Marriott Rewards (including Ritz-Carlton) - 350K Marriott Points. What should I do?

I have been saving up Marriott points for some time and was thinking of blowing them all for one big trip for my wedding anniversary.
Trying to minimize the cost of the trip, my best thought so far is to use them for 5 nights at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay. The remaining points should give me about 600 bucks for meals at the resort.
Does this make sense or is there a better way to use these points for my anniversary?
Thanks.

I have been saving up Marriott points for some time and was thinking of blowing them all for one big trip for my wedding anniversary.
Trying to minimize the cost of the trip, my best thought so far is to use them for 5 nights at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay. The remaining points should give me about 600 bucks for meals at the resort.
Does this make sense or is there a better way to use these points for my anniversary?
Thanks.

I'd look at one of the air and hotel packages. Half moon bay is nice but I'd think someplace overseas might be better. All depends on what you are looking to do.

In general is the Air and Hotel package a better deal than just straight points for nights?

The Air packages are for 7 nights only. That is probably too much time to take away from the kids.

It's the incremental value of the travel packages that is great. Each additional miles jump in the redemption is 1 mile = 1 Marriott point, in about half of the airline programs.

At a minimum, redeeming for Southwest, it values a point at about 1.7 cents. If you redeem in a legacy program, you can do far better. The best redemption is probably when USAirways runs their own % bonus on redemptions. You could easily get 4+ cents value from a Marriott point.

If you used the 350k you have now for a Tier 3 RC on a travel package, you'd have 7 nights plus 50k miles. Easily worth more than $600 in meals. (Throw away the extra 2 nights if you want.) Or, better, save up another 70k points and turn those into 70k miles, as well.

The Air packages are for 7 nights only. That is probably too much time to take away from the kids.

You can check out early if you want......

Get the package deal, it's a waaaaaay better deal.

Agree with what cargojon says above. If you do the math, you'll find that on a large point transfer like you have that the motel is basically free. And I don't know who would turn down 5-7 nights free in a Marriott.

The package deal advice isn't making sense to me. Two flights to San Jose would cost me probably $300 total (from SAN). The RC Half Moon Bay would cost me 350 points and I would get 7 nights and 50K rapid rewards points.
Or I can do a straight point transfer and the hotel would cost me 200K points and I would have 150K points left over for meals etc. I think it would be a better deal.

I'm going to echo the suggestion to use one of their Air+Hotel packages. You could always ditch the last couple nights if you're that worried about the kids, but the value you'll get even without the full 7 nights is still greater than you'd get otherwise.

My suggestion would be to find a hotel on Maui (Marriott has several), choose British Airways as your air partner, and use the 50k Avios points for Alaska Airlines flights directly to Maui. It's a very doable 5 hour flight and you get a vacation to Maui out of it. An example would be the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, which is in North Maui. The travel package including 7 nights at the hotel and 50k Avios is exactly 350k MR points.

The package deal advice isn't making sense to me. Two flights to San Jose would cost me probably $300 total (from SAN).If more airline miles won't do much for you, then the TP award may not be the best approach. But note that the airline miles don't have to be used for this trip. They could be used for a later trip that might be much more expensive (i.e. international travel, etc.)

If you have more airline miles than you can really use anytime soon, then your thoughts on a 5-night award plus the 135K for $1k award might be a viable option. The only question is will the Marriott Cheques be usable at an RC or not. I don't remember if they can be used at RCs or not. I'm sure someone else can chime in though. But if they can, the extra $1K will allow you to charge a lot of meals/excursions/purchases/etc to the room with no out of pocket expenses.

hhoope01, thanks for the advice. I don't have a lot of airlines miles.
So you are saying that Marriott Checks could be used. How do I get those?

I have to agree with the others on this one. I will have 400,000 points by this fall. My wife and I plan on going to Hawaii to a category 7.

Seven nights, 50,000 miles and $1,000 of Marriott dollars will be 395,000 points.

The trip with Air Canada from Ottawa, Ontario is 90,000 miles but I already have 50,000 miles in my account.

I think this is the best option for us.

I know Southwest may be anathema, but for 360k Marriott you could get a week in a Marriott Cat 8, 120k Southwest points ($2000 toward fares), and Companion Pass good until 12/31/13 so the wife could fly free every time you fly. The latter alone could be worth thousands.

hhoope01, thanks for the advice. I don't have a lot of airlines miles.
So you are saying that Marriott Checks could be used. How do I get those?

https://www.marriott.com/rewards/usepoints/eliteRewards.mi?segmentId=elite.plat

An elite benefit is that you can convert points into Marriott dollars, basically. See the example below:


Seven nights, 50,000 miles and $1,000 of Marriott dollars will be 395,000 points.


