Best Use of Marriott Rewards
 

We are planning a family vacation for early August and will be using my Marriott Rewards for our Hotel. We're considering Hilton Head, Point Clear (Alabama), or Clearwater (Florida). Not sure if there are other Marriotts on the beach in Southeast.

Which Marriott would be the best choice? The Marriott Beach Hotel is Hilton Head has received many bad reviews. The Clearwater Marriott is a suite hotel, but is not directly on the beach. I don't have much information on the Marriott in Point Clear, AL. We're driving from the Midwest, so South Florida might be too far. Also, our kids are ages 9, 6, & 4. Thanks.

Hi Mgib,

We also travel using our Marriott Rewards points. We have never stayed at the Marriott Suites in Clearwater but we stayed in a condo across the street from it. As far as location is concerned, it's on a main street lined with condos and hotels - the sea on one side, the lagoon on the other (the Marriott is on the lagoon side). But like the Marriott website says, the beach is only 200 meters away, across the street. Or you can always take a walk across the bridge, or a short trolley ride to the other side and go to the more public beach. They have kids activities there like a giant slide, trampoline, kid's park and lots of restaurants and gift shops and bars (lots of fun at night too).

The suite has fridge and microwave so you can go do a few groceries and have your breakfasts and lunches there if you want. That's what we did with our condo and it was great.

Sorry, don't know the other hotels...

My daughter and I just returned from a stay at the Sheraton right across the street from the Marriott Clearwater Beach. We were both glad that we weren't staying at the Marriott. It is quite a long walk across a busy street to get to the beach behind the Sheraton. I think that lugging small kids and beach supplies to that beach or to the public beach would be a chore. The Marriott pool looks nice, but the hotel itself is surrounded by concrete with no lush landscaping or grounds at all.

There is a small strip mall next to the Marriott that has a few tacky souvenir shops, a pizza place, an ice-cream place and a few other restaurants that would not really be places for small children.

I found the traffic getting in and out of Clearwater Beach to be horrible and my daughter and I couldn't really find much to do there on rainy days. We had to drive quite a ways back to the mainland to find something to do.

I might look at one of the other Marriotts you're considering more closely. Hope this helps!

I didn't realize until I looked on TripAdvisor that the Marriott in Point Clear, AL, is the Grand Hotel. The Grand is a very popular hotel and I know many people who have really enjoyed their stays there. It is not on the Gulf of Mexico; rather, it's on Mobile Bay. It is a short drive from the town of Fairhope, which is a really cute little walking/shopping town. I'm sure you would love staying at the Grand but I don't think it's really a great place for a family vacation. I would try to find a Marriott directly on a beach instead and closer to the "action". I'll get back to you if I remember any other Marriotts that fit that bill.

Check out Bay Point Marriott Resort in Panama City. I'm not usually one to recommend Panama City but this looks like a great resort where you can go to the beach, bike ride in the nature preserve, play in the pool, etc. Looks like a good place to be with kids. Maybe someone else out there has been there. You may want to do a specific post asking about it.

There is a category 6 Marriott in Myrtle Beach, SC.
I have not been to Myrtle, but there is action and I hear it is a great beach.

The Marriott in Myrtle Beach is brand new, and it is located in a great area of MB (the northern edge of MB). The Marriott is part of a very large upscale development, Grande Dunes, that stretches from oceanfront--where the Marriott is--to the inland side of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Although MB is very crowded in early August, the area the Marriott is in is largely residential, so the beach will look vastly different from the heart of MB.

The Myrtle Beach Marriott is wonderful. We are going back for our third visit in a year. They have twin infinity pools with cascading water between them. My kids love the water slide. My only warning is you need a car to be able to enjoy Myrtle Beach.

just saw your post. Hope you had a good time, wherever you went. Next time, consider the Marriott Vacation Club in West Palm Beach. It is right on the ocean and you can get a two bedroom suite there which is wonderful for a family. Great property with everything available.

I have stayed at the Marco Island Marriott and loved it. It is right on the beach and has a great kids' pool with a waterfall, slide, etc.