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San Jacinto Mountains from La Quinta with Moon

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The San Jacinto Mountains from La Quinta Resort at sunrise, with the full moon setting over the peaks
The San Jacinto Mountains from La Quinta Resort, just after sunrise, with the full moon setting over the peaks.

The La Quinta Resort is located in the low desert of the Coachella Valley, California, about 20 miles southeast of Palm Springs. The western side of the resort is framed by the San Jacinto Mountains, which are starkly bare — no tree line softening the rock, just raw stone rising straight out of the desert floor. My stay there coincided with a full moon, and this photo was taken at around 7:20am, not long after the sun had risen and just before the moon set. The newly risen sun behind me cast a beautiful warm red glow over the mountains.

What I liked most about staying at La Quinta — and it's worth saying again, since it's the thing that sets the resort apart — is that the accommodations are clustered in small groups around private pools rather than built around one or two large central ones. There's something like 50 pools scattered across the property, so you're rarely more than a short walk from water, and never sharing it with more than a handful of other guests. We actually had the pool to ourselves most of the time. 

We stayed in one of the condos rather than the more standard hotel-style rooms, and I'd recommend doing the same if it's within budget. The condo came fully equipped — kitchen, living space, the works — which made a real difference for a longer stay. The hotel-style rooms are the cheaper option and perfectly serviceable if you're just passing through for a night or two, but the condos are the better experience if you can manage it, especially for anyone planning to settle in for a few days rather than just passing through.

For more on the resort itself — including its private, uncrowded pools — see my post on the pools at La Quinta Resort.

No affiliation: I have no affiliate or sponsorship relationship with La Quinta Resort and have not received any compensation, discounted stay, or complimentary accommodation in connection with this post. This is simply an account of a trip I paid for myself.

Canon EOS 20D
Canon 18-55mm lens at 33mm
1/80 secs at f/16
ISO 400
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