Marriott's Shadow Ridge

We have been going to the Marriott Shadow Ridge as a family for over 10 years. We love it. Great location, more newer than some of the other resorts in Palm Desert, great kids center, nice pools, poolbar w/food, great Faldo course and restaurant. Plus, all the fitness you need in their fitness center. We own 3 weeks at the Marriott in Shadow Ridge and love when we get to use them.

This is the 2nd time we have stayed at Shadow Ridge. We have three children, ages 8, 5, and 2. We stayed here for a week over Spring Break, which is the peak season for this hotel.

Check-in was smooth. We arrived at 5:30 pm and our room was ready. We requested a room as close as possible to the pool, and on the first floor. (FYI, this resort is very large and spread out, with as long as a 10 min. or more walk from the furthest building to the main pool. Each building has three floors.) Neither of our wishes was granted. We were about three buildings away from the main pool, and on the second floor. I didn't make a big deal out of it, as I realized this was a busy time for the resort.

Our 2-bedroom was spacious and clean. The kitchen area is somewhat small, but had ample supplies. There is a full-sized oven and refrigerator, as well as a microwave, toaster, blender, and coffee maker. The overall decor seemed a bit tired, and could use some updating. Consistent with most of the rooms, we had a nice view of the golf course and an adjacent waterway right behind us. I also had requested foam pillows in our room upon our arrival, but found this request had been forgotten/ignored as well.

We stocked up on food at a nearby SuperWal-Mart, which was about 1/2 mile north of the resort. A Costco, Kohl's, and a movie-theater are all within a mile of the resort as well.

The weather was in the 70's the first two days, then sunny and in the 80's for the rest--just perfect. We went to the pool several times. There is one main pool in the middle of the resort, as well as a smaller, but still large one at the Enclaves. In the back of the resort was a small "quiet pool", which was nice for those who didn't want the kids splashing around them.

The kids enjoyed the main pool with the nearby waterslide. The water slide was pretty slow, and probably won't be enjoyed much by older kids. I liked that kids with floaties are allowed to go down the slide. There are two hot tubs at both ends of the main pool area. One of the hot tubs broke down on our last day, which was a bummer, making the other one pretty crowded. The water temperature at the main pool was just about perfect.

We tried out the other pool located at the rear of Shadow Ridge in the "Enclaves" section. The main problem with this area was the temperature of the pools. The zero-entry pool, which was great for children, was freezing cold. The hot tub next to it was scalding hot. There was another pool there, however, that was the perfect temperature and we hung out in that one. Luckily too, there was a second hot tub, heated to the right temperature. Like the main pool, there is a water spray area for the little ones. Also, there was a large sand box for the toddlers. Both the main pool and the Enclaves pool have a bar/eating area and showers.

Our first day at the resort was a little cool for the pools, so my boys and I headed to the 16 complex movie theater just up the street for an afternoon show while my daughter took a nap. We enjoyed ourselves, finding the theater to be large, clean, and modern.

Since this was our second time in Palm Desert, we were able to explore a little more. We found a real gem that my children absolutely loved. It was called The Children's Museum of the Desert (www.cmod.com), located about two miles away from the resort. Admission was $8.00 a person (ages 2 and up). It was not crowded at all and they had so many neat exhibits that would appeal to kids from ages 1-9, in my opinion. All my kids loved this place, and we literally had to bribe them to get them to leave, as my husband and I were ready to go to the pool! We packed a lunch and ate it at the picnic tables outside of the museum. What a fun days for my kids. We'll definitely go back.

The other activity we did that everybody really enjoyed was our trip to the zoo. I didn't even know a zoo existed out here, let alone such a nice one. We are from the San Diego area, and of course have one of the nicest zoos in the world here, so I probably have higher expectations than most. The zoo, called "The Living Desert", exceeded my expectations! It reminded me of the San Diego Wild Animal Park, but on a smaller scale, easier for families to walk through in a single day. Admission was $14,75 for adults and $12.25 for kids 2 and up, with AAA and military discounts. We really enjoyed seeing the cheetahs, giraffes, ostriches, camels, birds, the butterfly exhibit, the petting zoo, and lots more. If you have any children that are into trains as my 5 year old is, they have one of the largest model train tracks set up that I've ever seen. I could hardly get him away from the trains as he watched them run.