He's spending 260k points for the 50k air miles and week of hotel, plus 135k more for $1k of Marriott dollars.

Another nice option is if you have the Marriott Chase CC, 7 nights in the Maui Waliea Beach Resort is 140k points. You get a $100 food/bev credit at one of their restaurants. There is a resort fee that amounts to about $220 for the week, which includes a couple of daily drinks and parking. A pretty good deal!

Glad I foud this thread . . . I was oblivious to this option of packaging air and hotel. It basically allows you to exchange Marriott points for FF program points 1 for 1. That is nice when coupled with a week at a Marriott. Some flexibility.

If you don't need the airline miles, you can just do a standard 7-night stay. The point burn is the same, minus the air miles. Ex: 7 nights at a Cat 5 is 25k MR points x6 = 150k MR points. You get 1 night free for every 4 nights redeemed.

Hotel + Air Package is ideal if you need some extra airline FF miles, and have the Marriott points to burn to get them.

I think I can get another 50K points from my parents, which would bring me to 400K points for this trip. Ideally, I'd now like 7 nights, plus airfare and 1000 marriott check.
Obviously I want the best property I can get for this amount. What are my options?

The package deal advice isn't making sense to me. Two flights to San Jose would cost me probably $300 total (from SAN). The RC Half Moon Bay would cost me 350 points and I would get 7 nights and 50K rapid rewards points.
I think you missed a key element of this plan. When you redeem for the travel package, you do NOT need to use the miles immediately. So pay the $300 for the flights yourself and KEEP the airline miles until you need them later - say, for an expensive international trip.

(Or, as was suggested, redeem for the Southwest points, pocket a companion pass in the process, then use a tiny bit of the points for the plane tickets.)

EDIT: As far as the latter question, how best to redeem 400k points... If by "best" you mean "highest category", then my personal opinion would be to use 360k points to redeem for 7 nights in a Category 8 Marriott plus 120k Southwest points, which will also earn a Companion Pass. Save the extra 40k points to use later. Then spend the rest of the year enjoying flying around the West using the points and pass.

If you had your heart set on the Half Moon Bay area, the Marriott in Monterey is pretty nice and is only Category 6.

My opinion is that the Marriott gift cheques are a terrible redemption value, valuing each point at less than 3/4 of a cent. I'd much rather save up for another travel package.

MDtR-Chicago, Thanks for the excellent advice.
My wife's first choice is to go somewhere with caribean style blue water. That takes half moon bay out of the equation.
We don't want to go to Latin America, but would be interesed in the bahamas or somewhere in the caribean. Hawaii is not a choice for us right now.
This decision is making me crazy by the way.

https://www.marriott.com/marriott/freenightsinparadise.mi

I just spent 9 days in Maui earlier this year, but this offer is just too good to pass up!

jpm-indy, I don't want to do that. I still need some help to make my decision.

Hawaii is not a choice for us right now.
Just curious why Hawaii is not a choice...?

I think you missed a key element of this plan. When you redeem for the travel package, you do NOT need to use the miles immediately. So pay the $300 for the flights yourself and KEEP the airline miles until you need them later - say, for an expensive international trip.
(Or, as was suggested, redeem for the Southwest points, pocket a companion pass in the process, then use a tiny bit of the points for the plane tickets.)


+1 -- GREAT strategy if you can get a cheap flight. Pocket the miles taking advantage of the 1-for-1 miles exchange here. Use the miles later for whatever you want. Again, glad I found this thread.

https://www.marriott.com/marriott/freenightsinparadise.mi

I just spent 9 days in Maui earlier this year, but this offer is just too good to pass up!

I too am tempted, and probably will do it. But, you need the Marriott Visa to qualify for the offer.

Just curious why Hawaii is not a choice...?

Hawaii isn't a choice because my wife has her heart set on going to the the caribbean. The problem is, is that from SAN, the flights are pricy..and SW doesn't go there.

At this point I don't know where in the caribbean I would go.
One other thought is that even though I could stay at a RC, seven days in one would still be expensive just on buying meals alone!

Hawaii isn't a choice because my wife has her heart set on going to the the caribbean. The problem is, is that from SAN, the flights are pricy..and SW doesn't go there.

