La Serena Villas, A Kirkwood Collection Hotel

Beyond excellent experience at La Serena Villas I just needed a night away and booked this hotel last minute. It looked gorgeous online, but the photos are nothing compared to being there. The vibe is warm, tropical, peaceful, exactly what we all need once in a while (or more). The entire staff was outstanding, from the moment I checked in til the moment I checked out; absolutely kind, professional and accommodating. My room was 100% spotless, very private, extremely well designed and oh so beautiful. I was very pleasantly surprised by La Serena and will definitely be back!!

We visited for our Minimoon after I previously visited the property in 2019. In 2019, I loved my stay, from the service to the breakfast, everything was perfect. I visited for a birthday and was greeted with tequila in the room and a welcome bottle of champagne, along with great service and friendly staff. Now that I’m back with my new husband I was excited to show him this hidden gem. Except this time, it’s obvious things have gone down hill. The breakfast went from a curated breakfast basket to an embarrassing kids yoplait yogurt, some granola, and a few random items like whole fruit. Since we were here a few days after getting married, we let the team know ahead of time, hoping we’d be greeted with at least a welcome congratulations message, or a bottle of champagne like I’d received previously. The team was not aware we were celebrating once we checked in (despite being notified previously), however, once we chatted with the front desk agent, he was very welcoming and did gift us a bottle of sparkling wine. Much appreciated! The villas themselves are still huge and feel nicely designed. The decor is still nice & bright and very boho/modern. The pool area is lovely. The restaurant and pool staff were ok. Luke was very helpful and attentive at Azucar. Overall, I was excited to visit again, especially after La Serena received a Michelin Star. After my second visit, the Michelin Star makes zero sense. Hopefully things shape up in the future!

We had the absolute BEST time at La Serena Villas!! This place is incredible - it's so beautiful and well kept, the staff is so kind, and the rooms are a DREAM. We ate at Azucar and Sugar High 2 nights and the food and drinks blew us away. So clean, so serene, the best atmosphere - I cannot recommend La Serena enough!!

We had a terrific meal on the patio of this hotel and it was stellar. Cool wine list, great service, delicious fish of the day and seared tuna. Next time, I would like to stay in one of the rooms, but visiting for drinks and dinner was a great idea for sure.

I don't understand why this hotel is so expensive for 900 dollars a night, the pool service is slow because they only have 1 person serving, Patty and Erick were very good but there were too many people for their capacity. the pool is small but ok The rooms are spacious but the patio they show in the photos is much smaller. You can hear everything, the walls of the room immediately everything could be heard. Housekeeping started cleaning the outside room very early making noise. a lot of sun enters the rooms. the curtains are not enough. The service at Azucar restaurant is very poor. They didn't offer us anything, neither bread nor cutlery until they served the dish. I wouldn't even go back to the restaurant, let alone the hotel. It has no worthwhile facilities. I asked for pillows for the bed and it took them 1 hour to deliver them. They did give early checkin but the truth is that that doesn't make up for it. The hotel does not have good service. Oh and lastly I forgot a bodysuit in bed. They haven't contacted me to tell me they found it.

We have enjoyed visiting this property in Palm Springs many times over the past few years. I am sorry to say we will not be returning to La Serenata on our next visit due to the new owners lack of interest and care in keeping this beautiful property up to its former standard of excellence. I'll start with the room, our villa on the most recent stay had a leak under the counter sink, a leaky shower head, and the thermostat was not functioning for either warmth or cooling. The pool is beautiful to look but it was too cold for a swim. There is no one to help at the pool or spa area. The rooftop restaurant is lovely for a drink however the menu has not changed in the past year. Gone are the day of the hand delivered lovely breakfast basket filled with delicious goodies and replaced now with a flimsy canvas bag with store bought pastry, a sad apple, and a carton of yogurt. The reduced staff is working hard and doing their best under the new management. However, this is a huge disappointment to all loyal and now former guests who feel obligated to write this review.

The villas are spacious and loved the extra touches of a bathtub on the patio. The restaurant was delicious with seating options on the roof, by the pool and inside. The staff was great - very attentive and parking is easy on the street. The "spa" was just okay, very accommodating in getting the appointments, but the facility is a room with 2 massage tables. No spa facilities other than that. Also, avoid the seaweed wrap if you have aversion to being cold - it contains peppermint oil and I was freezing the whole hour. 90 minute massage was perfect though.

Great downtown location off the beaten path with an easy walk to EVERYTHING. Beautiful property with a gorgeous pool and spa area. Shout out to Jose, the food and beverage manager, for making our stay so lovely every day! The food and cocktails are delicious. Shout out to the manager Alexandra for doing all that she could within her ability to make our stay as lovely as possible. Alexandra was a kind and empathetic person working with only a few staff members that were ill-trained. As previous reviews state, this property is indeed short staffed, in need of touch up paint, lots of maintenance (including leaky faucets, leaky shower that spilled in the bathroom and the rickety bicycles) and the rooms need a MAJOR deep clean. I will keep to myself what I saw when I went to plug my cell phone charger in behind the nightstand, yuck! When housekeeping comes daily, thank you, however they don’t replace dirty dishes or dirty towels & wash clothes. The bed is made, period. This said, nothing about the bed was luxurious. The breakfast basket is simply dismal with unripe fruit, cheap sugar-free Dannon yogurt and a thawing out muffin. This said, we only received it once. We were asked if we wanted it daily and we said ok but we never received it after day one. They may as well not offer this and give a voucher for breakfast at their restaurant. Reception texts us about housekeeping and breakfast but does not respond or follow through. There is indeed a new nightclub across the street, Reform, and the patron’s after-party occur in its parking lot waking you at 2 in the morning making you feel like you’re in a nightmare. The hotels and residences in the area are working on a solution with the club. 1st night we had to call the police because we couldn’t find the overnight security that was supposedly here. The two subsequent nights this didn’t occur. In all, this was a 3 star experience with the POTENTIAL of being 5. Per the staff, it was 5 stars before it sold to a new group losing most of its staff, that’s telling. It seems that this new group is letting this property slip, what a shame. I strongly suggest hiring a consultant to bring you back to 5 stars. I did contact management after our visit to give them feedback, but they were not interested. If they drop the price from 800+/night to 250 this would be commensurate with the overall experience.

This hotel is absolutely stunning! What a gem. The architecture and interior design of the entire hotel is GORGEOUS! It looks even better than the pictures. Room 18 is like a full apartment/villa with high ceilings, an indoor claw foot tub, kitchen and living area with a nice fireplace. I was joking to my husband that I could live here. High end finishes, lovely tile and beautiful decor throughout. The common areas, grounds and pool are so charming, You feel like you’re living inside a design magazine. We had a great experience with check in (the girls were kind and provided excellent service) and the lobby and hotel boutique is small but beautifully curated. Since the Parker Palm Springs is looking a bit tired, we wanted to try something new and I’m so glad we did! I honestly can’t understand how anyone could leave a bad review. I’m incredibly spoiled and picky and I am delighted with the Serena Villas. We will absolutely be back!!