Originally Posted by
ethernal
Perhaps more importantly I don't think you can even find a date where you even get .6 cents per point at the 35K/rate. Even over Spring Break periods, holiday weekends, etc - the rate stays comfortably below $200/night (even when booking direct). I thought 7K Starpoints (so 21K Marriott points) was reasonable even if it wasn't a great deal - 35K is just a joke. You can stay at a lovely hotel like the Boscolo Exedra in Nice for the same number of points. That versus a dumpy Westin in a low cost of living area? Pretty crazy.
I do like that the hotel is long and short, so there's no shortage of loungers and even at full capacity the beach area is relaxing. Also free parking, no resort charge. It seems to draw a different crowd from most Westins though -- today the waiter was startled that we wanted to do a room charge rather than use a credit card for the kids breakfast and went to check on his computer that we had presented a credit card at check in before allowing us to sign off. Even though we'd given him out plat breakfast coupon. Don't recall that happening in any other SPG hotel.
The most compelling MR values I've found so far are in smaller cities in Europe -- 25K at the Baden Baden Roomers hotel, and 15K at the AC Innsbruck last summer.