From the Breakfast Table to Seven Olive, Here’s What a Labor Day Weekend at Renaissance Esmeralda Looks Like, Hour by Hour.
Labor Day weekend is the last long weekend before school routines lock in, and the last thing you want to spend it doing is planning. So let us do that for you. Here is what a Labor Day weekend at Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa actually looks like, from morning coffee to a table at Seven Olive Modern Gastropub.
Saturday Morning: Coffee, Breakfast and a Slow Start
The right weekend begins with a great morning, and yours starts at Café Biscotti. Grab a freshly baked pastry and your first coffee before the day gets going. It’s the resort’s grab-and-go spot, ideal for early risers who want fuel without fuss. If the family is ready to sit down, head to CAVA when it opens at 7 a.m. for farm-to-table breakfast classics served al fresco with poolside and mountain views. It’s the kind of meal that sets the tone for the whole day.
Late Morning: Camp Esmeralda
With breakfast wrapped up, drop the kids at Camp Esmeralda and exhale. Camp Esmeralda is Renaissance Esmeralda’s complimentary kids program, featuring daily arts and crafts, face painting, slime making, T-shirt tie dyeing, ceramic painting, sand bottle art and lawn games led by creative counselors. Hours and activities vary, so confirm times on the resort calendar. While they’re there, you’re free to find a quiet lounge chair by the water or play a round at the Indian Wells Golf Resort next door.
Late Morning: Spa Esmeralda
For parents who want to reclaim the morning for themselves, Spa Esmeralda is the move. The 13,000-square-foot spa sits within a lush outdoor garden featuring treatment cabanas, a waterfall whirlpool and a eucalyptus steam room. Book a massage, a facial or a body treatment, or try the Renew Recovery Lounge, the Coachella Valley’s only dedicated resort recovery facility. A representative of Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa puts it simply: “Cool off and melt the stress away at Spa Esmeralda and Renew Recovery Lounge.
From hydration therapy for sun healing to compression therapy for travel recovery, Spa Esmeralda has curated treatments for every guest and traveler to leave feeling revived and refreshed.” Whether you drove two hours from LA or flew in the night before, this is where the trip fully begins. Note: Spa Esmeralda is for guests 18 and over.
Midday: The Sandy Beach Pool
By noon, it’s time to reunite at the water. The Sandy Beach Pool is the heart of Renaissance Esmeralda. It’s a zero-entry, resort-style pool that is the largest in the Greater Palm Springs area, perfect for the youngest guests to enjoy the water safely and build sandcastles on the shore, while parents unwind on floaties. Reserve a cabana or daybed to claim your spot for the afternoon. It comes with dedicated service, shade when you want it and a home base for the whole family. Drinks and bites arrive directly to you from the H2O Pool Bar, which begins food service at 11 a.m. and serves refreshing cocktails and poolside snacks to keep everyone happy without leaving the water.
Afternoon: Desert Glow Entertainment Zone
When the pool energy peaks and the kids are ready for something different, Desert Glow Entertainment Zone is waiting on the Lobby Level, just past the gift shop. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., it’s home to classic and modern arcade games, immersive virtual reality experiences and duckpin bowling. Plus, the Gold Rush Escape Room is bookable in advance and tends to fill up on holiday weekends. Game cards are available on-site. Heads up: a “quick stop” can easily turn into an hour of fun.
Saturday Evening: Glo Sushi or The Place
As the afternoon cools, it’s time to start thinking about dinner. Glo Sushi opens at 4 p.m. and offers classic sashimi and nigiri alongside signature rolls and sake pairings in a vibrant atmosphere. It’s great for families who want something a little more special. For a more laid-back evening starter, The Place Restaurant and Bar also opens at 4 p.m. with innovative cocktails, a casual menu, multiple large-screen TVs and live entertainment on select evenings. Either makes a solid first-night dinner. And if the kids would rather skip the restaurant entirely, check the resort’s activities calendar for Dive-In Movies, poolside movie nights offered on select evenings.
Saturday Night: Kids Night Out at Camp Esmeralda
As evening approaches, here’s the part parents love most about Saturday. Camp Esmeralda hosts Kids Night Out, giving kids an evening of games, movies, arts and crafts, a $10 Desert Glow Entertainment Zone game card and dinner. That means Saturday night belongs to you. Take your time at dinner. Sit at the bar and wander because the kids are taken care of.
Sunday Morning: Same Ritual, Different Pace
There is something to be said for knowing exactly how a Sunday morning can go. Back to Café Biscotti for coffee, or CAVA again for a proper sit-down. This time it’s slower, with no schedule pressing. After breakfast, the fitness center is available 24/7 with Peloton bikes, treadmills and free weights. Morning yoga, Pilates and Zumba classes are offered on the resort’s lush outdoor lawns and grounds. Check the resort calendar for the weekend schedule.
Sunday Afternoon: Back to the Pool, or Back to the Spa
After a restful morning, the Sandy Beach Pool is just as good on Sunday, especially when you already know your way around it. If the family split worked on Saturday morning, Sunday afternoon is a natural repeat: kids back at Camp Esmeralda, parents back at Spa Esmeralda for a treatment they didn’t get yesterday. The Renew Recovery Lounge sessions run 30 to 50 minutes, which is exactly the right amount of time before the day’s final act.
Sunday Evening: Seven Olive Modern Gastropub
This is the closer. As Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa describes it, the goal is to end the day “at the newest dining spot in the desert.” Seven Olive Modern Gastropub, Renaissance Esmeralda’s signature restaurant, serves seasonal California cuisine in a 3,500-square-foot space with lakeside Santa Rosa Mountain views and seating for 128 guests. Named for the resort’s first olive harvest (seven gallons of estate-pressed oil), the menu features shareables like the Appetizer Tower with hand-battered onion rings, soft pretzels with beer cheese and BBQ chicken wings. Plus, brick oven pizzas, seafood pasta and butter cake.
Prefer a more private setting? Reserve one of two Topgolf Swing Suites inside Seven Olive, where guests can play interactive golf simulations while enjoying the full menu and cocktail list. The bar program features desert-inspired cocktails, 18 wines by the glass and “The Desert Dozen,” a curated tasting of 12 regional craft beers from California breweries. Reservations are recommended for holiday weekends. Dinner here is enough to make the drive home feel worth it.
Monday: A Proper Checkout
Labor Day Monday is yours to use. The pool is open from 8 a.m. Checkout isn’t until 11 a.m., so there’s time for breakfast at CAVA and a final coffee from Café Biscotti. And if you haven’t booked yet, Renaissance Esmeralda’s Labor Day Package runs for a week Sept. 1 through 10, and includes a $100 daily dining and spa credit, complimentary self-parking and complimentary early check-in on Thursday or Friday. Families can also add a connecting room for up to 50% off with the daily resort fee waived for the second room. Use promo code HOL when booking or click here. The weekend took care of itself because that’s what it was designed to do.
Ready to lock in your dates? Renaissance Esmeralda is offering special Labor Day deals. Book early; holiday weekends fill fast.
Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa
44400 Indian Wells Ln
Indian Wells, CA 92210
760.773.4444
