Favorite Marriott beach resort

 
Old Jul 26, 2016, 2:23 pm
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 1
Favorite Marriott beach resort, easy flight from Central US

Looking to use points for a long weekend kid-free beach trip this fall that is a reasonable flight from Chicago to maximize time. We are leaning toward the JW or CasaMagna in Cancun, but are open to Florida/Puerto Rico/Costa Rica/California/Carribean/Mexico etc (not sure how to easily specify that in the title).

We don't want to rent a car, but also don't want to just eat resort food...a few good walkable or easy transportation options for local food would be great. We plan on lots of beach time with minimal to no sightseeing. What are your favorite beach resorts that would meet these criteria? Thanks!!

Last edited by Gingerr32; Jul 26, 2016 at 2:29 pm Reason: Clarity
Gingerr32 is offline  
Old Jul 26, 2016, 3:00 pm
  #2  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Mesilla, NM
Programs: DL DM 4.7 MM MQM Marriott Ambassador Lifetime Titanium AA CK
Posts: 2,713
Originally Posted by Gingerr32
Looking to use points for a long weekend kid-free beach trip this fall that is a reasonable flight from Chicago to maximize time. We are leaning toward the JW or CasaMagna in Cancun, but are open to Florida/Puerto Rico/Costa Rica/California/Carribean/Mexico etc (not sure how to easily specify that in the title).

We don't want to rent a car, but also don't want to just eat resort food...a few good walkable or easy transportation options for local food would be great. We plan on lots of beach time with minimal to no sightseeing. What are your
favorite beach resorts that would meet these criteria? Thanks!!
Curacao would be my vote
hnewman is offline  
Old Jul 26, 2016, 3:01 pm
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,074
San Juan and Sobe Look At La Concha and the Stanton in SOBE (still has a lounge).
jr1202sr is offline  
Old Jul 26, 2016, 3:04 pm
  #4  
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 553
I am not familiar with beach resorts in most of the locations you mentioned, but as far as walkable areas near a beach, I like Miami Beach. You can get to plenty of restaurants without a car. The South Beach Ritz and the EDITION are both pretty nice, though the Ritz is closer to a lot of the restaurants and shopping.
windhund is offline  
Old Jul 26, 2016, 3:21 pm
  #5  
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Washington DC
Programs: QR: Gold; Marriott: Amb; UA: 1K; Taj: Silv
Posts: 254
Puerto Rico

La Concha in San Juan is a good Marriott property.
Shounak is offline  
Old Jul 26, 2016, 7:54 pm
  #6  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: ATL
Programs: MR/SPG Plat, HH Gold, DL PM
Posts: 413
If you don't want to have a car then I second Miami. The beach is great, and having a car there would be a no-no. You can just walk or Uber wherever you need to go.
Saidoh is offline  
Old Jul 26, 2016, 9:04 pm
  #7  
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: AA Plat/2MM, DL Silver, UA Silver (via Marr), Marr LTT, HH Gold (via cc), Hyatt Disc
Posts: 1,035
We've been to Aruba, St. kitts, St. Thomas Marriotts in the Carribbean. All had fine taxi transportation. For us, St. kitts was the best.
bosman is offline  
Old Jul 27, 2016, 7:08 am
  #8  
Moderator, Marriott Bonvoy & FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: McKinney, TX, USA
Programs: United Silver; AA Plat/2MM; Marriott LT Titanium; IHG Plat; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 11,721
Originally Posted by bosman
For us, St. kitts was the best.
I liked the resort well enough, but it is not on the nicest beach. My wife didn't like the beach there at all.

The Cayman RC is a very nice resort and it is on the best part of 7 mile beach. You get the best of both the resort and the beach. (Or course it can be a bit pricey as well.)

If you just want a nice beach, the Springhill Suites in Pensacola Beach, FL might be a good option (though that might depend on how late into the fall you go as it does get colder there in the winter.) It is basically just a normal Springhill Suites. So if you are looking for a high end resort with all the amenties one might provide, it might not fit the bill. But if you want a nice hotel on a great stretch of beach it might be worth looking into (and in general prices for food/drink/car/entertainment/etc aren't necessarily outrageous either.) And there are a lot of neat things to see and do in Pensacola.

The Harbor Beach Marriott in Ft. Lauderdale is a nice full service resort on a very nice part of Ft. Lauderdale's beach (and it is on a less crowded stretch of beach to boot.) I've been told that Mr. Marriott himself vacations here every year. But while there are definitely things to do in Ft. Lauderdale, Miami does have more night life going for it.
hhoope01 is offline  
Old Jul 27, 2016, 7:25 am
  #9  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Des Moines, IA, United States
Posts: 246
I'd recommend Atlantis on Paradise Island, Bahamas,especially of you can get into The Cove. Great local restaurant options within walking distance or short cab ride.
jeffcarp is offline  
Old Jul 27, 2016, 8:19 am
  #10  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: EWR
Programs: UA Gold, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Silver, Hertz
Posts: 432
If I am going somewhere for a long weekend, I want a direct flight. That is typically a bigger priority than the destination or hotel. You don't want to get stuck in Houston or Newark, for example, waiting for a connecting flight while seeing your precious time tick away.

