New Year's in Palm Desert: Marriott's Desert Springs Villas, Joshua Tree National Park, Shields Date Gardens - December 28, 2013 - January 4, 2014

With all the traveling in 2013, I wanted to do a low-key vacation with my parents to celebrate the new year.  I had a 1-bedroom Interval International timeshare deposit that was expiring in early 2014, so I hoped to exchange it somewhere that didn't require airplane tickets.  I took my chances with searching the "real-time" online exchange database.  Sometimes choice weeks will show up there for the taking before the system matches them to "request-first" exchanges.  (you'd think that advance requests would be fulfilled first before the "free-for-all", but based on people's complaints on the Timeshare Users Group boards, it doesn't happen all the time)  I was able to snatch a 2-bedroom New Year's week at Marriott's Desert Springs Villas I in Palm Desert CA, a sweet exchange for my 1-bedroom!  There were special perks included with this particular property, including a complimentary hour at the tennis courts daily and day use at the spa facilities at the JW Marriott hotel next door.

Kaleb and I spent Christmas with our families, which meant he had to fly from the East Coast to Palm Springs to meet up.  My parents and I drove from the Bay Area on Saturday morning.  It took a bit longer than expected to get to Palm Desert as it was holiday time.  We even had to line up to stop at the rest area!  Cuisine was the usual fast food.

line to park in the rest area, plus line at the (women's) toilets

example of the food we had on the way

When we got to the Marriott that night, there was a security gatehouse controlling the traffic in and out of the property.  I told the guard was that we were checking in, and he directed us to the reception building nearby.  Check-in was friendly, and my request for a second floor villa close to the JW Marriott had been partially granted as it was on the ground floor.  I asked if there were any second floor villas available; the manager checked but there was no availability and she said that we were lucky to get a 2-bedroom villa to begin with.  Well, no worries and never hurts to ask politely!  As the concierge desk was closed for the night, the front desk agent gave me a card to redeem with them for a free 8"x8" Shutterfly photo book as well as collect a Marriott discount card to local restaurants. (and of course, be solicited for a timeshare sales presentation)  I didn't need the book or the discount card as we weren't going to dine out much, but if you do plan to do so, it's worth 10-20% off, which helps stretch the budget.  Just remember to say no to the presentation! (and go to TUG for more information on buying resale timeshares)

Our ground-floor villa was located in Building F, the closest to the hotel, and was in a quiet location and right on the golf course.  Too bad I don't play golf!  The property had been recently refurbished to a more contemporary style.  I forgot to take a picture of the kitchen but it was a full setup including granite counters and stainless steel appliances.  The only issue was that the coffee pot and dish towels were missing; a full coffee maker and linens were delivered to the villa after calling housekeeping, no worries.  One general annoyance was that the wireless internet was spotty...Kaleb and I had to "work from home" a couple of the days and we had a hard time getting a connection, as if there were limits on how many devices could log on.

sunken living room

dining room

master bedroom

sink and tub in master

separate shower, sink and toilet for the master

washer/dryer combo

flat-screen TV and gas fireplace

two double beds in the 2nd bedroom (studio lockoff)

kitchenette in 2nd bedroom

tub and sink in 2nd bedroom

separate shower, toilet and sink in 2nd bedroom

toiletries

On the Timeshare Users Group Marriott boards, I see people asking all the time what the resorts offer in terms of amenities and daily activities so I've included this information below for Marriott's Desert Springs Villas I:

welcome letter detailing inclusions at JW Marriott

resort amenities

resort activity list page 1

resort activity list page 2

resort activity list page 3

resort activity list page 4

The next day, my parents and I headed to Costco to load up on groceries for the week and enjoyed a $1.50 polish sausage and soda lunch.  We met an elderly gentleman in the seating area, who used to live in a cold state (Wisconsin?) and now keeps his house at 88 degrees all year!  Good thing he lives in the desert.  I couldn't sleep at that temperature...maybe I will want that when I am in my eighties.

On Monday, we walked over to the JW Marriott to check out the property.

right side view out of our patio

left side view out of our patio

our ground floor patio

walkway to the tennis center and JW Marriott

JW Marriott grounds

black swan

There were lots of exotic birds inside and outside the hotel, and a gondola you could ride across the man-made lake.

gondola dock (not open in the morning)

toucan

more exotic birds

macaw

The spa was a long walk from our villa as it was on the far side of the hotel so I didn't anticipate going there to use it. (even though usage was "free" on weekdays)  We checked out the 18-hole putting green ($10 per person fee), but it didn't feel as expansive as the one I played at the Four Seasons Lanai, so we skipped it.

Returning to our resort, we found a pool close to our building that had several public BBQs as well as restroom facilities, an ice machine and a free guest laundry facility. (for guests in studio lockoffs that didn't have washer/dryers)

huge hot tub, pool, and BBQs

ice machine, pool towels, restrooms

full-sized washer/dryers

Later that afternoon, we drove to the Desert Hills Premium Outlets in Cabazon.  There was construction going on so some of the walkways were fenced off and difficult to get through.  There were so many people there, including buses filled with tourists from Asia.  In the Coach outlet, people were grabbing bags left and right as if they were free.  None of the designs I liked in their retail stores were available, so I bought nothing, even though I was given a 50% off coupon at the door.  There were people waiting in a line outside just to go inside the Tory Burch outlet.  I browsed the Burberry store and found several bags at an outrageous price.  It probably was mislabeled as I found a similar bag on eBay for a tenth of the marked price.  We left the outlets without buying a single item.

how can this be an outlet price?

