INDIO’S MYSTICAL MICRO-BOUTIQUE HOTEL: Come for Relaxation and Leave Reawakened!

Words+Interview by Erika Bardere

Tucked behind trees adorned with pink lights and trinkets, walled with cultural murals, and an intriguing surprise around every corner, there is an abundance of inspiration to be found while wandering this enchanting property. Upon arrival, you are greeted by the hoots of owls and two doors, which open into a tiled terrace, containing egg chairs hung from an embellished tree.

 For a moment, you may believe that you’ve just entered wonderland, as you gravitate towards what seems like a hedge maze. Centered within, you will approach a goddess fountain and see the pool unveil itself. From the heart of the property, you will then have the choice to turn towards one of the five standalone casitas, go relax in the triangular cabanas, or wander over to the back patio. Each casita is a one bedroom bungalow with separate living room, full kitchen, full bath, washer and dishwasher.

For those who steer towards one of the private casita entrances, more spots to unwind become discovered… hanging tee-pee chairs, perfect for reading a book… quaint tables for a serene moment to enjoy your coffee… or the ideal place to lay out a yoga mat and center yourself for each day. 

Unlike walking into a typical hotel, immediately, there’s a sense of coming home and being immersed in a warm and cozy atmosphere. The full-size kitchen suddenly smells like your favorite dinner being cooked, the living room highlights the seat you tend to kick-back in, an inviting bedroom lies ahead waiting to support your dreams, and a spa-like bathroom with a shower large enough for your biggest ideas. The casita assigned to you is distinctly unique, making the ambiance and experience a match of fate.

Opening Day Celebration

The Saint Boniface held its ribbon-cutting grand opening on April 7, 2023 with Mayor Oscar Ortiz and the Desert Cahuilla Bird Singers, who blessed the hotel. This event was facilitated by The Seven Six and had a cocktail hour with catering from The Butler Did It. On the back patio, guests were able to shop from a selection of local vendors: TRU Self Care Boutique, Desert Rising, Hippiest Gems, Wallaby Ranch Essentials, and an array of pieces from The Saint Boniface’s Barcelona storefront. 

Throughout the night, there were DJ sets from Bad Gal Gali and Axel Alatriste, with performance sets from Barcelona’s professional dancer and drag queen: Delisiah. Guests mingled, indulged, wandered, and had plenty of magical photo-ops to commemorate being gifted a new, all-inclusive and supportive property.

Interview with Jane aka “St. Boniface”

Erika Bardere: What is The Saint Boniface representative of?
JANE: The Saint Boniface is a throwback to the old movie days when The Rat Pack and Marilyn Monroe were coming out here and they would want absolutely no coverage, no paparazzi, complete privacy, where nobody knows they’re here. The desert is that for a lot of people… it’s this quiet, spiritual bowl and I think that’s why Hollywood is attracted to it, because they get to take a break.

EB: You also are returning to the desert from the East Coast, how has that influenced your vision here in Indio?
JANE: Coming from a New York perspective, everyone wants to be original! Nobody wants to wear what the other person is wearing. Nobody wants to say, look like, or do what everyone else is doing. What sets you apart is your artistry and your name – what you create for yourself. Here at The Saint Boniface, we saw it as a clean slate to do anything! 

If you’re someone who wants to get away and you’re a writer, or an actor, or an artist… who wants that peace, quiet and seclusion… we would be more of that speed. We’re here for any of the bands or musicians that are coming through and want to be close to Coachella Fest grounds… the Date Festival grounds… [or] like the Acrisure Arena, that we’re 15 minutes away from. We’re as beautiful as Palm Springs or Indian Wells, but we’re in Indio.

EB: It’s actually great that there’s more beautiful properties popping up on this side of town anyways because people from out-of-town just think they should stay in Palm Springs and are surprised to see how far they still have to travel for events.
JANE: Yes! And the traffic! Even taking the private back roads to Coachella Fest, in those hot black vans, we would get stuck for 2 hours! But yes, we are for everybody, but if you were to ask who I had in mind when I created this place, it’s a nod to my own groupie past, when I used to come with a lot of musicians here. When we traveled, it was like, “What did we need? What made the stay and the adventure that much more comfortable?” So, I kept those things in mind for these rooms.

EB: I love what I’ve seen so far with the interior design! You hinted at it a bit with the Hollywood aspect and I saw the mentions about goddess energy, can you say more about that?
JANE: So, originally I was going to open up a whole goddess and meditation path, but I decided to start smaller. I always had an affinity for the goddess Kannon. In China, she’s called Quan Yin, but in Japan she’s called Kannon. I traveled to a city there that had a huge statue of Kannon, these shrines, and a garden. I went to pay homage and they sold these big white candles that had Japanese inscriptions on the side and there were only 7. Each one had a different prayer on it. One for example, was for perfect health, one was to be free of disaster throughout your whole life, and one was “What is my life’s purpose?” and I got that one.

When I went back to New York, I couldn’t sleep one night, after just selling my home and was going to just buy another house, [but] couldn’t find one. Something woke me up and just told me to start looking for something back here in the desert. I was born and raised in Palm Springs, but I hadn’t been here for about 15 years. So, this voice is telling me to come back home, but not just to come home… but to buy a piece of land or property and this was the start! I had always wanted to open a boutique hotel and always loved hospitality, because I’ve had such wonderful experiences around the world. I wanted to share some of it!

EB: That’s really beautiful! Is there one thing in particular that guests should not miss about this property?
JANE: When I got here I knew I wanted to create murals. I’m the new one here in Indio and I wanted something that would resonate with the population here, with the people who have already lived here for decades, if not, generations. I hired a local artist out of Coachella, his name is Armando Lerma, and he did the mural on the very back alley wall. I let him have free license to create, but I told him I need this to be imbued with goddess energy, have 3 different Chicana or Mexican icons that would relate to the community here, and a nod to the Native Americans. Around the side is another mural by a local artist named John Cuevas, who is known for his geometric patterns and multi-colored words. Definitely check those out!

EB: Speaking of art, tell us about the design of the logo.
JANE: The hand is both a play on the saints in old school, Catholic classic paintings and iconography of Christ, but also a play on when you go dancing in Jamaica and they do the finger guns. So, it’s a play on dancing with your guns and also a little bit of the saint.

EB: That’s a unique way to fuse spirituality with letting loose! When guests have come to the end of their relaxing stay here, what would you love for them to leave with?
JANE: If I could have my dream and wish come true, I would want all of my guests to leave here with less worries. Whatever was puzzling or confusing them… I would want them to leave with less confusion. So, essentially I would want them to have clarity and peace. In each room, I tried to leave books of art and each one has a different religious text. I do believe that if you ever have a question, you can open any book, at any page, and read the first excerpt that comes to you and it can be a response from the universe. When I’ve traveled places, that has happened before, where I picked up a book and I learned something about myself or how to interact with something better in my life and more efficiently. That would be my dream and wish come true!

WEB: The Saint Boniface
ADDRESS: 44911 Oasis Street, Indio, CA 92210
PHONE: 1.800.607.9184
SOCIAL: @TheSaintBoniface