The Monkey Tree Hotel

What to say, what to say, what to say!
Oh man,
So first off it was my first time ever to Palm Springs and being a California native I am saddened by that.
The owners Kathy and Gary are amazing.
I wish we had an extra night during our trip to invite them to dinner or drinks. Definitely some real good people.
The first two nights my GF and I had the luxury of staying in the Jungle Room and found out that it was also the room of choice for when Eric Clapton stayed. Lots of cool art and beautiful themed wallpaper gave the room life. The wide open shower room with walls of glass made for quite the bathroom experience and the backyard was worth spending the majority of your time in. Along with the pool of course.
Get to the pool early to snag a southwest facing lawn chair and await the release of Kathy’s amazing home-​made Sangria. Be sure to try both the red and white. (The white was my favorite.)
Breakfast is superb as well! Gay arrives early in the am and prepares the best breakfast I’ve ever had the pleasure of partaking in at a hotel. His Granola is worth stuffing in your pockets to save for that special snack moment.
All in all location, setting, experience and service made for the best vacation I have had in a long time.
I also forgot to mention that we stayed an extra night on top of the other two just because we liked it so much. I can honestly say that we made the perfect choice when staying at The Monkey Tree Hotel.
It was the TRUE Palm Springs experience I had always heard about.
We’ll be back!

My stay at the Monkey Tree Hotel was exactly what I needed! Relaxing, refreshing, and fun…
First of all, the owners, Kathleen and Gary are extremely welcoming, have great taste, and are very helpful in making you feel comfortable.
The hotel itself, a mid-​century modern hotel designed by Albert Frey, has been cleverly refreshed to maintain the original feel. The colors are fresh and inviting. All the new furniture, accessories and artwork have been hand-​picked by the owners to bring new life to the space. Really fun.
The palm trees, the amazing mountain views, the sun, the pool (great size, pretty deep on one end), the new spa with a sauna, hot tub and cold plunge, great music and sangria by the pool, and more, all add to this California dreaming experience.
My room (deluxe king w/​kitchenette) was very spacious, quiet, had a very comfy bed, and was just such a pleasant environment to be in. I also had an in-​room massage which you can arrange with the owners. It was such a treat.
Thank you for making me feel so pampered and relaxed. I will definitely come back…
Stayed June 2016

This is my new favorite spot to stay in the desert!!! Everything about it is fabulous. From the retro décor to the blue pool with floating flamingos!!! There are only 16 rooms, so everyone has a prime spot at the pool– there’s no stress about having to save pool chairs here ! The rooms are great and the bed was SO comfortable ! Definitely will come back here for my next desert getaway. I highly recommend it … And don’t forget to get a Cronut in the morning :)

My wife and I just spent a great weekend at the Monkey Tree. The owners, Kathy and Gary, were awesome. Kathy greeted us when we arrived and gave us a little tour of the grounds when we checked in. Our room was remodeled and very comfortable. The salt water pool was exactly what we needed — relaxing with nice music playing and a mellow vibe. Everyone around the pool was very friendly and social.
We spoke with Gary and his son during our breakfast and they were so friendly and outgoing. The son is an outstanding baker and he made cronuts that were excellent. Overall this place is great if you want to kick back, relax and enjoy the Palm Springs area in a unique way (versus staying at the loud and crowded chain hotels). We will definitely be staying here again.

As a Palm Springs visitor for years and resident for a year, I was so happy to get to tour the Monkey Tree Hotel. The hotel is an architecturally significant (Albert Frey) mid century modern gem. Gary and Kathy, the new owners, are the nicest people… moved their family here from New York with a dream… They beautifully renovated the hotel with sixteen charming rooms, a beautiful pool area, the original yellow and white color scheme, and many new spa features (cold pool, swimming wave pool, sauna, etc) and lovely grounds. They run the hotel sort of as a combination between a hotel and bread and breakfast, and obviously take great pride in their hotel and hospitality. I highly recommend you check it out!

My boyfriend and I spent 3 nights at The Monkey Tree and loved it. This is a mellow place and I really hope it stays that way. We spent a lot of time lounging by and in the pool and really appreciated the quiet vibe. This is definitely a place for couples. We talked to Kathy quite a bit, and she was incredibly personable and helpful with restaurant recommendations. Gary welcomed us to breakfast each morning with homemade muffins, scones, granola, and jam. It was the perfect balance of having privacy and having people who will go out of their way to be helpful and accommodating. We will definitely be back many times!

