Bella Monte Hot Springs Resort and Spa

SOooooo bummed!!! It’s CLOSED!!! It’s a recovery center now. So much for relaxing elegant weekends in the hot springs. :(

CLOSED
My husband and I stayed here a year ago and loved it very much. We have raved about it every since. It was such a special place and it didn’t hurt that we were the only guests at the time as we stayed mid week. I thought the rooms were clean and nice, and the views were
and night, especially by the fire pit.
I love that valley.
I was just in town for a visit and drove by with my sister n law to show her the resort to see if we might want to plan a family vacation there. The gates were open but the door was locked. A lady who worked there told us that the place was no longer a resort and is now a recovery center. Wow, what a lovely recovery center.
She said that people like me come by all the time and want to revisit the resort and re book a stay there, so my only comment here is,
A polite sign at the gate saying the resort was no longer a resort would be nice so people wouldn’t go tromping around!

Anybody know why this place closed?
It was one of my favorite vacation spots. TT

My husband surprised me (jk, I told him I wanted to go here) with a quick one-​night getaway. Timing was perfect as a few days before one of my kindergarteners threw up all over my table and himself and guess who had to clean him up!!! Needless to say, I was in DIRE need of some R&R.
Anyway. On to…
THE GOOD
1. Beautiful, quiet, clean grounds. Breathtaking view of the mountains. I felt relaxed just by entering this place. zen-​like atmosphere with a mix of classical and yoga-​music softly playing in the background
2. Two jacuzzis that fit maybe 6 people comfortably
3. Two-​person jacuzzis with direct access to mineral water in each room
4. Ice cold mineral water, tea, coffee and snacks available 24 hours in the lounge
5. I had really really dry, cracking hands before I visited. It is now smooth, without lotion. Healing waters, you say?
THE BAD
1. The rooms were not as clean as you would expect. We found a few stray hairs in the tub (one was short, coarse and curly… –_​-​). It also got really humid in the room.
2. The air conditioner (especially when it turns on) is LOUD so if you’re a light sleeper like me, you’ll be tossing and turning all night. The air conditioner remote has 500 million buttons and was very frustrating. I am not dumb. I have a masters degree. This air conditioner was difficult to control haha
3. The curtains do not block out all the light outside (more tossing and turning)
4. The water pressure of the shower was SO weak I feel like I have to mention it. That is how weak it was. I didn’t mind it TOO much because I felt like I was helping mother earth but it was a bit annoying.
5. The lounge chairs were the most uncomfortable lounge chairs I ever had to sunbathe on and I like to sunbathe.
THE UGLY (for 18 and over eyes only lol)
Ok. My husband and I EYE-​WITNESSED a couple having SEX in the lower jacuzzi. They were an older dirty-​looking couple. It was not something I wanted to see. I do NOT want to relax in a tub with bodily fluids at all. and ESPECIALLY if they are not my own. Who knows what kind of STD ridden jizz might be floating in this jizzcuzzi (ba-​dum-​tsss! hahahaha). I thought it was kind of amusing but my germaphobic husband was ENRAGED. Ignorance is bliss and our bliss was wiped away. Our relaxing stay instantly became this weird numb twilight-​zone-​like existence… «we were immersed in this water 2 hours ago… I was splashing this water on my face.»
TO YOU OFFENDERS:
1. It is a public space– we are all paying the same amount to enjoy the facilities
2. YOU HAVE YOUR OWN JACUZZI IN YOUR ROOM TO ENGAGE IN WHATEVER YOU WANT TO
3. If you absolutely have to do it, do it late at night (not 6pm) when no one will know and we can keep our blissful ignorance.
THE END

This hot springs resort is very clean and quiet.
I can enjoy hot spring without step out my room.
Their breakfast was so yummy, too.
It was very enjoyable and pleasure to stay there.