You can transfer the miles to any other of the listed airlines. You should have enough miles for at least 1 free ticket, and 2 if you have a few miles already.

The problem is, is that from SAN, the flights are pricy..and SW doesn't go there.

Southwest does not but their subsidiary AirTran does. You can transfer Southwest RR points directly into AirTran A+ credits to book award travel on AirTran to the Carribean. For example, fly SAN-TPA/MCO/FLL on WN and then TPA/MCO/FLL-SJU on FL.

MDtR-Chicago, Thanks for the excellent advice.
My wife's first choice is to go somewhere with caribean style blue water. That takes half moon bay out of the equation.
We don't want to go to Latin America, but would be interesed in the bahamas or somewhere in the caribean. Hawaii is not a choice for us right now.
This decision is making me crazy by the way.

Is this a dive trip? If the primary concern is the water and/or marine life, you might consider looking at some of the forums that specifically address that. I know a lot of divers love the British Virgin Islands and the islands off the coast of Belize, but there are no Marriotts there.

Maybe save the Marriott points for another day - and definitely do a Travel Package when you redeem them!!

Good advice Pinniped.
Now where do I stay? Which property and which country?

If you are looking for good diving, try Thailand.

Good advice Pinniped.
Now where do I stay? Which property and which country?

The two places I've been that I think would fit your bill are San Pedro and Tortola. We stayed in mom & pop beach resorts...I'd have to look 'em up to remember their names. Both were midrange properties - not luxe but not bad. The kinds of places that people on dive/fishing trips would stay.

For Tortola, we flew through SJU and onward entirely on AA/AE.

For San Pedro, it was two tickets: to Belize City (BZE) on DL and onward on a separate ticket on a Cessna out to San Pedro. (IIRC, Tropic Air was the company we used for that bit.) I remember seeing AA and CO planes in BZE, so getting there from SAN with a single stop in Texas should be pretty easy.

Pinniped,
I'm looking at level 6-8 Marriott or 1-3 RC properties. Do you have advice on those?

https://www.marriott.com/marriott/freenightsinparadise.mi

I just spent 9 days in Maui earlier this year, but this offer is just too good to pass up!

I was thinking of doing this also. How does this place compare to the Hyatt and Sheraton Maui which we have booked now also on points? We are going with kids 1, 7 and 13 years old. We've never been to Hawaii so we have no clue on what to expect. We used over 90K Hyatt points for 3 nights and 96K SPG points for 5 nights.

Bump!

Pinniped,
I'm looking at level 6-8 Marriott or 1-3 RC properties. Do you have advice on those?

Which one of these hotels are on your short list? (https://www.marriott.com/hotel-search/Category6.hotels.Category7.Tier1.Tier2.Tier3.autog raph-collection.jw-marriott-hotels-resorts-and-suites.marriott-hotels-resorts-and-suites.marriott-vacation-club-international.renaissance.resort.the-ritz-carlton/)

Click on Caribbean. (https://www.marriott.com/hotel-search/caribbean.hotels.Category6.Category7.Tier1.Tier2.T ier3.autograph-collection.jw-marriott-hotels-resorts-and-suites.marriott-hotels-resorts-and-suites.marriott-vacation-club-international.renaissance.resort.the-ritz-carlton/)

Pinniped,
I'm looking at level 6-8 Marriott or 1-3 RC properties. Do you have advice on those?

No. I've never stayed at a Marriott in the Caribbean.

My main point was that if your wife is adamant that she does not want Hawaii at all - she specifically wants the Caribbean - then I'd figure out what exactly she's looking for, since there are so many different cultures and types of trips you could take to the region. In my experience, once you're in a Marriott/Starwood/HHonors/Hyatt type beach resort, the vast majority of them are very similar - they're all going to be on a fairly well-developed island, probably fairly "Americanized", totally set up for the tourism industry with every amenity imaginable. You'll be able to sit by a nice pool and drink $15 pina coladas, but it kind of doesn't matter which island you're on at that point.

Thus, if your wife wants something different, I suggest looking at the smaller locations that don't support huge resorts. It'll probably be a bit more of an international tourist crowd and maybe have a bit more authentic local flavor.

