Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa Review: Fun in the Sun

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A stay at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa is a must when in town for Coachella, the BNP Paribas Open (formerly the Indian Wells Masters), or relaxing in the sun.

The Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa offers a serene retreat for couples looking for a getaway, families, girls’ trips, or golf vacations.

The hotel is a quick 30-minute drive from downtown Palm Springs. Making it an ideal staycation destination for Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego residents.

Last month Jeff and I spent four nights in Palm Springs, two of those we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells in a one bedroom villa with spa tub.

Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa Review: Fun in the Sun

Located in Indian Wells, the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa has 452 rooms, 40 villas, 26 penthouse suites, 9 suites, and 3 presidential villas on 45 acres. All rooms include a balcony or patio, TVs, laptop-sized safe, and refrigerator.

Guests used to be able to pay to upgrade to Regency Club rooms that included access to a lounge with snacks and free drinks. But the hotel no longer offers a Regency Club because it has been permanently closed.

Free Wi-Fi is available in all guestrooms and public spaces.

Hyatt Regency Indian Wells is a nonsmoking destination resort with something for everyone. From outdoor activities like seven swimming pools, a 36-hole golf course, three tennis courts, jogging paths, and bike trails. They offer a resort concierge to help plan events and a golf concierge to book tee times.

Two computers and a printer are located near the concierge desk to print boarding passes.

Pet Friendly

Hyatt Regency Indian Wells is a pet-friendly hotel for pets weighing 75 pounds or less. If bringing two pets, their combined weight can’t exceed 100 pounds.

The hotel charges a flat rate pet-fee of $150 per stay for up to 6 nights. Each 6-night stay costs an extra $150.

Pets aren’t allowed in restaurants, spa, or the pool area.

Pro-tip: There are a limited number of pet-friendly villas. Pets are not allowed in Penthouse Suites.

Parking

The hotel offers self and valet parking for the same price. Rates vary depending on the season: $23.50 from October through May and $15.50 for June through September.

Globalists staying on free night awards get free parking.

Pro-tip: Valet parking is a better value. Your car gets parked in a covered garage. It’s a long walk to self-parking.

Resort Fee

The resort fee is $30 a day and includes:

• Access to 24-hour fitness center
• Local & 800 calls and incoming and outgoing faxes
• Golf bag valet and storage
• Bike and helmet rental
• Use of the putting green, fooz ball, table tennis, corn hole, and badminton
• Fitness/yoga classes
• Daily newspaper at the front desk
• Transportation to Indian Wells Golf Resort

Globalists don’t pay the resort fee.

Pro-tip: The hotel is under renovation through December 2019. They are adding a five-story tower with two 30-foot water slides, a lazy river, and upgrades to the pool and Cabanas.

Getting to the Hotel

Getting to the hotel from the Palm Springs Airport is easy. The Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa is 30 to 40 minutes from the airport depending on traffic. Bus, taxis, Uber, Lyft and all the major rental car companies such as Enterprise and Hertz are available.

Jeff and I drove to Palm Springs from San Diego so we didn’t need to rent a car. Because we spent a lot of time in downtown Palm Springs we used Uber so we didn’t have to find parking nor drink and drive.

Pro-tip: The hotel is 1 1/2 hours from the Ontario Airport and 2 1/2 hours from Los Angeles International Airport.

Check-In

We arrived at 11:29 am and were able to check-in. The far left counter serves World of Hyatt members.

Hyatt Regency Indian Wells treats Globalists very well. They acknowledged my World of Hyatt Globalist status, gave us two drink coupons for the Agave Sunset lobby lounge, and a voucher for two items from the Citrus Marketplace & Cafe.

I emailed the general manager before our arrival and confirmed a free upgrade to a one bedroom villa with spa tub.

Pro-tip:  Here’s how to get VIP treatment at hotels.

