Deal or no deal? Family Fling & Swing at JW Marriott Starr Pass

As summer turns to fall, the desert starts to heat up, in its way. Temperatures start sliding out of the triple-digit zone, and prices start creeping back up.

That's why we were tempted by a new deal in Arizona that’s packed with a lot of low-season-style value. At Tucson’s JW Marriott Starr Pass, the Family Fling & Swing promotion runs through the end of the year and includes a long list of freebies. The 575-room resort has plenty of family-magnet features: four pools, a lazy river and water slide, an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course, a spa and even Nickelodeon character breakfasts on many weekends throughout the year. Starting at $149 a night, the package includes:

lodging for a family of four
$50/night resort credit
Unlimited rounds of golf for a family of four (worth at least $100/day)
Free meals for kids 12 and under, with a paying adult (worth $30/kid x 2 = $60/day)
Free appetizer or dessert at the two main restaurants (worth about $10/day)
Free high-speed Internet (worth $13/day)
Free self-parking (worth $10/day)
10% off retail purchases

Deal or no deal? This is a hot one—but even hotter if you go soon. When we checked dates from August through October, we found package rates ranging from $179 a night in August to $349 a night in October. The package rates hovered between $10 and $50 above the regular rate. Even if the price difference is enough to eat up that daily $50 in resort credit, there is still almost $100 a day of freebies that you’ll definitely use—a 31% savings right there—including $23 worth of annoying hotel fees that are just nice to avoid. And if your family likes to golf, you're getting nearly $200 of extra value of day—a more than 50% value. (The only hitches: you can’t get early-morning tee times with the offer, and kids would get to golf free anyway at the resort, as long as you teed off after 3pm.)

One more reason to travel sooner rather than later? The lazy river and waterslides will close for the winter on November 27.

The offer is good through December 30. When booking online, enter dates and then look for the Family Fling and Swing rate under the packages tab. Or, mention the deal when calling 888/236 2427.