My family and I started staying at the Villas in 1995 and have celebrated Christmas there every other year since then. The upgrades have finally been completed. The bathrooms and kitchens were very dated and beat up looking. The upgrades include granite counter tops, nice wood cabinetry, seamless glass shower doors, new tubs and fixtures. The places look great. The Shade is also a nice place for kids and family. The choice of activities have really been improved. They have Wii, daily scheduled events for kids (cookie decorating) and adults (wine tasting mmm). A great improvement. As owners we are disappointed that the free access to the Hotel Spa and fitness facility have been taken away. This is an amenity that should have been grand-fathered.

There also needs to be a major overhaul to the reservation process. As owners at the Palm Desert Villas we reserve 4 villas everytime we visit and the process to get 4 villas together shouldn't be a problem, but it is like pulling teeth. If this can be done at other Marriot properties why not here?

The weather was great and a great time was had by all.

We stayed in a room with 2 beds. The ground is wonderfully well kept and beautiful, and the location is very convenient, with the exception of a road construction on Cook. Breakfast buffet at the hotel is a must! It is better, in our opinion, than Wynn and Cosmopolitan buffets in Las Vegas, purely from quality standpoint. The staff is courteous. The pools are heated to 84-degrees, and the hot tub is hot. All in all, it is a great stay!

What a classy place! Beautiful grounds and excellent service. VERY large villas can accomodate 8 comfortably. HUGE balconies are a treasure (I prefer second floor to catch more sun). Only downside is lack of elevators, so you do have to lug your suitcases and groceries up some stairs if you want to enjoy the second floor view. There is no longer access to the facilities at the adjacent JW other than the restaurants. The spa amenities are available for a daily fee. Parking onsite is free and convenient to the units.

We just got back from a wonderful five day stay at Marriott's Desert Springs Villas I and all we could think upon leaving was that we didn't stay long enough. The apartment we had was attractive, spacious, and accommodating, and the bed was very comfortable. The lighting in the apartment was very low - many switches, many light fixtures, but very low light - but the big picture windows kept the place very light and bright during the day. There's a gas fireplace in the living room that also adds to the ambiance, and the large jetted tub is nice for relaxing. There are "patios" off the living room and bedroom as well. The grounds are huge - there's a golf course there, of course - and there are many activities, some of them free, for adults as well as children. The staff is friendly and helpful too. We wanted an extra blanket and one was delivered to our door just minutes after we made the request. Free, unlimited wi-fi is included in the deal as well. The gym is adequate and free for all guests. The downside is that Palm Desert is about 16 miles from Palm Springs, which is where the best hiking is. Indian Canyon is absolutely beautiful and marvelous for a variety of gorgeous hikes. Palm Desert has lots and lots of shopping, and the best place ever is their weekend outdoor street faire at the college. There are over 300 vendors, selling all kinds of fun stuff. It's a great place to get a bite to eat (the tamale stand is excellent), watch the people, and find some interesting jewelry, hats, clothing, home decor, garden art, and food. Yes, Palm Desert is full of old folks - but maybe that's why the pace is more leasurely and service so pleasant.