Loved this vintage boutique hotel! The owners make it feel like a bed and breakfast with their hospitality. I loved all the little vintage touches and would def come back! This was my first time to palm springs and staying at the monkey tree made it even more amazing. Highly recommend.

The Monkey Tree Hotel is the only hotel I’ll be staying at in Palm Springs from now on. I’ve been coming to Palm Springs a few times a year for the past five years (hands down the best quick escape from LA), and have the trip pretty much down pat. I know the pool scenes I like, the bar scenes I like, my favorite restaurants, etc., but the perfect hotel was always the one part that had eluded me (Parker too pricy, Ace rooms suck…). No more! The Monkey Tree is it! The vibe is 1960’s throwback chill, the hospitality leaves nothing to be desired and the rooms are exactly what you want when you need to get the f*** out of LA.

My fiancé and I stayed at The Monkey Tree this weekend, and before we even checked out we were looking at dates trying to figure out how soon we can come back. It’s a mid-​century modern paradise and the perfect place to relax. This is easily our new go-​to hotel in Palm Springs.
We stayed in the «Matador Room» that has a kitchenette equipped with everything you need for an extended stay (sadly we were only there for one night), and a gorgeous view of the mountains. The room was stylish, bright, clean and comfortable. The grounds are beautiful and perfectly maintained. The afternoon poolside sangria and snacks are a really nice touch. The breakfast offerings were great (don’t miss the granola — so good!) and we got to enjoy freshly made cronuts.
What makes The Monkey Tree stand out is the owners, Kathy and Gary. Kathy greeted us upon our arrival and was so welcoming, sharing some history about the property and giving us a quick tour.
Looking forward to our next visit!

My husband and I just spent the weekend at the Monkey Tree hotel in Palm Springs and we absolutely loved it! It is newly renovated back to its 1960’s fabulousness. Kathy and Gary (the new owners) were gracious and helpful and just an all around joy! Breakfast and coffee are available each morning and the 4:00 poolside Sangria is amazing! We had such a wonderful stay we almost turned around to go back for another night! One our way home we planned our next stay!!! This place and its owners are total gems!

My husband and I stumbled upon the Monkey Tree Hotel randomly while planning our recent trip to Palm Springs. Although there was not a lot of reviews for this recently renovated and reopened hotel. We were a little dubious since there wasn’t much of a recent review history, but we are so glad we took the leap of faith and stayed. Kathy and Gary are amazing hosts. The hotel itself was beautify restored to a 1960’s vibe. All of the interiors were decorated in locally sourced period correct pieces that were cleaned up and or refinished. Kathy even gave us her inside scoop of where to go shopping for some similar items for ourselves.
The staff were so friendly, and open to help us in any way possible. The Monkey Tree felt more likea Bed and Breakfast than a hotel. Gary and Kathy wanted to make sure we were not left out when it came to breakfast (We’re vegan, and I have some additional food allergies) Gary made sure we had something to eat, vegan plum scones, lemon olive oil cake, non dairy yogurt, etc. It was all so delicious.
This hotel is located about 2 miles from downtown Palm Springs, and is not really walkable to stores, or restaurants, definately plan on having a car or being ok w/​having to Über or Taxi around. For us, we felt the location was perfect, and actually enjoyed the fact it was a little removed from all the hustle. The location in North Palm Springs is really nice as it gets a good breeze compared to downtown (very important when its 100+ degrees).

My experience in this pristine restored Albert Frey property was only exceeded by the refreshing hospitality and service of the owners/​hosts Kathy and Gary and their small staff. We arrived to celebrate a birthday and found fresh tulips and a personalized birthday card in our room, compliments of the owners. Kathy also helped me discretely arrange birthday massages in the private patio of the Jungle Room. We actually stayed in a kitchenette room though, which was large and decorated with authentic mid-​century décor. It felt like we were the first guests to stay in that room because it was so clean.
We pretty much had the place to ourselves this particular weekend and it was so quiet and peaceful. The pool is simply amazing… perfect temperature, not too salty and sparkling crystal clear. The Scandinavian spa area is lovely and fun to try, as is the small pool used for exercising. There are plenty of outdoor seating areas and places to lounge around the pools.
At breakfast I could tell right away that someone who runs the place is a tea drinker like me! I was delighted and later found out it was Gary. I GREATLY appreciated the delicious whole leaf teas and Teavana «Perfectea» makers. As I told Gary, tea drinkers are often treated as an afterthought at hotels. The banana chocolate muffins were addictive, the apricot scones were buttery and tender. Well, I could go on and on but I’ll just repeat what others have said, I can’t wait to return!

