We’ve always thought the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa has the most iconic entrance of any resort in Coachella Valley. There’s just something special about the long driveway up to the porte cochere and lobby, passing rows of stately palm trees and colorful flower beds. The front of the resort itself is dramatic with a tower and arched entryway leading straight to the main pool. But now the Westin Rancho Mirage upgrades fun, with major enhancements that enhance the guest experience.
At night, the entrance to the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa is so impressive.Following a $15 million renovation, the resort has made a major commitment to upgrading the ways guests can have fun and relax while on property. Yes, the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa (formerly named the Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa) has always been fun and relaxing. It’s just that now they’ve added new water slides. And expanded the bar area at the main pool. Plus added a new arcade of games for all ages. And there’s even more.
So many smiles at Las Brisas pool as kids and adults had their turns in the new water slides.Westin Rancho Mirage Upgrades Fun
The $15 million was well spent. Across the board, renovations have upgraded the resort to accommodate the evolving tastes of savvy travelers and resortistas. An expansive lobby (complete with adoptable dog to charm guests as they arrive) is clean and fresh with an open-air atmosphere.
Pulling up to the grand entrance of the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & SpaA new outdoor group entertainment area features a luxe outdoor kitchen facility complete with pizza oven, BBQ grill and more. While we toured this area, the team was preparing to host a wedding in this location and it seemed like the perfect venue. It overlooks the green fairways of the resort’s world-renowned golf course and lake. This outdoor event space looks ideal considering the pleasant weather of the Coachella Valley for much of the year. (Summer is another story, but there’s always misters!)
The outdoor event space is a great spot for a party!Dining Options at the Westin Rancho Mirage
It’s easy to find good food at this resort, and we sampled bites from several locations onsite. The all-day signature restaurant is called Pinzimini, serving dishes with an Italian flair. With a menu and kitchen headed by James Beard Honored Executive Chef Joel Delmond, the dishes are bright, flavorful and full of healthy ingredients. (Yes, there is also a killer cheeseburger and fries!)
Pinzimini is the primary restaurant at the Westin Rancho Mirage, and the food is deliciousOur dinner here on the first night of our stay was delicious. I gobbled up the ribeye steak, which was cooked to perfection and seasoned just right. I’m not a big fan of squash, and asked to substitute the charred broccolini as a side along with the cheesy masked potatoes. The combination was so good. Triton enjoyed the Seared Branzino Filet with Marinated Artichokes.
Mmmm grilled ribeye steak and cheesy mashed potatoes at Pinzimini RestaurantLunches here were equally tasty. If you’re a fan of margaritas, definitely try the Caliente Margarita which is tangy, spicy and sweet all at once. The wine list at Pinzimini is also lengthy and impressive with a nice selection of wines from California and beyond.
New Pinz & Pints Gaming Arcade
There are plenty of ways the Westin Rancho Mirage upgrades fun. Just off the lobby is the new Pinz & Pints state of the arcade and duckpin bowling alley. With some time to kill after dinner one evening, we had to check out duckpin bowling, which we had never played. This game was originally created in the early 1900’s, and has been modernized for this resort location. The lanes are about the same length as regular bowling, but the balls are considerably smaller and lighter with no finger holes. The pins themselves are shorter and held in place by strings, but are no easier to knock down in this version. Scoring is the same as the traditional version of bowling.
Pinz & Pints at the Westin Rancho Mirage was so much fun.Short answer = the game is a total blast. We bowled several games, and had all the cheers and flubs that make bowling so fun. There are plenty of other arcade games here too, with options to accommodate all ages. We wanted to try one of the virtual reality games, but they were occupied with players who were clearly enjoying themselves. We’ll have to return for another try, because they looked really cool.
At night, the arches and colonnade at the resort entrance are dramatic.The Pool, The Pool, The Pool
Perhaps one of the signature ways the Westin Rancho Mirage upgrades fun is the newly enhanced Las Brisas Pool. The main pool located just off the lobby, this expansive area is perfect for family fun at a resort of this size. With two new waterslides perched at the top of a high tower, the pool has taken the concept of fun up several notches. One slide is enclosed, while the other is an open trough. Both delivered smiling kids and adults into a splash pool with equal degrees of laughter.
The new water slides at Las Brisas pool are an impressive addition to the resort.Other additions to the Las Brisas Pool are an upgraded circular pool bar, larger pool deck and new luxury cabanas sprinkled throughout. When we visited, every cabana was occupied and the pool was hopping! At night, outdoor movies are shown for the kids on the pool deck.
If all that action is a little much for you, there are two additional pools to choose from on property. An adult pool called Las Hadas offers an expanded pool deck, spa and bar. On the other side of the resort, La Paloma Pool is designated as a quiet pool where adults can hang out uninterrupted.
This is an area where the weather is warm and enjoying the California sunshine is a big part of the draw. And the Westin Rancho Mirage really delivers on the pool experiences.
The new poolside cabanas at the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa are very plushComfortable and Spacious Rooms
When staying at a luxurious resort like the Westin Rancho Mirage, we don’t typically spend much time in the room. With so much to do and see outdoors and around the property, there are too many reasons to explore and enjoy. While staying here, it was much the same. What time we did spend in the room was very comfortable. We had a ground floor suite with private outdoor patio. It was so nice to drink our morning coffee outdoors as the day warmed.
Our suite was huge, and we had a living and dining area as well as a sweet outdoor patioMornings in the desert are magic, and this resort knows how to deliver. Spread out over 365-acres, the Westin Rancho Mirage has 512 guest rooms in several clustered low-profile buildings. The grounds are planted with blooming bougainvillea in bright magenta colors. There are numerous citrus trees dotting the landscape whose blossoms scent the air with a sweet natural perfume.
Like I said, magic.
The king size bed in our suite was so comfortable – love those Westin beds!Let’s Not Forget Golf
Truth be told, we are not golfers (big surprise!) However, the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa is called that for a very good reason. There are two 18-hole courses here that players clamber to get on, both designed by renowned golf course architects. The Pete Dye and Gary Player Courses at the Westin Ranch Mirage are famously impressive. Home for decades to the LPGA Tournament originally known as the Dinah Shore Classic, these course as consistently rated as among the best in the world.
A golfer’s paradise, for sure. But even if you don’t play, there are plenty of reasons to enjoy a stat at the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa .
The championship golf courses at Westin Rancho Mirage are world-famous