The short answer: anchor your Palm Springs retreat at Palm Springs Surf Club, the highest-rated corporate wave pool venue we track, and keep DSRT Surf on your radar as it opens in 2026. Fill the rest of the agenda with the desert's proven hits: Joshua Tree, mid-century architecture tours, golf, and resort spas. Fly into PSP, plan for October through May, and the retreat largely plans itself.
Palm Springs Surf Club: the anchor venue
PSSC is a Surf Loch pneumatic pool wrapped in a full resort: lazy river, cabanas, pool deck, restaurant and event space. It holds our highest published WPP Corporate Score at 7.6 out of 10, driven by 8 out of 10 for non-surfer experience and 8 out of 10 for event facilities. Buyouts and brand events are a proven format here, not a theory.
On pricing: public surf is sold as multi-session packages, 4 sessions for $700, 8 for $1,400 and 20 for $3,500, which works out to an effective $175 per session. Current single-session and private group pricing should be confirmed with the venue, and buyouts are quoted per event.
DSRT Surf: the one to watch
DSRT Surf is a 5.5-acre Wavegarden Cove lagoon in Palm Desert with an opening targeted for 2026. It currently advertises individual sessions starting from $60 per hour plus taxes and fees, but has not published a complete rate card across wave settings and skill levels. Treat $60 as an advertised floor, not the price of a corporate event.
The technology case is strong for groups: the Cove platform is rated for up to 1,000 waves per hour across 20-plus settings, which is exactly what a 100-person mixed-skill group needs. Our preliminary WPP Corporate Score for DSRT is 7.5 out of 10, and it stays preliminary until the venue is operating.
Beyond the pools
- ~Joshua Tree National Park: a half-day with a guide is the classic retreat morning.
- ~Palm Springs Aerial Tramway: 8,500 feet up, 30 degrees cooler, big views.
- ~Mid-century modern architecture tours, on foot or by bike.
- ~Golf: more than 100 courses across the Coachella Valley.
- ~Spa afternoon at one of the historic resort properties.
- ~Indian Canyons: easy, photogenic desert hikes five minutes from town.
Logistics that matter
- ~Palm Springs International (PSP) is about 10 minutes from downtown and PSSC; Ontario (ONT) and LAX are the big-flight alternatives.
- ~October through May is prime. Summer retreats work if you schedule outdoors for mornings and evenings only.
- ~Hotel inventory runs from boutique to full-service convention resorts, so headcounts of 20 and 400 are both easy.
- ~Drive time from Los Angeles is roughly two hours, which makes PSSC viable for LA-based teams without flights.
Event planner questions, answered
Is one day enough?
A one-day format works: surf session in the morning, pool deck lunch, strategy block in the early afternoon, deck dinner. Two nights is the sweet spot once you add Joshua Tree or golf.
What does a retreat here cost?
Venue-side, plan around PSSC's $175 effective per-session package pricing for group surf blocks, with buyouts quoted per event. DSRT's advertised $60 per hour is a starting price only; its full rate card is not yet public. Lodging, food and activities scale the total from there.
When will DSRT Surf actually open?
The target is 2026. We verify openings independently and update the venue page the week anything changes, so check the DSRT corporate guide before locking dates.
PSSC or DSRT for a late-2026 event?
Book PSSC; it is operating today and proven for corporate formats. If DSRT opens on schedule and publishes its group rate card, it becomes a serious alternative for large groups.
Written and hand-verified by Wave Pool Party.
