The Westin Monache Resort is an excellent choice in Mammoth, CA if you’re looking for a points hotel that gives a great night’s sleep while close to the action.

Booking the Westin Monache Resort

One of the things Alex likes to do with his grandfather is to go fishing at June Lake. We wanted to go one more time at the end of summer, but Jenn didn’t want to go camping. So, rather than staying at a campsite or elsewhere by June Lake, we instead decided to try out the Westin Monache Resort in nearby Mammoth.

One other thing–Jenn for some reason still gets an 85k free night certificate annually with Marriott despite having downgraded her Ritz Carlton card years ago. I paired hers together with mine to give us two nights over a summer weekend. When we both use a free night certificate to book nights back-to-back, I always put my night first. That’s because I usually have higher elite status than she does (I have Titanium while she has Gold). Sometimes that gives us a better upgrade that they carry over for the whole stay.

Nightly points rates can top 100,000 Marriott points/night during ski season, but otherwise 80,000-90,000/night is common on weekends, or 60,000-70,000/night during weekdays. Expect cash rates to exceed $500 nightly during offseason weekends or even $700 nightly during ski season. Ouch.

Resort fee

The Westin Monache Resort, Mammoth has a $25+tax daily resort fee. What does it include?

• Covered valet and self parking
• Welcome drink
• Ski valet
• Bike storage
• Chain service
• In-town shuttle service to ski and bike lifts
• Yoga classes
• Guided hikes

While covered valet is listed as a benefit, don’t expect this to mean it’s actually included in the resort fee for free. They do charge $35/day for valet, so it’s best to just self-park in the covered garage at the hotel. I don’t feel as upset about the resort fee here simply because there is no separate self-park charge.

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: in this section are refer-a-friend links where I may earn some 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.

Chase offers the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful credit card that gives a sign up bonus of 85,000 Marriott points for spending $4,000 in the first three months for a $250 annual fee.

Or you can turn your eyes to American Express:

• The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy (not an affiliate link) offers 85,000 Marriott points for $5,000 spend in the first six months for a $250 annual fee.
• The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (not an affiliate link) offers 100,000 Marriott points for $6,000 spend in the first six months. It also comes with instant Platinum status but with a higher annual fee ($650).

Since Amex credit cards are generally one-in-a-lifetime, it might be worth waiting for a better deal to come by.

First impressions of the Westin Monache Resort, Mammoth

We arrived after a lengthy drive up from the Los Angeles area. In terms of drives out of Southern California, it’s not the best, but it’s not bad. There’s a lack of stops along the journey though.

Once we got to the Westin Monache Resort, we parked briefly out front in the turnabout while we checked in. There is some coffee in the lobby during mornings, and a snack mix in the afternoon.

The front desk welcomed us both in and offered us a couple of small glasses of sparkling wine. Have to put that resort fee to work.

Meanwhile, the kids were doing kids things. They weren’t offered a drink, but I don’t think they needed anything.

The front desk mentioned that they went ahead and upgraded our room. I’m not actually sure if it was much of an upgrade because the room looked just as it was described. After checking in, I positioned the car into the garage and took the elevator up.

The room

Our room was on the sixth floor (642). I have to say that I like the wood look of the property: classic but not tacky at all.

I should point out that we also know someone who helped design the rooms (a friend of a friend). We were excited to finally step inside and check out what it’s like.

Kitchen

Right when we stepped into the room, we immediately were in the kitchen. Let’s just say this kitchen is loaded with pretty much anything you could need. That’s awesome! We loved being able to bring our own food and cook breakfast from the comfort of our room.

They also had some bottled water (both free Aquafina and not-free LIFE WTR).

Living room

Let’s move on to the living room, which has plenty of natural lighting. I want to say that a lot of care has been placed into the style and positioning of everything, optimizing the square footage. That is our honest opinion–not just because we’re trying to please a friend. This room is big enough to fit five.

Next to the kitchen is a functional table with a couple of chairs and a bench.

There’s also a comfortable couch that wraps around the corner near the window. The kids loved hanging out here though it didn’t remain as a couch for long.

That’s because this couch has a pull-out bed.

When extended into a bed, it will be hard to walk around it. Perhaps it’s not easy to see from the picture below, but the end of the bed gets awfully close to the dresser across the way.

Out here is a TV, which we used in the evening for movie night, a dresser, and a fireplace.

The controls for the fireplace are around the corner, but they didn’t seem to work. Tried as we might, the fireplace wouldn’t turn on after pressing these buttons and any other switch we could find.

Next to the fireplace controls is a very small patio area. It’s nice to be able to get outdoors, even if it’s a little space.