Quite the desert gem!
The highlights are:
The amazing views.
The fact the pool, hot tubs and sauna are open 24 hours.
It’s peaceful and tranquil.
They offer a complimentary breakfast of cereal and milk, bagels and cream cheese, jelly and butter, fruit, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, orange juice, fruit, coffee and tea.
There is a mini-​fridge and microwave in the room, so if you plan ahead, you can warm up some pre-​made meals and never have to leave the property.
The massage was top-​notch.
There is a warm fire-​pit you can relax by or make smores with chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers provided by the hotel.
The rooms felt clean and the bathroom was huge with an amazing tub that fit two, had jets and poured mineral water from the tap.
The floors in the hotel room and the floors and walls in the bathroom were made of beautiful stone.
Things I wanted to be just a bit better:
Softer beds. Maybe a pillow top would do.
Feather down pillows. The pillows were a little hard.
All in all, this property was well deserving of five stars. They were kind and courteous, even coming over to our room after hours to help us figure out how to make the DVD player work.
The massage therapist was really great and the vibe all around just felt like they cared. Do be prepared to have some of your own bits of entertainment as there isn’t much at the hotel besides the pools and sauna and spa. They do offer a large selection of DVD’s and cable TV. If you come knowing you’re just going to be secluded and don’t have to leave to get anything, it’s a great get-​away. But, if you do need to go out for any reason, there are all the stores you need in the main part of Desert Hot Springs.

I chose this place for my birthday weekend after reading the reviews and I’m soooo glad I did. Loved everything about it.
I don’t want to repeat what everyone else has already said, so I’d just like to mention the neighborhood that some people seem to have a problem with. I was expecting worse and was surprised we’d already arrived, as I was prepared for a «bad neighborhood». I guess the people who have a problem with the area must all live in million dollar homes, as I saw absolutely nothing wrong with it.

I love you BELLA MONTE
I FIRCKIN LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS PLACE! I WISH IT WAS CLOSER but THANK GOD Desert Hot Springs is not too far away! I first found out about this place when I got an overnight stay as a birthday gift! That was the BEST part about that birthday cause the rest was all down hill and SUCKED!
Anyway off the subject… When you’re driving up this place just looks like a house and is sort of in a neighborhood that doesn’t look so hot! It’s right across the street from an apartment building and is caged in like it’s trying to protect you from something on the other side of the gate! That said I’ve been back several times and NEVER HAD a PROBLEM! AND I WILL CONTINUE TO GO BACK!
The first time I didn’t know what to expect but once I got inside the ENTIRE ENTRY IS NICE AND YOU GET A WARM WELCOME! You sign in and are shown to your room. ALL THE ROOMS ARE FRICKIN NIIIIICCCEEE! The bathrooms are all HUGE and have GI-​NORMOUS SHOWERS And WHIRLPOOL TUBS!!! The towels are plush and your given all those little amenities like soap, shampoo, conditioner and lotion! All rooms come with a large mini frig, flat screen TV, AC a desk, microwave, etc! IT IS REALLY VERY WONDERFUL!
ZZZZZ-​BEST THING is that its ADULTS ONLY NO BRATS ALLOWED and the pool, sauna, spa, snack room, with DVDs, cookies, coffee and tea is all OPEN ²⁴⁄₇ HOURS and NEVER CLOSES! There is an AWESOME FIRE PIT by the upper POOL and a view to DIE FOR!
I have always MET REALLY WONDERFUL PEOPLE there! AND I NEVER EVVAAAA WANT TO LEAVE! There is a NICE little all you can EAT breakfast of muffins, bagels, hot and cold cereal, milk, coffee, tea, yogurt and fruit. It changes slightly but you really get a lot and it is quite filling!
They also have a few masseuses come to do massages and I had ONE and it WAS SLAMMINNNNN! Between that and the hot spring mineral waters from the pool, spa and hot tub in my room I FELT GREAT! You can NOT HELP BUT TO RELAX and ENJOY! I usually bring a book and will stop at the local grocery store either before I get there or just after I check in so once I start my relaxing I don’t have to leave!
Since it is AN ADULT ONLY places there are NO screaming rug-​rats running around causing a ruckus and trying to ruin it for everyone! It is SUPER nice to use the microwave to warm up a meal for lunch or dinner and NOT HAVE TO LEAVE! You can also have food delivered! There are a few places in the area but you will need to spend a certain amount for them to deliver! A group of ladies there for a bridal shower had Italian food delivered and it smelled GREAT!
AT NIGHT most people just chiil-​ax out by the fire pit with some wine or a beer and chat as they stare out into the light blanket over the city! IT IS SUCH A FRICKIN AWESOME PLACE! YOU WILL NEVER EVVAA REGRET coming here! There website will also do specials once in a while! Your car is parked safely behind a gate so NO WORRIES!
IF YOU LOVE RELAXATION THIS IS YOUR PLACE!

