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Options in Palm Springs Area...? Marriott Desert Springs vs Shadow Ridge vs Westin vs Worldmark?

Hobokie

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TUG Fam,

I'm headed down to Palm Springs in a few weeks for 3 nights and, thanks to @GetawaysRus, I noticed that I too had 2 ACs in my Interval account and I too see the Marriott units that I can book!

Note that it's just me and the hubs, so in theory a studio could work since we're only going for 3 days and are ok with not having a kitchen since it's a short trip...

Looking for your thoughts, recommendations and caveats if you have experience with any of these, please! Here are my options...

Via II with an AC; cost is $365.19 (AC fee) --> I called and they said they have no parking fee and no resort fees
DV2 Option.png


Via II with an AC; cost is $365.19 (AC Fee) plus I called and they said they have a PARKING FEE of $20 per day
SR Option.png


Via II with an AC; cost is $365.19 (AC Fee) plus I called and they have a RESORT FEE of $38 per day which includes parking.
W Option1.png


Via II with an AC; cost is $365.19 (AC Fee) plus fees? (I haven't called them yet to see if there are any)
W Option2.png


Via Worldmark (I am a member) using Inventory Specials; cost is $317.42 (no additional fees that I'm aware of, I haven't called yet to check on parking fees)
WM Indio.PNG


Via Worldmark (I am a member) using Bonus Time; cost is $274.80 (no additional fees that I'm aware of, I haven't called yet to check on parking fees); note that I choose studio for this resort because it's the only thing with availability right now
WM PS.PNG


Does anyone have any experience or additional knowledge I should consider in making my decision? :) Yippeeee travel! Love my timeshares :)

Adding some WM owners in case they want to comment since I posted this on the more active Marriott forum. @samara64 @CO skier @LisaH @Eric B @TomCO @geerlijd @tschwa2 @sun starved Gayle @DaveNV @HudsHut @Clifbell
 
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michael49

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We own at Desert Spring II and have also stayed at Shadow Ridge. Either location is excellent.
 

Hobokie

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We own at Desert Spring II and have also stayed at Shadow Ridge. Either location is excellent.
@michael49 as an owner, do you have to pay resort fees? I wonder if what they told me is even correct, to be honest, sometimes the folks that answer the phones don't even know...
 

dioxide45

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I can't speak to the Worldmark property, but all others compared and being a 1BR, I would go for Westin Desert Willow. None of the Marriott or Westin properties have resort fees or parking fees on an II exchange booking.

I have videos of each of the resorts if you want to take a look;
Palm Desert Timeshare Resort Videos
 

Hobokie

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@dioxide45 wow, interesting that the folks I spoke with on the phone (I called the resorts directly) told me there was a resort fee for the Westin Mission Hills and the Marriott Shadow Ridge person told me there's a $20 daily parking fee!

I will watch your video, thanks for sending that! :)
 

dioxide45

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@dioxide45 wow, interesting that the folks I spoke with on the phone (I called the resorts directly) told me there was a resort fee for the Westin Mission Hills and the Marriott Shadow Ridge person told me there's a $20 daily parking fee!

I will watch your video, thanks for sending that! :)
The Marriott confirmation will show a $20 parking fee at Westin Desert Willow. But that won't apply to an AC booking. There is certainly no resort fee at any of them.
 

Hobokie

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I can't speak to the Worldmark property, but all others compared and being a 1BR, I would go for Westin Desert Willow. None of the Marriott or Westin properties have resort fees or parking fees on an II exchange booking.

I have videos of each of the resorts if you want to take a look;
Palm Desert Timeshare Resort Videos
I messed up my pic of Marriott Desert Springs, btw... I could get a 2 bd with the AC for the dates I need. Would you still book the Westin Desert Willow if I could get a 2 bd Marriott Desert Springs? (note there are only 2 of us).
 

dioxide45

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I messed up my pic of Marriott Desert Springs, btw... I could get a 2 bd with the AC for the dates I need. Would you still book the Westin Desert Willow if I could get a 2 bd Marriott Desert Springs? (note there are only 2 of us).
Westin Desert Willow is a more modern resort. Desert Springs is all two story buildings with no elevators. Both are nice, but I think the pool options at Westin Desert Willow are far better than Desert Springs Villas. The only issue with Desert Willow is that it won't be a full kitchen. THough for only a few days, that might not matter. We really like the 2BR units at Desert Springs II though.
 

craigc

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We go to Desert Springs Villas 1 each year for the Indian Wells tennis. We prefer that location as it is super close (walkable) to the JW and we are allowed to use the JW facilities....pool, restaurants etc. If you were to go to Desert Springs Villas II, the walk is a little longer to the JW but doable or you can take the shuttle bus that goes between the JW and MVC.
 

daviator

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I’d rule out the Worldmark in Indio; that’s a good 45 minute drive from Palm Springs and it’s probably not what you’re looking for.

