Lifestyles & Things To Do

This Hotel Will Deliver a 10-pound Doughnut to Your Room

Courtesy of the New York Post

Dough-nut disturb because your wildest pastry fantasies are about to come true.

Thanks to an objectively sweet promotion from the J.W. Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, Calif., guests can now have a whopping 10-pound pink doughnut delivered straight to their door. As the main event of the hotel’s new $219 “Donut Disturb” package, the hefty treat, which measures three feet wide by a foot high, will be wheeled straight to the room with a side of milkshakes when guests are ready for a serious sugar high.

While the lines are fine as to whether the confection is technically a doughnut or a cake, FoodBeast reports that the layers of Tahitian vanilla cake, cream and raspberry jelly smothered with pink cream frosting, macaron crisps and sprinkles classify it as “Homer Simpson’s version of heaven.”

Included with the purchase of the Donut Disturb package, guests also receive a $50 hotel credit for the spa, dining, or golfing — though it would likely prove difficult to get up from the couch, let alone golf, after chowing down on the doughnut.

For context, the average doughnut weighs about 1.7 ounces, meaning that you’d have to eat about 95 donuts to equal this 10 pounder, but apparently, the chefs didn’t stop at just 10 pounds when launching the promotion. In celebration of the Donut Disturb package, the hotel baked a massive 100-pound version of the frosted doughnut, according to KMR.

“I couldn’t find a doughnut of this proportion anywhere on the planet. So maybe we should have brought Guinness (World Records) in just to see if we’re actually making a record here today,” said executive chef Peter Smith.

When eyeing up the mammoth treat — that takes 3-4 people to move — one hotel guest from Australia couldn’t resist gushing. “It looks like unreal, it looks like it’s fake, it looks so amazing.”

From Sheri Dettman
In Dining Around The Desert, Lifestyles & Things To Do

Hacienda San Angel, Puerta Vallarta

Hacienda San Angel Gourmet

I recently spent some time with friends in Puerta Vallarta and since one tends to see the same people that come to our lovely valley all around the world, I thought I'd share this unique restaurant.

The highlight of our trip was at the beautiful, Hacienda San Angel.

Hacienda San Angel creates memorable upscale Mexican and international meals at Hacienda San Angel Gourmet, the hotel’s highly regarded, full-service roof top restaurant. A superbly elegant and scenic experience, Hacienda San Angel Gourmet is open to hotel guests and the public for dinner and a seasonal Sunday brunch, both by reservation only. Patrons enjoy 180-degree views of the town, azure Banderas Bay and Puerto Vallarta’s evening fireworks display.

A past filled with glamour and romance has led to a present brimming with intimate sophistication at Hacienda San Angel. Though this one-of-a-kind hotel gem has changed over time, its spirit of indulgence, passion and subdued elegance lives on.

The late Richard Burton purchased the Hacienda’s main villa as a Valentine’s Day gift for his wife, Susan in 1977, after falling in love with Puerto Vallarta as he filmed John Huston’s The Night of the Iguana there in the mid 1960’s. The cult classic film put Puerto Vallarta on the map as a favorite vacation spot for the international glitterati, including Burton’s ex, Elizabeth Taylor, who owned a house mere blocks away from Susan’s. Perched on the hillside above the famed Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe Church, the villa, aptly named Casa Bur-Sus, embodied coastal charm and Mexican architectural tradition.

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From Sheri Dettman
In Dining Around The Desert, Lifestyles & Things To Do

Airstream, billiards suites among unique amenities of first hotel to open on El Paseo

A vintage Airstream trailer turned into a luxury suite, a restaurant run by local chefs, a spa, an entertainment stage and a gallery exhibiting the works of local artists are among the amenities to be featured in Palm Desert’s first hotel on El Paseo.

Hotel Paseo, the three-story, 150-room luxury boutique hotel – the city’s first new luxury hotel built in more than 30 years – is on schedule to open late October or early November, general manager Gil Reyes said.

Construction started on the $36 million hotel in November 2015.

Part of the Evolution Hospitality and Autograph Collection Hotels family which operates under the Marriott umbrella, Hotel Paseo will offer many unique features, Reyes said.

One thing about Autograph Collection Hotels is that they don't replicate each other in design.

“Each has its own story to tell,” Reyes said.

For Hotel Paseo, the story is, “Find Your Path,” which lends itself to the immediate and surrounding area with a variety of restaurants, shopping, entertainment, hiking and other “adventure” options, all within a short distance of the hotel.

