Put La Quinta resort on your holiday list
With the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree, something magical happens at the La Quinta Resort & Club. It becomes a winter wonderland. The Christmas tree, bedecked in glittering, giant ornaments and surrounded by hundreds of poinsettias, soars 68 feet.
“Children, especially, enjoy the lighting of the tree,” said Samantha Swadish, marketing manager. “The YMCA provides a variety of activities. Kids get to meet Santa and his reindeer, play in real snow, and sip complimentary hot chocolate and cider. In 2011, Santa arrived at the resort in a very special way. He skydived and made a perfect landing near the tree.”
Newsman Gino LaMont of KMIR-TV emceed the event the past couple years, and La Quinta Mayor Don Adolph, baseball great Steve Garvey and Frank Capra’s grandson have been special guests.
The tree lighting also kicks off the resort’s Toys For Tots program. The donation of an unwrapped toy can be exchanged for a complimentary appetizer in the Adobe Grill.
Wonderful Life written at hotel
An annual Christmas highlight is the showing of the classic holiday movie,It’s a Wonderful Life, directed by Frank Capra, who spent many a season at the resort. At the resort’s entrance, a sign proclaims “You Are Now in Bedford Falls.” And, in the spirit of things, the bar serves a holiday cocktail called “The George Bailey,” Jimmy Stewart’s character in the movie.
Legend has it that Capra first came to the desert in the late 1920s to turn the short story “Night Bus” into the script for It Happened One Night. When the film swept the Academy Awards, Capra considered the La Quinta Hotel, as it was called then, his lucky charm. He returned to work on many of his scripts, including It’s a Wonderful Life.
But for many stars, the hotel was more a place of isolation than a source of inspiration. Greta Garbo, of course, loved it. So did Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Ginger Rogers and many other stars.
“Every Friday at Christmas time,” said Swadish, “we roast chestnuts by an open fire in the lobby. And with 535 fireplaces and 796 casitas at the resort, there are Christmas decorations everywhere you look.”
On the calendar
On Saturday, Dec. 14 from 8 to 11 a.m., the annual breakfast with Mr. and Mrs. Claus takes place. $18 adults, $12 children ages 6-12, plus tax and gratuity. (760) 564-4111, ext. 7258
On Saturday, Dec. 21 from 3 to 4 p.m., families are invited to a cooking class in the main kitchen to learn how to make some favorite holiday dishes. $8 local guests, $5 PGA WEST members and resort guests, plus tax and gratuity. (760) 564-4111, ext. 7258
On Christmas Day, dinner is served in three of the resort’s restaurants: Morgan’s, 5:30 to 10 p.m. (760) 564-7600; TWENTY6, 5 to 8:30 p.m. (760) 564-5720; and Adobe, 5 to 8:30 p.m. (760) 564-5725.
Topping off the season in grand fashion, New Year’s Eve dinner is served in the three restaurants from 5 p.m. to midnight.
While grown-ups celebrate bringing in the new year, the resort provides plenty of entertainment to keep young guests busy until 2 a.m. (760) 564-4111, ext. 7258
“Some of our guests came here as children,” said Swadish. “Now they bring their own children because they want them to have the same magical experience — Christmas at La Quinta Resort.”
If you go
La Quinta Resort, 49-499 Eisenhower Drive, La Quinta. (760) 564-4111, www.laquintaresort.com