Part II of our annual Palm Springs resorts coverage will keep you warm on a cold winter’s night

By Ed Walsh

If you haven’t been to the West’s wondrous winter escape from the frenetic freeway frazzled car-clogged city cacophony lately you haven’t been there. All alliteration almost aside, California ‘s gloriously great gay getaway is always changing to keep its coveted coiffed clientele consistently contented. The Palm Springs area’s wide variety of ever improving resorts tries to be all things to all people and they do a pretty good job of it. If you can’t find a resort to satisfy your taste there, you just might be unsatisfiable.

The Canyon Club Hotel (760/778-8042; www.canyonclubhotel.com) is a clothing-optional gay men’s resort with 32-newly remodeled rooms around a huge 50-foot pool. Amenities include a gym, spa, dry sauna, and steam room. Each of the rooms includes a refrigerator and most have a full kitchen. Plans are in the works to double its already spacious grounds. The expansion to an adjoining lot will include a sand volleyball court, horseshoe pit, koi pond, waterfall, barbecue, and a maze. Look for it to be completed in the spring of 2008. Rates start at $89. Day pass hours are 8 a.m.-10 p.m.

Camp Palm Springs (760/322-2267, www.camp-palm-springs.com) bills itself as the hottest men’s resort in the desert. The resort’s 29 rooms surround its spacious pool, grounds, and cloverleaf-shaped 12-man spa. This resort boasts a high sexual temperature, for those who want to walk on the wild side. Amenities include a covered outdoor workout area, dark room, steam room, and a clubhouse room with free Internet stations. It is open for day and night passes. Rates start at $89.

If you prefer a men’s resort with a more mellow vibe, The Hacienda at Warm Sands (760/327-8111; www.thehacienda.com) is a good bet. Everything about this 10-room upscale men’s resort is first-rate. From its rooms’ French doors to its luxurious bathrooms, it is easy to see why this property scores at the top of a number of lists as a great gay resort. High season rates start at $199. Its high season starts in February. Rates are a little less in January. Most resorts in Palm Springs serve a complementary breakfast, but Hacienda also throws in a free lunch.

The designer chic Century Palm Springs (760/323-9966; www.centurypalmsprings.com) spectacularly combines mid-century modern and ’50s retro design with all those modern comforts like flat-panel TVs, DVD players, gourmet coffee, and upscale bath products to keep the discerning gay boy comfortable in the style to which he has become accustomed. It’s conveniently located in Warm Sands. By the way, it used to be the Alexander Resort up until 2004, but if you stayed there when it was the Alexander you wouldn’t recognize it now after its floor-to-ceiling transformation. Rates at this clothing-optional men’s resort start at $179. Check the website for specials.

The El Mirasol Villas (760 327-5913; www.elmirasol.com) was the first gay men’s resort in the Warm Sands neighborhood. It first opened in 1975 and set the bar high for its soon-to-be gay neighbors. The expansive 14-unit property was originally built by Howard Hughes in the late ’40s. Amenities include two clothing-optional swimming pools, private patios, 10-man Jacuzzi, fountains and a eucalyptus steam room. Rates start at $119.

The Columns Resort (760/325-0655; www.pscolumns.com) features seven spacious studio rooms with full kitchens. Amenities at this clothing-optional men’s resort include a large pool, dry sauna, 8-man Jacuzzi and custom robes. Rates start at $99. At press time, the resort was in escrow to be sold, so you can probably expect some changes when the new owners take over.

The Bacchanal Resort (760/323-0760; www.bacchanalresort.com) is an intimate men’s clothing-optional resort in Warm Sands. Each of its eight rooms is distinctively decorated and has direct poolside access. Amenities include a Jacuzzi and flat panel TVs with two adult channels. The resort is also pet-friendly. This is a perfect place to stay if you want to be in the Warm Sands neighborhood but prefer a more secluded setting. Rates start at $99.

Terrazzo (760/778-5883; www.terrazzo-ps.com) is an intimate and relaxing 12-unit clothing-optional men’s resort on East Palm Canyon Drive. Amenities include a 40-foot heated pool, 10-man Jacuzzi, fully equipped on-site gym, free airport shuttle, free continental breakfast, and a catered lunch at a nominal cost. Its owners, Tom and Doug, thought of every detail so you don’t have to. Rates start at $159.

The fabulous Ozz resort (760/324-3000; www.ozzresortps.com) is a great example of what was old being very new again. In the swinging sixties, the Cathedral City resort filled in as a film set for the movie Palm Springs Weekend starring Troy Donahue, Robert Conrad, Connie Stevens, and Stephanie Powers. It has undergone a number of incarnations since then, you may remember it as The Desert Palms Inn. Rates at this 29-unit gay and lesbian resort start at a very reasonable $79.

The Casa Ocotillo (760/327-6110; www.casaocotillo.com) is a luxurious gay men’s resort set in a 1934 Mexican hacienda. It sits on a half-acre of lushly landscaped grounds at the foot of the San Jacinto Mountains. It is clothing-optional, smoke free, and pet-friendly. Rates start at $159 and they don’t charge more for staying weekends.

If you like a lot of space or like to stay a while, renting a 1500+ square foot suite at Villa Mykonos (760/ 321- 0164; www.villamykonos.com) is a good bet. Its dual master bedrooms sleep four or five comfortably. All the units include a full kitchen. Rates start at $150.

The gay-friendly Orbit Inn (760/ 323-3585; www.orbitin.com) is a charming boutique hotel known for its mid-century design but with all the finest 21st century amenities, including spa services. Its sister resort, the Hideaway, features designer furnishing and secluded, expansive grounds. hese properties are downtown and a short walk to the gay clubs on Arenas Road. The Orbit and Hideaway have nine rooms each. Rates start at $209. By the way, the Hideaway is available to rent in its entirety for a business retreat, family reunion, or any large gathering.

The historic and gay-friendly Calla Lily Inn (760/323-3654; www.callalilypalmsprings.com) sits at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains in downtown Palm Springs. This romantic hotel showcases nine large poolside rooms each with a tropical ambiance. It’s just a short walk to the clubs on Arenas Road. Rates start at $179.

The gay-friendly Desert Star Bungalows (760/778-1047; www.desertstarhotel.com) is an intimate boutique hotel with in-room spa services. Its six bungalows are nestled in a quiet neighborhood just minutes from downtown. Each bungalow has a private patio. Rates begin at $180.

The 97-room landmark Caliente Tropics Resort (760/327-1391; www.calientetropics.com) is one of best remaining examples of the Tiki and Polynesian style of hotel that was popular in the ’60s. The gay-friendly resort retains the 1964 look but it is completely updated with 21st century luxuries. Winter rates start around $75.

If you want to stay in the Warm Sands neighborhood and like a lot of space, you would be hard-pressed to do better than the Parocela Villas (760/322-7961; www.parocelavillas.com). You have your choice between three two-bedroom units or a studio. Winter rates from the two-bedroom villas start around $250. The studio starts at $150.