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Play And Stay Gay In September

I know it’s hard to wait for Halloween and Pride, but they’re not until the end of October and early November for heavensake. What’s a gay to do? Please, like Palm Springs would leave you hanging — we’ve got you. 

Come September, we’ve not only got cooler nights, but Cinema Diverse, a terrific film festival featuring all the latest movies written and lensed by (or bi?) LGBTQ+ filmmakers. If you’re a film buff (there are so many puns to be had here, where’s the challenge?) you’ll absolutely love the line up.

Now in its 17th year, the festival runs Thursday through Sunday on two consecutive weekends: Sept. 19-22 and Sept. 26-29. Held in the former Camelot Theatre, built in the mid-1960s as the first cineplex in the Coachella Valley. It’s not only home to some of the coolest film festivals you’ve ever heard of (Film Noir Festival!), but during season they have live music five days a week. Add to that, it is home to two theatre companies, one LGBTQ+, which from December through April brings some of Broadway’s best to the big theatre. It’s all very fabulous and fun. 

But this is about Cinema Diverse, which is also culturally stimulating.  Here are some words from the man himself, Michael Green, Cinema Diverse festival director and executive director of the Palm Springs Cultural Center.

“We will be screening over 50 feature films and more than 100 short films over the course of the two long weekends,” Green said. “The 2024 schedule includes a number of additional world premiere films, both domestic and foreign, many from well-known LGBTQ+ filmmakers and some of whom are returning Cinema Diverse alumni.”

Make a weekend out of it

If you’re a cinephile loving the gay lifestyle, there is no place like Palm Springs to catch all the best new LGBTQ+ films and, for gay men, a perfect weekend in one of our clothing optional resorts. Some are funky, friendly and fun; others have a sleek Hollywood player vibe; and others, a touch of Wilton Manors. We’ll go over those, which will be followed by a pop quiz. J/K. We will read about that world premiere, and a surprise that’s much like after the credits in a Marvel movie, so stick around for that.

Note: All hotels have a pool and daily continental breakfast unless otherwise noted.

Triangle Inn: This resort is so relaxed and groovy, you’ll probably make new lifelong friends. It’s all very “same time next year” at Triangle, and bonus: your host and owner is a Southern charmer who is also the genius behind the festival and the director of the Palm Springs Cultural Center. Yep, it’s Michael Green. He loves his community and it shows in his hotel and through his programming. There are kitchenettes available which are great for extended stays.

The fraternal triplets

Santiago Resort's pool at dusk, with the water illuminated by a light inside

The Santiago Resort at dusk. Photo courtesy of the Santiago Resort

These three marvelous hotels were reimagined by three guys from Portland that I like to call the Portland Authority. Each has its own unique flavor.

Santiago Hotel: As the name suggests, it’s very Spanish revival and has one of the largest (if not the largest) pools in Palm Springs. It’s got a tropical vibe and is located just down the street from Triangle, tucked back about eight blocks off Palm Canyon.  

Twin Palms Resort: Also on the south end of the strip, the pool life is the vibe here with nothing but mountains and sky above you, and some like-minded fellow travelers dedicated to the sun. The rooms are crisp and modern.

Descanso Resort: Newly refurbished and an exquisite mix of old and new Hollywood, this is on the north end of the strip and also has a terrific saltwater pool. 

Warm Sands

A statue of a man sitting down in the courtyard at INNdulge Palm Springs gay men's resort in Palm Springs, California

INNdulge has art and statues everywhere. Photo courtesy of INNdulge

INNdulge: This mid-century modern playground in Warm Sands is so neighborly they have a 12-person hot tub to go with their sparkling heated pool. 

Vista Grande: Opening in 1984, this was the first clothing optional men’s resort in Palm Springs. It’s origins may have been 40 years ago, but their amenities and the property keep up with the times.

The Hacienda at Warm Sands: The Hacienda at Warm Sands has a staff to guest room ratio of one to one, matched only by upscale, luxury, 5-star plus leading hotels of the world. Do I need to say more? Good, I’m not going to.

Desert Paradise Resort: Fourteen poolside rooms and suites, a large saltwater pool and spa, new steam and sauna rooms, and a magnificently maintained garden. 

El Mirasol Villas: Historic property with a meandering garden path, two gorgeous pools, outdoor shower, a steam room, a large comfortable lanai with fireplace, rooms with private patios, poolside luncheon, and free video library.

A Palm Springs world premiere

Cinema Diverse opens with the world premiere of BIG RAGE, an exciting new action film from HERE TV. BIG RAGE is set against the backdrop of the Salton Sea’s booming lithium gold rush. Two former fighters, each haunted by their past, cross paths in a desperate bid to secure the nation’s future. As they navigate the treacherous underworld of this ecological disaster zone, they must confront their demons and the corrupt forces that threaten to destroy everything they hold dear. 

The film introduces Fabian Arnold as the modern-day successor to Jean-Claude Van Damme, with a screenplay by Emmy Award-winning actor and producer David Millbern and direction by Waymon Boone.

Don’t forget to support all the local shops, clubs, and restaurants on Arenas, it’s a scene, and a fun one. Hunters, Chill Bar, Quadz, Blackbook, StreetBar, Sonny’s, and more!