That night, I picked up Kaleb from the Palm Springs airport.  It was pretty small, so there was no problem with traffic or delays, but the airport was located pretty far inland from the freeway so it wasn't a short drive.

On New Year's Eve, we watched a lot of football in the villa, then headed next door to play tennis.  There wasn't a specific extension on the villa phone to call the tennis center for reservations but eventually I got connected through from the concierge.  We only brought 3 tennis rackets from home so we rented a 4th for $5.  The courts were really nice.  There were even clay and grass ones available.

grass center courts

ready for a set?

Dinner tonight was at Lavender Bistro, located 20 minutes from our resort, in La Quinta.  It was a four-course prix-fixe menu.  The restaurant was packed inside, but fortunately we had a table on the festively-lit outdoor patio.  Heaters were strategically located to keep diners warm.  Dinner was all right, not super gourmet, and a bit rushed as there was a second seating following ours.  There was a solo keyboard musician that evening who sang a variety of genres including Top 40 bands such as Maroon 5 in a relaxed lounge style...cool but strange.

bread and butter

salmon, pate, and oyster

wild mushroom soup

tuna carpaccio

king crab cocktail

roasted crispy half duck

veal tenderloin medallions

chef sampler dessert...mmm

Then it was off to Fantasy Springs Resort Casino!  They were giving out hats and noisemakers for the celebration, starting at 9pm.  A line had formed at 8:40pm to get the freebies; we didn't bother.  There were plenty available at 9:30pm with no line.  Fantasy Springs had a non-smoking slots room with an actual door to keep the smoke out, so that was nice.  I wasn't seriously gambling, so I only bet one quarter a hand in Deuces Wild, and of course, I hit a couple of 4-deuce hands and royal flush with deuce.  It doesn't happen as often when I play max coins...but maybe it would if I played with 5x the amount of money.

getting festive

happy early new year!

I must be getting old, but we didn't stay past midnight...we ended up driving back to the villa to watch the apple fall on TV and sip a glass of bubbly moscato.  Happy New Year!

On New Year's morning, we packed sandwiches for lunch and headed over to Joshua Tree National Park.  It was desert landscape, but there was water in certain places and huge rock formations that popped out in the middle of flatlands.  The Cholla Cactus Garden was entertaining; thankfully, none of the little cactus arms "jumped" at us.  We did a few hikes around the park.  I can't imagine spending more than a day here, but would consider overnight camping to see the stars without any light pollution.

beware!

taking a risk with jumping cactus

Kaleb the daredevil

his view of us from above

rocks in the middle of the desert

strange layers

hiking around

Skull Rock

joshua tree

we found what we were looking for :)

smooth...

...and jagged

low water levels at Barker Dam

petroglyphs on the trail

Kaleb and I had to "work from home" the rest of the week but we still enjoyed some leisure time observing bad golfers playing on the course outside our patio, searching for pho in the desert, enjoying the pool and jacuzzi, playing tennis, shopping at the Westfield Palm Desert mall and visiting Shields Date Gardens as we have been told by many people to try a date shake.  There were free samples of every kind of date in the store, which was how I found out my favorite kind was the "blonde".  That variety could only be purchased there (or online).

pho wasn't too terrible for being in the desert

the sign is more enticing than the date film

the date gardens from the outside (required paid admission)

enjoying a thick, *fiber-laden* date shake...ahem

The drive back to the Bay Area was busy as expected, with the same lines at the rest area!

no line for men of course

In summary, visiting Palm Desert was relaxing, and we lucked out with perfect balmy weather the entire week, hot enough to swim without shivering.  Locals that we spoke to said that it was usually cooler this time of year, which I wouldn't have minded either as it was cold and rainy back home!  I'd always wanted to check out the Palm Springs area so it was great to have the opportunity, but for me, one week was a bit too long.  I am not a big gambler, don't shop until I drop, and not a golf enthusiast.  Perhaps if I learned to play, I would change my mind as there are over a hundred courses in the area...a golfer's paradise.

Staying at Marriott timeshares count towards elite night stays in the Marriott Rewards program so I chalked up 4 nights in 2013, and 3 nights for 2014.  I was able to maintain my Marriott Silver Elite status for 2014, but a few weeks after my stay in Palm Desert, I received an offer from United Airlines to jump to Premier Gold status for free until May 31, which also meant I could also obtain Marriott Rewards Gold Elite status due to their partnership called RewardsPlus.  After May 31, if I haven't flown 12.5k paid miles, my United status will go back down to Premier Silver, but I suspect that Marriott won't keep track and I could possibly retain my new status until the end of the year.  Marriott Rewards Gold Elite has extra perks like free breakfast and internet at their full service hotel brands.  Now I have an added incentive to stay at Marriott hotels.  Obtaining United Premier Gold status at this time was also serendipitous as I was able to improve my seating choices for a flight coming up in March!  But that's not the next trip in the queue...guess where I'm going?  Umm...Vegas?  Yup!  I'll try to keep trips there to a minimum this year, but in the meantime..stay tuned!

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