Looking at the list of 18 properties in fajimenez's, the only one that catches my eye is the Renaissance St. Croix. Two reasons, neither really all that scientific: (1) I never hear or see a whole lot of pub in the U.S. about going to St. Croix. My friends who always go places like Jamaica, Puerto Rico, USVI, Aruba, etc. never mention it. I never get "cheap deal" emails for St. Croix. I never see airlines pimping it. So perhaps it's less "mass appeal" than St. Thomas, Cancun, etc.? (2) My perception of the Renaissance brand is that it would be a more tasteful implementation of a beach resort. Moreso than Hilton, Sheraton, Westin, or a "regular" Marriott. I recall the Renaissance Wailea fondly...a tasteful property amidst a strip of increasingly-garish megahotels.

No. I've never stayed at a Marriott in the Caribbean.
Thus, if your wife wants something different, I suggest looking at the smaller locations that don't support huge resorts. It'll probably be a bit more of an international tourist crowd and maybe have a bit more authentic local flavor.


This is why I'm heading to Curacao this summer to try the Ren and the Mar Resort.

If the airfares weren't so bad from here to OGG, I'd do the "get 3 nights free offer". I love the Wailea area of Maui.

This is why I'm heading to Curacao this summer to try the Ren and the Mar Resort.

If the airfares weren't so bad from here to OGG, I'd do the "get 3 nights free offer". I love the Wailea area of Maui.

Wow...I didn't even notice that Curacao Renaissance. It does look interesting...

Anyone have experience with Scrub Island? It's a Cat 8...but sitting at 350k you're within striking distance of the Cat 8 120k Travel Package.

Let me clarify what I'm looking for...or what my wife is looking for more accurately.
Blue water and a nice long white beach.
Somewhere out of the country and possibly a bit exotic.

I've traveled the world, but my wife hasn't. So this trip really is for her.

Let me clarify what I'm looking for...or what my wife is looking for more accurately.
Blue water and a nice long white beach.
Somewhere out of the country and possibly a bit exotic.

I've traveled the world, but my wife hasn't. So this trip really is for her.

You've been given lots of advice and recommendations. What more are you asking for?

Your requirements above could be anywhere :-

Thailand
Dubai
Australia

Let me clarify what I'm looking for...or what my wife is looking for more accurately.
Blue water and a nice long white beach.
Somewhere out of the country and possibly a bit exotic.


Aruba could meet this requirement, but from what i understand it could be a bit crowded depending on time of year.

I'm guessing you still want to use your Marriott points (you didn't list it in your list above)?

Yes, I will be using points. I have 350K.

St. Thomas Frenchman's Reef looks amazing. Does anyone know if this is a good place for snorkling/white beach?

There are other posts that say the Frenchman's Reef is horrible, and the RC in ST is in a bad location.

We stayed at the Marriott Grand Cayman last year. It was fantastic. However, there are very few meal options on the island, and everything is very, very expensive. You also must have a car to get around.

I also stayed at the JW Ko Olina in Oahu three times in the last year. All I have to say is, fabulous! It's on a lagoon, though. And there is definitely a lot to be said for staying in the U.S. IMO. Just so much easier all around.

Personally I've been hoping Marriott would open up a few more locations in some more desirable Caribbean locations. Fiji also would nice...Hilton has a property there!

SunnyJL, from what I've read the St. Thomas Marriott has gotten much better reviews since the renovation....at least that is what I hope.

I may be flogging a dead horse here, but the most amazing beach atmosphere I've ever seen is Wailea and some of the best shore snorkeling I've ever done is about 1 mile south of Wailea.

And it doesn't get too much more exotic than some of the stopoffs on the Road to Hana...to me, that's a whole order of magnitude more exotic than somewhere like USVI or Aruba.

There's also travel time to think about: the Caribbean will be about twice as long en route as Hawaii - assuming you can even get a same-day itinerary at all. (Probably doable for STT and AUA; likely not doable for some of the smaller islands.) Even if you get a 7AM departure and a 9PM arrival, that's two brutal travel days just to get 5 days or so at the destination. OGG, by contrast, has a bunch of nonstop options out of various SoCal airports, including SAN itself.

No Hawaii.

One of the Phuket properties. Ren or JW.

Sorry I can't stand Phuket, but I love Thailand.

Long white sandy beaches don't usually have the best snorkeling.

Sorry I can't stand Phuket, but I love Thailand.

No Hawaii, no Phuket, no gay hotels? Oh well... you asked for great beaches... go figure.

Puerto Rico could fit your requirements, but I stayed at the Caribe Hilton that time and drove to the crystal blue water beaches to the west and east of SJU (at least an hour or two on either side). Are you willing to travel to a perfect beach or do you expect it to be on-resort?

