A process for the desalination of water in a continuous cyclical adsorptive operation utilizing a thermally regenerable ion retarding resin. The process employs a simulated moving bed scheme having only an adsorption zone, operated at a relatively low temperature, and desorption zone, operated at a relatively high temperature. Effluent is removed from the adsorption zone in two stages for each step of a cycle, a first stage wherein sufficient water is recovered for use as desorbent in the next step, and a second stage wherein the water product stream is withdrawn. Effluent is removed from the desorption zone also in two stages, a first stage wherein a relatively small portion having the composition of the feedstream is withdrawn, and a second stage where the extract stream having a high salt content is withdrawn.