{"id":589188,"date":"2026-02-14T10:17:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T10:17:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/589188\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T10:17:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T10:17:34","slug":"travel-a-guide-to-whats-new-in-the-desert-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/589188\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel: A Guide to What’s New in the Desert in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

From artsy, boutique hotels in New Mexico to a revolutionary restaurant in Baja, explore what\u2019s new in these desert cities around San Diego.<\/p>\n

Coachella Valley<\/p>\n

Terra Palm Springs, Palm Springs<\/p>\n

Serenity-seeking guests (and, presumably, the free-spirited ghosts of naked people) roam this 13-room wellness escape<\/a> that was once a clothing-optional resort. Opened a year ago, it offers exclusive, 24-hour access to a Himalayan salt sauna<\/a>, cold plunge pool, and rain room. For food and drink, it\u2019s tonics and juice cleanses, plus poolside bites from Michael Beckman, exec chef of the nearby Workshop Kitchen + Bar<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Casa Palma Hotel & Bungalows, Palm Springs<\/p>\n

Opened last year on the historic, two-acre Movie Colony neighborhood property originally built by actor Errol Flynn (it was called the Normandy then), this is a micro-hotel for people who love Taschen books. Casa Palma<\/a> reimagined the place as a minimalist, veneers-white 33-room escape with pickleball; tennis; and a mountain view bistro serving breakfast, salads, and sandwiches. <\/p>\n

DSRT Surf, Palm Desert<\/p>\n

\u201cSurfing in the desert\u201d sounds like an absurd ayahuasca notion, but the Coachella Valley already has one wave pool (Palm Springs Surf Club), and, soon, a 5.5-acre surf lagoon will anchor DSRT Surf<\/a>, an incoming resort at the Desert Willow Golf Courses. Planned for completion in mid-2026, it\u2019ll include a 139-room hotel, 57 luxury villas, and restaurants. <\/p>\n

\"\"Photo Credit: Josh Cho Photography<\/p>\n

New Mexico<\/p>\n

Hotel Willa, Taos<\/p>\n

Last spring, the Casetta Group (the same folks who own SD\u2019s Pearl Hotel<\/a>) resuscitated an old motor lodge in Taos, a longtime beacon for creatives, and named it after Willa Cather (who finished her novel Death Comes to the Archbishop in town). The 51-room Hotel Willa<\/a> has adobe architecture, an artist residency, a pool with a giant weeping willow nearby, and a seasonal restaurant from husband-and-wife duo chef Johnny Ortiz Concha and artist Maida Branch. <\/p>\n

Arrive Albuquerque, Albuquerque<\/p>\n

Originally built in 1965 as the Downtowner, a classic, six-story inn on the motel-culture strip of Route 66 in downtown Albuquerque cycled through several identities before last year, when Palisociety reimagined it with the Secret Gallery (featuring modern work from Southwest artists), a cocktail bar, a restaurant, and 137 dog-friendly rooms. Like any good desert road trip hotel, Arrive Albuquerque hotel<\/a> is a cheeky, midcentury affair centered around an umbrella-shaded pool scene and those strappy \u201980s patio loungers. <\/p>\n

\"\"Courtesy of Leo\u2019s Santa Fe<\/p>\n

Leo\u2019s, Santa Fe<\/p>\n

After forming Vital Spaces, an org that leased abandoned warehouses and rented them at a low cost to artists, furniture designer Jonathan Boyd launched Leo\u2019s, a no-signage, no-reservations restaurant<\/a> last August with James Beard Award\u2013winning chef Zakary Pelaccio. It focuses on Thai and Malaysian dishes\u2014catfish sum tum, pork belly with garlic prik phao, fried chicken with tofu-mustard sauce and jiao chili sauce\u2014plus natural wines and inventive cocktails. It promptly landed on Esquire\u2019s Best New Restaurants of 2025. <\/p>\n

Arizona<\/p>\n

Trailborn Grand Canyon, Williams<\/p>\n

Trailborn<\/a> is the base camp of hotel groups. It\u2019s focused on America\u2019s grand outdoorsy arenas, with spots in the Rockies; the Blue Ridge Mountains; and now, Williams, a mile from the Grand Canyon Railroad Depot. This kitchy, 96-room roadside hotel offers a moody, wood-paneled steakhouse; adventure excursions; free breakfast inside a bustling \u201ccamp hall;\u201d and front-row access to the fanfare of Route 66\u2019s centennial celebration this year.<\/p>\n

Kimpton Miralina Resort & Villas, Paradise Valley<\/p>\n

Early this year, Paradise Valley (the mountain-wrapped town neighboring Scottsdale<\/a>) will welcome the 40-acre Kimpton Miralina<\/a>, with six pools and more than 400 rooms and villas. The resort\u2019s executive chef Stephen Jones (a James Beard semifinalist) will oversee three restaurants, including Hecho Libre, a new Baja-inspired concept from fellow Beard semifinalist Wes Avila (known for Angry Egret Dinette and MXO in Los Angeles).<\/p>\n

International Dark Sky Discovery Center, Fountain Hills<\/p>\n

As cities grow and stargazing<\/a> becomes an endangered pastime, an org called International Dark Sky Places works to protect the best areas in the world to behold night skies. One of them is Fountain Hills on the outskirts of Phoenix<\/a>. This summer, it\u2019ll get even better with a $28 million discovery center featuring a massive telescope, a planetarium, science exhibits, and a stargazing terrace. <\/p>\n