I have also been told that the better beaches (if that is possible) are to the west and south of SJU (southern side).

The Marriott is on a hotel row of beaches -- Ritz, etc. There is a casino. SJU could be considered very exotic and you don't need a passport.

I've stayed in the rainforest (El Yunque), too (VRBO cottage) and would go back to the island given the chance.

I'm telling you, if redeem hotel points for a big resort in the Caribbean, you're probably going to wind up with elements of whatever you can't stand about Hawaii and Phuket. It's going to be a packaged, Western-resort experience.

Instead, go a little grungy. Mom & pop resort, little island, local dive shop, little town where you eat street meat and drink local beer every night.

Otherwise, your big Marriott won't be a whole lot different than the Marriott Wailea or Phuket.

One of the other threads reminded me of the Harbor Beach Marriott in Ft. Lauderdale. It is a great resort with all the normal resort amenities. It's on a great stretch of the Ft. Lauderdale beach (that won't be as crowded as some of the other more "public" areas around Ft. Lauderdale. And there is a lot of good restaurants and things to do in the area.

So while its not a "glamorous" as some of the non-US based resorts might be, its a great place to spend a week. ^

FLL also probably cuts your door-to-door travel time down from ~30 hours round-trip to about half that. Very important if you're really thinking more like 5 nights away from home instead of 7+.

(I have no knowledge of the area or hotel in particular...)

Thank you all for your wonderful and thoughtful ideas.
I'm narrowing it down to Grand Cayman RC or Marriott, St Thomas Marriott or RC or possibly Scrub Island.

Grand Cayman - absolutely wonderful beach + snorkeling. The water clarity there is about the best I've seen anywhere.

Grand Cayman - absolutely wonderful beach + snorkeling. The water clarity there is about the best I've seen anywhere.

I worry about the Marriott there (if I don't choose the RC). Some pretty bad reviews about the beach and the rooms.
I'm a bit of a hotel snob...and just hope the rooms aren't too bad.

I'm a bit of a hotel snob...and just hope the rooms aren't too bad.Its not that they are horrible, but the Marriott there just doesn't have a "resort" feel to it. Think of it as a normal city Marriott except it is on the beach and doesn't have a lounge (so no free breakfast.)

Maybe I should just splurge for the RC.

Maybe I should just splurge for the RC.That is what I did the last time I went. And I don't regret it at all. :)

Wow...I just read that Marriott is planning on opening a JW Marriott in the Maldives.
I love the Maldives! From S. Cal, can the miles plus room deal with points pay for a trip for two to the Maldives? That would be fantastic if I could.

I'd be surprised if you get enough miles for two people to the Maldives from one travel package. My guess is you might have enough miles for one person from one travel package. Also, I'd expect the new hotel to be listed at a category 8 given the location and the expected demand.

although this future property was announced back in 2011
http://news.marriott.com/2011/06/jw-marriott-luxury-brand-expects-to-open-12-new-hotels-by-2012.html

it continues to not appear in New Hotels
https://www.marriott.com/hotel-search/new-hotel.hotels/

so, I wouldn't count on this project ever getting completed..............


Wow...I just read that Marriott is planning on opening a JW Marriott in the Maldives.
I love the Maldives! From S. Cal, can the miles plus room deal with points pay for a trip for two to the Maldives? That would be fantastic if I could.

Scrub Island is now my latest choice. It looks perfect!

I worry about the Marriott there (if I don't choose the RC). Some pretty bad reviews about the beach and the rooms.
I'm a bit of a hotel snob...and just hope the rooms aren't too bad.

I am a "hotel snob" as well, and I was happy with the Marriott. Honestly I would have been unhappy with the beach at the Ritz because it was sooooo crowded...but it was also spring break. The Marriott's beach was much roomier and quieter...OH, and the Marriott has it's own reef for snorkeling, which was awesome!

Scrub Island is right for us...I believe. Quiet, great water, secluded...and it is cheaper in miles than an RC. I can't wait!

Not sure when your honeymoon is, but there are no reward stays available at Scrub Island at all right nw.

It is our anniversary...and we are pretty flexible. It looks like Sept to March is the best time for this location.