One Bedroom Villa With Spa Tub

The villas are on the far side of the resort overlooking the pool and golf course. The one bedroom villas are 1,100 square feet, two bedroom villas are 1,350 square feet, and the Presidential villas are 1,900 square feet.

Each villa has a private patio with seating, jacuzzi or pool, and butler service. One and two bedroom villas also have a BBQ.

Want to be closer to the Oasis adult pool? Ask for Villas 601 to 604.

The hotel gave us villa 605. The last time I stayed here, four years ago, I had villa 715. Because of the construction several of the 700 villas are not being assigned.

Pro-tip: There’s a free to use washer and dryer in the ice room of each group of villas (villa pod). During our stay, there was a huge bottle of All laundry detergent, possibly leftover from another guest.

This is a great benefit for families, if you’re staying for a week, or visiting during the summer.

Living Room

The living room had a large sectional sofa, chair, glass coffee table, gas fireplace, TV, wet bar, Keurig machine, microwave, and a set of dishes, glassware, and silverware.

A glass-topped desk faced the TV. While I didn’t do any work on this trip I appreciate how convenient it is to watch TV and work at the same time. 🙂

On the floor next to the desk, a wicker basket held four beach towels.

Dining Room

In the dining room there was a four-seater glass dining table with a bounty of local goodies:

• two cans of lime sparkling water
• two cans of grapefruit sparkling water
• a bag of toffee popcorn
• two bottles of honey
• a bag of dates
• two Nature Valley granola bars
• a bath bomb

A sideboard contained a stocked beverage refrigerator and another set of dishes.

The hotel decorated with a “happy birthday” banner and balloons.

Later that night they delivered a bottle of champagne, a charcuterie plate, and a chocolate birthday cake.

OMG, it was the BEST chocolate cake EVER! Light, flavorful, and so moist!

Closet

The closet was in the hallway across from the bathroom and before the bedroom. An iron, ironing board, two robes, and luggage rack were on the left.

A safe, hairdryer and extra pillow and blanket were on the right. But there weren’t any slippers. 🙁

Bathroom

A HUGE spa-styled bathroom with large dual sinks set atop a marble countertop stocked with Pharmacopia toiletries and a lighted double face makeup mirror.

The teal blue walls had a soothing, calming effect ensuring a relaxing bath in the giant soaker tub with roman tub faucet and hand shower. The teak bathtub caddy had a loofah and bath salts.

A separate shower with rain can, body jets, and handheld shower faucet makes for a long luxurious shower.

Pro-tip: Aside from the towel rack on the shower door, the only other towel hook is on the wall by the tub in a hard to reach spot.

Bedroom

The bedroom is spacious with room to walk around both sides of the bed.

I loved the Hyatt Grand bed with a pillow-top mattress, a key component in getting a great night’s sleep.

Near the window, there was a chaise lounge facing the TV. Which can also double as a toddler bed.

There’s a door that leads to the outside patio. This is a great feature when traveling with family or young children. It lets you enjoy time outside without having to go through the living room and waking anyone sleeping on the sofa bed.

Spa Tub

Our villa had a private spa tub and two lounge chairs. We loved being able to enjoy the spa anytime we wanted.

There was also an umbrella-covered patio table and a BBQ.

Pro-tip: The hotel cleans the spas and pools (for villas with private pool) Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 8 am to 11:30 am. If you plan to sleep in, you can contact the front desk and make arrangements for another time.

Oasis Pool

The Oasis Pool (adult pool) and spa are open from 8 am to 10 pm. The pool isn’t very deep but the water is cold and refreshing on a hot day.

Padded pool loungers surrounding the pool are on a first-come, first-served basis. Attached to each is a numbered flag so servers can bring back your bar order from the Oasis Bar. The Oasis bar is between the Main Pool and the Oasis Pool. Bartenders are friendly, fast and efficient.

The Oasis Pool has 16 cabanas for rent. Cabanas accommodate two people, are set back from the pool and include three reserved areas, six bottles of water and a fruit plate. They cost $220 a day and are worth every penny, especially during peak season.

