Hotel Review: JW Marriot Desert Ridge
We recently took a trip to Phoenix Arizona for a little family fun in the sun and stayed at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa. Settled in the center of everything that is entertainment and food, this resort is an enormous desert escape for families including a water slide, wading pool, and lazy river; to die for restaurants and close to shopping, theaters and more. Check out our review now:
In flight headed to Phoenix AZ
SERVICE
We had a great time here and had an amazing service experience with the JW Marriott Desert Ridge team. We never waited long for our cars or towels or any of those other mundane things, but at the core we felt welcomed. At one point there was a misunderstanding about house keeping and when we called to request a room clean, we received one earlier than expected who rushed to complete the work to avoid inconveniencing us. An hour later, the housekeeping manager came by to make sure everything was to our liking. Service. It was really helpful and we would definitely stay here again.
LOCATION
We flew into Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, and gateway is right; it’s a small airport with tarmac access. After we got off, and finally used the bathroom and collected our things, we realized there were no other people the building. We rented a car and made the 40 minute drive, and once you’re nearing the resort, you can see the many food and entertainment options all around. We ate off site a few times, but our best meal by far was on date night.
Enjoying Pool Time
The Velvet Chaise
Our Favorite Parts
OUR ROOM was a sleek and modern desert escape. Plus Lindsay liked it which is always great news. My favorite parts are the velvet chaise, the wood tones and the ultra deep tub. The space was clean, pressed and stocked and looked out over the Botanical Gardens which we loved watching the sun rise over. Breath taking. THE POOL obviously was a highlight for these Californians in heat. We particularly enjoyed that there were so many pools, even in close proximity. We were able to find a shallow corner for our babies to play and dunk and be without other families involved, which Lindsay, the anxious one, loves. THE BOTANICAL GARDEN was huge and empty and gorgeous when we went to visit. Phoenix’s strange weather rolled some overcast clouds and shadows in and a warm breeze flew past stiff cacti but we enjoyed it anyway. My beautiful babies could look out into the sky and see how wide the world might be. It was beautifully relaxing and a memory we’ll have forever.
Sunrise view overlooking the Botanical Garden
Family photo in the Botanical Garden
Date Night at Tia Carmen
DATE NIGHT
The beautiful aesthetic of Tia Carmen
We make sure that at each vacation, every trip we go on, that we have a date night where we find time to get dressed and enjoy the hotel’s featured restaurant or a local space with high reviews.
On this vacay, we visited the newly opened TIA CARMEN, by Executive Chef Angelo Sosa. A latin homage the celebrates local farms.
Aesthetic : Striking. This beautiful venue is rich in texture, bold with organic elements and is muted in color brining a spa like essence to the overall space. From the menu to the dinnerware to the food and cocktails, everything was beautiful and intentional and we loved it.
Vibe: Initially, our time was amazing. Half way into our beautiful experience, a group of twenty somethings sat at the table directly beside ours (with so much other space available) and argued with the food curator about why they don’t sell french fries. Once they left, we were back at it and there were beautiful people and deep conversations everywhere, but we were mainly focused on our table.
Experience: Such an amazing service with such an educated waiter. He paired us perfectly all night and advised us on the best ways win. We made the best choices and our meal was delicious and he even advised me how to properly debone the trout before serving and I was amazing. IT was amazing. Top 5 best meals of 2022, and that’s saying something.
Overall, we loved our time spent in Arizona at the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort + Spa. It’s an amazing place for families to relax in a safe environment with plenty to do. We look forward to visiting more of the Marriott resorts as we expand into Travel more often this year. Reach us here to collaborate on hotel and resort partnerships and reviews and for those you getting ready to ask, you can shop our vacation looks here.
We love love love ya.
XOXO
