Sparrows Lodge

This place gets it right in so many ways. We only stayed one night but it was so peaceful and such a beautiful location.

Okay, this is the review I wish I had seen when I went to book this property... I am a well-traveled girl and I usually prefer luxury 5-star hotels (think Four Seasons), however my spouse wanted a different experience to celebrate his 50th birthday and opted to go to Palm Springs. I had a tough time choosing a room as the website doesn't show all the photos of the rooms (especially the bathroom) and it's difficult to know what is private/what isn't, etc. We ended up booking The Cabin - because it looked more private and set apart. It was removed from the pool (many of the other rooms had very little privacy - you can see right into them as you walk around the property) and was at the back of the property which was nice. The room itself left a bit to be desired. It was dark and there wasn't much lighting for nighttime. The floors are all stone and pebble, like many hotels in Palm Springs, and while it looks nice they are MISERABLE to walk on barefoot. (Especially the little pebbles.) Be sure you bring flip flops or slippers to walk around the room or you will regret it. I also was frustrated that the lighting didn't match - lots of different temperatures - and the one light over the bathroom sink was yellow, making makeup application absolutely miserable. Several were so dim that it was way too dark at night. The room was large and spacious - but had zero storage other than the closet. Absolutely nowhere to put makeup or folded clothes. Nowhere to hang a travel toiletry bag or hang a bathrobe. Nowhere to put anything. Who designs these rooms? Obviously not a woman who has 'stuff". It was overwhelming trying to navigate it all, especially since we were traveling for 9 days and had quite a bit with us. The hotel provided bathrobes and ours were worn and tattered - one had several holes in the sleeves. We didn't wear them. One of the biggest factors for us in booking this room was the private patio - which ended up being worthless. It was dirty and the little cozy bench with cushions shown in the photos was filthy - never wiped down or blown off. So, it was useless and we didn't spend any time outside on the patio. In addition, our 'private' patio was used as a thoroughfare for workers like palm tree trimmers to get to their vehicles at the back of the property so we didn't have privacy (and since the bathroom is open and has no door this was an issue). The bathroom is open to the room and the shower has no door - it's this large stone shower with a rain shower head probably 12 or 14 feet above you....and, it's miserable. Miserable, miserable, miserable. Water goes everywhere, and as a girl with very long hair who doesn't wash my hair daily it made it very uncomfortable trying to shower. I honestly thought about showering at the gym instead. Yes, I disliked it that much. And, the shower floor is filled, once again, with pebble stones that aren't the greatest underfoot. The toilet is in its own little room but didn't have AC vented into it so if you needed the toilet and privacy it was quite warm. They serve a little continental breakfast in The Barn each morning, but it was pretty worthless in my opinion. A weird menagerie of hard boiled eggs, yogurt, cantaloupe and random items - nothing filling. As a competitive athlete this wouldn't even begin to sustain me, so we had to seek breakfast out every day. The Barn also serves lunch and dinner, which has a limited menu but the food was delicious and well appointed. I highly recommend eating there for lunch, dinner, desert, snacks, etc. They will bring food to your room upon request and I enjoyed that as well. Our room had ZERO insulation or sound dampening. You could hear the room next to us talking - and they were not talking loudly. We were also next to the trash bins at the back of the property and had trash trucks beeping and dumping trash constantly. We also got to hear all of the workers dumping trash throughout the day and late night. Not fun. The room came with a decent sized Smeg refrigerator which was helpful as well as a microwave, but no dishwashing soap or any kind of kitchen items that would be helpful - more like a Hilton Garden Inn type of situation. I think, for me, the most frustrating thing was the time I spent trying to find a suitable place in Palm Springs for this special occasion and after finally settling on Sparrows the day before we left I received an email from them saying basically "Hey, don't expect much - we have paper thin walls and no amenities. It was a preemptive "don't complain, we are warning you about what to expect" email. I would've appreciated having that info on the website as it would've influenced my decision - It felt a bit like a bait and switch and I didn't appreciate that as a CEO of an advertising agency who appreciates truth and transparency. The staff at Sparrows was very nice but don't expect true service here. They said they would go around the pool every 15 minutes to check on you, get drink orders - but I never saw that in the 4 days I was there. They are kind when you are in The Barn and go in to eat, etc. - but don't ask for extras. When I asked for ice to fill my cooler (it was 110 and I wanted to take bottled water in a cooler for the day) one of the male workers acted like I was putting him out and asking for 1,000 dollars cash out of his pocket. Not cool. Overall, I liked where the property was (I enjoyed getting steps in the adjoining neighborhood and and actually met several nice people who live there) and the food during lunch/dinner was worthy of a mention - I would eat there again. The property offers some pretty areas for photos and the outside is well kept. The staff, overall, are very nice and friendly. But, it just was a miss in many other ways. If I had known what I know now I wouldn't have stayed or would have significantly lowered my expectations. I think having more photos of these rooms on the website and really, truly, relaying what to expect would go leaps and bounds. I am up for adventure - but I like to know what to expect - and I didn't expect what I saw at Sparrows. Lastly, when we checked out no one asked for our key. (It is a true key, not a swipe card). Thankfully, we were still in Palm Springs and had moved to Korakia - so we drove it back later that night when we realized we had it. When we dropped it off they just brushed it off and said "Thanks, yeah, we'll make sure you aren't charged the $100 lost key fee." That seemed VERY odd to me - why wouldn't they ask for the key when you check out? Most people aren't used to an old-school key these days and could easily forget it - especially if rushing to get to a flight. I found it, well, fitting given the entire experience.

I’ve wanted to stay at Sparrows Lodge for a while now, and finally had the opportunity to stay there a few weeks ago. It did not disappoint. The grounds are gorgeous and I thought my room was so beautiful. It was such a relaxing, peaceful place with wonderful staff. Maybe I was just lucky, but the other guests were so nice as well. It was so nice to sit by the pool each afternoon and chat with other guests. My whole trip was such a treat, and I am already planning a trip back.

A beautiful weekend getaway at the Sparrows Lodge. Lulu was a wonderful host as well as the rest of the amazing staff. We enjoyed mornings and afternoons lounging by the pool which felt perfect even during a summer heatwave. We will absolutely be back again soon when in need of an escape!

A delight, quiet, small hotel. Everything was perfect for us, including the food that we ate at The Barn. Portion sizes of food were European size, which was great for us, as oversized portions do not suit us. Definitely, quality over quantity! The pool area is quiet, the rooms cool to relax in after warm Palm Spring days. Highly recommend!