We recently celebrated my husband’s birthday by staying at the JW Marriott on Marco Island and wow! We had the best weekend! I wish we could have stayed there longer but between work and school, we did not want to miss too much time. So, we stayed there for the weekend and packed a lot into our short stay.
My husband and I both agreed this was one of our favorite stays anywhere; there was something for all of us to enjoy. Between hunting for seashells on the beach, enjoying the sunsets, participating in the kid’s activities, playing at the arcade, and swimming in the pool, we were never short of something to do.
The resort was beautiful, the sand was the perfect soft white sand you expect from this area, ocean water was calm and beautiful, and the pool accommodated kids of all ages.
This was a wonderful family vacation spot and we would love to go back!
Related Posts: Must Have Items to Bring to a Resort with Kids
Rooms & Pricing
This resort offers various room types. In the standard rooms, they have a king bed or two queen bed option. And the standard rooms have a tropical view, pool and gulf view, or gulf view option. Since it was my husband’s birthday, I booked us a gulf view room and the view was beautiful. I think the pool and gulf view would have been nice as well. But we loved sitting out on the balcony each night or each morning with a cup of coffee and enjoying the view.
The room was spacious with two queen beds, a desk, chair, TV, and mini fridge.
The bathroom area was on the larger side for a resort and had two sinks, a large shower, and a water closet that was separated with a true door. There was also a decent-sized closet that was in the bathroom area. The closet had 3 drawers, which worked perfectly for each of my kids. I like to put their packing cubes (I use Go Skoot) inside the drawer. One complaint I had about the bathroom is that it did not have any hooks or anywhere I could hang suits. At a beach resort, we deal with a lot of wet swimsuits.
The balcony was a good size and if you have read some of my other posts, you may know that I love a good balcony and am going to have an opinion on it. This one was large enough to be able to move around and there was a table with two chairs, which we made good use of while enjoying our view each day.
The resort has a few options for rooms. They are listed below with pricing starting points. But keep in mind that pricing will vary based on what room option you choose, when you go, and what view you want. March and April will be high prices due to spring break and so will major holidays such as New Year’s Eve and 4th of July. Below I include base line pricing but please note, these rates are as of the time I reviewed. Resort pricing fluctuates and is always subject to change.
- Standard Rooms (402 sq ft) – These rooms have a king sized bed or two queen sized beds option. And you can choose from a tropical view, pool and partial gulf view, or gulf view.
- Price: $675+ (spring break rates will be close to $1,000 per night starting)
- Terrace Suite (800 sq ft) – This is a suite that has a bedroom with a king-sized bed. It has a separate living room and dining room. But the big draw, to me, with this room is the terrace. It is huge and has two lounge chairs and a dining table with chairs. If you were getting married at this resort, this would be a great room to be able to host people the morning of your wedding. All of these rooms appeared to be on the top floor of the resort; I could see the pergolas while we were there.
- Price: $1,575+
- Lanai Suite (800 sq ft) – This suite has the option of getting a room with one king bed or two queen beds. It has a separate living room with a pull-out sofa and dining room. It has a wet bar area with a sink, mini fridge, and microwave, which would be really nice if you were staying here for longer than a weekend with kids. These are located on the first or second floor of the resort and include a good-sized balcony with lounge chairs.
- Price: $1,625+
- Sirene Rooms (409-459sq ft) – These rooms are for 21+ so were not a consideration for us but would be great for a couples or friends getaway. They have options with a king bed or two queen beds and various views.
- Price: $795+
The room pricing is expensive but if you are a points person like I am, look into how you can use your points. That’s what I did. The resort is worth your points, in my opinion anyways.
The Pools
The resort has 3 pools; there is the tiki pool which is the family-oriented pool, Quinn’s pool, and Paradise by Sirene pool which is a rooftop pool for 21+. We never saw the sirene pool so I can’t speak to that. But Quinn’s pool and tiki pool were both very nice.
We spent all our time at the tiki pool and it was wonderful! My kids loved it here. There was an area that had zero entry with some water features for kids. The area was shallow and it was roped off before it got too deep. This area was perfect for kids of all ages. If you have a toddler, you will love this area. But my older two had fun with it as well.
The pool was very large, so it allowed plenty of people to be in there without it feeling too crowded. There was one circular area that had a bench seat all around it. I liked this for my youngest. He would jump off it and then swim right back. In one spot there is a large set of steps leading into the pool, this is also nice for younger kids because they were very wide steps. The top one almost felt like a sun shelf.
The pool also has a waterfall and a slide. We spent a lot of time at both.