So if you use that criteria, places like St Kitts or Curacao (both of which we have been to and enjoyed the Marriott properties) aren't really suitable. I would go to either of them again, as long as I had 5 days or more.

We did a long weekend in San Juan this winter and it worked out well. We stayed at the Courtyard Isla Verde, which was quite nice and plenty of places to walk to for breakfast/dinner/drinks. Loved using the free bikes for guests in the morning. And we got upgraded to oceanfront from ocean view.

We've stayed at the CasaMagna in Cancun and loved the beach there - plus we got a beautiful top floor corner room oceanfront upgrade. There are a few places within walking distance, but the bus system in Cancun is easy and cheap.

We really like the Puerto Vallarta CasaMagna, but not sure if there is a daily nonstop flight from ORD. The beach isn't that great for swimming but the pool is lovely, the service is awesome and we just love the PV vibe.

Of course, as others have mentioned, Florida is always an option. Plenty of great beach destinations, including the South Beach area where you can take a taxi/Uber from the airport and then walk everywhere at night.
jtwiz is offline  
Old Jul 27, 2016, 11:28 am
  #11  
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: UA GOLD MM,WN CP A+list, HH Gold,MR LT Titanium
Posts: 2,184
Originally Posted by Gingerr32
Looking to use points for a long weekend kid-free beach trip this fall that is a reasonable flight from Chicago to maximize time. We are leaning toward the JW or CasaMagna in Cancun, but are open to Florida/Puerto Rico/Costa Rica/California/Carribean/Mexico etc (not sure how to easily specify that in the title).

We don't want to rent a car, but also don't want to just eat resort food...a few good walkable or easy transportation options for local food would be great. We plan on lots of beach time with minimal to no sightseeing. What are your favorite beach resorts that would meet these criteria? Thanks!!
I am not quite sure how to phrase this without getting personal,but if your kids are young and there is a possibility of pregnancy in your family's future, you may want to research Zika as it relates to your travel plans,especially regarding the Caribbean and South America.

That being said, I agree with the suggestion of Harbor Beach in Florida for a long weekend. Easy travel,no customs to cut into your relaxation time and plenty to offer in the area.
freeflyin is offline  
Old Jul 27, 2016, 12:09 pm
  #12  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,496
We redeemed a Travel Package and spent a week at the JW Cancun. We didn't intend to rent a car, but to get away from all of the touristy stuff we found that we needed one. There's a Hertz across the street from the hotel... While we ended up enjoying Yucatan (other than Cancun itself), it doesn't rate all that highly in terms of our favorite Marriott stays ever. The hotel itself was okay, but without a rental car you'd be eating resort food the whole time. It's not walkable to anything non-resorty. The little tourist bus can get you to downtown Cancun, but we didn't find that very interesting.

The Miami suggestion seems like a solid one for a long weekend from Chicago with no rental car. There are lots of good California Marriotts, but I suspect *most* would be more convenient with a rental car. And I can't think of one that is a pure oceanside beach resort.

Aren't there a couple of Marriotts on the gulf coast of Florida that are supposed to be very good? Marco Island, Clearwater, etc.?
pinniped is offline  
Old Jul 27, 2016, 12:55 pm
  #13  
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Programs: Chick-Fil-A Red, Wawa, Red Cross blood donor
Posts: 4,823
Originally Posted by pinniped
Aren't there a couple of Marriotts on the gulf coast of Florida that are supposed to be very good? Marco Island, Clearwater, etc.?
I've been to Marco Island pre-renovation and it was terrific. I don't recall anything really within walking distance, but taxis likely shouldn't be too expensive.
bitburgr is offline  
Old Jul 27, 2016, 1:13 pm
  #14  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC / TYO / Up in the Air
Programs: UA 1k (12 year fallen GS) 1.7MM, AA 2.1MM, EK, BA, SQ, CX, Marriot LT, Accor P
Posts: 6,190
Originally Posted by bitburgr
I've been to Marco Island pre-renovation and it was terrific. I don't recall anything really within walking distance, but taxis likely shouldn't be too expensive.
Completely agree - although if OP was looking for a pristine beach I found the Marco Island location to have a beach that was more sharp seashell pieces than sand... The Clearwater Beach marriott resort is excellent - the beach across the street (they have a golf cart shuttle to drive you over) is fantastic and not crowded, while the resort pool and area are more geared towards families...

You are literally right there in Clearwater beach and have easy access to shops and restaurants.
bmwe92fan is offline  
Old Jul 27, 2016, 2:05 pm
  #15  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: EWR
Programs: UA Gold, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Silver, Hertz
Posts: 432
Originally Posted by freeflyin
That being said, I agree with the suggestion of Harbor Beach in Florida for a long weekend. Easy travel,no customs to cut into your relaxation time and plenty to offer in the area.
This is one of the reasons we liked going to San Juan...no customs, passport control. We were literally at our hotel within 20 minutes of landing.
jtwiz is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.