As far as activities on the resort, the main one is golf, which I do not play. However, the golf course looked beautiful and almost made me wish I did! There is a kids center right next to the zoo which is great for all ages. Outside, there is a play structure, rock-climbing wall, and a fun teeter-totter. Inside are multiple video games, ping-pong, air hockey, WII games, toddler toys, checkers, craft area, and a movie theater. It is really well set up for the kids. They offer different movies playing at certain times throughout the day, as well as activities and crafts to keep the kids entertained.

There are two work-out areas. One is located in the Enclaves area, with cardio equipment only and no free weights or nautilus. The other one, which I used several times, is next to the front desk area. It was very clean with ample cardio machines and a nice view of the golf course. The nautilus area was a little too small, and somewhat crowded. There are free weights, but only room for about two-three people at a time to use any of them. However, all of the equipment was newer and in great condition.

Overall, we love this resort and will be coming back next year again over spring break. It is very beautifully landscaped and did not seem overly crowded, even for being in the platinum season. Two things we did not like which we hope can be changed: 1) There is no longer a mid-week cleaning, as there used to be. 2) There is only one DVD player in the 2-bedrooms. This makes for a lot of fights with the kids. Luckily, we had a lap top that played movies with us that helped make up for it.

During our stay, our microwave broke down. We called the front desk and it was immediately replaced. They housekeeping was also prompt when we called for more towels and more garbage liners.

As far as the beds, my husband and I have bad backs, and we found the beds way too soft. Both of us had back aches a couple of times from the mattresses. Using lots of pillows helped, however. The rooms were quiet, and well-insulated. We occasionally could hear noise from the hallways, but nothing from the neighbors.

My overall impression of Shadow Ridge is that it is a great value for a vacation, and very family-friendly. This place has become a new tradition for our family. We'll be back!

Wonderful vacation. If you find something wrong the management will take care of it asap. Speak up! We strongly encouraged them to continue upgrading the rooms. Palm Desert is fabulous with dozens of great golf courses, restaurants, etc. You'll need a car to get around town. There is shuttle service but not sure about the route.

Stayed for a week on a sub-let with a great view of the 12th fairway and green.

Friendly staff, Faldo's was a great bar and grill, wonderful and challenging golf course well located in the Palm Springs area. I very much appreciated the covered parking adjacent to the buildings which helped to keep the vehicle cool while parked. I would stay again at this complex, but unfortunately, would never purchase in this complex.

The builders seem not to have heard of sound proofing between the units, and at one point I could hear conversations going on in three separate units, and one unit has someone strumming a guitar most of the waking hours. Fortunately, I was gone most of the day and didn't have to listen to hours and hours of this.

I noted that some of the buildings were having furniture and fixtures replaced, and would suggest that they make some effort to add sound proofing to the buildings.

Otherwise, a good vacation.

Disappointing. I guess we weighed too much on the name (marriott), and the price ($400.00 for 4 days). The room was not tidy at all. The untidy events wasn't discovered until the next morning. Day 1 we found an old brush at the foot of the bed underneath the comforter. Then that morning we went to take our shower and my husband noticed an old dried up towel hanging on the shower curtain. He knew I hadnt been in the shower so he asked me just to be sure. YUCK!!! did the housekeeper even go behind herself or himself to double check the room after they supposively cleaned the room. I would think not because plan as day you saw that towel. To make matters worse sheets not fitting properly ( not a major issued I know but with all these events happening kinda make you worry) top to off. The comforter had dried blood splash. AND... then we put our clothes in the wash go back after 25 minutes - they are just sitting never went through the wash. Where is the repair man?? PROS: great location, great front office staff, great fitness center, great activities on property, very nice pools. Don't think we'll be coming back again. But I hope you enjoy your staff. Its probably just one of those instances that we just got a bad piece of the apple.