First impressions were this place is like paradise. Even though Desert Palm Springs was over 110 degrees, the pool and ac in the room made my trip better. We were roomed on the stop floor right outside the pool. We got two ac in the room. One in the main room and the other in the bathroom. The bathroom is HUGE! There’s a shower stall and a hot tub, with two sinks and one toilet. They gave us plenty of towels for shower and for pool.
Outside there’s a medium size pool that goes from 3 ft to 5.5 ft which is as tall as I am. Overall pool was very clean and the water wasn’t murky. The pool water was actually warm maybe about 85+ degrees because of the hot weather (110 degrees). How can I tell? Cause I’ve been to our So Cal beaches and they are normally 70 degrees and below on the hottest So Cal day.
The next morning we had a complimentary breakfast. There was yogurt, bagels, orange juice (one jug only), fruits, milk, coffee, tea and cereal. It was a very pleasant stay.

Imagine soaking in a pool of 85 degree water and looking up at the stars. I never want to leave!!!
We had a really great long weekend a couple weeks back. The check in was quick and easy, we got a tour of the grounds and a tour of our room. About an hour after we checked in, we received a bottle of wine, glasses and opener. That was sweet.
The resort is pretty small with 21 rooms, a small lounge area which we loved, an awesome pool, 2 jacuzzis and a fire pit for the smores. The lounge was the meeting place for breakfast each day (including boiled eggs, cereal, pastries, coffee/​tea, oj, yogurt, and fruit), smores after sunset was awesome, snacks during the day (water, granola bars, popcorn), and DVDs to borrow. The bathroom near the steam room is the same as in the hotel room, huge and inviting. Loved the feel of the pool area, it felt like a spa with soft music and a misting machine.
The room was nice with a large bathroom and large tub. I didnt really love the shower head though. I liked the size of the room and the bed was comfortable with a big screen, but it was all tile… I’m not sure it’s my fave flooring.
The service was hit or miss depending on who was helping you. The person who checked us in was nice, but the person who gave us our wine wasnt.
The area that it’s in is not the greatest. It is literally across the street from this apartment building and in the backside is a mobile home park.
On one of the nights, we decided to go into town, and it’s not much, pretty sleepy town, it was about 2 miles away, but had everything from groceries to fast food.
On one of the days, we headed out to Palm Springs which was about 12 miles away locally.
I would have given 5 stars for the property, the amenities and value we got, but after we got home, I noticed I forgot to pack some items and called them immediately, like 2 hours after we checked out. They didn’t respond. I had to call a week later, they couldn’t find our items. :(
All in all, we had a great stay, with some minor snags. We would stay again if we get the same great rate. Go to travelzoo! It’s not «luxury» but very comfortable.

quiet and private. there are a handful of rooms.
mineral water in bath, pool, and jacuzzi that dont make your fingers pruney.
fire pit nightly with SMORES
nice spread for breakfast: cereals, bagels, muffins, yogurts
love the bathrooms

Very relaxing, so quite and a true vacation. We really relaxed here and came back home refreshed. The pool was refreshing and I didn’t want to leave the pool.
Only 2 cons– The city that it in isn’t nice and its really hard to find a good food place around. I recommend bring snack, sandwich and etc.

