By Debbie Armond
May 16, 2009 - I had just finished out three very busy weeks at work.. The Mother’s Day holiday is the busiest three weeks of the year. I was in dire need of some rest & relaxation. Pete and I decided to take advantage of the lovely May weather in Palm Springs. The trip took us about 3 hours with traffic, but you can make it in 2 ½ during off peak hours.
The Terra Cotta Inn, owned and operated by Tom Mulhall and Mary Clare, is a lovely 17 room clothing-optional resort about 3 miles from downtown Palm Springs. We drove the camper down and thus didn’t need accommodations for the night, so we took advantage of their very reasonable day pass for $30.00. Upon arrival around 10:00am, we were escorted around the facilities by Tom, given towels and shown the room that was used by day pass patrons. The rooms were large, clean and nicely decorated; each having its own patio.
The rooms wrapped around the salt water pool, which was ensconced with about 50 chaise lounges, a few umbrellas and misters set up along one side. There was a Jacuzzi off to one end and a nice gazebo under which they were giving massages. Other facilities included a covered patio room complete with a bar-b-que and tables, ice and vending machines and the office where snacks and refreshments were served. There were also several tables & chairs under some trees which provided much needed shade in the 106 degree weather.
We set ourselves up on a couple of lounge chairs under the misters, popped a bottle of champagne and began our quest to find bliss. It didn’t take long. The pool was a perfect temperature, the sun was hot and the resort was filled with lively, friendly people. Most of the guests were there for the week. Tom boasts that the majority of his business is returning guests from all across the country. There were 7-8 couples there enjoying day passes as well. It appeared that he was quite sold out.
Lunch was available for delivery from several local restaurants or you could bring your own cooler full of goodies, which we did. After lunch, we moved on to margaritas (Pete’s favorite refreshment) which tasted great in the hot sun. A large urn of cranberry juice punch was set up poolside for guests to enjoy. We alternated between the pool and the lounge chairs, working on our tan. At 4:00pm, Tom arrived upon the scene in black tie (nothing else, of course) and a basket of large juicy strawberries to share with his guests, and your choice of red or white wines. A lovely buffet of yummy snacks was set up in the office and wine was poured all around. Happy hour is included with your day pass.
We were able to enjoy the ambiance until 5:00pm, when we packed up our cooler, took a quick shower and said our goodbyes. Tom was a very gracious host and we enjoyed our visit. We will definitely return to this resort for future sun and fun.
