Thank you .. ‘Dirt du Jour’

for the glowing review! "Go ask Alice ... where all the best vineyard gardens are. She's an erudite charmer; you'll have fun!"
Desert Travel

Borrego Springs: Palms at Indian Head

Palms at Indian Head Hotel Pool Photo © Alice Joyce

The town of Borrego Springs is situated in the heart of the northern part of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Among your accommodation choices: RV campgrounds and motels, small hotels and resorts for the golf aficionado. Formerly the Hoberg Resort, the property is renowned as a one-time getaway for movie stars from Marilyn Monroe to Clark Gable, and a safe haven at the time for actors seeking privacy, like Montgomery Clift and Raymond Burr. The current owners stepped in to save the main building and two poolside casitas from being demolished after a fire destroyed many bungalows on the land.

Continue reading The Palms at Indian Head .. Borrego Springs

3 comments - (Comments are closed)   Desert Travel, Hotels & Inns, Southern California   , ,  
Hotels & Inns

Serra Retreat Labyrinth Overlooking the Pacific Ocean

Serra Retreat Labyrinth Santa Monica Mountains Photo © Alice Joyce

Perched atop a knoll in the Santa Monica Mountains, Serra Retreat Center is a Catholic retreat operated by the Franciscan Friars. The 23-acre property features lovely landscaped flower gardens, countless terraces for contemplation in blissfully peaceful settings, and a Santa Rosa labyrinth created by Lea Goode-Harris. The center’s hilltop site offers 360 degree views, taking in sweeping vistas of the Pacific Ocean & mountains.

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3 comments - (Comments are closed)   Hotels & Inns, Los Angeles, Nature, Southern California   , ,  
Green Roofs/Vertical Gardens

Verdantly Vertical - Patrick Blanc Garden .. London's Athenaeum Hotel

Athenaeum Hotel Wall Detail Blanc Design Photo © Alice Joyce

Admittedly, I’m in thrall with Vertical Gardens, like the Living Wall or Mur Vegetal created by botanist/artist/passionate plantsman, Patrick Blanc, for The Athenaeum Hotel Piccadilly, London. The garden Blanc created in 2009 for The Athenaeum had slipped past my radar, until it appeared like a vision before my eyes while riding atop one of London’s double-decker buses, my preferred mode of transport when time permits. The garden’s commanding verdant expanse wraps around a corner of the hotel building on Piccadilly Road.

Continue reading Verdantly Vertical – Blanc Garden at The Athenaeum Hotel

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