When most people think about Death Valley — home to the lowest point in California and the record-holder for the highest air temperature ever registered at a whopping 134 degrees Fahrenheit — they picture blistering heat, cracked salt flats, and a “why would anyone go there?” reaction. But driving in from Las Vegas, I found something unexpected: a palm-lined retreat shimmering against the desert backdrop. After hours of rust and gold terrain, the Oasis at Death Valley feels almost mythical, a place where luxury shouldn’t exist, and yet it thrives.
I spent a long weekend at the resort, where mornings began with sunrise yoga in a palm garden, and nights ended with stargazing under one of the darkest skies in the US. In between came hikes through marble canyons, dips in spring-fed pools, and meals that reminded me that remote doesn’t have to mean limited.
Old Hollywood restored: The rooms at the Oasis at Death Valley
Photo: David Duran
Guests of the Oasis at Death Valley can choose between two on-site hotels: the intimate Inn at Death Valley and the family-oriented Ranch at Death Valley. I stayed at the Inn at Death Valley.
Checking into The Inn feels like stepping onto the set of a Golden Age film, which makes sense considering it’s been open since 1927. (The Ranch opened in 1933.) Spanish Mission-style architecture wraps around manicured gardens, and stone patios frame views of the Panamint Mountains. Wooden beams, wrought-iron details, and a color palette of sand and stone create harmony with the landscape. Throughout the property, the architecture and local artwork nod to the region’s cultural history.
The polished and refined Inn at Death Valley carries a AAA Four-Diamond rating, which signifies “distinctive fine dining” and “well-serviced amenities amid upscale ambience,” according to AAA. There are 66 rooms, plus 22 luxurious casitas that were added to the property as part of a multimillion-dollar renovation project. My room opened onto a shaded terrace that offered a welcome escape under the desert sun.
Sustainability runs through the property in quiet but meaningful ways, including the fact that guest rooms use refillable toiletry systems to cut down on plastic. (A traveler tip: bring a reusable water bottle, since filling stations across the resort make it easy to stay hydrated without plastic waste.) Accessibility is also a focus. Ramps, wide pathways, and mobility aids help to open the resort to travelers with different needs.
The Ranch — the larger sister property just down the road with 275 rooms and 80 cottages — offers a more casual, adventure-focused option closer to Death Valley National Park’s Furnace Creek Visitor Center. At The Inn, though, it’s the details that linger, like the blackout curtains and eco-friendly toiletries that make it feel like Hollywood indulgence reimagined for today.
Pools, wellness, and the darkest sky: Amenities at the Oasis at Death Valley
Photos: David Duran
Golf and wellness are two of the main on-property draws at the Oasis at Death Valley. The golf course claims the title of being the “lowest elevation” place to play 18 holes in the world, but if you ask me, the property’s real showstoppers are the historic spring-fed pools.
The pools at both The Inn and The Ranch are consistently kept at a perfect 87 degrees Fahrenheit and are fed by a renewable spring that has flowed for centuries. Clark Gable and Carole Lombard once swam in The Inn’s pool. I, too, found myself floating there under palm shade, completely at ease in the warm spring water.
The next morning, I unrolled my mat in the Mission Gardens for sunrise yoga, watching the sky shift from indigo to orange as the valley woke up. Later at The Inn’s Wellness Sanctuary, I indulged in a desert-inspired massage, along with a men’s beard wash with a leave-in conditioner, and a treatment that left my face glowing.
At night, the focus turns upward. Death Valley is the largest certified Dark Sky Park in the US, and The Oasis has worked with the National Park Service to reduce light pollution, ensuring that future travelers will see the same star-studded skies I did. From the Stargazer’s Terrace, I watched the Milky Way arc across the sky from the 270-degree vantage point, and it really made me realize how rare true darkness is in other places.
From root beer floats to fine fare: Dining at The Oasis at Death Valley
Photos: David Duran
Food at The Oasis runs the gamut from nostalgic to refined, with seven different dining venues ranging from an upscale dining room and poolside eats at The Inn to a buffet restaurant and grab-and-go cafe at The Ranch. What surprised me most was that every restaurant had at least one plant-based option. The menus also emphasize regional produce like dates and citrus, so eating well in the desert couldn’t have been easier.
At The Inn Dining Room, breakfast meant stacks of date pancakes and thick slices of the resort’s famous date nut bread — sweet, dense, and worth the trip alone. Dinner brought dishes like braised short ribs served with panoramic views over the valley. Between dips at the pool, the Pool Café served wraps and fresh salads, while the retro Ice Cream Parlor at The Ranch had me rediscovering the joy of a root beer float (with vegan vanilla, of course).
For something heartier, I headed to The Ranch’s Last Kind Words Saloon, a steakhouse wrapped in Old West nostalgia. There, taxidermy, antique firearms, and ribeye steaks meet craft beers and whiskey flights. The Ranch’s newest addition, the Wild Rose Tavern, is a great option for lunch (especially after a round of golf) with bites like spinach and artichoke dip, Caesar salad, Bavarian pretzels, and a handful of sandwiches and wraps. Whatever your mood, the variety means you can eat differently each night without ever leaving the property.
Things to do in Death Valley
Photos: David Duran
Part of The Oasis’s appeal is that it sits inside Death Valley National Park. Within minutes, you can reach Zabriskie Point for sunrise or Badwater Basin — the lowest point in North America, where surreal salt polygons stretch to the horizon.
For me, the highlight was Mosaic Canyon. Even in the heat, the short hike felt manageable and rewarding. The narrow marble walls, smoothed and polished by flash floods, glowed in shades of cream and gold. It was the kind of hike where every turn feels photogenic and every step satisfying.
No trip is complete without a stop at the Furnace Creek Visitors Center, where I joined the line of travelers snapping photos with the world-famous thermometer. It’s part kitsch, part tradition, but entirely fun. One evening, I returned to Badwater Basin at sunset and stood on the salt flats as they glowed pink under the fading light. It was one of the most surreal travel moments I’ve ever had.
Closer to the resort, the Borax Museum, the oldest structure in Death Valley, offers a crash course in the valley’s mining history with antique stagecoaches and rusted tools, tying today’s luxury escape to the region’s rough-and-ready past.
Getting to the Oasis at Death Valley
Photo: David Duran
Despite its reputation for remoteness, Death Valley is only a two-hour drive from Las Vegas. The journey itself becomes part of the adventure, the desert unfolding in waves of red and gold before the sudden green of The Oasis appears on the horizon. My advice: bring plenty of water, download offline maps, and savor the transition from desolation to oasis.
