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Driving past the large retro pink-and-white sign on 29 Palms Highway makes you wonder what the Circle C Lodge has to offer. As soon as you pull up the long driveway, smell the fresh blooming roses, and see the purple ragged mountains as a backdrop to the clear blue sky, you start to wonder why you haven’t been here before.
Owner and manager Govinda Arehalli greets all his guests as if they are royalty. No matter what time your flight arrives or how early in the morning your road trip ends, he will wait for you to check in. He will make sure you have everything you need to be comfortable and then offer you more. This will be the first of many generous gestures.
“I think of them coming to my house as guests,” says Arehalli. “You receive them, make sure they are comfortable, and then you go to bed. The same philosophy, I extend to my lodge.”
The Circle C Lodge has been a desert refuge to a variety of vacationers for years. Arehalli and his wife, Lakshmi, who originally hail from India, took over the historic hotel in 2004. The iconic sign along the highway was put up in 1962, however no one knows exactly when the hotel was built. The story behind the name is that from the air, the dirt road surrounding the hotel looked like a circle and the hotel in the middle looked like a “C.”
Current and past guests range in caliber from scientists and surgeons, actors and directors, novelists and singers, to pyrotechnic specialists and marines who are in Twentynine Palms for training. “There are also simple Americans like me,” says Arehalli. “That’s the beauty of it, and that’s what I enjoy the most.”
To help all guests—international, famous, familiar, short or long term—feel more at home, the Circle C Lodge flies the flag from each country the current guests are from. Flags from the United States, Canada, France, Australia, and the Marine Corps were flying high just a few months ago. Although the countries are displayed for all to see, discretion and privacy are Arehalli’s focus when it comes to all his guests. “We respect their privacy, we take care of them. Part of my job is to protect their identity.” And that’s what many returning guests say they appreciate.
Arehalli has an entire ledger book of “Guest Impressions” filled with positive comments and suggestions from people who have stayed at the Circle C Lodge over the years. He and Lakshmi try to incorporate those suggestions into improving their hotel. “We are constantly thinking of ways to make guests more comfortable. We listen to every single suggestion and the guests come tell us—it means a lot to them.”
Every morning, an ample and wholesome breakfast awaits guests in the room overlooking the pool and courtyard. Complimentary coffee, juice, tea, delicious pastries, bagels, and fresh fruit are available. After breakfast, which ends at 11:00 a.m. for those late risers, guests can take a dip in the heated crystal-blue pool or relax in a spa area that is surrounded by the smell of flowers blooming. The courtyard also has a barbeque pit camouflaged by an artist-made rock formation—part art and part of the hotel’s homey charm. The rock art extends into a rock waterfall near the spa. Those cooking on the barbeque grill and enjoying the outdoor patio can just reach over to add some fresh Rosemary to their meals.
When returning to their spacious living areas, guests enter through a private front door on either the “sunrise” or “sunset” side of the building or can use the backdoor facing the courtyard. Once inside the room, sanctuary is theirs. In each of 12 rooms, with either a California King or two Queen beds, is a relaxing sitting area near the courtyard-facing window. All the rooms are fit with walk-in closets; large restrooms with ample sinks and bathtubs; electronic glowing fireplaces; fully loaded kitchenettes; high-speed internet connections; and television equipment.
“Once people come to the rooms and see the courtyard, I don’t have to sell a room. The lodge makes them feel at home . . . It’s like a home away from home, and once they expect what Circle C has to offer, they keep coming back.”
First-timers and returning guests alike can enjoy the overlooking views of the mountains, the lush garden courtyard filled with roses, jasmine, Birds of Paradise and other natural beauties. In addition to the outdoors experience, it’s the home-style décor and the welcoming atmosphere that make the Circle C Lodge a memorable and positive place to stay.
Arehalli is actively involved in the local community—he is on several city committees and is in charge of a program for junior high school students to spark their interest in various professions. He encourages his guests to learn more about Twentynine Palms and the entire Morongo Basin area. “My interest is that people should know what a beautiful place we have and to protect it. This has character, and we don’t want to lose that.”
“We want the best of people from all over the world to enjoy this. There are not many places like it. The [Joshua Tree National] Park and the mountains are highly spiritual. In this especially stressful world, you can go to a place and it rejuvenates the soul.”
At the Circle C Lodge, not only do you stay in a relaxing, beautiful setting, you are also welcomed into a family atmosphere and urged to treat yourself right. Surely, this is a large part of the rejuvenation process.
This historic photograph shows the Circle C Lodge as it appeared in the 1940s-50s, when it was called the “Circle C Motel.” It was one of many “auto courts” built in the hi-desert during that era, but one of the few that offered a swimming pool for its guests.
By Jennifer Ballesteros
June/July 2007