I want to go back to The Monkey Tree Hotel as soon as possible! Originally from New York, I visited The Monkey Tree recently on the tail end of another trip with a couple of girlfriends and was blown away by the experience.
The hotel, designed by #AlbertFrey, was recently renovated and maintains it’s original mid-​century modern vibe, transporting you back in time. It is the perfect combination of a relaxed retreat with a B&B vibe.
There is complementary breakfast and coffee served in the morning, with homemade scones and granola, there is happy hour sangria served in the afternoon, and at night you can lounge by a beautifully renovated fire pit while watching the stars. Not to mention the beautiful pool that all the rooms face. There is a Scandinavian style spa with a hot tub, cold plunge and sauna. Also, a personal masseuse will stop by if you need that poolside massage. We just wanted to spend an entire day lounging by the pool!
When you’re out there don’t miss Joshua Tree National Park. It is about an hour drive from the hotel and well worth missing one pool day :)
The owners Gary and Kathleen are the icing on top. They are well versed in the Palm Springs lifestyle, making recommendations on what to do, where to eat, what to see, and everything Palm Springs! It truly is the perfect escape.

I had SUCH a great time staying at the Monkey Tree Hotel! The owners have renovated it back to it’s original design by #AlbertFrey so hanging out there listening to surf rock made me feel like I had been transported back into the 60’s. Word on the street is that JFK and Marilyn had a secret «meeting» there back in the day. Old school Hollywood gossip!
The room I stayed in was adorably decorated in Monkey Tree’s signature yellow and teal. I had a mini fridge, microwave and stove which was nice because I am the queen of leftovers (waste not; want not people!). But also, if you’re the kind of person that wants to cook while on vacation it’s the perfect little set up.
I only spent two nights there, but it was such the perfect blend of fun, relaxation and excitement that it felt much longer. There’s actually quite a bit to do and see a short distance from the hotel in and around Palm Springs. If you are a design/​architecture buff you could spend a few hours just driving around and checking out the neighborhoods — lots of really cool mid-​century modern buildings. In addition to doing that, I visited Salvation Mountain (If you haven’t heard of this place, Google it!), the Cabezon Dinosaurs (Pee Wee’s Big Adventure!!!), Salton Sea (Super weird place. If you go there, definitely eat at The Ski Inn. Apparently, Anthony Bourdain ate there if that kind of thing holds weight with you.), Kenny Irwin’s amazing sculpture garden (MUST SEE), unfortunately the International Banana Museum is only open on Sat, Sun and Mon so I missed that gem but I’m sure it’s just as fantastic as the name suggests. Joshua Tree is also a 45 minute drive from Monkey Tree, but I’d already been there so I skipped it this time. However, I can tell you that It is just as cool and alien as it looks in the pics and if you are into rock climbing it’s a must.
On my second day I didn’t bother to leave the premises and it was perfect. I started off the day with yoga out on the fluffy grass overlooking the mountains. After that I spent a fair amount of the day lounging in the sun by the pool. But I did mix it up a bit. I also lounged by the pool in the shade of an umbrella. Then I lazed about on a giant flamingo float in the pool. I absolutely need to own one of those things in order for my life to feel complete. I suppose that means I need to work on owning a pool. And a house … #lifegoals … When I started to feel a little too lazy I made my way to the Scandinavian spa area where I relaxed and massaged my muscles in the hot tub. Occasionally, I would wake up my circulation by taking a dip in the cold pool. I wrapped it all up by sweating out any remaining toxins in the sauna. I was pretty much a brand new woman by the end of the day. *sigh* Monkey Tree … ya done good … ya done real good.

