miller4isu

Opinions and suggestions wanted!

I currently have 300k+ MR points, and with the increase in points needed for MVC properties coming soon, I am wanting to spend some points for a nice vacation.
I currently have a 2 bedroom villa at the Marbella Beach Resort booked for 2 weeks next May.
There will be 2 couples traveling, and it looks to me like one of the MVC properties in a 2 bedroom villa is currently the best use of points.
Next May the marbella Beach Resort is offering a pointsaver award, so the number of points needed for 2 weeks in a 2 bedroom villa is only 164,000.

We would like to take a few 2-day trips to other places (Rome, Athens, etc), and flights seem pretty cheap from AGP.

Do you think this would be a good use of points?
Is there somewhere else I should be looking?
We dont' really care WHERE we go - we just want 2 couples to go somewhere fun/interesting for 2 weeks.
Basically, if you had 300K+ MR points, where would YOU go (if the hotel selected only has regular hotel rooms, 2 rooms would be needed)?

I'm open to suggestions!

kchilde

We stayed for a week late March. It was great. They were revamping the beach while we were there, but I am sure that is finished by now. I have no complaints whatsoever.

It is hard to find. My GPS was of no help. We ended up driving 30 miles further to the Marriott Anduluza and they gave us directions.

miller4isu

Thanks kchilde!
What was the weather like that time of year? You mentioned the beach - was the weather nice enough for the beach in March?
Would you recommend renting a car while there?

Starbucks

I ve been to Marbella Beach Club twice (albeit using MVCI weeks) and it is a nice MVCI resort. IMHO it is worth 164k points however be aware that May is not high season. Therefore i am almost certain that one can access resort inventory not only with MR points but might be able to buy those weeks through other channels for a "cheap" price.

As for renting a car, i would strongly suggest renting one. There are quite a few places within the area that are worth a visit (Ronda, Gibraltar, Alhambra/Grenada...) and require a rental car. Also beeing able to drive along the coast to visit some restaurants is a big plus.

kchilde

We had a rental car and used it daily. With that being said, here are several good places to eat on the beach within walking distance. The hotel also offers guided tours to all major destinations and reasonable cost. Their Gibraltar trip is a bargain. We spent more doing it ourselves and got less.

IuLiA

I think it's worht it, 2 bedroom for 2 weeks, not bad!
May is not high season, but it's nice, it will be less crowded.

dlwalt

No brainer - for two weeks. We stayed there two years ago and really enjoyed our stay. Food is expensive but with a condo, you can go to a local market as well. Plus nothing beats Spanish wine.

annerj

How much would this cost in cash?

164k sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

jerseyfinn

This weather in Marbella site has tables which give an idea of the weather one should expect -- in other words, very good weather, though not warm water if swimming in the Mediterranean is on your list.

Otherwise, there are tons of things to do in the region itself such as Cuevas de la Pileta ( paleolithic cave paintings north of Ronda ) and all sorts of drives and excursions into the mountains where the white villages are -- with opportunity to arrange personal dining experiences in homes. Granada is within driving distance, as is Sevilla ( I'd suggest Carjet for car hire -- they're a consolidator who consistently delivers the best rates ). The resort can set up a day trip to Morocco. Keep in mind that one can catch a fast train to Madrid from Malaga ( 2 hours plus ?) Likewise resort concierge could help with hotels in Granada or Sevilla for more personalized overnight regional travel. Also arrangements for horseback riding or hiking can be made as this time of year might not be too bad for that either.

We ourselves own at the two MVC Costa del Sol resorts and we've had our eye on an overnight excursion to Bilbao and the Guggenheim Museum ( flying out of AGP ). I would seriously consider a couple of nights in Barcelona as it's an easy flight and a fantastic sightseeing and dining city. Ponder also the Picasso Museum in Malaga or a day trip to Gibraltar. You might not even have to leave Spain, though your idea is also an excellent thought.

You've found a great use for the MR points. Enjoy your trip.

Barry

miller4isu

Annerj,
With the current conversion rate, it would cost about $5,800 US for the same 2 week period (The Villa runs $300 Euro duing that time).

Jerseyfinn,
Thanks for all the suggestions!

When does 'high season' typically begin? Would we be better off waiting a few weeks/a month?

Thanks for all your help!
Miller4isu

jerseyfinn

The high season, known as Platinum season at MVC, runs from July through August at the two Costa del Sol resorts ( also a couple of other weeks at the Marbella resort). I doubt very much that Marriott makes many award weeks availible during that time, as these resorts book to capacity during platinum season and demand greatly exceeds supply for the timeshare folks let along people coming in via Marriott.com. So you're sitting pretty with May weeks. You're still gonna have very nice weather in May although the chance of some rain exists as the wet season falls off. But rain would not be a deal breaker here as there are so many things to do with your time.

Actually June and September have basically the same weather as peak season, just a few degrees cooler. These months are also in demand, though one might snag a week in this time window if you plan ahead & are mindful of when the various European school and bank holidays are. You'll have lots of daylight in May. Enhancing this effect is that Spain is GMT +1 hour despite the fact that Spain is about the same longitude as the UK. This makes for later sunsets and more time to do things ( & conversely darker mornings -- in five years of doing two visits a year, we have yet to see the sun when we leave for the airport the last morning). In the summer, it doesn't get dark until 10PM. It's no trouble for a guest to adapt to the later dining hours of Andalucía. We ourselves usually eat dinner after 9PM as we really get into the entire experience.

Have fun planning your journey. Feel free to PM if you have any questions along the way.

Barry

ghia74

In September my wife and I are taking our kids (ages 2 and 4) to Spain. With the help of some advice from the Europe forum I have decided to use Marbella as a base to relax after Barcelona and see Gibraltar. Because of the kids I am thinking the easiest option is to rent a car at the airport in Malaga, drive to Marbella, stay there for 3 days, drive to Gibraltar and than onto Seville where we will spend a day before flying back to Mardrid to catch our flight home.

I have some Marriot points I would like to use and reading this forum the Marbella Beach Resort seems to be a better option then Andaluza. Is this correct? Neither however have redemption rates yet for September and if I have to pay Andaluza seems the less expensive option.

Also, does anyone disagree with my transportation idea? With the places I want to hit there does not seem to be direct public transportation options, that's why I think a rental car will be my best option. The only other thing I can think of is taking a shuttle to Marbella from the airport and renting the car in Marbella on Day 3.

MIKEM

I'm planning a trip there in September as well. Let's stay in touch.

CCIE_Flyer

I have driven by that property many times but never stepped foot inside. On the surface, the number of nights for the number of points in such a wonderful location sounds like a really good deal. I prefer Sevilla to Marbella but the beach sure is nice! I may look into that deal myself...

stimpy

I'm here now and it is a great place for families. And there are a lot of them here now with school holidays going on across Europe. I'm here on a BA/Marriott Vacations promo. The sales pitch wasn't bad at all.

The only problem is that today is the Day of the Dead and all the food outlets except the top restaurant are closed. You can't even get a drink by the pool today. That's unheard of at a resort IME. I know it's an important holiday in Spain, but there aren't many Spanish guests here!