Palm Canyon Resort Review – California (2024)
Want to know what it’s like to stay at the Palm Canyon Resort in Palm Springs? We’ve got you covered with everything you need to know!
This year, we’ve had the luxury of staying at Palm Canyon Resort multiple times in a variety of room types.
I will start off by saying that really the only negative thing I have to say about the resort as a whole is that with Verizon, we do not get phone service in many areas of the resort.
What we love about the resort most though is that when using our timeshare points, it’s almost always discounted.
It’s one of the cheapest resorts in Diamond’s portfolio, so the added discounts make it even more efficient for using timeshare points.
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Palm Canyon Resort Review
Palm Canyon Resort is a timeshare property in Palm Springs that is owned by Diamond Resorts.
A couple years ago, Diamond Resorts was bought out by Hilton Grand Vacations.
So now the resort is under Hilton Grand Vacations operation and management.
If you’re a Diamond Resorts owner or an HGV Max owner, you have access to this property through your timeshare points.
What’s great about this timeshare property, and many others, is that you don’t have to be a timeshare owner to stay here.
You can book a room here on any of your preferred booking platforms.
Click Here To Book Your Palm Canyon Resort Stay Today!
Diamond Resorts also used to own the Marquis Villas in Palm Springs, but since Hilton has taken over, the resort is closed.
It might be permanent, but there has been no official word yet, making Palm Canyon Resort the primary Diamond/Hilton resort in Palm Springs.
One Bedroom Villa
On our first visit we stayed in a one bedroom villa on the first floor, facing out at the pool.
When we checked in they asked if we had any preferences.
You can request a particular building, a certain floor, and to have either a pool view or mountain view.
On this visit, we had some frozen foods in a cooler in the middle of the desert, so we just wanted the first room available.
We ended up in room 1111!
It was very close to the parking garage and the pool gate, so we didn’t have to trek through the entire resort any time we were coming or going.
Check out the video of the layout of the room and the view on our Youtube Channel.
Deluxe Junior Studio Villa
On our second and third visits, we stayed in a Deluxe Junior Studio Villa.
What was nice about this room is that it has more amenities than a standard studio room.
We had a partial kitchen that consisted of a 2 burner stove top, a mini fridge, a microwave, a toaster oven, a coffee maker, and a kitchen.
A slightly larger fridge would’ve been nice since we had it stuffed completely full when we first arrived for a 5 night stay, but it worked out fine for us overall.
All the utensils, dishes, and cups we needed were all included as well.
The bed is only a Queen sized bed, but it was still large enough for both of us to sleep comfortably.
There’s also a pull out couch that comes with bedding and extra pillows, so you could sleep 4 people in here if you wanted.
We also had a room at the end of the hallway, so our layout was a bit different from what’s on the website, but it was still larger than a standard hotel room.
My favorite feature of this room was our balcony looking out at the mountains every day.
On our 3rd visit, our studio villa was overlooking the pool and had a slightly different layout since it wasn’t a corner room.
Phone Service
There are some areas that will pick up a signal briefly so that any missed messages or voicemails will come through, but we spent most of the week only being able to communicate through Wifi across internet platforms or with other iPhone users that can access iMessage and FaceTime.
We had no service at all in the Sunset Building (Building 1), but had 1-2 bars most of the time in the Palm Building (Building 2), though it wasn’t enough to maintain more than a 30 second phone call.
For us this wasn’t a huge deal since almost everything we do now is on the internet, but I couldn’t call my mom or grandma since they don’t have iPhones and my grandma isn’t on social media, so I couldn’t call through Facebook Messenger either.
But if I needed to make calls for business or to follow up with my doctor, then I wasn’t able to do that.
I just had to make a trip out into town or wait until I was heading home to do those things, which again isn’t a huge deal for us, but could be problematic for others and their unique situations.
Room Rates
As timeshare owners, this is one of the cheapest properties in all of California when using points.
For example, for us to stay in a 1 bedroom villa in mid October for 5 nights on a Sunday through Friday, it was 1,170 points.
With what we paid into our timeshare and factoring in our annual maintenance fees, this comes out to $610 for the total stay, or $122 a night.
On our subsequent visits, we stayed for 5 nights at a time the week before Thanksgiving and the week after Thanksgiving, each time spending 1,325 points and 1,675 points.
These visits had the cost equivalent of $691 ($138 per night) and $874 ($175 a night).
While these aren’t the cheapest rooms ever, keep in mind these are timeshare villas.
