As the follow-up to the debut of the Sensei brand in Lanai, Sensei Porcupine Creek delivers on founder Larry Ellison’s initiatives to combine immersive wellness experiences in an unparalleled setting—complete with top-notch, health-centric cuisine overseen by chef Nobu Matsuhisa and indulgent spa services that are as restorative as they are results driven.
However, unlike the Lanai property, which is managed by Four Seasons, Porcupine Creek is independent, inherently more intimate—and far more accessible. Located on 230 acres in Rancho Mirage, less than 120 miles from Pasadena, the property has just 10 Estate Rooms, four Casitas, and eight standalone Villas. Drive just a half mile up Route 111 and you’ll pass an unassuming residential neighborhood, full of modest midcentury homes, before you access the gates of Sensei. Pass through them, and it’s clear that you’ve entered another world.
The driveway to the main lobby features the 19-hole, private golf course on the left, while the right is landscaped with vibrant succulents, flowering maple trees, and cascading water features, tended by a team of more than 90 groundskeepers and kept alive with an advanced reclaimed water system. Monolithic sculptures from artists like Robert Indiana and Jeff Koons also line the drive, providing a dose of whimsy.
Aesthetically, Porcupine Creek is in line with the Lanai property. Both feature a palette of creams and natural woods, with the only color source coming from nature (bougainvillea, flowering cacti, and blossoming birds of paradise). The grounds and gardens are a stunning mix of flora, the majority of which are indigenous plants. Additionally, both properties feature Sensei’s signature Rest, Nourish, and Move programming, where guests can choose a path and be linked with an expert guide for an immersive, customized retreat.
However, where the Lanai property might feel like a surreal exotic getaway, Porcupine Creek is delightfully within reach, making a spur-of-the-moment wellness retreat convenient and approachable. On-site hikes, daily movement classes, and mindfulness practices can give even the most sedentary and sparsely motivated guests a jump-start into wellness.
Should you already be on a health kick, the property boasts the kind of private facilities for golf and tennis that even professionals gush over. Highlights of the golf course include the 238-yard drive on hole 15 from an elevation of 200 feet, with nothing in between but an abyss of boulders. If tennis is your thing, the two clay courts and one grass court rest below a stunning viewing pavilion, which is as conducive for watching live games take place below as it is watching tournaments on the 100-inch flat screen.
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