Intl359Widget

wizzy

My family and I (wife, 2 kids (6/11)) spent a week here for Spring Break. Overall, very enjoyable and family friendly. The hotel was sold out several nights during our stay as there were two very large corporate groups at the front and back of the week, but facilities never felt overwhelmed. There were always seats available at the pools, although the chairs were in less desirable spots at times. The towel shacks will set you inflatables for your kids (they have compressors there to blow them up), but we found that like kids everywhere, things were shared and we never felt the need. Also, in the morning, look to the right of the trash can near the pool shack at the kids pool. That's where staff stacks up all the random toys that are left in the pool at the end of the prior day, most of which were just left by people who had finished their stays.

Chair saving is in full effect, and the hotel doesn't appear to enforce the "if you're gone for an hour we have the right to move your stuff". I generally was down 815-830a each morning to grab a spot and saw chairs already claimed that weren't actually used until noon or later.

As a Titanium member it was disappointing to be given a room across from the ice machine; when I asked for other options the only choice was to move from the Island Tower to the Palm tower to a room on a lower floor slightly further away from the ice machine in that location. Fortunately while we could hear the ice machine, it wasn't crazy loud and didn't disturb any sleep.

The only concerns we had were service/housekeeping related. We only received bottled water on 2/7 days, our room wasn't cleaned one day even after my wife talked to the housekeeper in the hall, we didn't get enough washclothes for everyone a few times, there was bird poop on our balcony for the duration of the stay, etc.

I wasn't charged for self parking upon checkout, which was an unexpected $120 savings. Also, we hit 10k Alley twice, but on the second trip my wife and I got beers to go. Typically high ABV beers there are served in a 12(?) oz glass in the bar, but the to-go cups are 16oz. The receipt listed a 16oz pour and the price was the same as an in-house 12oz pour.

Overall, though, it was a great stay. Perfect for families, but I wouldn't recommend it for couples looking for a romantic getaway!

hipquest

My husband and were at the JW earlier this month.
Check in was handled beautifully and quickly, especially considering how busy they were (according to the FDA it was their busiest day, ever! A restaurant group had reserved the whole resort and was checking out that day along with our group and several others checking in to produce another full house). Nice acknowledgement of Titanium status and even an apology that no upgrades were available (I didn't even ask for one). We received a room in the Palms tower and were happy with the location. 9th floor with a view of the Gulf and the spa pool (in other words the "quiet" side). We don't usually use housekeeping service but when we needed to refresh towels or get coffee and water it was easy. Our room had nice space and good storage for unpacking. The bath had a great shower, pocket doors and the toilet was behind its own door.

We tried several of the restaurants. Ario was quite good and the service was excellent. Maia was great for breakfast with the service being just competent to excellent (we ate there everyday). Quinn's had a great seafood Cobb salad (that at $18 would have been a bargain at a non-hotel restaurant) with so much shrimp and crab, yummy! 10K Alley was a lot of fun, didn't have any food but the drinks and service were good. We had drinks at Korals several times and the staff there was our only disappointment, I expect a lobby bar to have bartenders with a lively personality and those we encountered did not. We loved Tesoro! The reviews I had read either loved or hated it, I guess we got lucky. The cocktails and food were delicious, if they have the Ham and Peas it is a MUST! We sat at the outside bar (only one with televisions) to watch the Kentucky Derby and our group had the most fun with the bar staff. Look for the one that looks like Danica Patrick, that was the nickname I gave her.

The spa was very nice! DH and I both had pedicures with Jennifer from Hungary-amazing! She recommended her husband's restaurant in Naples, La Trattoria, we went and it was delicious.

A few tips-
~Elites that are Platinum and above get a 10% discount on ALMOST everything in the shops so have them look you up if you don't plan to charge to your room.
~Free bottled water seemed plentiful here, at least at the front desk and with the Valets
~Take advantage of the included access to the spa pool area if you have a treatment (all except for the Express treatments). My husband and I liked and spent time at the other pools but we enjoyed our time here the most. Very attentive pool side service and the mineral spa was wonderful.
~The $10 upcharge from the Continental to the full breakfast buffet is well worth it (if you opt for your Elite welcome gift to be breakfast).

Overall a great experience!

neuro0

Any Elite member staying with Amex FHR experience here?

​​​​​​Breakfast credit? Double dipping allow?

What about beach chairs? Easy to get on weekends?

MikeW_ORD

Can anybody comment or make a recommendation between booking a Gulf Front View Room in the normal tower vs. booking a room in the Sirene section (only gulf view is showing available, not gulf front)? The trip will be just my wife and I so the adults only Sirene part sounds nice, but I'm curious to know if the extra money is worth it instead of getting a bigger corner gulf front room in a regular tower. Thanks!

thenumblehigwoo

My family and I will be visiting from 2/26 to 3/2. Luck would have it, there's a cold front moving in and the forecast is mostly in the 60s literally the days we are there and then after that it goes back up to the 80s. Ridiculous. With that said, any one have any ideas of things to do at the resort or around there with 2 young kids to keep us busy if swimming/beach is out of the question? Thanks!

loomis

That is a bummer! A Rookery Bay bout tour may be a good option with kids on a cold day.

https://rookerybay.org/visit/boat-tours/

BostonFlyer1624

Hi all - any recent updates on the JW Marco Island? I'll be arriving mid-April for a few nights. Would love to hear about any upgrade experiences for Titanium members, if breakfast is included, and what the new increased resort fee covers...also if y'all have any other tips and tricks

Thank you!

kb_rembrandt

I'm titanium and had a 5-night stay the 2nd week of February there. I've been in April before so you are going during a busier time due to school breaks. I was told I got an "upgrade" but it just meant my room was overlooking the pool instead of the garden - still a standard room. The resort fee is up to $35 but I don't think it covered anything new that isn't listed. With my status, I got free continental breakfast for me and +1 each day which was nice. You can upgrade to the full buffet for an extra $10pp which includes omelets and pancakes, but we found the base buffet was more than sufficient. This was our 3rd stay there in 3 years and I can't really think of anything special that I can offer as a trick with your status - it's a busy hotel and you are just another guest but you get free breakfast. I love the hotel and the grounds so don't get me wrong about this post - just don't expect the red carpet for titanium.

VCURamFan

Can people staying in the regular tower use the Sirene adults only pool?

Mr. BoH

No

BobNoxious

They just raised their points from STANDARD to PEAK for a month that was STANDARD as of the past 6 months of watching. I've been saving points and now it just went up almost 20% in cost of points. (LIFETIME PLATINUM). Will look into Hilton and other properties.

Intl359Widget

What month were you looking at? It's a possibility that they increased their BAR if they're unsure about continuing to operate the hotel in this hostile environment.

BobNoxious

was looking at November. Most of the month was Standard up until last week. now entire month is peak. smh.

Intl359Widget

November to January is a peak time for Florida Beach Cities with Snowbirds.