I'd pretty much echo everything @dioxide45 said and suggest Westin Desert Willow. There are no studios there, even the smaller 1 BRs are true 1 BRs, though the smaller ones have a kitchenette without a full sized oven. But for a short stay even the smaller 1 Br units are great. You shouldn’t be charged any parking fee (and I’ve never heard of a resort fee there, maybe that’s something new they are charging to non-owners.)
 

clifffaith

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Worldmark PS studios have sliding doors that enter right out to the swimming pool. No parking fees. Walkable to restaurants, if you care to do that in the desert heat.
 

GregT

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Marriott: Maui Ocean Club Lahaina Villas (3BRx5), Ko Olina, Shadow Ridge II, Willow Ridge, Aruba Ocean Club, DC Points HGVC: Flamingo, Sea World, I-Drive, Starwood Bella (x4), SDO, TradeWinds, Worldmark
I have stayed at both WM Indio and WM Palm Springs and both are good properties. Indio is a nice property with decent on-site amenities and Palm Springs is very well located with more limited amenities. I would stay at either one again, if I couldn’t get into Westin or Marriott.

There is a significant difference in both unit quality and on-site amenities with the Marriotts and the Westin properties (I’ve only seen WDW, Westin Mission Hills may be different).

I love the Palm Desert Marriotts (and WDW) and that is where I would go, and I would stay in a Studio at Shadow Ridge over a 1BR at WM Indio.

But I think you will have a great trip!

Best,

Greg
 

sue1947

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The WM units are a step down from the others plus Indio has a pretty aggressive sales team. I'd take any of the other 3 first before the WM.
The Desert Springs II are nice units with an ok studio, but go with the 1 or 2 BR instead if you can get it for the additional space and kitchen.
 

GetawaysRus

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I messed up my pic of Marriott Desert Springs, btw... I could get a 2 bd with the AC for the dates I need. Would you still book the Westin Desert Willow if I could get a 2 bd Marriott Desert Springs? (note there are only 2 of us).
You've got a bunch of nice resorts to choose from, and you really can't go wrong. I don't think the cost of a 2BR using the AC will be any different than a studio. No brainer if it's the same price - take the 2BR. It's worth checking online. You don't finalize anything until you enter your credit card.

It's personal taste as to which resort you'll prefer. Here's my spin, but this is just my opinion.

We also travel as 2 (forever young) adults. We like a resort that feels more spread out, we like walking around the resort in the early AM or later PM when the summer temps are reasonable, and we tend not to like mega high rise resorts. For these reasons, we place DSV2 and DSV1 first.

Shadow Ridge Villages is nice, but they are 4 story buildings (DSV is 2 story), so it feels like a bigger resort to us. A lot of people with kids like the pools at Shadow Ridge. That's a negative for us (though I admit that the Palmeras pool at DSV2 gets busy).

My bride has never let me reserve Desert Willow. The units are more modern appearing, but the negative for her is that the buildings seem closer together, giving the resort a more "packed-in" feeling. She much prefers the building spacing at DSV2, even over DSV1. At DSV1, the buildings are lined up all in a row, which we don't like as much, but the exterior paint job a few years ago did markedly improve the external appeal for us. And a 2BR at DSV1 has the greatest square footage of all these resorts.
 
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michael49

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@michael49 as an owner, do you have to pay resort fees? I wonder if what they told me is even correct, to be honest, sometimes the folks that answer the phones don't even know...
What do you mean by "resort fees"? We only have to pay our yearly maintenance fee just like any other MVC owner.
 

daviator

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What do you mean by "resort fees"? We only have to pay our yearly maintenance fee just like any other MVC owner.
"Resort fees" are fees often charged by high-end resort hotels, which are usually mandatory (i.e. you have to pay them) and are often justified by saying that they cover a variety of services like WiFi, fitness center, swimming pool, parking, free long distance calls on the room phone, etc. They have become pretty common and travelers, on the whole, hate them — they are basically an extra tax on top of the quoted room rate, to pay for services that you may not even use and which used to be included in the rate. And they often aren't cheap, sometimes $50 or $60 per night.

I haven't heard of resort fees being charged at Marriott or Vistana timeshare resorts until the posts above mentioned it. It's possible that they've started doing so for people with nightly hotel-type reservations (non-owners reserving via Marriott.com, for example.) But I suspect there will be a huge uproar if they try to apply such fees to owner reservations, including exchanges through II.
 

michael49

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"Resort fees" are fees often charged by high-end resort hotels, which are usually mandatory (i.e. you have to pay them) and are often justified by saying that they cover a variety of services like WiFi, fitness center, swimming pool, parking, free long distance calls on the room phone, etc. They have become pretty common and travelers, on the whole, hate them — they are basically an extra tax on top of the quoted room rate, to pay for services that you may not even use and which used to be included in the rate. And they often aren't cheap, sometimes $50 or $60 per night.

I haven't heard of resort fees being charged at Marriott or Vistana timeshare resorts until the posts above mentioned it. It's possible that they've started doing so for people with nightly hotel-type reservations (non-owners reserving via Marriott.com, for example.) But I suspect there will be a huge uproar if they try to apply such fees to owner reservations, including exchanges through II.
No resort fees for owners at MVC locations. As you mention, maybe they are charged to non-owners booking through Marriott.com but, of course, we don't book that way.
 

Hobokie

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@michael49 resort fees are SUPER common in Vegas, for example. And it sounds like maybe they’re charging resort fees to book some of the Palm Spring hotels for non timeshare reservations (ie bookings made through Marriott.com). I shall investigate while I’m there and report back!
 

Breezy52

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My husband and I and our family love the greater Palm Springs area. Indio is a favorite resort to take with our grandkids. It’s just beautiful several pools and hot tubs well landscaped. Great place to just hang around. Used to be Polo at certain times of the year in Coachella/Indio not sure if that’s still going but that was fun to watch. There’s a small casino nearby just fine for the adults and sometimes a show for the kids as well. Other than that not much to do in Indio. Have never been charged for parking at a worldmark other than the downtown ones like Portland in Seattle etc.
We have stayed at both the Marriott and the Westin‘s But just don’t find the overall area as somewhere we want to be. The downtown Palm Springs WM is our favorite for us When without kids.. We love downtown and all the action so many restaurants and shops. And the amazing neighborhoods to walk through. If you’re a fan of looking at architecture and lovely landscaping you’ll enjoy your strolls. We pretty much park the car and walk when we’re staying at this location. It’s not the most comfortable as far as size of the units and furniture, but we don’t mind the trade off. We’ve also stayed at the plaza resort and spa that’s pretty old, would stay there in a pinch, Some nice hiking trails nearby.
 

pchung6

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Westin Desert Willow is probably the best resort out of these. I don't know too much about Worldmark, but I don't think there is any resort fees out of Marriott and Westin.
 

Steve Fatula

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i thought Desert Willow was ok myself, lol. Definitely #3 on the list for me.
 

EKniager

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It is all subjective. For us #1 DSV 1, #2 DSV 2, #3 WMH #4 WDW #5 SRV

Considering a "family reunion" in the Palm Springs area in February- my two brothers and their wives and my almost 90 year old dad. It has been over 20 years since we've been to the area. We'll golf (all except dad) a couple times, sightsee, hangout on the property and have a couple adult beverages, and dine out daily. If you don't mind sharing, what criteria did you use to derive that ranking? We are trying to figure out which resort to use as our base. Thanks!
 

VacationForever

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Considering a "family reunion" in the Palm Springs area in February- my two brothers and their wives and my almost 90 year old dad. It has been over 20 years since we've been to the area. We'll golf (all except dad) a couple times, sightsee, hangout on the property and have a couple adult beverages, and dine out daily. If you don't mind sharing, what criteria did you use to derive that ranking? We are trying to figure out which resort to use as our base. Thanks!

If you do a search on TUG, you will find many threads with comparisons and descriptions of Marriott and Westin Palm Desert/Rancho Mirage resorts.

We are both golfers and invite other golfer friends to join us each time we go to that area, spending about 5 weeks in the area every winter. We usually golf every other day and have golfed many times at Westin Mission Hills' Pete Dye course, Gary Player course - now called Mission Hills North course and it is no longer part of WMH, Desert Willow courses (Mountain View and Firecliff), Marriott's Desert Springs Palm and Valley courses, Shadow Ridge golf course and a bunch of other public courses in the area. We also had the opportunity to play at Toscana golf course (South) because our friends are members of the country club - definitely one of the best courses that we have played.

Here is a rundown of how we prioritize the resorts, including pros and cons:
1) Marriott's Desert Springs Villas 1. We love the large villas, including a very large living area. 2BR villas are about 1700 to 1800 sq ft. They have upgraded to electric fireplace and it's very nice. There are several fine touches like motion-detector night lights which shine from the bedside tables down to your feet when you get off the bed or into bed. Every villa has a golf course view, except for the studios that are in the middle of the building. The studios have a separate walk-in shower and bathtub, as opposed to shower over tub. The studio and 1BR have a main entry with card key to a private foyer area and then they have separate entry doors. There is no connecting door that goes directly from one unit to the other. It is ideal for couples/friends who are travelling together. It is not suitable for families who have young children. The adjacent JW Marriott has several excellent restaurants and definitely very convenient. They also have complimentary gondola rides at the hotel to take you to their Japanese restaurant etc in the evening. Golf at JW Marriott's Desert Springs is on the expensive end, although we usually play at least 3 to 4 rounds while we are there. The bag drop has always been a frustrating experience, and we are talking about every year! Expect poor customer service. DSV I has access to JW Marriott Spa Monday to Friday. The spa has its own gym, which is larger than the gym in the timeshare side. They have a nice pool in the spa. Obviously, you will have to pay for spa treatments and such. Oh, guests also get to use the many tennis courts.

2) Marriott's Desert Springs Villas 2. Smaller floor plan than DSVI but has the same fine touches like bedside tables with night lights. Try to get a corner unit, and they are beautiful, with high ceiling in the dining room. Not all buildings have golf course views. Several buildings face each other and to us, that is undesirable. It is also a longer walk to JW Marriott if you choose to walk to the hotel. They have a separate section called Jasmine Court. We just hated Jasmine Court because it is simply too secluded and you have to drive to go anywhere.

3) Westin Mission Hills. Rooms are large, but not as large as DSVI. The nice thing about WMH and WDW is that the small 1BR has washer and dryer and has a true separate bedroom from the living/dining room. Views vary. Westin Mission Hills no longer has free access to the hotel side but you can still drive over to their restaurants and golf facility. When we were there earlier this year, the hotel could not decide on whether to have ticketed parking or not. The first part of our stay, we simply had parking be validated at the golf shop or restaurant. Later in the week, they left the arm open in the parking lot. The bag drop experience is far better here, they have a shuttle which you used to get on a call box to call someone, but they got rid of it during COVID and now the shuttle just keeps coming round and when you wait a while, it will show up. Cheerful service from this lady with the high pitch voice. :) If you use the practice facility, it is now $20 per day. If you sign up for their golf clinics, held by David Curtis - he is the best, I think you pay $30 or $35, and you get full access to the practice facility all day. Their practice facility is crappy - old balls and poorly maintained grass. Chipping and putting areas are great. Pete Dye course is also not well maintained. He and Barry (the head pro) used to run daily clinics but now it is down to just a couple of days a week. David Curtis also holds clinics at Classic Club a couple of times a week. Classic Club looks like a fabulous course and we have not played there, but the pro shop service is very good. We usually take a couple of clinics and private lessons with David when we visit the area. Mission Hills North (Gary Player) course is in better shape than Pete Dye. The pricing of both courses is quite a bit lower than Desert Springs'. We don't care for their restaurants in WMH (hotel). Earlier this year, the restaurant on the timeshare side was still close.

4) Westin Desert Willow. It is built around Desert Willow courses. These 2 courses are highly rated and are pretty good. It is hard to get tee times. Locals get to book way ahead of everyone else, followed by platinum card (player) and then everyone else. You get like a 5% discount when you stay at Desert Willow. This is a new resort but rooms are small! Everything is more mediterranean. It feels like they took Kierland villa floor plans and shrank it by 20%. It is a nice place, but we just don't like how the rooms feel small. Their on-site restaurant is still closed but you can go next door to the Terrace, which is the golf course restaurant and it is very good.

5) Marriott's Shadow Ridge Villages. We stayed once and felt that the rooms were small! We have seen enclaves deluxe (2-1BR rooms) when we did an owners' update and they were also small. We didn't like the golf course. The fairways and greens are fine, but they have overgrown grass and weeds on the perimeter. It is aesthetically unpleasing, plus if you hit your ball off the fairway, you may not find your balls. For us, it has a municipal course feel. The few times we played or looked at the pricing, golf rounds cost even more than at Desert Springs. No next door hotel is a minus for us.

Golf tee times recommendation - review underpar.com and golfmoose.com for good deals. :)
 
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