Where to Use Marriott Rewards?!
 

Message: My husband and I have lots of Marriott Reward points to cash in for 25th Anniversary trip in September. We can go pretty much anywhere in the world there is a Marriott or affiliate that will accept the rewards. We love Hawaii and have been sevaral times and would consider it again. Our qualifications would be a great beach and pool area and in an interesting location for day trips. . Any suggestions?

It sounds like you are looking for hotel ideas, but if you need frequent flyer miles, we transferred our Marriott points to miles on our Northwest account.

HIGHLY recommend The Marriott Champs-Elysees--my husband and I stayed there on our 20th Anniversary (and plan on going back to Paris for our 25th!)

Other Marriotts we've stayed at and have enjoyed are the Marquis in NYC, the County Inn in London, and The Marbella Beach Resort in Spain.

While I love Marriott, I'm a bit disappointed that their rewards don't transfer 1 to 1 for air miles, so IMO, you're better off using them for the hotels and having another card for FF miles (we have AMEX for that) where you will get a 1 to 1 transfer rate.

I agree you should not rule out Marriott's many wonderful city locations. Here are my favourites among both:

JW Marriott Phuket, Thailand (great pools, great spa, beautiful beach)

Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa, Bangkok, Thailand (best pool in SE Asia, nice location on the river, great spa, could be combined with a Phuket and Hong Kong trip, go to the Asia board; there is a JW Marriott in Bangkok which is also very nice, but I like the riverside location better)

JW Marriott Hong Kong (has a nice pool and Hong Kong at your feet)

Singapore Marriott (nice pool, and Singapore at your feet)

Surfer's Paradise Marriott Resort, Gold Coast, Australia

Sydney Harbour Marriott, Sydney Australia

Goa Marriott, Goa India (beautiful pool, close to but not on a beach)

Marriott Shanghai (brand spanking new in an amazing city)

Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Rome Marriott Hotel Grand Flora, Rome (no pool, but it is Rome! Beautifully restored building. Best Bellini's in Rome, IMO)

Berlin Marriott (brand spanking new, great location in a fascinating city)

Marriott County Hall, London (great river location, lovely old building)

Renaissance Chancery Court, London (beautifully restored building, great spa)

Prague Marriott
Prague Renaissance
(both are standard international hotels, but it is Prague and you aren't paying)

Renaissance Tunis, Tunisia, wonderful beach and pool

If you can use Marriott points at Ritz-Carlton's, then in descending order of preference

Ritz-Carlton Bali
Ritz-Carlton Singapore
Hotel Arts, Barcelona (great pool and beach as well as the fantastic city)
Ritz-Carlton Dubai
Ritz-Carlton, St Thomas
Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong

Some Marriott beach resorts I haven't been to but which get good reviews:

JW Marriott Cancun
Marriott Frenchmen's Reef, St Thomas
Aruba Marriott

You get more "bang for the buck" in an expensive city like London. The Renaissance Chancery Court is great.

Thank you for all the suggestions! I was up for a city type trip but my husband only takes one vacation a year and really wants to relax in a beach type setting....I am deffering, maybe that is why we have lasted 25 years!!

I had the same decision to make recently and ... looking for a beach vacation ... the Marriott Curacao was recommended by many people especially if you like snorkling. We ended up changing our beach plans and we are heading for CA to see relatives and friends instead ... so we are using our points to add Las Vegas to the end or our trip. The JW Marriott in Las Vegas (not on strip) gets great reviews.

Mary,
If you went to the Marriott Marbella in Spain you could have the best of both worlds...it's right on the beach, but close to fabulous places such as Alhambra in Granada, the Picasso Museum and palace in Malaga, the caves in Nerja, Ronda, to name but a few. But I'm extremely in love with Spain, so am a bit bias.

We used our Marriott rewards twice. We stayed at the Marriott Key West for one week. Another year, we stayed at the Marriott Stellaris Resort in Aruba. We loved Aruba and will probably return. Lots of places to snorkel and much to see. We have never been to Hawaii, but have heard the Marriott resorts are terrific. Good luck and congratulations on your 25th.

We just celebrated our 25th two weeks ago on the RCCL Navigator Eastern Caribbean. FABULOUS TRIP!

Thanks again...Artlover, how is the beach in Marbella? Do you know anything about the new Marriott Playa Andaluza in Estepona? I got the impression from something I read that the beaches are not as sandy and beautiful as they are in other places.

True, the beaches aren't as nice as some other places, but I'm not a big beach person, and the art, architecture, and ambience of Spain are what draw me. But the beach is nice, not great, and there are some very nice beaches nearby and the resort is beautiful--the units are all marble and have kitchens and laundry rooms and the staff have always been incredibly helpful.

We drove by Estepona, but can't really tell you much about it. Some Fodorites have stayed there and maybe they'll reply.