Our review of the Coachella Lakes RV resort near Palm Springs
We recently stayed in Coachella, California at the Coachella Lakes RV Resort, a 388-site RV resort. This is a newer property that was built where a golf course used to be and offers a lot of amenities in a clean setting.
So was our visit a hole-in-one or did we need a gimme? And what about the area?
Coachella is in Southern California’s desert and is close to Palm Springs. There is plenty to do in the area, but the resort also has a lot going on so you may not even want to leave.
Whoever the designers were of this place nailed the desert chic look and the whole resort really has a very inviting feel to it. Perhaps that’s because of the lakes on the property.
There are several lakes on the property including a few that are stocked with fish. Catch-and-release fishing is something encouraged here but many of the lakes are bordered by lawns and slightly rolling hills so it would also be a great place to just sit and relax.
Sites and camping at Coachella Lakes Resort
The sites at Coachella Lakes Resort are mostly spacious and flat and covered with crushed rock. Since this is a new resort everything is correspondingly new and works well.
Staff at the resort seem to be constantly working to keep things in new condition - I even saw someone wiping down the power pedestals. I don’t think I’ve seen that before. We happened to run into friends who were also staying here who reported that the team will rake the gravel to keep it flat and are very attentive if anything gets out of order.
When we visited they were still completing a number of sites so crushed gravel was arriving by the truckload but the process was close to complete so this shouldn’t be an ongoing issue.
Activities and amenities
The largest of the lakes on the property has a flat concrete pad that’s specifically intended to host musical acts. Coachella is an area that already has a musical history with two big concert events that happen in the area annually.
Thus, it makes sense that you have a bit of an amphitheater here.
Having a musician or band perform with the lake as a backdrop and the lawn as your seat would really be a special occasion. We happened to book a site directly overlooking that amphitheater. That would be a terrific way to enjoy the entertainment from the comfort of your own campsite.
There are also pickleball courts and the company was putting the finishing touches on a pool with a number of water features which will be a place where the more youthful travelers will very likely congregate. There is also a second pool that has two adjacent in-ground hot tubs as well.
That pool sits right by the fitness center which I perceive to be well equipped, but I’m more familiar with RV chassis than fitness systems. Perhaps I should acquaint myself with these.
There are also a lot of washing machines and dryers which are operated through the WASH+Connect system. The machines all looked like they had just come off the showroom floor which is a pretty consistent theme with the whole park.
So while you might be airing your dirty laundry around the campfire at least there’s a good place to get washed-up. Or something like that.
With this property having grown out of a golf course it’s only natural that there’s still an 18-hold putting green on the property. You can also do half the course and it looked reasonably challenging.
On the subject of 18 holes, the property is finishing the process of getting their license to sell beer and wine so there will soon be a 19th hole too.
Pet friendly
The company has done a really good job embracing all the pets that are now RVers as well. There is a bark park on the property but there are also a lot of grassy squares at the end of the rows of RVs that feature pet poop bags and a place to deposit the filled ones.
If Fido, too, has to take care of his morning business shortly after waking up at least he won’t have to schooch his butt that far.
Rental cabins - park models
In addition to the RV sites there are also a number of park models here for rent. This makes a lot of sense as someone could rent one of these for family members that aren’t RVers while also staying in their own RV.
Just imagine if your in-laws (or outlaws, I don’t know you) want to join you on your Coachella getaway they can be in the park models while you have a way to escape with all the beer in your fridge.
Of course one could also just rent one of these as a vacation getaway. The rates seemed to be comparable to local hotel rates with the bonus of a full kitchen. There are models with lofts that can accommodate a whole family. To me the full appliances in the park models would seem to make more sense than renting a hotel and having to eat all your meals elsewhere.
About the area
I really like this area quite a bit and could easily see spending an extended amount of time here.
Nearby Palm Springs offers all sorts of activities including a number of annual celebrations such as Modernism Week which is something I’ve wanted to attend for some time. There are several Tiki bars in the area including The Reef Tiki Bar which we really enjoyed.
While we were here we also paid a visit to Shield’s Date Garden again and picked up a package of their signature product. You can also get a date shake and even see a film entitled The Romance and Sex Life of a Date. I wonder how many people plan to see that and discover that the topic is much different than they had assumed? Shield’s Date Garden also has a really good restaurant and a nice self-guided walking tour.
Peggy’s family also comes to the area for the several casinos. That’s not something we typically enjoy, but Peggy does like to go with her family and throw away a few dollars on occasion.
A short drive will take you to Joshua Tree National Park. If you haven’t been to that park, it’s worth a day of driving through to see the variety of rocks and plant life in a relatively small area. To the south, a drive around Salton Sea might be of interest.
What I would change
Being in California I had sincerely thought that leaf blowers were outlawed in the state but, based on a team who arrived with those backpack blowers it wouldn’t appear that my information is correct. It was only one day but it was before 8 am which was unfortunate.
When we owned a resort we worked to eliminate these types of small-engine tranquility killers and that was eight years ago. I am surprised that anyone still uses them, especially in an upscale setting. Perhaps someone should point them to how well modern battery-powered leaf blowers work because they really do.
I also suggest to the owners to have decision makers use the bathrooms. Yes, they’re very clean and the showers have plenty of water pressure. But I would like to see some sort of shelf or table in the bathroom to put your clothes and supplies so they don’t fall on the floor, causing you to recite all those words your mom told you not to say.
There was one coat hook and that’s it. And, if I’m being picky, lighting other than industrial lighting would reflect the rest of the upscale nature of this place. But they were very clean.
Overall opinion
We enjoyed our two-night stay. If we had more time we would have liked to spend time exploring the area around Palm Springs, and we would be happy staying at Coachella Lakes RV Resort as a base for many days of exploration, and probably a day of catching up on the laundry.
So I would say it was a hole in one and I didn’t even do anything where someone gave me the birdie. Winning!
