Cree Estate

A grand Spanish fountain greets guests as they approach the large driveway that circles around a grassy island. Orange and lemon trees filter the sunlight alongside a cluster of lofty palms—an impressive 78 of those graceful emblems of the desert are scattered over the grounds. The hacienda is a genuine all-adobe home, and the front wall has cunning miniature alcoves that showcase antique statuary. A wrought-iron gate leads to a wide lawn just right for a wedding ceremony, and a vine-covered arbor along one side makes a picturesque aisle. Whitewashed adobe walls decked with autumn-hued lantana enclose the grass, and include two old wooden doors, delightfully weathered and worn, that evoke a sense of timelessness and tradition.

Delicate tree branches form a natural archway from the ceremony site to an attractive poolside plaza, adorned with several patches of emerald lawn. A black-bottomed swimming pool, one of two on the estate, features a tiled border reminiscent of an intricately embroidered ribbon. In the first rays of twilight guests savor their glasses of bubbly amidst stone benches and classical statuary, accompanied perhaps by the stirring strains of a Spanish guitar.