Luxury Vacationers Notch Palm Springs

5 IMAGES TOTAL It’s true when people say Palm Springs has made a comeback in recent years. And it’s a comeback like no other... *********** PURE LA Villas, a company that specializes in ultra luxury villa vacations is offering exclusive luxury villas in Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Let’s start with the 5 bedroom, 14,000 square foot opulent Zia Estate, which is characterized by recurring water features and symmetrically defined spaces that flow evenly into each other. Meticulously manicured gardens, an oversize pool and tennis court frame the home. The enormous master suite features period furniture and original art. His and hers master ensuites each come with enormous closets, oversized jetted Jacuzzi tubs and generous dressing areas. These opulent bathrooms are fitted in marble and granite throughout. Offered at $40,000 per week in high season (includes staff), this home is unofficially the desert’s most expensive vacation rental. Then there is the famous and radically designed Elrod house, a home which represents an important and stunning piece of architectural history. This extravagant estate was designed by mid-20th-century architect John Lautner as the ultimate party home for the equally famous Arthur Elrod, the top designer for Hollywood’s brightest stars. Daringly designed and incorporated masterfully into the rugged natural surroundings, the Elrod house has received much international acclaim for its architectural significance. It also took its place as celebrated cultural icon after “starring” in the smash hit 1971 James Bond film, Diamonds are Forever. The 9,000 square foot circular estate is set on 23.25 acres and boasts an enormous domed concrete roof that drapes over the spectacular indoor/outdoor pool framed by boulders, five bedrooms and five and a half baths. This airy open-plan residence is anchored around its massive circular living area, which features spectacular 220-degree desert and mountain views and a signature motorized glass wall. Boulders in the living room give areas of the home the quirky and delightful aura of being a private indoor cave, an ultra-modern lair of sizzling sophistication, and the entire north wall is made of motorized glass that opens up to allow for outstanding views westward to Mount San Jacinto and north into Palm Springs. The Elrod House can only be rented through private membership at PURE LA Villas.