So these rooms have a full kitchen, dining table, separate bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths in 1 bedroom units, and access to many resort amenities.
It’s perfect for us because we work remotely and can cook our meals in our room each day, saving so much money.
It also gives us enough space to work separately in case we’re hopping on work calls or Zoom meetings.
Check-In and Arrival Experience
One down side of staying here is that if you’re using timeshare points, you HAVE to check-in at “VIP Check-In” even if there is no line for the regular check-in desk.
This means that they’ll give you a whole spiel to try to get you to book an hour long “update meeting” which is ALWAYS a timeshare pitch.
As someone who has been a member for many years and has experience working in the timeshare industry, these “updates” are 100% always a sales pitch, no matter what the person at the desk is telling you.
They’ll lure you in with gift cards, theme park tickets, free nights, and more, so if you’ve got nothing better to do, it can definitely be worth your time.
We still do them from time to time when we’re not working.
But all the timeshare rules apply like if you’re married your spouse has to be with you, you have to be over 18 or 21, meet a minimum income requirement, and you can’t be intoxicated when you attend the meeting.
The person scheduling you for this meeting will usually fudge the numbers so they can get a commission for you attending, even if you don’t meet all of the eligibility requirements, so be aware of that.
But other than the initial borderline harassment, check-in is usually a smooth process.
In our experience, checking in before the official check-in time of 4 pm seems to be busier and they seem to be pushier.
But when we arrived later in the evening around 7 pm, no other guests were there and the person that checked us in only asked about the update meeting once and didn’t lead with a 5+ minute spiel.
Resort Pool and Hot Tub
While we were here, we went out to the hot tub every single night for the last 30 minutes that it was open.
It closes at 10 pm each night and they have security there to make sure that everyone leaves the pool area.
While some may not like that, we love that they do this because many other resorts don’t monitor things like that and you’ll hear rowdy people EVERY SINGLE NIGHT ALL NIGHT LONG that think rules don’t apply to them.
There are 2 hot tubs and one of them is underneath a waterfall, hidden in a cave.
Both are usually equally as busy though.
The pool itself is quite large and also has a couple of water slides.
One for the younger kids and one that’s for older kids and adults.
There is a pool bar that also serves food, so it’s a pool where you could really spend the whole day laying out if you wanted to.
Most days there is some sort of activity going on at some point throughout the day whether it’s a movie night, arts and crafts, wine and cheese, or other events.
Many of these events are free for all guests, but some are free for timeshare owners and offer a small fee for those who are paying cash to stay there.
Other Amenities
The fitness center is attached to a basketball gym, so there are a variety of ways to get your workouts in.
There are a couple TVs in the fitness center, but the cardio equipment are all right underneath them, so if you want to actually watch it, you’ll have to look straight up, which is not ideal.
For parking, it says only cars can park in the garage and all other vehicles have to park on the street, which actually isn’t true.
Each building has a garage underneath it, plus a few parking lot spots.
The clearance in the garage is 6 feet and many SUVs and even trucks were still able to park in there.
We have a 2010 Ford Escape and have parked in there every night with no issues.
For those that will need to park on the street, there’s plenty of street parking since this resort is on the far end of town.
Fun Things To Do In Palm Springs
While you’re in Palm Springs, there is more to do than just enjoying your resort and it’s amenities.
We visit at least once a year, sometimes more, and have compiled our favorite things to do in the area.
If you’re looking to stay local, then I recommend The Perfect Weekend in Palm Springs itinerary which includes our favorite restaurants, tours, and activities.
If you’re open to venturing outside of town, like to the nearby National Park, then I recommend our Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park Itinerary that can be done in 2-3 days.
More Diamond Resorts Timeshare Properties We Enjoy
We’ve been timeshare owners for several years now and we’re on a mission to stay at every property at least once.
These are our favorites so far.
Ka’anapali Beach Club – Maui
Ka’anapali Beach Club is located on Maui and is one of the most coveted of all of Diamond’s properties.
It’s in a great location, just down the road from Lahaina.
Plus, we enjoyed having the full kitchen, jacuzzi tub, and our beautiful ocean view.
Polo Towers – Las Vegas, Nevada
Polo Towers is right on the Las Vegas Strip, across from The Cosmopolitan.
We love the central location of this resort, as well as having a full kitchen because most Vegas hotels today have their fridge full of drinks that have insane mark ups, making them un-useable for yourself.
We’ve stayed in a variety of room types here over the years including a Two Bedroom, Studio Efficiency, and 1 Bedroom Accessible Room.