The view from the hotel is of the trees. I’m sure the view looks better in the winter. Also, a new complex seems to have been built right next to the hotel, which blocks a little bit of the view.

Bedroom

The bedroom is located just off the living room. What we like is the comfortable bed. It’s firm with some plush blankets, making it nice to just lay in bed and be lazy.

Across from the bed is a TV and another dresser.

This room also has a closet along with some spare bedding for the pull-out mattress.

Bathroom

The bathroom has two doors–one from the bedroom and one from the kitchen. Be sure to remember locking both doors if you’re using it so you don’t get a surprise.

We thought the bathroom was nice enough. Of the different living spaces within this room, this one was the least appealing, but it’s also just a bathroom. It’d be nice if there was enough room in here to have both a standalone shower and a tub, but at least this combo has both a hand wand and an overhead shower attachment.

Shower amenities are the brand-standard White Tea.

Information about the Westin Monache Resort, Mammoth

By the front desk, you can pick up a map of the property, which also shows off The Village and the nearest ski lifts.

Also, at check-in, you’ll get a lot of different flyers about the property and the surroundings.

In the elevators, you’ll also see an advertisement for the town trolley. Sadly, we didn’t get a chance to take it for a spin.

Location of the Westin Monache Resort

Before we go further about the features at the hotel, we just wanted to point out how absolutely convenient the location is. The Westin Monache Resort is in an excellent location if you want to go skiing in the winter or just walk around in the summer.

The Westin is just up those stairs and across the street.

And then you’ll be at The Village, where you’ll find lots of shopping and restaurants.

If you happen to be here over the weekend when there is a festival, you might see some heavy crowding. But, really, the location can’t be beat.

As an aside, the kids loved walking around here and seeing the (fake) bears.

Breakfast at Whitebark

Since I have Titanium Elite status with Marriott, I could choose either breakfast or points. I chose breakfast, which is what I normally take when going somewhere for fun. Since Jenn had Gold Elite status, we only had a breakfast voucher for one morning.

This voucher can be used at Whitebark, which is the main restaurant on the property. Breakfast is open from 6:30AM to 10AM daily.

Step inside and you’ll find a rather large restaurant. Looking in one direction, you’ll see the bar and plenty of seats.

In the other direction is the kitchen and plenty more seating.

Marriott Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador Elites get breakfast for two from a special menu. I didn’t get a chance to compare this menu against the normal menu.

When we sat down, we mentioned we were in a hurry and asked for it to go. Our server mentioned we should have said that earlier because there was a dedicated to-go breakfast available for Marriott elites. But, she said she would go ahead and let us order from the menu anyways.

For one breakfast, we had the short stack with strawberries. That was fine enough.

For the other breakfast, we ordered the breakfast burrito with hash browns.

The breakfast burrito itself was fine but not one of the better ones we’ve had.

In case you’re wondering what the to-go option is, it’s just some breakfast sandwiches, fruit, and orange juice. Likely not much different than what we ordered, but probably not as fresh.

The Westin Monache Resort pool

Located on the second floor, the pool is open from 8AM to 10PM daily. It is a heated pool, and it sits between two hot tubs.

The kids enjoyed playing out here one of the days.

Also, if you wanted to grill, there is one out here. The cooking doesn’t stop just in your room.

Fitness center

Next to the pool is the fitness center. In fact, you’ll pass by the fitness center on your way to the pool. For as large as the hotel is, the fitness center is on the smaller side. I think they can get away with that just because of all the outdoors time you can get in Mammoth.

Odds and ends

There are a few ChargePoint electric vehicle chargers on property. I’d advise you to not use them. Unfortunately, they’re slow (3.84 kW) and expensive ($0.91/kWh). Our advice is just to go to the Tesla Supercharger a mile away if your vehicle can use it.

On the lowest floor, you’ll find a set of washers and dryers available to use. It’s only $2/load, which isn’t terrible if you need to wash your clothes.

If you want ski lift tickets but don’t want to wait in a line by the lift, you can also buy them here at the hotel.

Recommendation: Yes

We really liked our time at the Westin Monache Resort in Mammoth, CA. It may be “just a Westin”, but it’s one of the better ones out there. The location is awesome, the room is excellent, and the property is a fun visit year-round. We’ll have to try it out during ski season one of these days because we think that’s where this property would truly shine.

If you’re looking to use points for a stay in Mammoth, this is one of your only options, but it’s absolutely worth it.

Where do you stay when you go to Mammoth?

Suggested reading:

• Case in Point: The Way I Value a Marriott Point
• Everything You Need to Know About Marriott Lifetime Elite Status
• Our Experience with Marriott Bonvoy Moments: Cheering on the Lakers