Lastly, a shout out for this blog’s very own Gregory Douglass who will be performing at the Palm Springs Cultural Center on September 14. Check out his music, then grab a ticket here. I’ll see you there. See if you can find me! It’ll be like Where’s Waldo, although I may be hard to circle with a pencil. In case you’re wondering, there’s absolutely nothing in it for you. What fun! Who’s in?

See you at the movies! 

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INNdulge Offers The Best Of Palm Springs Hospitality

“We’re not interested in being the most expensive resort in Palm Springs, but we are interested in being the nicest.” — INNdulge owner Jon Jackson

Warm Sands is a beautiful Palm Springs neighborhood with sprawling estates, their edges lined with walls of perfectly-manicured, oversized hedges requesting you respect their privacy. You often don’t know what’s behind them — is it one of the many private homes, or is it one of the many men’s clothing-optional resorts? There’s a lot of bush going on there, it’s hard to tell.  

On that alone, INNdulge stands out. 

From the classy stone marquee on the tip of the property and generous parking spaces, to the rainbow flag waving above the mid-century modern structure of steel and tinted glass that screams “I’m a hotel lobby,” the INNdulge resort is out and proud on the street.

But that’s only a perk if you are directionally impaired. What really makes INNdulge stand out is what’s through the door. 

It’s entirely unexpected: A lobby that is the definition of minimalist, with a teak desk that’s functional art on marble tile flooring. Where there aren’t floor to ceiling windows, there is art. Gorgeous art. 

The INNdulge lobby. Photo courtesy of INNdulge

Off the lobby is a retro bistro table next to an open wall of glass that lets the outside in, and that outside is so mid-century perfect that your mind’s eye can see Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter soaking up the rays on the lip of the pool, or maybe Cary Grant and Randolph Scott cheekily cavorting in the water. 

It all has a sophisticated playfulness to it, something you’ll find sprinkled throughout the rest of the property. It’s one of the benefits of having an owner who has an intense passion for visual mediums. 

Speaking of playfulness, it’s hard to miss the two large statues flanking the pool, both with very large Flintstone-esque feet. 

This statue keeps watch over INNdulge. Photo courtesy of INNdulge

“It’s by an artist named Mavis McClure,” INNdulge owner Jon Jackson tells me, clearly as fascinated with the artist as he is the art. “We met her when she was a professor at Berkeley. She does both male and female figures with oversized hands and feet. She did these at Berkeley; the models were two cousins from Italy that were exchange students.”

Most of the art is by gay artists, but Jackson doesn’t discriminate. If he loves it, he buys it.

Unexpected art is scattered across the entire property, and every suite is not only clad in the mid-century modern aesthetic, but each has their own original paintings. 

A room at INNdulge. Photo courtesy of INNdulge

Another thing that sets INNdulge apart from other men’s resorts is that with 31 rooms, it lands in the mid-sized category. At this particular resort, more people equals more fun, which is one of the reasons INNdulge has an 80 percent guest return rate.

“Everything is designed around the pool in such a way to encourage people to meet, and every evening we have a social hour,” Jackson explains. “It’s BYOB because of the California liquor licenses. But we do it to encourage people to foster conversation and friendships. That’s why people come back.”

Most of the suites are poolside, with only about 10 of them away from the pool, and those have quieter patios in case you’re looking to have a cup of coffee away from the bustle.

Poolside views. Photo courtesy of INNdulge

Speaking of coffee, INNdulge lays out a couple of fabulous spreads for breakfast. Yogurt, berries, croissants, ham and cheese, and of course juice, coffee, and tea.  

There’s a lot to do in Palm Springs, and Jackson has found that first-time visitors often book themselves with activities every minute of every day, from modernism tours to tennis lessons. 

“When they come back the second time, it’s just to hang out by the pool,” Jackson says. “Of course, they go out to dinner, but they sort of get in this vibe. I don’t claim that, it’s not INNdulge’s vibe, it’s the Palm Springs vibe. And we try to recreate that here.”

And nothing says Palm Springs like a soak in a 12-man whirlpool spa that is open 24/7, so if you can’t sleep and think some friendly bubbles might soothe you, just hop on in. The water’s the perfect temperature, and the desertscape at night is breathtaking.

“We do a major remodel of something every single year primarily for our repeat clients,” Jackson says. “We do that because they come to expect what they know — this is the best value in the desert.”

The INNdulge grounds. Photo courtesy of INNdulge

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Take full advantage of being on vacation

The name says it all.

At INNdulge, guests take full advantage of being on vacation, relaxing in the saltwater pool and 12-man jacuzzi and reveling in the property’s gardens. This clothing optional gay men’s resort in the Warm Sands neighborhood is a mid-century modern hotel built in 1958, with 24 rooms. Jon Jackson has owned INNdulge for 10 years, becoming a hotelier after retiring as an attorney.

“My hospitality experience is in restaurants, but those skills easily converted,” he said.

An expanded continental breakfast is served in the morning, and an evening social hour and weekend pool parties bring guests together. Visitors often tell Jon they enjoy “the social aspect of staying with other like-minded gay men,” and in turn, he’s thrilled to provide “a great product and service.”

INNdulge, he added, “is a property that caters to gay men, who appreciate the pride of ownership we take in maintaining our property, and who in turn treat it with the type of respect deserving of a home away from home.”

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