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Palm Springs is home to a world famous collection of modern architecture, immaculate golf courses, gated communities, a bustling night life, trendy shopping, and a brand new casino. However, Palm Springs also has a very eclectic side which stems from its rich history. There was a time when this sun-drenched desert valley was a cultural center for artists, musicians, dancers, and literati.

In spite of all new resorts, old Palm Springs is making a new comeback. Guests are choosing smaller, more intimate hotels, allowing them to live destination instead of just visiting. They enjoy other side of Palm Springs, side set to a beat of chamber music and a time when writers and artists traded their works in Bohemian manner.

Like generations before us, people from around globe flock to this desert oasis to retreat. Perhaps we withdraw to escape routine and stress of everyday life. Maybe it’s to gain renewal through creativity, meditation, study, getting back to nature, or just to chill and have a good time.

To escape means to step into another pattern, a different time, and an unknown world. If this is side of Palm Springs that you want to experience, then I have perfect hotel for your great escape!

To get to it, you have to take a back street, just a short walk from main strip of restaurants and shops, but far enough away that you are tucked into shadow of San Jacinto mountain peak where you can hike trails that leading into alp.

I appear at Korakia Pensione after one adventurous week of rock climbing and slumbering in a pitched tent on desert floor. Blackened from sun and soil of my last climb before trip into town with beaten and dismantled luggage surrounding my dusty feet, I can only envision thoughts that flash through minds of hotel staff as they greet me. I am quite a sight! However, their hospitality is as warm as heat of Palm Springs and owner Douglas Smith compliments my tan.

Examining lobby I suddenly realize that Korakia is unlike any place I had ever abode before. I am whisked away to another country, a place that can only be reached by crossing several oceans. There are soaring beamed ceilings, white washed stone walls, rounded corners, and furnishings from all over globe, including an Italian sideboard and a chest and chairs from Afghanistan. The staff wears simple, white linen clothing like Greek summer attire.

What continent am I on? I ask myself as they check me in with pen and paper. There is no computerized check-in process here. Messages are individually delivered to villas, bungalows, and guest houses. There is no state-of-the art anything. No television. No email checking. No alarm clock in room. However, you can watch movies outside near candle-lit pool and outdoor fireplaces.

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Enter a luxury cruise liner . . . in a major metropolitan area?

When you check in at Hotel Monaco in San Francisco, it's like boarding an intimate cruise ship of early 1900s and stepping back to heady days of Hemingway and Christie. Get a good look at registration desk — it's built to look like an ocean steamer trunk.

Then take a quick stroll to right, past elevators into elegant sitting room. Fanciful furnishings, high-backed sofas, and a crackling fire all make for intimate spaces for private conversations. Join your fellow guests in other sitting room just past old marble grand staircase for wine and cheese in afternoons. There you can have your tarot cards read and get a neck and back massage. The decorations evoke days of elegant travel. The art deco flavor and high ceilings made us feel like we were giant pieces in a grand Monopoly game.

We loved décor of our room — French, fun, and boy-oh-boy were fabrics expensive and fine. So nice, in fact, that if you smoke in your room, hotel charges an extra $250 cleaning charge. Like all San Francisco hotels built at this time, Hotel Monaco has smaller rooms than you might expect from a modern luxury hotel. But don’t be fooled; this room makes most of space — a period armoir holds TV and mini-bar, and a huge circular mirror gives room lots of light.

The foundation of any hotel's success is in their beds . . . really! If you don't get a good night's sleep, how great can a hotel be? You'll find Hotel Monaco’s sheets and bedding an inviting way to recover from a day of walking through what locals call The City. Dreamy pillow top covers, down pillows and romantic canopies may make you want to stay in. Luckily, Grande Café, attached to hotel has mouth-watering room service. Be sure to order “omelet and wine,” which comes with a small green salad, perfect for lighter appetite.