\"\"Courtesy of Cote Korean Steakhouse<\/p>\n

Nevada<\/p>\n

Cote Korean Steakhouse, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

Cote<\/a> is the only Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse in the US, an idea from Seoul-born and James Beard nominated chef and restaurateur Simon Kim. Part of The Venetian\u2019s $1.5 billion renovation, it\u2019s a show\u201418,000 square feet, with stadium seating, VIP skyboxes, a crow\u2019s nest DJ booth, a glowing central bar, 1,200 wine bottles, and the inimitable buzz of energetic impulse spending. <\/p>\n

F1 Arcade, Las Vegas<\/p>\n

2025 was a big year for Formula 1 racing\u2014the sport celebrated 75 years with a Brad Pitt film (for which Rancho Bernardo\u2013based Sony Electronics created a one-of-a-kind camera that took viewers inside the cockpit), and Caesars Palace welcomed a 21,000-square-foot F1 Arcade<\/a> where fans can flex their inner Lando Norris with 87 racing simulators. <\/p>\n

GSR Arena, Reno<\/p>\n

When built in the 1970s as the MGM Grand, the Grand Sierra Resort was one of the biggest hotels in the world with over 1,000 rooms. Almost 50 years later, it\u2019s nearly doubled its occupancy and is undergoing a billion dollar upgrade. The star will be the $435 million, 10,000-seat GSR Arena<\/a>, which broke ground in September. Once completed (hopefully in fall 2027), it\u2019ll be home to the University of Nevada men\u2019s basketball team. <\/p>\n

\"\"Courtesy of Dendric Estate<\/p>\n

Utah<\/p>\n

Dendric Estate, Kamas<\/p>\n

Utah\u2019s High West Distillery<\/a> was a groundbreaker, the first legal distillery in Utah when it opened in 2006. Now High West\u2019s master distiller Brendan Coyle has left to open his dream project with his wife, Carly. They purchased 20 acres in Kamas Valley at the foothills of the Uinta mountain range, where they\u2019re growing high elevation apples and flipping them into bone-dry boozy cider with Dendric Estate<\/a>. You can tour the estate or wait for the onsite tasting room, planned for 2027. <\/p>\n

The Inn at Sundance Mountain Resort, Sundance<\/p>\n

In 2020, Robert Redford sold his famed, conservationist-minded mountain ski resort to Broadreach Capital Partners and Cedar Capital Partners, who promised to keep his \u201cbuild some, preserve more\u201d vision going. Since, it\u2019s earned a Michelin Key. This month, The Inn at Sundance Mountain Resort<\/a>\u2014a 63-room, ski-in\/ski-out inn\u2014opens with views of the 12,000-foot Mount Timpanagos. Perched right out front, the Outlaw Express chair lift takes you to the Mandan summit in seven minutes (getting there used to take 20). There\u2019s a wrap-around porch, relaxation pools, a sauna, outdoor showers, and a cold plunge at The Springs. <\/p>\n

Canopy by Hilton Deer Valley East Village, Park City<\/p>\n

Four years after hosting the Winter Olympics, famed ski-only resort Deer Valley is undergoing a massive expansion of its East Village<\/a>, including eight new hotels (the Grand Hyatt is already there, and the Four Seasons and others are incoming). Scheduled to open this summer, Canopy will be Hilton\u2019s 180-room, ski-in\/ ski-out property with apr\u00e8s-ski<\/a> and rooftop lounges. Deer Valley has also added 2,000 additional acres of skiable slopes, 100 new runs, and 10 new chairlifts.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Baja<\/p>\n

Diego, Valle de Guadalupe<\/p>\n

In the 2010s, Ensenada-born chef Diego Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a> was a headliner in the food-culture revolution in Valle de Guadalupe<\/a> with Coraz\u00f3n de Tierra\u2014named number 30 in the 2018 \u201cWorld\u2019s 50 Best Restaurants\u201d list. It closed in 2020 (damn pandemic!). Last January, he returned with an eponymous 40-seat restaurant, Diego<\/a>, inside Valle\u2019s Museo de La Vid y El Vino, relying on onsite gardens and in-house butchery to prepare seasonal, multi-course tasting menus and \u00e0 la carte dishes nodding to his Coraz\u00f3n roots. <\/p>\n

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Kad\u00fan, Cabo San Lucas<\/p>\n

Over the years, the trend in Cabo resorts has been to get away from the action with secluded beachfront hideouts. Well, not all who travel to Cabo<\/a> want to be tucked away. Last October, Mexico Grand Hotels (known for elaborate luxury resorts like Marina Fiesta and El Encanto) opened a smaller but still opulent thing: Kad\u00fan<\/a>, a 110-room hotel with a rooftop pool and sundeck. It\u2019s within walking distance to the Cabo Marina (the Vegas of Baja\u2019s southern tip) and Medano Beach (one of the only swimmable beaches in Cabo).<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line<\/p>\n

Ensenada Bay Village, Ensenada<\/p>\n

Carnival Cruise Line<\/a> has a vested interest in building up the ports it parks in. It\u2019s established spots in Grand Turk, Roatan, and Cozumel, and its next elaborate disembarkment project is a $26 million beachside playground in Ensenada<\/a>, planned for completion in 2027. Expect a sort of Pinocchio\u2019s Island isthmus packed with zip lines, dune buggy rides, river rides, an adult pool, thermal springs, a spa, and wine and cheese pairings from Valle de Guadalupe (the wine region is 15 minutes inland).<\/p>\n

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