Desert Paradise

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and the vendor would have cocktail parties as the buyers from around the world would shop the new men's fashions. Every major and a lot of minor vendors would have a hotel to show their fashions. The extravagant shows were so much fun and the expense of the parties were unbelievable - Like the launch of the Mark Spits swim suit line after the 8 gold medal win. Ralph Lauren was a tie salesman in NYC -

Yup that was before there was a POLO brand other then in moth balls as a men's tie logo -- can you imagine? The large size ice shaped lemons and limes floating in the swimming pools, the bridges over them for fashion shows and the evening extravaganzas all to woo the buyer to their fashions. I bet you do not know when fashion came to men -- it was in the Kennedy Era, Jack discarded his hat and Jacquelyn had Ole Cassini design her gowns and it went quickly to Mens ties and thus the beginning of the mens fashion designers the years 1963 -4 - 5. In the late 80s the Men's show moved to LA for a few seasons and then to where it is now in Las Vegas for many years.

Dale came to the shows each springs and fall and on his first visit he fell in love with Palm Springs. The small quaint town was a relaxed place to be, like a Hilton Head Island of the west coast, with tennis and golf and that wonderful weather. A small hotel was a dream of his to own some day - but as time happened the road to Palm Springs took a few years detour. In 1970 he opened his first of 7 men's clothing stores in Westport Connecticut and well the work began and lasted for 18 years until he sold the stores. His lover was working for NBC in Rockefeller Center in New York and they lived in his home in Connecticut and Rhode Island, Hilton Head, South Carolina and East Village in NYC. At the time it was a lot to sell - he decided to retire and remain in the east for a while and devoted a lot of time to AIDS charity work, in fact he did it for 10 years before his lover and he moved to NYC. Dale took an office manager job with a all lesbian law firm Weiss Buell and Bell, as the only male he was spoiled rotten. He said it was the best job, other then working for himself, he ever had. The girls loved him and still do.

Palm Springs and did so in January of 1999 -- after the move - buying a home in Palm Springs and a cabin in Idyllwild and looking at every

hotel for sale in the area he was able to buy the hotel he stayed at many times before, The Desert Paradise.

Dale said at first he did not care if the resort was family, gay or straight but after visiting a few he was convinced he wanted an adult resort -- I think it was the screaming kids in the pool that cemented it - I love kids but my nerves would be shattered with worry a kid was getting hurt in the pool.

his lover decided at the last minute not to move and it took a year to get over that breakup. Dale buried himself in the hotel trying to give his guests all they have at home and more, like every amenity he can think of or a guest can think of, he will add it at once - hand made soaps -

lotion - ear plugs for swimming or if your honey snores, as well as even a sewing kit - not to mention tooth paste and brushes long forgotten in most hotels today, together with irons, 2 size ironing boards, a surprise how many guys use them, hehehe, plus wall safes - hair dryers - cordless phones and he was the first hotel with a computer for guests to use and wireless Internet for the total resort. All the beds are Cal King big beds and new - all rooms have refrigerators - coffee and coffee pots and all rooms have popcorn for the micro wave as well as PARADISE bottled water. PARADISE is on everything from the coffee cups to the water, from the ear plugs to the sanitation bands on the toilets - even the cute Teddy bears you take home wear a Desert Paradise ribbon. Dale said a couple from Maine, Bill and Jim, always naked came in the lobby and one bent over and asked his lover if it said "DESERT PARADISE" on his ass yet -- his lover said no but Dale quickly got the magic marker

and said he can fix that. Detail and cleanliness is what he wanted for the guests and WOW they

Just because we are GAY, we do not have to stay in a second best or less clean hotel or resort, then at home.

He Loves to give tours and hear the comments about how beautiful the resort is and how much they like the detail and home atmosphere that is projected. His web site is a piece of art and the guests spend a lot of time on it and many call with the site running and ask about the hotel and the room.

part or his job is to make it look easy, so that the guests do not see the work involved, after all they are here to relax and have fun. Dale said if he had to do it again he would have looked for a larger property but he loves PARADISE so much it is not uncommon to see him feeding the fish and turtle in one of the two beautiful landscaped ponds or playing with Bear his lovely dog, part Shepherd and part Pomeranian, Bear is a 16 pound friend to all the guests, and the question asked most often is HOW DID THEY DO THAT? His quick answer is dogs are like GAY men, they accommodate. Dale is at the hotel so much he rents his home to over flow guests when ever the hotel is full and a guest needs a place to stay and no one has a

room. He went so far, a few years ago to put a Murphy Wall bed in the lobby, so if a guest can't get a flight out, due to bad weather, they can stay another night, or at his home in south Palm Springs.

Dale loves his guests and said he wishes he did not have to charge for the stay. The hardest part of his job is asking for the credit card from his many guests, who now are friends. It is a labor of true love for Dale and his dedicated staff - the grounds are meticulous and the upkeep is flawless everywhere. There are over a dozen fountains in the garden, but it is not over done; you have to look to find them. As you walk the garden paths you will hear the water and the soft music, or taking a shower in the outdoor shower garden you will see the mountain and hear the birds, romance is everywhere.

During the first year the guests said Dale should name the rooms and so he and they did. There is a commissioned oil over each bed of the diva of that room - like Bette Davis - Joan Crawford - Cher - Lucy Ball etc.

-- the fun of that creates one problem; a guest will adjust a vacation to fit the vacancy of that room - they have their favorites.

Dale installed the state of the art video room with the ability to have up to 40 stations playing at one time -- he said that he does have for sure 15 + playing at a time the rest -- just rest -- with a library of 1000's of DVD's and players playing up to 400 disks, its hard to see a movie twice.

New plantation shutters - ceiling fans - central heat and air - tile floors big 27 inch TVs and a great continental breakfast await your wake up

time. Dale is not finished, he said, his next venture ( but he will not sell the resort ) is to find a nice small piano bar to enjoy and to relax in with the many people his age in Palm Springs. Like his home and hotel he will make it beautiful and fun.

Thus the million dollars he put back in the 14 room property makes it a great place for guys to stay -- some day when he wins the lottery the rooms will be free to all his guests for a year.