What to expect: Offering both small and large-scale meeting spaces in addition to extensive bridal and spa services, the Lodge at Rancho Mirage draws business travelers, conference goers, wedding guests, and weekend romantics.

Amenity highlights: The Avanyu Spa features 30 treatments, including massage, body wraps, and various skin therapies. There are also three restaurants on site, as well as nine tennis courts, a central pool, spa tub, and croquet grounds.

Insider tip: This Rancho Mirage Lodge promises solitude, as further construction in the hills is not permitted. Currently, only guests of the Lodge and the endangered long-horn sheep are free to wander the surrounding environs. An annual fundraiser features models of the sheep decorated by local celebrities to raise funds for additional protection of the rare species.

What to expect: Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa - A KSL Luxury Resort attracts families as well as couples with spacious garden grounds, views of the Santa Rosa Mountains, and a casual atmosphere.

Amenity highlights: A heated family pool complex includes a freeform pool, two 100-foot water slides, a lazy river, a spa tub, and a toddlers' play area with water jets. A heated, "tranquility pool" is paired with a 10-person spa tub. Guests can park adjacent to the buildings in which their rooms are located.

Insider tip: The weekend Street Fair at the College of the Desert, 3 miles from the resort, consists of approximately 250 vendors and dining stalls and is open early morning to noon.