Brett C

Review of JW Marriott Desert Springs Res...

Stayed here over a holiday weekend and were not di...

Stayed here over a holiday weekend and were not disappointed--this place is pretty cool!

First, the rooms. We got "upgraded" to a newly-renovated room which was quite nice. Of note, I don't think we really got an "upgrade" so much as there's an entire floor closed off for renovations so they didn't have anywhere to put us, but really that's neither here nor there. The newly-updated rooms are really cool--furnishings actually look like they're from this century, which is great, doesn't have that "stuck in the 70s" feel you get a lot in the Palm Springs area. The balcony with pool view was also a nice touch.

The pool situation is great, but CROWDED. There are numerous pools (at least 4 I think) as well as hot tubs (again, at least 4, possibly more), but GET DOWN THERE EARLY IF YOU WANT TO GET CHAIRS. The chair situation is a hot mess--towels on every damn chair, no way to tell if people are ever coming back or what the hell is going on, really, and staff is not helpful at all unless you're reporting a fight or something. So if you're like us and want to post up by the pool all day you better get down there first thing in the morning or reserve a cabana ahead of time, or be prepared to go chairless or sit in the restaurant area near the pool. But one cool feature of the pool areas is that there are specific areas for adults and others for kids, so that if you're not looking to share a pool with a bunch of kids who are assuredly going to pee in the pool, you can do so.

The free boat rides around the pond in the center of the property were a cool feature, but be prepared for people to openly cut the line in front of you, and for staff to allow that and do zero to curb it--it happened to me, so it'll happen to you. My advice is get there at 4PM and get the first boat ride.

I didn't golf at all this time, but the golf facilities looked quite nice, and very sprawling. The mini golf for the kiddos is a nice touch--you don't see that everywhere.

Also of note: every bar on this property charges ABSURD amounts for cocktails--bring your own booze and save some serious cash.

Overall we had a very good but not great experience, but would definitely consider staying here again in the future.