caribbean, mexico, and hawaiian marriotts
 

Hi All, this has been asked a zillion times, but...
We have used points at the Aruba Marriott Stellaris and the Grand Cayman Marriott. We enjoyed both of our trips!
Looking to use Marriott points again next year. We usually travel with another family and meet and use our marriott points. Kids range from 12 to 16.
Have thought about Hawaii. We used Hilton points there a couple of years ago. Have thought about Mexico. Not sure if this is a good place for teens? What islands have you been that you liked for your family by staying at a Marriott?
We like decent food, nice beaches, snorkel and scuba diving. Activities are a plus because of my DH and all the teens! :)
Also has anyone tried using marriott points at Ritz carltons? Is it a big jump in point requirements?
Thanks!

I have an 11 year old and a 15 year old. Definitely take a look at the Curacao and St. Kitts Marriotts -- great for families. We also enjoyed the Marriott Waikiki -- right across from the beach and a great base for activities such as Pearl Harbor and climbing Diamond Head. Another you might want to consider is the Marriott Los Suenos in Costa Rica -- it's on our list for points usage! Never really wanted to use the points for the Ritz Carltons because it's so much more points that personally for me it's not a "good" use of points -- I would rather get an entire week free than only 2 days!

We loved St. Kitts and the Marriott is vey nice. We also used points but paid extra $ for a 1 BR suite. It had a small kitchen, washer and dryer and was very nice. The hotel is on a lovely beach on the Atlantic side. The island is relatively undeveloped (other than the Marriott) and has fields of sugar cane. We took an island tour, my husband and older son hiked the volcano (with a guide) and we took the catamaran to Nevis.

Thanks to both of you!

Eileen, I didn't realize the Ritz would be so many more points. I guess I should have known that. The St. Thomas Ritz was looking very nice. :)

The Marriott Los Suenos in Costa Rica was peaking my interest. I wonder how close it is to all of the sights?

St.Kitts looks very nice. Can you snorkel or scuba dive in and around st.kitts?
Curacao gets great reviews.It is not the easiest destination to get to. We usually fly Delta. Is snorkel/scuba diving good in Curacao?
The Aruba Marriott was busy and had lots to do. The Cayman Marriott was quieter,but was easy access for lots to do.
Please keep the advice coming!

St. Kitts is not known for its snorkeling but we had some luck on th catamran trip and at a spot our guide took us to - don't know the name of the beach. I know nothing about diving but I don't think St. Kitts would be the spot.

The snorkeling is way better in Curacao than in St. Kitts. We found Curacao easy to get to as it's only a 2 1/2 flight from Miami but I think that's on American. We liked the Curacao Marriott lots more than the St. Kitts Marriott -- it's smaller, low-rise, rooms closer to the beach, more of an open-air Caribbean feel. We used points in St. Kitts and it was just okay -- we actually paid in Curacao and I thought it was a great value -- if you get a beachfront executive room you have more space (a couch and a coffee table area) and you can literally walk out of your sliding doors to the beach. We were really close to the water. What I liked about St. Kitts Marriott -- the beach is large and you can walk for a good 30 - 40 minutes until you hit rocks and can't go any further. Also, the golf was very good. I've also been to the Aruba Marriott, if you like lots of space and fewer crowds, you will like St. Kitts or Curacao better because in Aruba the three high rise Marriott resorts in a row make for a lot of people in a very small space!

Thanks!

I was researching marriott on line last night. Looking at the different islands, countries, etc...

We liked both the Aruba and Cayman Marriotts. One was huge, one was much smaller. Both islands were fun.
The St. Kitts Marriott looked huge like the Aruba Marriott but without the crowds :)When we went to Aruba, the Surf Club wasn't built yet. So, it was only the two Marriotts on the beach. St. Kitts,the island itself is very quiet looking? We do like to snorkel, so maybe this would not be the best.
Curacao looks very nice as well. Are the pool areas nice? The Cayman Marriott had a small pool. We don't really care because we are beach people, and have a pool at home, but our friends love the pools and were disappointed in the Cayman pool.
The Los Suenos Marriott on Fodors Latin America board gets a bad beach review. So, I don't think that would be a good choice since we love to swim and snorkel in the ocean.
Thanks for the replies and feedback. If you have anything else to add, I would appreciate it. I am going to look on ways to get to Curacao again...

Yeah! Delta is now flying to Curacao!

We've stayed at the Marriott on Big Island, Hawaii and I think it's a great place to go with kids that age and the snorkeling is pretty good.

Snorkeling isn't so good on St.Kitts and I've not been to the Marriott as it wasn't built when I lived there 18 years ago! It was definitely a sleepy island back then...

Mexico would be a great place to go with teens but not so much if they're likely to want to drink. I'd recommend the Akumal/ Tulum area but there isn't a Marriott there only great snorkeling and cenotes plus Mayan ruins... and I wouldn't want to spend a week in Cancun.

Thinking about using our Marriott points in GCayman or Costa Rica in 2009!

We went to Big Island last year and used Hilton points. That resort was probably one of Hilton's best. We went to the luau over at the Marriott one night next door.
So, I definitely enjoyed our stay there and would go back.

I am not sure about Cancun. My DH and I went for about 4 days on a business trip and I don't think it is the place where I want the teens to wander off.

GC is great. The Marriott is small, but very new and recently refurbished. The island itself is really friendly and there are tons of watersports available.