What a wonderful place. From the entrance way, to the landscape, to the service, to the views, top notch all the way.
I 'd never been to Southern California, what a treat. My husband and our friend golfed almost everyday and had a great time. Look for some golf courses with cheap rates, though you can find out about them at the golf shops. My girlfriend and I went to the spa several days and got pampered. We thought we were in heaven. The Villas I has free access to the Spa. Villas II does not!!! At the end of the trip our husbands were in the spa too and loved it! I would definely go back. Oh and I forgot about the weather it's the best. It never rains in California.

Loved the spacious suite and the view.

Was in Palm Desert for a conference and stayed at the Villas 1. Absolutely stunning view overlooking a golf course with a pond and ducks. Mountains in the background changed every day depending on the time of day and position of the sun. The view was stunning. Stayed in building I on the top villa (second story) and it was very quiet. The suite was huge with a kitchen, dining room, living room, 1 bedroom with a separate tub and vanity and shower and vanity. A short walk to the hotel where they had fantastic restaurants, such as a Japanese hibachi and Tuscany. The sushi bar in the hotel lobby was great and the lobby was a nice place to have drinks. I didn't enjoy the restaurant Lakeview but everything else was above average. The hotel is huge but nicely landscaped. Beautiful swans and exotic birds were on the grounds.

The conference rooms were freezing so bring something warm to wear while inside on business. Lovely place but wouldn't bring my family for there wouldn't be enough to do. But would recommend for business.

We decided to give them another chance from last year's trip. We kept with Villas I because it is supposed to include use of the JW Marriott Resort's pool (which is walking distance--even in the heat). Upon arrival, we were given a welcome packet that included a new disclaimer: You can use the area, but not the pool! Who wants to hang out and not be allowed in the pool? It was 105, 112 and 119 degrees on my stay.

We got the little room this time since we were there only 3 days. It's not worth it! Pay the extra for the Villa! The room is small. There is supposed to be a separate dining area. It is actually a tiny patio table that seats 2 only one foot away from the second bed. The staff don't really pay attention to the little rooms as I guess they figure they are only occupied by children so they don't fix things. We had two lights out, a broken remote, missing silverware and they don't wash dishes for you. The worst part of the room is there are six windows and only 2 have black-out shades. I hope you like getting up at 6:30am on your vacation!

I didn't use the jacuzzi bath this time but am happy to report there are directions on this one. There is no shelf in the shower to place your amenities on, so you will have to reach down to the floor everytime you need them unless you can balance them on the handle bar. You receive one bottle of sample shampoo for your amenities. If you have long hair like me, that is a one day supply.

When we came last year, the lobby was under construction. It wasn't until the day we left this year that they finally started painting it. They definitely are not quick with their renovation.

Since JW Marriott's use of facilities are no longer available, it is better to stay in Villas 2. So far, they are two of the only Marriott "resort" properties that still do not have a resort fee. JW charges $20 a day resort fee and $20 a day parking. The Villas are free for both (so far).

On a local note, use Monterey Ave. exit (one before Cook) for access to Costco & Walmart. In Cathedral City, the Cinemark theatre charges $1.50 for movies before 6pm and all day Tuesday. It's West (RT) on Cook, NW (RT) on HWY 111, RT on Date Palm Drive. Go about 2 miles & it's on your left hand side. Get the Privledges pass from the Visitor center (next to front desk)after you check in your room and get Marriott discounts throughout the city. Babe's has the most delicious sweet potato fries and homemade root beer (no refills).

