JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa

Character and identity

Set across the Coachella Valley with the Santa Rosa Mountains as backdrop, this is one of the area's largest resorts: a sprawling property organised around freshwater lakes, palm-lined paths and two Ted Robinson golf courses laced with the architect's signature waterscapes. The 30,000-square-foot atrium lobby, with Venetian-style waterways, exotic birds and a glass mosaic water wall, sets a theatrical tone, and gondolas glide past swans and flamingos. Tennis runs deep, with clay, grass and hard courts. A 38,000-square-foot spa houses 48 treatment rooms, a saltwater pool and a salon. Three restaurants cover American through Japanese, including alfresco seafood at Fisherman's Landing.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The defining feature here is sheer scale: this is a resort city, not a boutique retreat, and you come for the golf, tennis and spa rather than for design intimacy. Book a balcony room facing the lakes or mountains, target October through May for usable outdoor weather, and consider March if tennis is the reason you're coming.