Marriott or Westin in Palm Desert, Palm Springs, CA? Going in early December.

I have all of these weeks to use, so I was thinking of a week in the Palm Desert at one of the resorts. Westin Mission Hills pops up, and occasionally I see the other Westin too. Also all of the Marriott resorts. Since we are flexible now, we don't care what dates.

What would your top choice be?

IMHO-

In this order:

1. Desert Spring Villas
2. Desert Springs Villas II
3. Westin Desert Willows
4. Shadow Ridge
5. Westin Mission Hills

I agree with DSVI first - just because of access to the spa at the JW. After that I think that any of them would be fine - they are pretty close in amenities/location. The differences would be negligible to me.

Btw bastroum - not disagreeing with your list at all.

I agree with Bastroum. Mission Hills and Shadow Ridge would be my last choices. We own at Desert Willow but love Villas I. We've stayed at all of the properties except the Enclaves.

While I haven't stayed there, you may want to add in Club Intrawest Palm Desert. We drove through it while staying at DSVII and thought it would be our first choice in the future.

presley said:

While I haven't stayed there, you may want to add in Club Intrawest Palm Desert. We drove through it while staying at DSVII and thought it would be our first choice in the future.

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I've stayed there. Although the condos are nice, they are not as nice as DSV or DSV-II and you don't get that "resort feel" that you get at the Marriott properties. It is however, quiet and peaceful.

bastroum said:

I've stayed there. Although the condos are nice, they are not as nice as DSV or DSV-II and you don't get that "resort feel" that you get at the Marriott properties. It is however, quiet and peaceful.

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Adding to this... There are no in unit washer/dryers (but are available in each building). Also, the downstairs two bed unit has a very very small living room.


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Club Intrawest was one of my favorite stays, lol. Just goes to show how different everyone is!

I would rank Marriott Desert I and II slightly ahead of WDW, although WDW has a small 1 BR with kitchen while Marriott has traditional studio. We will not stay in the studio at Marriott while the small 1 BR is roomy.

I would rank DSV1 and 2 at the top followed by WDW. However, any of them would provide for a nice stay.

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.

Mike

We would welcome input on WDW and WMH from folks who have stayed there / are owners (ie input on the overall property, pools, restaurants, amenities, etc).

We are Marriott owners at Shadow Ridge. We have stayed there as well as DSVI and DSVII many times over the years. We very much enjoy these Marriott properties, although recently we thought it might be nice to try someplace new. Thanks in advance for your input.

I have not stayed at WDW, however, I've toured the units. They are nice but appeared much smaller than all the Marriott units.

This depends. Overall size of the 2 BR and 1 BR is larger at the Marriotts. The small side at the Marriotts is basically a hotel room whereas the WDW has a very nice size studio that is well equipped with a separate dining area (albeit small) and living area. We would not hesitate to stay in the small side at WDW, but will not stay in the small side at the Marriotts.

bastroum said:

I have not stayed at WDW, however, I've toured the units. They are nice but appeared much smaller than all the Marriott units.

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We have stayed at WMH and WDW and would prefer WDW. It is newer for one thing. The main pool area is very nice and there is another pool close to a couple of the buildings away from the lobby/main pool.

Mike

I have stayed at all of them except Shadow Ridge and Enclaves but I did tour Shadow Ridge.

DSV1 2BR is the largest, like 1600 sq ft. The studio while does not have a full kitchen, is spacious and has a separate walk in shower in addition to the tub. The downside is that it has 2 separate beds in the studio. The 1BR and studio are separated by a locked off hallway and it makes it great for 2 couples travelling together, with gives each couple their privacy. My favorite is DSV1 simply because it is large and very luxurious. It has free spa access to JW Marriott on Mon-Fri although I have never used it. I also love JW Marriott restaurants which are superior to Westin Mission Hills restaurants, in taste, freshness and variety. JW Marriott has a gondola that takes you to restaurants and a ride there and back to the main hotel is fun to do.

DSV2 is a regular 2BR lockoff, smaller and less luxurious than DSV1. Studio has 1 bed (Queen) and very small, with shower over tub - has a hotel room feel but still nice. No fireplace. No free access to JW Marriott spa. This is probably my second choice because again, the affiliation to JW Marriott is huge for us. We eat out 2 meals a day and having the convenience and discount is nice. It is a long walk or you can take a shuttle to JW Marriott.

The golf courses at Desert Springs are quite poorly maintained and I won't play there again.

WMH 2BR is bright and open, and very standard "Westin" in its feel. The exterior look of the buildings are quite "ugly", in my opinion. Shuttles run all day to take you around the property and to the hotel. WMH hotel restaurants are really not great, surprisingly. The room layout and restaurant access probably makes it my third choice. I have not played at the golf courses here but will do so when I stay there next year.

WDW 2BR is darker but still nice. The exterior is very pretty and architecture is modern. It has a lone restaurant with very limited menu. Food is OK. Desert Willows golf courses are quite nice. This is my 4th choice due to the limited restaurant choices but the concierge here is superior to the above 3. So I may make it my 3rd choice, I am not sure at this point.

We chose Desert Springs Villas I and really are excited to stay in the area for the first time. I just booked it yesterday and hesitated a bit when I saw Westin available. I love the Heavenly Beds, but I took everyone's advice and chose DSVI. It was nice to have so many choices. Gotta love timeshare!

Outstanding! We love it there. Have a great time.

Mike

bastroum said:

IMHO-

In this order:

1. Desert Spring Villas
2. Desert Springs Villas II
3. Westin Desert Willows
4. Shadow Ridge
5. Westin Mission Hills

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I would not stay in the Studio portion of either DSV or DSV II, it's too small.

With Kids ages which property

Hello,

Thinking about going there as well in February and we will have our 3 kids ages 16, 12, 4 with us. Which of the resorts would you say is the most kid friendly? Thank you!

Shadow Ridge or DSV-II would be the best. If you don't have a reservation by now for February 2016, it will be a tough trade for a 2BD.

Westin?

Thank you for the response. The Westin looks nice as well. I have a SBP which I thought I could try and trade. Would that be a good resort as well for kids if I can get it? Not getting my hopes up.

ljlong15 said:

Thank you for the response. The Westin looks nice as well. I have a SBP which I thought I could try and trade. Would that be a good resort as well for kids if I can get it? Not getting my hopes up.

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Yes, Westin is great for kids too. Between WMH and WDW, WMH may be an easier trade. I don't believe bulk deposit has happened for 2016 yet. You may get a trade for Feb. March is the hardest to get.

ljlong15 said:

Thank you for the response. The Westin looks nice as well. I have a SBP which I thought I could try and trade. Would that be a good resort as well for kids if I can get it? Not getting my hopes up.

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WMH usually gets Feb/March/April weeks deposited every year - but easter week is typically not included in the bulk deposit. I'm pretty sure these have not yet been made this year - I've had an ongoing search in for a few months now. Putting in an ongoing search will alert you to when the bulk deposit is made. You may be able to cherry pick your week if you get a week that isn't optimal for you from your ongoing search.

dumbish question

I'm not a Palm Springs expert, having only been there once; but I wonder what is better about the Marriotts at Desert Spring Villas compared to Shadow Ridge (which we stayed at)? We found it to be pretty nice there. Maybe the answer is: Shadow Ridge is fine, but the other is just better?

If you have children, Shadow Ridge or Villas II would be my choices. Adults only, Villas I or Enclaves.