Went here a year ago for my Bday and never wrote a review. This place is calming, the staff is very friendly. The pools are wonderful and warm, my favorite part is that the mineral water can be pumped directly into the bath tub :) and the bath tub is huge! The bathroom in general is huge and luxurious. I enjoyed the complementary wine and cheese tasting. You can check out DVDs to watch in your room– they have complementary hot chocolate, tea and cake pops!
Such a relaxing experience! This is the perfect place for a romantic weekend, or a mom’s get away– not the place for sexy singles. I brought a sexy single bikini and felt a little out of place and promptly switched to a «don’t look at me nothing special bikini».
The massage was okay– she did exactly what I asked focused on the areas I wanted her to focus on, I just have a different preference for style– I am a massage therapist so as far as her technique and training she great, listened to the client and such– I just personally prefer a different style.
The only thing I would recommend is BRING WATER! Palm Springs can get so hot in the summer and then in heated mineral water– omg I just wanted cold ice water to drink and could not get enough!
Also some other smart hotel guest brought like picnic foods– cheese, bread, wine, sandwiches (there is a fridge in the room) which I thought was delightful because they didn’t have to leave the resort. So smart.
Overall a very nice, relaxing stay. I definitely will come back with a picnic basket.

I am a huge fan of Bella Monte. The staff is incredibly friendly and accommodating. They literally do anything they can to extend great offers and high quality service to guests in order to optimize their experience and stay at the hotel.
I was there last week for the second time, and I enjoyed a tremendous room rate, friendly reception and a late check out complimentary.
The rooms are nice and clean.
The snacks all afternoon/​evening are a nice touch.
Love the fire pit.
The real winners are the jacuzzis and pool. Amazing mineral water at perfect temperatures to enjoy the serene location and amazing scenery.
For the price and quality of experience, this place is a true gem and I look forward to arranging my next visit!

Went here this past weekend for a Travelzoo girls weekend trip. I wasn’t there the 1^st night BUT my 3 other girlfriends called before they arrived letting front desk know that they will be arriving around 9L30 PM– 10:00. The front desk said no problem well be here waiting for you. The girls showed up allt he lights everything is locked. They could not get it. So one would think you can just call the hotel and speak with someone. Nope. No answer. Called again and again no answer. Finally a car was leaving the parking lot so they ran in there.
They now are on the property. They walk pass the pool to try and get in the lobby. They get in all the lights off not a single person there. What the heck is going on? Finally some guests that were staying there, looked at the girls asking what they were doing. The guest happen to be friends with the owner of the hotel/​finally someone came and gave them their room.
We got spa treatments which were included in our travel zoo. We walk up at our time, the lady goes «no we dont have you booked». What? She was then accommodating and let us all 3 go. But still come on we booked this a month ago.
The overall stay was fine. The room was fine. Its a 20 minute drive from downtown Palm Springs area which kinda a pain.
Would I come back? Probably not.

Resort itself = B
Service = A
I went there two weeks ago for a classic bachelorette weekend for my friend. We picked this place because their photos looked nice and we wanted a place where we can do spa & hot tub for 24hrs, which Bella Monte offered.
There were definitely some dilemma while trying to get our rooms because they overbooked rooms and had only one room with a King bed for 5 girls with no rolley & marble floor. Everything ended up working out though and we were satisfied with their service overall!
Pros:
–Mineral water!!! Yessssssssssss! We loved the 24hr mineral hot pools which were spacious! I was also told that the room waters are mineral water, which made me very happy.
–24hr dry sauna
–Even though location is quite random and once inside, you do feel pretty secluded, unless you look OUT the «resort», of course
–The resort provides fruit & water throughout the day and s’mores ingredients in the evening, as well as continental breakfast before 10am which is very generous!
–Rooms are clean, new and very nice! Even though the bed was a little too squish and pillows were uncomfortable, I loved everything else about the room, especially their bathrooms!
–Seems like a family-​friendly location
–Service from manager was awesome! As mentioned above, they overbooked the weekend we were there and only had a room with a King bed left for the 5 of us. The girl who first helped our check-​in asked us to split so half can stay here and other half can go somewhere else (umm, hello? for a bachelorette party?) because everywhere else was also booked that weekend due to a tournament. When manager heard out situation, he was very helpful and as a last resort, offered a room with a broken heater and comped our whole weekend due to this mix-​up. Then, when we came back from a dinner that night, they kindly left a complementary bottle of wine AND two of free night stay with spa discount vouchers! This definitely made our night!
Cons:
–The neighborhood — As mentioned by other Unilocalers, we thought we were LOST when trying to look for this place. It was also a lot smaller than expected, blending in with all the neighborly houses
–Be prepared to either bring food with you or go into Palm Springs if you want food
–Pool is small and overall, whoever took the photos for the resort did better job than the actual place itself
–Service from non-​manager was BAD. She did not care for our situation and was not offering much help at all…

