including the bakery) while enjoying dinner (and wine).
For our main course: Moroccan chicken and shrimp served on couscous
Much thanks to Hyatt for treating us to this great dinner!
Desert life selfie in one of the villas at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells