A resort near Palm Springs with several pools, an arcade, an aviary, and several restaurants providing a decent weekend away from home. Just be prepared to pay resort prices throughout your stay.

This stay occurred in October 2022.

Booking

I had a couple of Marriott 50k free night certificates due to expire in late 2022, so I felt compelled to find a good reason to use them. One property I had my eye on (at least casually) was the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa. It is difficult to find free nights these days under 50,000 Marriott points per night, but one improvement Marriott recently made was the ability to top off these free night certificates with up to 15,000 points. That means the 50k certificates could be used at properties costing up to 65k points per night.

Earning Marriott Points

If you’re looking to earn Marriott points quickly, you could look into picking up a Marriott credit card. Both Chase and American Express offer Marriott credit cards.

Full disclosure: the links below are standard refer-a-friend links where I may earn some Marriott or American Express points for referring. There is no requirement to use the below referral links to apply but note your offer may differ when going directly to the card issuer.

American Express offers a small business Marriott credit card offering 125k Marriott points when you spend $5,000 in three months. While you may not have considered a small business credit card previously, note that it may be possible to acquire a small business credit card for things such as running yard sales and reselling items.

Both Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards allow the ability to transfer points into Marriott. I wouldn’t normally suggest that since I find those points to be far more valuable when used towards flights, but could be helpful to top off an account or keep Marriott points from expiring.

One of the best offers right now is for Chase small business credit cards, giving a sign up bonus of 90k-100k Chase Ultimate Rewards points depending on the card chosen. I wouldn’t normally use this as a method to stay at Marriott hotels but I appreciate the flexibility in case I do need it.

Chase also offers a personal Marriott credit card that gives a sign up bonus of three 50k certificates. It’s not the best offer on the card, so it could be best to wait for a better offer. Personally I prefer a sign up bonus that awards in points as it’s easier to keep those alive versus stay certificates that expire after a year (but could be extended a year one time).

Arrival and First Impressions

First of all, this is a very large resort and it was easy to get turned around. We found the self-parking lot, but there wasn’t a clearly marked path for making it over to the front desk. The main lobby certainly felt grand and reminded us of a different Marriott hotel we visited in Hawaii (the Westin Hapuna, a review I’ve been meaning to do and will get around to it shortly). I almost wish the glass here was removed and it was more of an open-air lobby, but given we’re in the middle of the desert, I can appreciate why it wasn’t designed this way.

We found the front desk and it was just a short line to chat with staff. I had asked if a better room is available for upgrade, but they pointed out my room has already been upgraded (more on this later). The front desk also noticed I had little ones with me when checking in and the agent handed two cute stuffed animals to the kids, welcoming them to the resort. I thought that was a nice touch and certainly wasn’t expected. We were provided directions to the room and headed off.

The Room (#1)

Note that when I say this is a large resort, I truly mean it. It took around ten minutes to make it all the way over to our room, which was located up the elevator, around several bends and turns, and through a door into a separate complex with an outdoor atrium. There were two rooms available when using points–the main building and the “springs” building. I booked a room in the main building, but my hunch is this is not the main building, given I walked the entire length of the hotel and ended up out here.

Anyways, we arrived at room 5255, our assigned room. Visually, it seemed refurbished and suited our needs. Two queen beds and a working desk with a large TV.

There was also a bath tub with a peep hole in case you want to show off your bathing skills to the other occupants in the room. Thankfully, there is a way to close the window if you’re not into voyeurism. They also have separate stalls for the toilet and a standing shower.

Oddly enough, I feel like I keep running into this problem, where the bathroom doors slam right into the toilet. It takes a slender body to be able to stand in the corner to open and close the door just to use the toilet.

Outside, the room had a pleasant view of the resort grounds and I could see us enjoying evenings here.

However, this is where the nice parts about the room disappear and the real problem emerges–there were a concerning number of bugs in the room. At first I just noticed a few bugs flying around and didn’t think much of it. But sure enough, while the kids were getting a bath in the tub, I had killed well more than 50 flying bugs and looking behind the mirror, where they seemed to be clustered, revealed loads more bugs–both living and dead. I had debated whether or not to contact the front desk given it was late at night, but spotting beetles on the bed forced my hand and I had to call the front desk and complain.

The Room (#2)

Returning to the front desk, I spoke with the same agent who had checked me in less than an hour earlier and magically a suite opened up. I’m a Titanium member with Marriott and am supposed to receive an entry-level suite when it’s available at check in. I can appreciate that many elite members check in on any given night and there would be a lot of competition for these rooms, but it seems a bit suspicious that it wasn’t offered up front. I wasn’t expecting a suite when I returned with a problem–really any bug-free room would have been an upgrade–but it seems they reserve rooms in case of issues.

We arrived at our new room (7088) and it was a marked upgrade over the prior room. Thankfully the biggest problem (bugs) was nowhere to be seen. My suspicion is bugs might be more common in the portion of the hotel that is in the outdoor atrium, rather than in the main hotel but I have no more evidence than the one experience we had.

The suite had a true separate living room and bedroom. The kids had fun hanging out in the living room, playing with the stuffed animals the front desk had given them earlier. The sofa does pull out into a bed, but we ended up not needing it for this trip.

The bedroom is well-lit and had a king-sized bed with large bed frame. The frame isn’t my style and we had to remind the kids not to hit the corners as they get onto and off the bed, but I think the style still worked with the room.

Similar to the other room, they also have a window opening between the bedroom and bathroom. Toiletries are by Aromatherapy Associates and are decent. I’m actually modestly surprised to find no full-size containers of shampoo and bath soap bolted into the shower.

And just like the other room, the toilet had a door that opened into the toilet. It wasn’t until the kids were playing with the door did I realize the door is double-jointed and could swing outward. The door has a plastic stopper on it that prevents full motion, so I’m not sure why the bathroom doors are set to open inward when in fact it is much more functional to open outward.

The one downside of the room here is the view of the parking lot from the balcony. Thankfully there were no loud cars driving by during our stay.

Breakfast

Included with our Titanium Marriott Bonvoy status is complimentary breakfast. Though Marriott makes it difficult with different rules on breakfast depending on which hotel brand you’re visiting and whether there is a lounge, the breakfast here at the JW Marriott is a full breakfast in the main restaurant. At check in, we received a voucher for each morning we would be present, each good for two adult breakfasts.

We made our way down the lobby to the Rockwood Grill, where breakfast is served. With our vouchers, we could have the continental buffet or equivalent credit for other items on the menu, or we could pay $10 each to upgrade to the full buffet. We chose the upgrade to the full buffet on the first day but stuck with the continental on the second day. The offerings for the continental option are sufficient enough that it seems a bit wasteful to go with the upgrade. They do have an omelet station where you can get eggs cooked however you please, but it still felt like I paid $10 for two eggs. The quality of the food seemed pretty standard and didn’t stand out in a particularly good or negative way.

You can sit either outside or inside as you eat breakfast. If the weather permits, dining outside is a bit nicer, but of course expect a longer walk to the buffet as all the food is served inside.

Resort Grounds

The resort is huge. We spent some time walking around the property and it can get exhausting, especially if it’s a warm day. They do have a small number of games set up around the property to give it that resort feel. Also giving it a resort feel is that resort fee. Unfortunately, unlike Hyatt and Hilton, Marriott offers no way to get out of paying that $33 resort fee. I would complain about resort fees more, but at the very least this property bundles the self-parking cost into the resort fee. I was expecting to pay something for parking, so the cost of the resort fee is less than it actually is in my mind. That doesn’t make me happy to pay the fee, but it does take some of the sting out. (Of course, we could get into the semantics of whether or not self-parking is truly a feature of a resort, but I digress.)

Also available are some kids activities. I enjoy going to resorts and finding a list of activities for the kids to do. One activity we signed the kids up to do was a crown-making session. We arrived to find no one else here and I eventually figured out why–it would cost money to do any of these family activities (this one cost $5/crown + tax). Since the kids were already excited to do the crown activity, I had no choice but to let the kids put stickers on what seemed like a Burger King crown. Sometimes activities can feel like they’re subsidized by other things (like *ahem* the resort fee) but this one felt like I could do it for cheaper myself if I came prepared. The kids had fun but the parents were not impressed.

There also was a small boat ride with a nominal charge that departs from inside the lobby and tours the resort grounds. We attempted to make a reservation, but due to the weather, the boat ended up not running and I was issued a refund. Thus I can’t comment on it all that much but I feel like the kids would have enjoyed it.

The Pool

Perhaps one of the biggest draws of the resort is the pool. At check in, we received wrist bands and were instructed to wear them to gain access to the pool area. While the pools were guarded by employees, none of them seemed to care if we were wearing wrist bands and instead only cared about whether guests were bringing glass into the pool zone.

We spent much of the morning and into the early afternoon here at the pools. Despite being in the hot desert, the water felt cold–a bit too cool for my tastes. Perhaps it’s just because of the blazing sun above that made my skin feel hot, but it would have been nicer if the pool’s temperature were a bit warmer. There are several pools here, so it’s mostly just a game of trying to find the pools with the smaller crowds.

There are also a couple of hot tubs hidden away from the rest of the pools. Alex and I hung out here for a bit, but it would have been nice if they had some shading available. I’ve been trying to take better care of my skin these days and it’s a tad difficult with full exposure to the sun.

We ate lunch here and both pricing and quality is what you would expect pool-side.

Thankfully there are plenty of water stations located throughout the pools to help with hydration in the desert sun.

The Arcade

Naturally, no resort is complete without an arcade for the kids to spend all their parents’ money. The weather turned sour and our time at the pool came to an end (believe it or not there was some heavy rain and winds just hours after taking the above pictures at the pool). So rather than sitting around in the room, we instead decided to check out the arcade, which is right near one of the entrances to the pool.

I was a bit surprised the arcade was as large as it was. There were two large rooms packed full of arcade games, including a small bowling alley.

To play the games, you have to buy a rechargeable game card. I was hoping that this charge would code as Marriott, so I used my Ritz Carlton credit card hoping to get some extra bonus points as consolation for the kids wanting to play games. Sadly, while the name on the credit card statement showed Marriott, it coded as “other” rather than a Marriott hotel charge and I didn’t earn any bonus points for the purchase. Well, at least I tried.

Alex’s favorite game was a Connect 4 basketball game (which seemed to earn the most tickets per dollar spent). Meanwhile, Char somehow managed to win the jackpot prize on a Pirate’s Hook game, ruining my calculated approach to finding the best consistent value per dollar.

We redeemed the tickets for a couple of unnecessary toys for the kiddos, but at least they had fun in the process. And really that matters more to me.

Animals on Property

The JW Marriott Desert Springs seems to have a thing for birds. At the front of the property, there is a small area with flamingos. There is no walking path over to the flamingos and we had to make sure the kids didn’t get run over by cars entering the valet area, but there is a feeding that takes place here (we missed it).

Elsewhere on property is also an aviary with about a dozen parrots. I’d say it entertained the kids for about 15 minutes. Aside from looking at the birds in their individual cages, there’s not much more to do in here.

Service

I will say that the staff at the JW Marriott took my issues with the bugs in the first room seriously. I spoke to no less than three different staff members, with everyone trying to get their own record of the concerns. I also spoke to someone at corporate, both over the phone and via email after the stay to follow up. Overall, I have to say I’m satisfied with the amount of recovery and feel they did a good job.

Also, prior to arrival, I had let the hotel concierge who reached out to let her know that we will be celebrating our anniversary that weekend. The hotel staff surprised us by sending some treats and a beautiful hand-written note over to the room while we were at the pool. Naturally the kids saw the chocolate-covered strawberries and devoured them.

Also a plus–there is turndown service at the hotel, complete with chocolates on the bed. I’m not sure I fully buy the thought that there is a blend of chocolate available that would prepare someone for bed, but I do appreciate the effort (and the emergency snacks that I could then give the kids).

Dinner (Fisherman’s Landing)

When we arrived at the hotel, we were told the most popular restaurant on property is Mikado, a teppanyaki restaurant similar to Benihana’s. We tried to secure reservations there after arrival, but sadly there was nothing available. Clearly we should have done some research in advance on where to go eat.

Instead we decided on another dining option at the resort–Fisherman’s Landing. The restaurant is located past a series of walkways and hallways, like seemingly everything else at this resort. It ultimately wasn’t that crowded during our visit. I’m not sure if the unpopularity was simply the long walk, but the food seemed decent enough for the price. Some people did enter the restaurant hoping to catch a sports game, but the only TVs available were in an area the restaurant staff said was closed, so this perhaps isn’t the best place to go catch a game.

Recommendation: Mixed Opinions

I’m having a difficult time pinning down my own feelings of this property. The resort feels a bit too large for its own good. With guest rooms and restaurants requiring a long walk, I think I cleared 10,000 steps easily despite only leaving the property briefly during the weekend. There is a lot to do on the property, but aside from the pools and the massive arcade, the offering is a bit on the weak side. There is a golf course, but I’m not a golfer. There are children’s activities, but they all cost money and feel a bit cheap on the quality. We encountered bug problems in the first room, but the hotel seemed to recover with the second room.

For every point I can think of in the hotel’s benefit or detriment, I can think of a counterpoint that essentially negates it. Perhaps all of that just boils down to whether or not I would return to the hotel. I don’t think I would actively avoid or seek out a return to the hotel and would very likely give another resort a try. But if I were looking to use up expiring free night certificates and found availability here? I wouldn’t hesitate to give it another go.

Have you been to the JW Marriott Desert Springs and have a different opinion of the property?