We had the best experience at the monkey tree hotel. You get the best of all worlds here. The comforts of a hotel and the hospitality of a bed and breakfast.
The hotel has a very Mediterranean chic look. The rooms are clean and spacious. There is a sauna, spa, dining area and pool. Make it a point to ask for cronuts which are served at breakfast, delectable.
What sets this place apart from the rest is Kathy. Very friendly welcoming and helpful.
I would definitely come back here and recommend this place to my friends and colleagues.

What a great time at the Monkey Tree Hotel. In order to get in you have to ring the bell and Gary or Kathie will open the door and let you in. A short tour is given of the grounds, which are beautiful and calming and then it is down to business with a quick summary of your stay and costs.
I love the salt water pool and the hot tub. Those were my 2 favorites as well as having a cedar room dry sauna. That was awesome. They have a small Scandinavian set up with a cold dipping pool– which i used… up to my toe and then was like NO! and went right back into the hot tub.
In the morning’s they offer coffee and continental breakfast, which is like no other. They make homemade fresh scones. Plum was awesome… and boiled eggs. and yogurt and oatmeal.
The room was large and the bed was king sized and very comfortable. There was a small fridge in the room along with a wine opener and robes. The room was airy and comfortable.
All in all, the accommodations were awesome, the owner’s great and the service wonderful. Definitely will go back and visit.

Can’t say enough good things about this perfect getaway. This is the kind of place you never really leave, we didn’t for 3 days! I will remember this trip forever and hope to return many times over again.
The hotel– gorgeous, retro, charming, relaxing, everything you want of a Palm Springs intimate retreat. It still has the feel of that 60/70’s Palm Springs era.
The service– owners and staff clearly care so much about their customers and the hotel, making sure they do everything to accommodate you and help with the perfect trip.
We were looking for that typical «palm springs» intimate hotel that had intrigue and amenities– so lucky to have found this one! And very reasonable for everything you receive. Its newly renovated, only reopen for a few weeks now. Besides the beauty of this hotel, its all the extra details that really make it an extraordinary stay and stand out compared to the hundreds of other hotels in the area. The homemade scones and granola in the morning, the purposely placed vintage games and books, the pool floats available, the happy hour sangria, the recommendations on food and entertainment, the accommodation of check in and check out time, the poolside (our choice) massages with an amazing masseuse, the owner’s personally welcoming you and introducing themselves. Thank you so much for this needed getaway! Perfect for a celebratory few days with my boyfriend.

Okay so this was a great find considering everyone else was booked for CUE 2016. It is very private, offers four outdoor pools (hot, cold, warm, exercise pool), has the softest grass I’ve ever walked on, homemade continental breakfast (granola infused with agave sweetener… yummy), rooms are clean and recently upgraded (hotel has been around since 60’s), Directv with HBO and Max ;), fridge for cold beer, wine bottle opener, hair dryer, and there are plenty of towels!
Only con is the shower… it hurts but in a good way; it felt pressurized and I’m used to water free flowing down…

The perfect escape from NYC winter!
Spent a long weekend in Palm Springs at The Monkey Tree hotel! Had a fabulous time!
My queen size room was spacious and comfortable! Friends stayed next door in the king room with a kitchenette which came in handy for all of our lazy poolside snacking!
The attention from the staff was incredible — they made us feel so at home — I was so sad to leave at the end of my stay.
The grounds were beautiful — quiet and isolated but still with a fantastic view of the mountains!
I woke up and walked right out to my morning swim! Followed by delicious breakfast and coffee in the lounge! As soon as the temp dropped we all hopped in the large hot tub with our complimentary sangria! Loved the robes and fire pit!
The monkey tree hotel was a great find! Easy ride from the airport and a quick über to downtown! I will definitely be back!

This place is amazing! As you enter through a private entrance you are taken back in time to a cool mid-​century feel designed by Albert Frey and kept in its original glory by the owners. The courtyard is private with a great vibe and includes an awesome pool, fire pit, plenty of umbrellas and lounge chairs to go around, heaters for the evening and multiple hot tubs!
Each room is courtyard facing with comfortable bedding, eclectic, fun mid-​century décor and awesome natural light. Continental breakfast, treats in the room and afternoon cocktails/​snacks are provided that includes delicious locally grown choices that any foodie would enjoy!
The owners and staff are gracious and kind making sure you have everything you need to enjoy your stay. They had great recommendations for local favorites that were easy to find and get to since it is very close to the downtown. This truly is a hidden gem that we will come back to for years to come!