I love the Bella Monte. It’s just our speed. We are the kind to check in and do our own thing. If you are looking for room service and bell hop, look elsewhere. Do bring snacks, drinks and plenty of water. They do provide you with a mini fridge and a microwave.
This resort is very quaint with other like minded visitors (peaceful & not party mode, well… maybe mini party mode). It is in a residential neighborhood, but nothing to worry about… if anything it’s more quiet and allows for a starrier night. :)
I recommend calling to make your reservation. Brandie, is very helpful and super kind. I would ask if there are any current specials to take advantage of, as well as put in the request for room #13 it’s in the lower half of the resort and has the best sunset view. Although, our lanai didn’t have chairs last time??? so we just sat on the wall median. Still gorgeous & relaxing and worth every penny you saved by not staying with the busy shuffle of Palm Springs. Did I mention your room comes with a mineral jacuzzi tub!!? Oh YES!
Don’t forget to book your massage and make a reservation for dinner somewhere swanky. You’re gonna feel like a million bucks after you get a heavenly rub down.
Extra props to my HUBBY for finding this place and surprising me on such a relaxing Valentine’s Day weekend! Which was sold out that weekend and the place still didn’t feel crowded. Can’t say one bad thing… other than our lanai was missing chairs.

Rest & Relax mid-​week at this great, tiny spot
First, read Leah’s review as she’s pretty spot on except a few things that were different for me.
+ Star Locals nice. Couldn’t have been treated more nicely by everyone in this hot, sleepy lil town of Desert Hot Springs. Everyone from Brandy at check in, to he adorable Linda on the phone from Rocky’s (Italian delivery — eggplant parm was yum!) was soooo nice. Even the tattooed local boys across the street in the rather run down apt building (you’ll forget about it when you check in dont worry) were so sweet smiling and waving. Small desert town chatm.
+ Stars and Stars — the waters. You come here to take the waters. I swear on them. And you will believe if you try it — curing all ills, really!
+ Stars — the massage. I had the raindrop massage with an excellent, stout local lady (omg her name… shanequa?!) and it was crazy good. And I am a massage junkie. This massage was unique but powerful. I slept like a baby for 9 hours afterwards (crazy long for me!)
+ Stars — Clean. Dirty spas and dirty hotels gross me out and this one was clean. I found no yuck in any of my «secret» check soots (on top of pictures, lightbulbs). That green in the pool is cause its a natural mineral spa. So don’t freak out! It’s good for ya!
I have to deduct really ½ star ( Unilocal: when will we Eliters be able to do ½ star increments?!) for the professionalism only! The front desk staff with whom I dealt was lovely (I dealt with Brandy) but I had one snippy phone call (not sure of person’s name) And also observed male front desk person’s slovenly dress/​attitude toward a guest/​general demeanor. Breakfast staff and massage therapist were warm, generous, courteous. And a deduction for the horribly uncomfortable plastic pool chaises. The whole point is to relax & rejuvenate & these $ 25 plastic monsters are agony. Layering towels only briefly elongates the amount of time one can l
Yes, the room itself is good (I had #6 with thbed good, ac good, smaller tv with cable), but what is amazing is:
+ Stars — Mineral water tub! My jacuzzi tub filled with mineral water. Hot hot hot mineral water, perfect to soak in. Sadly the tub must have had a leak as I had wanted to save the water for the morning (less scalding!) and it was gone gone gone.
Hints to make your stay fab:
1) midweek best ~ the staff confided to me that weekends can be very full
2) secure your curtains & close bathroom door to protect your early morning wakeup from mister sun
3) book massage at end of day (mine was at 7p) to drift off to sleep
4) As Leah noted, byo snacks/​drinks (especially drinks! Coconut water is a plus for this dry climate) to put in your in-​room fridge.
Combine with a trip to the Cabazon Premium outlet mall (Prada just opened) and you will have an amazing time!