Built on a vacant lot at 45-400 Larkspur Lane, which for many years was home to Fashion Week El Paseo, the hotel is well situated across from the annual event’s current location – the top level of The Gardens on El Paseo parking garage.

“This is a great location,” Reyes said.

READ MORE: Hotel, restaurants part of new Palm Desert development

Leading a hard-hat tour of the construction site, he pointed to a large wooden crate against the north wall of the pool area.

“That’s the Airstream trailer,” Reyes said, which will serve as the hotel’s 150th room.

As plans for the hotel were being laid out, Marriott wanted to expand the size of the gym on the first floor, which meant loss of a room, he said.

Hotel owner and co-developer Robert Leach proposed putting a fully renovated and furnished Airstream on the property, turning it into a specialty suite that can have a variety of uses, Reyes said.

Construction on the three-story Hotel Paseo on Larkspur Lane, Palm Desert's first hotel on El Paseo, continues on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2017. (Photo: Richard Lui/The Desert Sun)

The main entrance is off of Larkspur Lane and takes guests right into the lobby area with check-in to their left and a spacious seating area to their right where the works of local artists will be exhibited on the north wall. The work will be rotated quarterly, Reyes said.

Three of the desert’s popular restaurateurs are teamed up to open AC3 restaurant and Bar, on the north end of the hotel which will be open to the public. With full bar, indoor and patio seating the restaurant will be able to seat about 200, Reyes said.

Also open to the public will be the hotel’s expansive spa with seven treatment rooms. The spa operator will be announced soon, he said.

READ MORE: Palm Desert building on tourism, looking for more hotels

The 2,000-square-foot outdoor area will have artificial lawn, a pool with three private cabanas, an in-ground whirlpool spa, café with bar, fire pit, stage for live performances plus bocce ball court, cornhole toss and shuffle board games. Outdoor movie screenings are also planned, Reyes said.

Reyes has worked in the hospitality industry for about 20 years, the past 11 in senior management positions. He was hired to run Hotel Paseo about three months ago, and he and his wife wasted no time relocating from Anaheim, buying a house in Palm Desert for them and their four children.

Hotel Paseo's boardroom under construction on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2017 in Palm Desert. The 150-room, three-story luxury boutique hotel is on track to open this fall. (Photo: Richard Lui/The Desert Sun)

“I really want to be a part of the community,” Reyes said, adding he is already on the Palm Desert Area Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors.

TOURISM: Montage bringing its two hotel brands to SilverRock

Minus the restaurant, the hotel will employ up to 60 full- and part-time positions. Applications are being taken now for management positions and will be accepted for front line jobs starting at the end of August. Applications are available online at www.evolutionhospitality.com.

Room rates will range from the mid-$200s to $600 per night, Reyes said, depending on time of year and room size. In addition to the Airstream, eight other specialty suites include a “Billiards Suite” with billiards table, record player with a collection of old and new vinyl, wet bar and lounge area.

Rooms can now be booked online at www.hotelpaseo.com for dates starting in January. As construction continues and an opening date is solidified, fall dates can start to be booked, Reyes said.

Palm Springs Area: Best of the Best 2017

How do we know what’s the best of its kind in Greater Palm Springs? Because our readers — residents and visitors — tell us.

STAY

Boutique Hotel/Resort

Desert Hot Springs Two Bunch Palms The recently renovated property makes health and wellness in all areas its priority, from its spa treatments to shaman sessions. 67425 Two Bunch Palms Trail. 760-329-8791; twobunchpalms.com

La Quinta The Chateau at Lake La Quinta This boutique 24-room hotel offers picturesque views of Lake La Quinta, plus gourmet dining and a contemporary vibe. 78120 Caleo Bay. 760-564-7332; thechateaulakelaquinta.com

Palm Springs Sparrow’s Lodge A rustic-chic boutique property where guests get a chance to unplug: Rooms are without distractions like phones and televisions. Instead, relax in charming communal spaces such as the barn-enclosed restaurant or around the outdoor fire pit. 1330 E. Palm Canyon Drive. 760-327-2300; sparrowslodge.com

hotel/resort

Cathedral City DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Golf Resort The renovated property delights guests with amenities including a golf course, tennis courts, Olympic-size swimming pool, and full-service spa. 67967 Vista Chino. 760-322-7000; doubletreepalmsprings.com

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