Palm Springs, California: Ruby Montana's Coral Sands Inn

1952 restored motel with stylized rooms including the Yiddish Cowgirl Suite, the Roy Rogers & Dale Evans Suite, and the Liberace Suite.

Ruby Montana's Coral Sands Inn

Ruby Montana's Coral Sands Inn is a small motel built in 1952, and lovingly restored back to its mid-century modern splendor by Ruby Montana (who once ran Ruby Montana's Pinto Pony in Seattle, which was akin to the Archie McPhee outfit, but Ruby's had a decidedly cowboy/cowgirl skew).

But wait - there's more...not content to simply offer weary travelers a place to lay their head, Ruby also decorated each suite in a distinctive style. There's the Yippy Ky Yo Ky Yay Rodeo Suite, the Yiddish Cowgirl Suite, the "They Run With Poodles Don't They?" Suite, the Roy Rogers & Dale Evans Suite, the Liberace Suite, and the Howdy Doody Goes To Bali Suite, all gloriously designed and appointed by Ruby herself.

You may no longer see Frank and Dean hanging out by the kidney-shaped pool, nor Lucy & Desi checking into a room in this cozy pink motel, but you can break out your travel size mini-bottles and mix up some Singapore Slings and soon enough it won't matter.

Call for current rates & reservations (don't use the online reservation system as it's not https secure as of this writing). Ruby also rents out the entire spread for larger events.

[Daniel Langdon Jones, 02/28/2011]