Not sure when your honeymoon is, but there are no reward stays available at Scrub Island at all right nw.:confused:

There is plenty of award availability at this hotel. The only dates that are unavailable are:

July 21, 22
Aug 15, 16
Oct 6
Nov 23, 24
Dec 22-Jan 3
Jan 19, 20, 26-29
Feb 15-23
Apr 19-22

It is our anniversary...and we are pretty flexible. It looks like Sept to March is the best time for this location.You may want to avoid Sep-Nov as it is the hurricane season. And with the hot winter and even hotter summer, this hurricane season is bound to be a real doozy IMO.

Wow...very cool. How did you get these dates? Is there a way online to get them?

Wow...very cool. How did you get these dates? Is there a way online to get them?No magic, just marriott.com reservation search engine.

When searching choose My dates are flexible, choose 1 for Number of nights, and choose any date in June. Available check-in dates for June are listed, then click the right arrow next to the month heading at the top of the calendar to see availability for the next month, repeat until you have seen availability for all 50 weeks.

Keep in mind some properties have 7-night minimum, like JW Marriott Phuket over Christmas and New Years, so if you see lack of availability over extended high demand/public holiday periods try using a search for 7 nights. FWIW, I did that for Scrub Island and there was still no availability over the Dec 22-Jan 3.

Very cool. Thanks for your help

You're welcome.

https://www.marriott.com/marriott/freenightsinparadise.mi

I just spent 9 days in Maui earlier this year, but this offer is just too good to pass up!

How did you originally find the link to this offer? It seems like a great deal, but not one I can take up this year unfortunately as I've already allocated all of my vacation days. I'd like to keep an eye on these types of offers though if there's a link somewhere that displays the latest ones?

I recently received my MR credit card so will I get e-mail notifications about offers like this now?

How did you originally find the link to this offer? It seems like a great deal, but not one I can take up this year unfortunately as I've already allocated all of my vacation days. I'd like to keep an eye on these types of offers though if there's a link somewhere that displays the latest ones?

I recently received my MR credit card so will I get e-mail notifications about offers like this now?

Shouldn't this be in a different thread?

Can someone explain this to me from the original post?

The remaining points should give me about 600 bucks for meals at the resort.

How does extra points = $600 for meals? What am I missing?

Can someone explain this to me from the original post?



How does extra points = $600 for meals? What am I missing?

Gift cheques or dining gift card? Personally, I only trade in points for $1000 worth of gift cheques, as the exchange rate is 135K pts = $1000 for elites. The gift cheques come in $50 denomination and can be used for anything - dining, spa, golf, room cost. However, they expire one year after issuance, no change is given, and you have to be careful of currency exchange rates.

Oh yeah, you also earn points on any gift cheque purchases, although many times you have to call the elite line to get proper credit.

See this page: https://www.marriott.com/rewards/usepoints/inhotelextras.mi

Yah i Know about the gift cheques - i use them all the time, but I'm not sure what he meant by some other residual amount of points adding up to $600 for dining... Was curious if there was something I missed, but I don't think there was.

Shouldn't this be in a different thread?

Not really, it's relevant to this thread and if we knew the answer you might also have a reference for the future for when you want to find other offers to use your points on.

Wow..I'm really struggling to find dates that work for me and my wife. Every date we try to use is either not available or is asking for 25K per night points upgrade. Does anyone know if it would help to call the hotel directly? I really want to stay at this hotel using points with the air/points travel package.

I went back and read all of your posts and nowhere do you list the dates for which you are searching. Or if you did, then somehow I missed that post. Knowing your desired dates would help us help you.

I also suggest you sue the flexible date search and search for 1 night. It will show you availability for regular award nights for the month in which you are searching. FWIW, the remainder of September has availability. October is checker boarded with about 50% availability. November until December 20 is pretty wide open with the exception of a few isolated days and Thanksgiving. January 4 through February 14 has about 50/50 availability. Presidents week is gone. February 24 through August of next year is pretty wide open.

If you run into nights that are not available for standard award then combine award nights and a couple paid nights and you shouldn't have any problem selecting your available dates. Also being flexible and going the week before or after would help too.

aaupgrade,
thank you for your thoughts.

The dates that we are looking at are checking in december 27th, 28th or 29th for seven nights.
Or checking in february 15th, 16th or 17th, staying for seven nights.
When I've called marriott rewards, they say all these dates are full.

Makes sense on the December dates as it is a holiday week. This weeks tends to get booked way in advance as many seasoned MR members know that standard rooms will get booked early whether with points or cash. The dates of Dec 21 - Jan 1 show no availability. You can book a 7 night stay starting on Jan 2, 2013.