Historic Powhatan Resort – Williamsburg, Virginia
We absolutely loved staying at this resort in Williamsburg.
It was one of our more affordable timeshare visits and the unit had everything we needed.
We had just a One Bedroom, but it was 3 stories and set up like a townhome.
The first floor was the entrance, the second floor had a kitchen, dining room, full bathroom, bedroom with en-suite bathroom, and laundry.
Then the top floor was like a converted loft or attic with a tv, couch, and coffee table.
Varsity Clubs of America – Tucson, Arizona
This resort is the only place we stay in Tucson and we drive through here A LOT on our frequent road trips.
If you book with 30 days of your visit it’s pretty cheap.
We love the pool and hot tub here because it usually stays warm enough in the evenings to enjoy both.
It’s a quieter, no frills place and it’s right in the middle of town, centrally located to everything in Tucson.
The One Bedroom units are perfect with their full kitchen, jacuzzi tub, and dining table.
Sunrise Ridge Resort – Pigeon Forge
Sunrise Ridge is a rustic resort near all of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg’s best attractions.
It’s tucked away outside of town with mountain views all around though.
Varsity Clubs of America South Bend – Indiana
South Bend is famously known as the home of the University of Notre Dame.
Varsity Clubs of America is a great, inexpensive place to stay when you’re visiting the area.
It also makes for a great home base for day trips to places like Indiana Dunes National Park and Chicago.
The Suites at Fall Creek – Branson, Missouri
Last but not least, we love Diamond’s resort in Branson.
It’s set back along a creek, hence the name, so it’s a quite woodsy experience just outside of town.
It’s still close enough to everything too.
What we loved about this room was the counter space in the kitchen, the screened in porch, and the open layout of the room.
The One Bedroom layout here could easily be the equivalent of a real one bedroom apartment.
San Luis Bay Inn – Avila Beach, CA
San Luis Bay Inn is situated just above Avila Beach on a hill top along the central coast of California.
It’s in walking distance to this quiet beach town and it’s boardwalk of shops and restaurants.
Riviera Beach & Shores Resort – Capistrano Beach, CA
Riviera Beach & Shores Resort is an oceanfront property near the southern tip of Orange County, California.
It’s in a quiet area of the beach with hardly anybody else around.
We like coming down here for a few days at a time to enjoy the views and the peace and quiet.
Riviera Oaks Resort & Racquet Club – near San Diego
Riviera Oaks is a quiet resort in the town of Ramona, just outside of San Diego.
It’s a perfect getaway for wine tasting in Ramona or visiting the historic gold rush town of Julian.
Bell Rock Inn – Sedona, Arizona
Bell Rock Inn is a timeshare resort just South of the city center of Sedona.
It’s an older, smaller property, but it’s the most effective use of timeshare points.
Our stay was the equivalent of only about $65 a night!
Mystic Dunes Resort – Orlando, Florida
Mystic Dunes is one of the Diamond timeshares that really has a resort vibe, but the setting of being in Orlando, Florida probably plays a big part in that.
It’s just south of Disney World, with easy access to the parks.
The rooms are spacious and well kept, with just about every amenity when you stay in a one bedroom.
Grande Villas Resort – Orlando, Florida
Grande Villas is just outside of Disney Springs, so it is conveniently located to all things Disney!
There is an on-site pizza & deli restaurant, full bar, and Starbucks coffee too.
The tub is really the highlight of the room though.
Grand Beach – Orlando, Florida
Grand Beach looks like the Grand Floridian, but it’s not.
It’s located about 10 minutes from Disney Springs and it’s a quiet resort.
They are super affordable and have 2 pools you can enjoy.
Cypress Pointe – Orlando, Florida
Cypress Pointe is another Hilton resort and it is actually right across the street from the Grande Villas resort!
The studio rooms here are unique in that they are more like a honeymoon suite and they are so affordable considering they are right outside of Disney Springs.
Aqua Sol – Orlando, Florida
Aqua Sol, formerly Liki Tiki Village, is the most resort style timeshare we’ve ever stayed in.
They have their own water park, mini golf course, and tons of other resort amenities.
Newly renovated and so cheap, it’s a favorite for Orlando visits.
Conclusion: Palm Canyon Resort Review
Palm Canyon Resort is a great place to stay for a Palm Springs getaway.
From the popular resort pool, to the scenic views and full kitchens, it has everything you need for an extended stay or work-cation.
If you want to stay a little further outside of town, consider Worldmark Indio.
