Hi all....planning our next trip in late Oct early Nov. Will be Gold by then and if the Marriott program is anything like the Hilton one, many hotels outside the US are only allowing Diamonds, or Platniums in this case, to have access to the Executive Lounge. I should be Gold by then, but definitely not Plat.

While access to an Exec Lounge is not a deal breaker, it is definitely a nice feature to have, even though husband does not drink and is very picky with food, it is still a very nice feature to have when traveling.

Can you think of any nice hotels that, more often than not, allow lowly Gold members access to their Executive Lounges? I am hoping something in Hawaii, and I already know that the JW Marriott in Cancun is out because the Club 91 will cost a pretty penny which I don't think I'd want to pay, but some other place that is not too far away...maybe Aruba, Costa Rico (didn't seem to have an Executive Lounge though)...somewhere else in the Caribbean perhaps?

I'm a newbie to Marriott and still learning the ropes....bear with me....I know Hilton backwards and forwards, but I'm still trying to figure out the Marriott program and it is very different than the Hilton.

Thanks.

Dawn