Check in is at 3pm. No sooner, not even at 2:59. Ok — so maybe they needed the extra time to finish cleaning, but she could have said that to us.
The first room we were shown was on the lower level (not poolside) and the room was covered with ants both alive and dead — the bathtub was covered… and the bed had a sprinkling. OH NO. We asked for another room. This time, it was poolside (and the air wasn’t on, gosh was it hot). There were a few ants in the tub, but those were the only ones we saw and they sent the cleaners to get them immediately. We cranked up the air and the room finally got cool by the next day.
The room itself is nice — two double beds, a flat screen with DVD player (DVDs are available to let in the lobby, with popcorn), a desk, chair, and dresser. The bathroom was big and had an air conditioner (phew). It had a standing shower, two sinks, a bench, and a Jacuzzi tub that had water straight from the hot spring… and boy was it hot!
The pool and Jacuzzi’s outside were also filled with mineral spring water which is a neat idea and were pleasant. The hotel could use more lounging chairs…
Continental breakfast was alright: coffee, tea, OJ, assorted pastries, granola/​cereal, bananas, bagels, English muffins and hard boiled eggs. At 8:30 when it opened it quickly depleted and was slowly refilled.
Each one of us staying there had a massage, but they put two of us together, think couples massage, which was odd since we didn’t prefer that and weren’t asked. The massage was good — although slightly disrupted by music that kept breaking up and pauses by the masseuse. Convenient.
The location is a bit remote… Palm Springs is 20 minutes away and it’s about 5 minutes from Palm Drive which has a few groceries and restaurants in a closer strip of land. If you’re looking for a secluded spot, it would be a good place to stay, but realize it’s not in a very happening area.

3.5 stars.
I think one of the main reasons there is such a discrepancy among the reviews is the fact that everybody had different expectations. Me and my bf redeemed our Living Social deal this past weekend and we enjoyed our one night stay. However, we also came with relatively low expectations because I had read a few Unilocal reviews that expressed some disappointment. But since we were looking forward to a nice simple getaway, this worked out.
We arrived late Saturday afternoon and the staff member who checked us in was very polite and friendly as he showed us to our room and gave us a tour of the property. We were pleased with our room, especially our bathroom, as the in-​room jacuzzi was as great as expected. Hot mineral water that left our skin very soft and smooth. We were definitely fans of the jacuzzi as it was really nice and relaxing. We also had enough towels so we didn’t experience the slow service that other Unilocalers had mentioned. As for the breakfast, we were already expecting very basic breakfast foods as part of the continental breakfast they offered (ie. cereal, mini muffins, mini bagels, small pastries) so it was good enough for us. I was just glad to see that there was actually food still available since others had mentioned how all the food was already gone by the time they woke up.
I gave my bf the $ 50 spa credit since I knew he would appreciate it more than me. Most of the spa treatments were over $ 100, which kinda defeated the purpose of a getaway on a budget using Living Social. So I booked him a gentleman’s back buff ($ 60) which my bf enjoyed. Ended up paying the difference + tip. There are plenty of places in LA/​OC for massages at cheaper prices so I didn’t see the purpose in spending a lot more money just to use the credit.
Bella Monte is located a ways from downtown Palm Springs so as long as you’re aware of it, I really don’t see much of a problem. We drove into town after we checked-​in and it took about 20 minutes. Driving back when it’s dark is a little scary since there’s minimal lighting on the roads.
The resort has gated free parking which is a plus. Also, fellow Living Social redeemers, they do charge tax for the room so expect a 10−12% charge. Overall, I give it 3.5 stars because we did enjoy our stay here, the jacuzzi and the mineral water was wonderful, and the patio with the pool/​firepit is great and relaxing. I had to take a few stars off because I felt like there was definitely room for improvement. We had some problems with our door and a light that wasn’t working, they should have an ice machine esp. if the room comes with an ice bucket, and the champagne and chocolates as mentioned in the deal? Come on, if you’re going to advertise that as part of a deal, you might as well do a decent job, something more than just 2 individual bite-​sized pieces of Dove candy as chocolates isn’t asking for too much.