Inside there are two padded loungers, a fridge, TV, ceiling fan, towels, and curtains for privacy.

Two webbed pool chairs sit outside the entrance so you can people-watch in the shade under misters. Tired of sitting inside the cabana or in the shade? Soak up the sun on two pool chair loungers and an umbrella.

The hotel gave us a free cabana and LOVED every minute! As Jeff put it, “This feels like a vacation.”

It was so nice to relax, watch TV, pop in the pool when it got to hot and call to order drinks and food from the Roadrunner Cafe.

We’ll definitely book a cabana the next time we stay at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa.

Pro-tip: Cabana 8 and Cabana 9 are the best cabanas. They’re located at the entrance of the pool, near the speakers, and are the farthest from the bar.

Main Pool

The main pool is large, family-friendly, and also offer cabana rentals.

Pro-tip: Bikes are located in the rack inside the main pool area.

Fitness Center (Stayfit Gym)

The Fitness Center (Stayfit Gym) is well equipped with exercise equipment and open 24 hours.

Pro-tip: Every morning the Indian Wells Fire Department uses the gym for their PT (physical training). So don’t be alarmed if you see the fire truck and ambulance outside the gym.

Aqua Serena Spa and Salon

The Agua Serena Spa offers treatments, relaxation rooms with healthy snacks, eucalyptus steam rooms, dry saunas, jacuzzis and outdoor showers.

Hours are Sunday to Thursday from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm, and Friday to Saturday from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm, subject to seasonality.

Food

Lantana

If your room includes breakfast or if you’re a Globalist, you can order from the menu or choose the buffet at Lantana.

The buffet includes scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, fresh fruits, pastries, yogurt, oatmeal, and cereals.

Both mornings Jeff ordered a build your own omelet with hash browns.

The first morning, I got the Belgian waffle with fresh berries and local date cream.

I also ordered a side of hash browns and strawberry and banana smoothie. They were the best hash browns! Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Our last morning I ordered the two cage-free eggs over medium with bacon and side of hashbrowns.

Lantana is open daily for breakfast from 6:30 am to 11:30 am and dinner from 5:30 pm to 10 pm.

Pro-tip: Lantana is under renovation through November 23, 2019.

Agave Sunset

We used our two free drink coupons at the Agave Sunset bar and lounge.

Citrus Marketplace & Cafe

The Citrus Marketplace & Cafe located in Hyatt Regency Indian Wells lobby offers Starbucks coffee, snacks, resort branded items, and other convenient items.

As a Globalist the hotel gave us a voucher for any two items with an orange sticker like date nectar, treats, and Johnnie Walker Black Label and Chivas Regal.

Citrus is open daily from 6 am to 11 pm.

Pro-tip: They will be undergoing a renovation soon and adding a larger coffee area.

Use Points or Pay Cash

A free night at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa costs 20,000 points. Hyatt points are easy to earn with cards like The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Pro-tip: You can transfer points from these Chase Ultimate Rewards earning cards to Hyatt instantly at a 1:1 transfer ratio.

Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa
44-600 Indian Wells Lane
Indian Wells, CA
760-776-1234

Check rates & reviews: Expedia | Booking.com | Tripadvisor

Things to Do & See Nearby

The closest things to do and see near the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa is the Living Desert. The Palm Springs Air Museum is about 30 minutes away and the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is 41 minutes away.

Conclusion

The Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa is a great choice for families, couples, girls’ trips, or golf vacations who want a destination resort with more amenities than the Parker Palm Springs.

Globalists get special perks like free drinks, treats, and free upgrades.

Be sure to book a cabana, they’re worth the price to guarantee a spot at the pool.

It’s a short drive to downtown Palm Springs so you can shop and dine at restaurants like Eight4Nine and Mr. Lyons Steakhouse or pick up a Monster Shake.

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Featured image courtesy of Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa