El Rancho Lodge

I stayed in El Rancho Lodge this weekend (March 17 — 19, 2011). I paid $ 50 per night for a queen bed (yes, two mattresses pushed together) with a NO kitchen room. It was PERFECT! You can’t beat $ 50 per night in Palm Springs!
The pool and hot tub were perfectly clean. The pool is not heated and the hot tub does not have super powerful jets but who cares, it is $ 50 per night!
The hotel is currently «For Sale.» I am not sure how this will affect the price once it is sold, but the average price of a hotel in PS is waaay more.
It was a little creepy that there was no one on site (no manager, no guests) on Thursday night, but let me tell you, we took advantage of that in the hot tub! ;) WINK WINK! ;)
Check out their website for phone number and reservations!
Im sorry, Im not sure if they had wi-​fi. I didnt bring my laptop because this was a vacation!

The El Rancho Lodge is stuck in the late 50s and 60s.
There is something so retro, maybe even campy about this place.
If you are looking for a sleek modern resort with 1000 thread cotton sheets, designer furniture, workout room, spa and 4 star restaurants, this isn’t your place. Enjoy paying your resort fees and valet parking, but don’t come here.
However, if you want a reasonably inexpensive room (we paid $ 99/​night on Coachella weekend), this is your place.
It is 19 rooms that surround a pool and hot tub.
The rooms are directly out of «I Love Lucy» with the two twin beds that are put together to make a queen bed. Many of the rooms have full kitchens. The furnishings are old fashion and somewhat tacky. The guest room we stayed in, number 1, was pretty small. We had a third person with us and they were happy to bring in a rollaway for him.
There is an individual and noisy air conditioner and heater in each room as well as a ceiling fan.
In the small bathroom, they provided pretty good shampoo, soaps, shower caps. There was only a shower with good water pressure thanks to a waterpik showerhead. My one complaint here was there was no fan in the bathroom, only a window to open. So when my friend dropped off the kids at the pool, we had to clear out the place for 30 minutes. Towels are pretty thin.
Each room comes with cable tv and a dvd player. The office has a huge selection of DVDs to borrow.
There is a contenental breakfast served every morning — it really isn’t much to speak of: fresh fruit, coffee, pre-​packaged danishs, granola bars, tea and some juices (one day it was pinapple and Sunny Delight).
The clientele was pretty old, but very friendly. Most have been coming here for years. They sit out by the pool have dinner, drinks and sun bathe all day. They leave their room doors open while they are sunbathing.
The office manager (who lives at the hotel) is friendly enough. Even the maid was nice and offered to take a picture of us at the hotel.
There is even a hotel pet cat in the office that walks around the pool area during the day and night.
Pool is not heated and the hot tub very warm, but not scalding hot.
You will need a car to drive to downtown Palm Springs.

A nice, charming little cottage located a little ways from downtown, but very satisfying nonetheless. It’s quiet, the beds are fantastic, and it has a real ‘60s feel to it. If you insist on spending the night in, they have a wide DVD selection at the front desk for your amusement, as there is a DVD player in every room.