We travelled to Palm Springs during the summer (Jul / Aug 2007). I travelled with my wife, 2 children (ages 10 & 11), in-laws and 2 nephews (12 & 14). Be prepared as it is extremely hot there during this time (42 - 48 degrees). After a couple of days it is bearable and as long as you are close to air conditioning or a pool you are okay. When we were here it was the slow season so things were not very busy. We stayed at the Desert Springs 1 for our first week and then we went to Shadow Ridge for the 2nd week.
The Marriott Desert Springs 1 is a beautiful resort. We stayed in a 2 bedroom suite and we also traveled with my in-laws and their 2 nephews. The lockout suite is a lot smaller but when 8 people are sharing both there is tons of room. The furniture is showing a bit of wear but nothing dramatic. The sunken living room is large and has a sectional for lots of seating. The rooms are tastefully decorated and it is a true 5 star resort. Everything worked and there were no bugs of any kind. This resort has smaller pools spread over the entire complex instead of one main pool (like the Desert Springs 2 and Shadow Ridge). The grounds are kept up beautifully and are pleasure to walk through if needed. There is also a shuttle that can take you throughout the complex or over to the JW Marriott. Staff was very pleasant in all areas. We did have to wait until 4:00 pm to get our room (but we were able to get in early when we moved to the Shadow Ridge).
The Shadow Ridge is a newer complex but I found the room less roomy (but still okay). The main pool area is large and we always found a spot to sit, but during a busy season it could get quite crowded. A couple of times a week they bring in a "drive-in" so you can watch a movie while in the pool. These pools also have cabanas (arrive early if you want one) with misters that are very comforting when it is really hot. We used the outdoor BBQ (several spread out the resort) quite a bit to cook suppers (both resorts).
You are entitled to go to the JW Marriott hotel but I found that it was pretty "stuffy" over there so we did not go much. Went twice to have a look. You can't do this if you are staying at the Shadow Ridge.
You will need a rental vehicle as you need to travel all around to enjoy the area. GPS is a wonderful thing if you are not aware of the area (have it included in your rental). Be careful as the roads have dips to slow down drivers and you hit one of these once and you learn to watch for them.
Did the Street Fair in Palm Springs (Thursday nights) and it had some good street vendors and it is a good area to people watch. There is also another street fair in Palm Desert (by the University) which also has a good assortment of items (only open in the mornings). I believe this was scaled down during the summer. There is also a lot of malls if you are interested in shopping.
Did visit the Joshua National Park (about a 30 minute drive). This is worth a visit if you are interested in nature. You can also take a winding highway (I believe it was #84 or #64) to go into the mountains and the scenery is amazing and it is cooler so you can beat the heat for a while. Some of the other national parks are on limited hours during the summer so make sure you call ahead first.
We toured the Living Desert Zoo - this was a nice place but it was only open for 4 hours during the summer. Because of the heat some of the animals were not active or usually hiding. I heard that there is one day that this is free - check into this! Well worth a visit - 4 hour is enough especially when it is hot.
We did not take in the aerial tramway as 4 of the people were already tired of nature - I heard you should defintely take part in this. We tried to do horseback riding but could not find one that was open in the summer. The Hummer Tours (Elite) are supposed to be excellent but with 8 people it was going to be quite expensive, so we skipped this.
Also did the Outlet Mall (Carbezon - 30 minute drive) - there were some bargains but nothing "outstanding" - it was really busy at this place (especially on the weekends). Worth a visit for the shoppers.
Drove to LA a couple of time (only 1.5 - 2 hours) did Universal Studios (be prepared for a $71.00 entrance price) and Flea Market (by Disneyland). Traffic is pretty crazy but overall not a bad trek.
Did the Knott's Soak City - place was really busy and it can be a bit expensive (have to pay for parking also) - look for coupons in tourist magazines.
There is a WallMart Super Centre close by and a Costco so you can get food relly cheap (compared to restaurants) and with 8 people this saved us a huge amount of money.
I am not a golfer but there is an abundance of courses - they were busy in the mornings but the afternoons we did not see many people.
At night you can see a bunch of small bunnies running around the resort. One night we thought we would go treking into the desert so that we could see animals (bunnies, coyotes, etc.) in the wild. So we got 8 flashlights and off we went. Did not see much for a bit but then we saw a snake (and yes it was a rattler) so we would be very cautious when we walked. Next the children found tiny scorpions and some wierd spiders. I have a degree in Zoology so I was aware of the dangers - so if you are going to try this be very careful. By the way we also seen a black widow (red hour-glass design on it's underside) by the pool - we stayed clear of that. There are tons of hummingbirds flying around the resort. We also had a roadrunner sitting on our window ledge one morning. If you feed the ducks or geese (you are not suppose to) at either resort they will all come a running - be warned.
I would recommend either resort and would go back again. Next time I would probably go for 1 week as I have already seen everything. Excellent place to get some R n R. The "elders" and the kids also enjoyed their time.