JW Marriott Desert Springs in Palm Desert, CA is both an exotic escape and a local community favorite. Don’t just go for the golf.
The area in and around the JW Marriott Desert Springs resort comprises everything one would want and expect in a Palm Springs weekend: ultra-luxurious accommodations and amenities, golf courses for days, nearby Le Paseo’s glossy upscale boutiques, one of the best outlet malls in the west (in Cabazon) surrounding streets named after Rat Packers and a luxuriant spa and salon. Built in 1987, the multi-million dollar property (which recently got an extreme, multi-million dollar makeover) is so lavish that a resort of its kind could not be built today.
Describing any aspect of the property as “impressive” is an understatement. After all, most Phoenix and Scottsdale residents get that recreating a very lush, Hawaii-like experience in the middle of the dessert is herculean. Speaking of which, the Sunday champagne brunch staged at the property’s LakeView restaurant goes along with the territory. It is an Eden on its own, with a prime rib carving area, sushi bar, omelet station, mile-long sweet table, and everything else the heart desires for a diet-crushing feast of flavor. It is no surprise the local newspaper has anointed it with a “Valley’s Best” award as judged by local Coachella Valley residents.
However, what really impressed me the Sunday I was endangering my waistline at LakeView was the fact that a local family had taken over a fourth of the restaurant to honor the 90th birthday of the family matriarch. As they set up their party favors and photos of the birthday girl with the help of one of LakeView’s hostesses, they told me that this was the go-to spot for all their family celebrations. Although the brunch prices in at $40/adult and $20 for kids under 12, the overall experience of the property was a major draw in getting family members to come in from out of state and even parts of Canada.
All told, a weekend or week at the resort can be a special occasion on its own, with so much to offer the visitor that he or she may choose not to leave the property. At first glance, Mikado (the hotel’s Japanese dining option), registers as a more luxurious variation on the Benihana formula, except for the fact that the ingredients and spirits are top rank in quality. While all the hibachi chefs are quite adept at fancy knife-work, making the meal a performance, the chef working my group’s table, Chinese-born Scott Guo stole the show with a generous serving of stand-up comedy featuring several razor sharp jokes about Tiger Woods and DC politics.
While Mikado plays host to several bridesmaids parties (nine the weekend I stopped in), the party often moves on later in the evening to on-site nightclub Costa. Even with its tucked-away, inauspicious location, a guest is more likely to enjoy intimate or impromptu jams from big name musicians (i.e. Wycleff Jean, Justin Timberlake, Akon) and top L.A. and Las Vegas DJ’s than crooning lounge lizards a la mid 70s Bill Murray. The on-premise salon, Patrick Marchesson, is also big name rather than incidental resort amenity, as the Canadian-born hair genius’ work and his wife’s make-up artistry have been featured in both national and local media.
The well-appointed spa, meanwhile, has also earned a national buzz as well, and not only because it was featured on Good Morning America and Bravo-TV’s The Real Housewives of Orange County. The 38,000 square foot space is a retreat onto itself, and not only because of its use of local remedies and ultra high-end Kerstin Florian products in the facials and treatments. If you have time for only one treatment between rounds of golf or whirlwind wedding plans, the Desert Journey Signature Treatment is a must, as it is a decadent pastiche of massage, scrub, stone treatment, light facial and foot paraffin wax treatment. (Who says you can’t have it all?) My friends who preferred their spa treatments more basic or focused raved about the deep tissue massage. One thing we all agreed on was that the post-treatment offerings, from the relaxation rooms to the full-service spa bistro to the Hamman steam room, were pure bliss.
Gourmands are also well cared for, thanks to hotel Sommelier Paul Bologna, who coordinates wine-tasting parties in the atrium lobby that not only tempt with thematically-chosen wine and fine artisanal cheeses, but also educate all levels of wine drinkers with printed and spoken tidbits. Bologna offers a handy guide for differentiating between different California wines…likening it to a bulls-eye. Wines in the outer ring are what you see labeled as “California wine” or table wine, costing $5-$10 and with very few references to origin or terroir. The middle range, costing $10-$15, have labels like North Coast and are a higher quality of wine. The center wines represent the top tier, cost over $15, and are labeled with notes like sub-appelations and terroir that draw attention to the fact that the best grapes in the area are sourced from the growing areas and that the flavor profile is unique to the region where it is produced.
In addition to all the grown-up activities, as well as two 18-hole golf courses, tennis and volleyball courts, yoga, fitness room, hiking trails and pools, there are also several things to keep the under 18 set entertained, including an aviary of exotic birds in the lobby, an enjoyable putting range (that’s free to use if you book your time in advance) and boat tours that cruise leisurely around the property. For fashionistas, the shopping concourse includes vest-pocket sized Brighton and Lacoste boutiques as well as nice swimwear and shoe salons. And if you need that boost of energy to get you through a day on the links or making the journey home, there’s a Starbucks and a trio of fruit-infused waters in the lobby.
For more information on the JW Marriott Desert Springs, visit www.marriott.com.
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