As far as your February dates. Holiday week too so no availability.

For these peak holiday weeks, seasoned MR members know to book 11+ months out because standard rooms get sold out for points or cash.

aaupgrade. I'm looking at the calendar right now and there is no availability on Feb 15th, nor the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, or 20th.
Am I looking at this wrong?

There is availability on those nights but only with massive upgrade certificates.

Don't want that. I'm now going to have to look in early December. Either way, I'll be fine.

aaupgrade. I'm looking at the calendar right now and there is no availability on Feb 15th, nor the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, or 20th.
Am I looking at this wrong?Oops, I was looking at December instead of February.

Your February dates are also a holiday week too so I was very surprised when I looked earlier and there was availability. Of course they weren't available because I was actually looking at Friday, December 14 and Saturday, December 15 instead.

Previous post corrected.

The 25 dollar per person resort fee is pretty rediculous!

The 25 dollar per person resort fee is pretty rediculous!Easy solution, then don't stay there. Stay someplace that doesn't charge a resort fee.

https://www.marriott.com/marriott/freenightsinparadise.mi

I just spent 9 days in Maui earlier this year, but this offer is just too good to pass up!

I was thinking of doing this also. How does this place compare to the Hyatt and Sheraton Maui which we have booked now also on points? We are going with kids 1, 7 and 13 years old. We've never been to Hawaii so we have no clue on what to expect. We used over 90K Hyatt points for 3 nights and 96K SPG points for 5 nights.

i know this is quite outdated and probably warrants a new thread - but this 140K point redemption for a week on maui at a cat 7 piqued my interest. only problem for me is it is apparently valid until 12/31. i'd like to book a trip like this for my birthday in late january. is this the kind of deal that is often extended or does the off-season end around 12/31?

Surprised no one has mentioned Cancun? Water is what your wife is after (and then some!), can be as American, or as exotic as you make it, 3 Marriotts to choose from, and easy flight from SAN. Travel package + $1,000 in certs to help cover food.

Not an option?

The 25 dollar per person resort fee is pretty rediculous!

"The Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa charges a mandatory Resort Fee of $30.00 per night per room"

Per room, not per guest.

Two part question to MR point redemption:

1. If I take a travel package, the airline miles and hotel stay cert don't have to be used in same trip, right? I can use them for different trips at different times. Please correct me if I am wrong.

2. Little more personalized to my situation... I am closing in on 500K points at end of this month. Currently slated work travel would put me at 700K by February, 2013. Let's say, I was to redeem early next year... I could very well do RC tier 1-3 or 4-5 with 120K miles. Now that leaves me that an odd amount of 50K-100K. Not little but not quite enough for lowest of travel packages.... Essentially what would be more efficient way to make my redemptions? Two packages or one big package w/ odd change? (this is assuming, I don't have significant travel in near future to keep accumulating MR points)

1. Yes, you are free to use your miles and your hotel cert as you want and for the trip you want. Whether the miles are used for the same trip or a different one is your choice. The miles will be deposited into your chosen airline FF account and Marriott will have no knowledge of when/how you use those miles.

2. Really, only you can answer this question. Basically, the answer is which would you prefer? Some may prefer a really big vacation at a place they could never afford. Others would prefer to be a bit more frugal with their points to get more trips out of them. Its your call.

Will you stop travelling in Feb.? If not, you should be able to get more points over time. Do you have any Marriott branded CCs? If not, then get a personal and business one for the bonus points. Also, do you have a spouse or someone you would be traveling with? If so, make sure they get a personal and business Marriott CC as well. Then you can pull the points from their account into yours when you order your next TP (or other) award.

I am less than two weeks from my trip to Scrub Island. Thank you to everyone here who helped in my decision. It was a huge help.
We will be there for a week. Does anyone have must do and don'ts that we should follow when we are there?

Bump. Thanks for any advice.

Sorry I don't have any first hand advice, but as I followed your journey to the decision, I ran across this thread on Trip Advisor, that you might find helpful. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147354-d1766190-r145488595-Scrub_Island_Resort_Spa_Marina-Tortola_British_Virgin_Islands.html#REVIEWS

Enjoy your trip and please start a thread or add to an existing one about the subject property.

Enjoy your trip and please start a thread or add to an existing one about the subject property.

There is a thread already I believe. I'll submit my report around the middle of December. :D

Update??

Adding my update to master thread.