For room location, you will get a lot of road noise from Monterey Ave. The further way you can get from that, and face away from it, the quieter your room will be.
That's basically right. You'll need to make a choice at Shadow Ridge. If you look at a resort map, you will see that many of the buildings are lined up along the main drive. So...
Choice 1: There are a series of buildings which will give you a room and balcony that face east. You will have a view of golf course and/or water feature, depending on the building and room. Since these face away from Monterey Ave, expect that your room will be quieter. You will likely have morning sun.
Choice 2: On the opposite side of the street are the buildings that face west, so your living room and balcony will be looking in the direction of Monterey Ave. If you open the door to the balcony or step out, expect more road noise. But you will gain a nice view towards the mountains. Since you are facing west, you'll see the sunset. Late in the day, it may get warm during the hot summer months.
We've stayed on both sides of that main road. We've never been in any of the buildings numbered higher than 2300. My wife is a very light sleeper and likes it quiet. On our last stay (Dec 2019), we were in a top floor room in Bldg 2300 and it was our first time in a west-facing room. We had a lovely view of the mountains (there was snow on the mountains that week) plus a view of the water feature and golf course (though partially screened by trees). We could hear some of the nearby traffic when we stepped outside on the balcony. Inside the room, traffic noise wasn’t a problem. My wife liked the unit mainly because of the view and despite the road noise. If we stay again, I'll request that side (1900, 2100, 2300).
Shadow Ridge has elevators (Desert Springs Villas does not). There is no problem with getting your luggage upstairs. We always ask for a top floor room because any footsteps above us disturb her sleep.
