Recommendations for vacation with 3yr old using Marriott points
 

Looking to plan a 5 night vacation in USA/Mexico/Latin America/Caribbean during march or april using marriott points. have about 160K points and am a gold elite. i have a 3 yr old daughter so we prefer great pool or beach resorts and access to babysitters. Last year we did RC Cancun using points and would be happy to go back but looking for options. any recommendations on which marriott is the best? are there any where we can get complimentary upgrades as a gold elite?

On my bucket list of properties to visit is the JW Marriott in San Antonio. Has a floating river, great looking property, and a friend staying there (on points) with her son over the Christmas holiday gave it great reviews.

I stayed at the Marriott Marquis in San Diego (on points) with my wife and kids and was impressed by the view from the room, the great pool, strong service. It's also close to quite a bit of kid friendly stuff in SD.

I am taking the family to Orlando in February, and going to stay at the Marriott Vacation Club Grande Vista property. Not on points but something to think about - directly across from SeaWorld too.

It depends on your three year old! Our kids dont fly well and our son doesn't sleep well in beds that arent his so we don't do much in terms of travel. However, any of the Marriotts directly on beaches in FL are excellent. There are good ones in FLL, PBI, RSW and the Residence Inn at Treasure Island is nice. However, FL can be cold this time of the year though.

JW Marriott in Orlando. We went there with our 2.5yo twins and they loved it. Lazy River pool, which my son talks about months later, waterslide, tons of free activities (many involving treats), etc. We didn't leave the hotel in three days.

Mike

I have a 3 yr old as well. We LOVE The JW Marriott Dessert Ridge in Scottsdale/Phx.

St Kitts is great and has a zero entry pool. Went several years in a row with our young kids and everyone loved it.

Almost any RC is wonderful with the kids. We've stayed last year at the RC Cayman and had a great experience. Also have done the Renaissance San Juan which was nice, but more urban (with a small beach), and likely not great for a 3 year old. The Marriott in Aruba is ok, but the strip is a little crowded for my tastes. Their is a Renaissance in Aruba where I've also stayed which was nice (again, urban) with a private island which was quiet and relaxing.

My favorites with kids, accessible by a simple nonstop flight from DFW:

- Pretty much all of the MVCI's in Orlando. Grande Vista is our favorite. Depends on the year, but as soon as the Spring Break season ends you can usually get 1- or 2-bedroom units fairly cheap. Same goes for flights. I believe this year you'd be looking at early April for Orlando to miss the peak crowds. We visited family and typically spent our time in downtown and north of Orlando so I have no idea how all of the amusement park stuff works. We liked Grande Vista because you avoid most of that traffic. (Seaworld traffic isn't a problem.)

- MVCI Newport Beach. This was one of my favorite stays...mid-March, which was actually one week prior to the peak western Spring Break week. Tons to do both locally and with daytrips to either LA or SD. Went with a 3y.o. and a 6y.o. and had a great time. Perfect weather for all of the outdoor activities, although a little chilly for ocean swimming. Hotel pool was fine...

- Phoenix in general is wonderful in April. It should be available, both in terms of flights and hotels, if you go right after the baseball teams conclude spring training. I can't comment on the Marriotts though, although than the good ones are resorts, meaning they can (and usually do) withhold elite benefits such as breakfast. I emailed a couple of Marriott properties to ask if they'd provide anything to Platinums and got a "no" in response, which I sort of expected. So we used HHonors awards there and had a great stay. However, if elite bennies don't really matter to you, everything I've read is that the Marriotts in Phoenix are very good. I've played golf at Camelback and it looks very top-notch all around.

- We did JW Cancun for a week and thought it was okay. We were there for a week (on a Travel Package award) which was about 3 days too long. Could've done a day lounging by the pool, two days of Mayan ruin stuff, maybe a day exploring the town and the little island offshore, and been out of there. I will say that Coba was impressive...highlight of that trip. I'd say it could be a decent five-night award, but not if you've already done it.

I would recommend the Renaissance in Aruba. You would stay in the all-suites property. Lots of iguanas running around. Free boat rides to the private island where you will find pink flamingos and iguana feedings every day at noon. Lots of shopping and eating right near the hotel.

The Grande Vista in Orlando is a great place to take kids. We've stayed there a number of times. Be aware that you'll need to look at rooms in mid-April or later. Spring break in Orlando runs mid-March (for northern US schools) to early April (southern US schools). For example, if you go the first week of April, you'll hit the same week as the metro Atlanta schools are out. Not a fun experience, especially at the theme parks.

The Vista has programs for kids but a 3 year old is probably not old enough to participate. But they have paddle boats, fishing, cool play area for little kids (think big version of McD's play area), a number of pools, pizza hut, nice convenience store, and more. Book one of the 1 bedroom suites and you'll have a full kitchen, dining table and sleeper sofa. Plus mom and dad get their own bedroom with 2 person jetted tub. There's a Costco not far away that you can stock up on breakfast and lunch foods. Ask for a room on a high floor on the northwest side towards Sea World and enjoy nightly fireworks shows (you can see Disney and Sea Worlds). The beach is also an hour away. Look for MR elite rates here as well as deals with resort credits.

I've also stayed at the Courtyard/Springhill Suites cluster of properties near I drive. They have a zero-entry pool and free shuttle to Disney. Less expensive than Grande Vista.