The Beach
The beach at this resort was absolutely gorgeous! And huge! We did a lot of walking going between the beach and pool. The sand is the perfect soft white sand that you think of. And the water was beautiful and calm, which was great for being able to swim and float in.
There are lots of seashells on the sand and my youngest and I had fun walking along the beach looking for shells. But my husband and older two would get in the water (they didn’t go far) at low tide and they found the best shells. My husband just had to dig down in the sand a little bit with his hands and feet. They were doing this in the morning, but low tide was also right around sunset. So, we got there an hour before and they went shelling while we watched the sun set. It was perfect.
The resort has beach chairs that are included in the price of your stay. But also has other options for an additional charge that I will talk about later. They opened the beach for chair service at 9am and we were there just after 9, so we were able to get front row seats with a great view.
We brought our sand toys (this set is great if you need to travel) and a soccer ball and football. With the beach being so big, there is plenty of space for everyone to spread out.
Activities & Excursions
On the Saturday that we were there, the resort had the best activities for kids. And their recreation coordinator was great, she brought the energy.
At 11am, they had a foam party on the beach for the kids!! It was SO cool and I just kept thinking what a fun memory for all of these kids.
At 1pm, there was a pool noddle race at the pool. It was a lot of fun for the kids and my oldest won the race, so he was really excited. He got to pick a prize out of the treasure chest they had. They did a second race for the little kids and let the parents help those kids if needed. My youngest (he’s 3) did that one and it was so cute.
At 2:45, my husband rented a jet ski and took a turn with each of my older two out on it. They had the best time! This is an additional cost, and you can book through the huts on the beach. We did the 30-minute rental (they have a 1-hour rental option as well) and that was $145.
Later in the evening, right after sunset, we watched the fire dancer perform their sunset celebration. The kids loved this!
These are some of what we did but here are a lot of activities and excursions:
- Tiki Day Camp – This is their kids club for kids ages 5-10 where they do kid-friendly activities with Marriott’s recreation team.
- Activities led by their recreation team (such as the foam party and pool noodle race); check their calendar to find out what is being offered and the times
- Sunset celebration – Fire dancer performs at sunset
- Fishing charters
- Everglades excursions
- Calusa spirit eco tour – a large group boat tour that will get you out on the water and looking for seashells
- Sailing & Shelling Tour on a 6-person catamaran (note: the minimum age is 5)
- Water Adventures – jet ski rental, banana boat, paddle boarding
- 10k Alley – This is their arcade that we will talk about in further detail below
- Golf course
- Spa
10K Alley
There is an arcade at this resort called 10K Alley and it is the best arcade we have been to at a resort.
My kids love arcades and I like having one as an option at any Florida resort we go to because the weather can be so unpredictable. We have been to some resort arcades where you will maybe spend 30 minutes to an hour there. But this one can be an entire experience.
10K Alley has a restaurant and a large bar. So, if weather is bad, you could eat lunch or dinner there and then let the kids play in the arcade. It even has a small mini golf course and bowling alley. The bowling lanes are about half the size of a regular bowling alley, and the balls are smaller too, but it is just as fun. My kids loved it.
We went there late in the afternoon the two days we were there before we walked down to the beach for sunset. It provided a nice break from the sun after a full beach and pool day.
The only negative is that it is pricey, and the cost can add up quickly. We filled a card with $55, and it lasted us about an hour going at a slow pace (keep in mind I have 3 kids). Bowling and mini golf were $12 for each but it allowed us to play a game for a longer period versus flying through the arcade games.
Cabanas & Premium Seating Options
We went to the resort in September, which is not high season, so we did not have any issues finding a place to sit by the pool or beach. On Friday, we were down at the tiki pool around 1pm and there was plenty of seating. So, there was no need on our trip to stress about getting chairs early. But I would not be surprised if spring break time is a different story. So, they do have premium seating options you can reserve.
Let’s talk through the options:
- Poolside Loungers at both the Tiki Pool and Quinn’s Pool – $32+
- Two premium waterfront beach loungers – $80+
- Premium & Platinum Pool Cabana at Quinn’s Pool – $475+
- Premium Chickee Hut – $150+
- Premium Waterfront Beach Daybed – $150+
Dining
This resort has several restaurants to be able to choose from. We thought all of the food we ordered was good and we really enjoyed our experience at Quinn’s.
Let’s talk through the dining options:
- Quinn’s – This restaurant was newly renovated and serves American food and coastal seafood; we ate here for my husband’s birthday and sat outside, and it was a wonderful experience. We had a beautiful view, good food, and the beach was right there so the kids were able to run around while we waited for our food. They have tables and chairs directly in the sand as well, which would be really nice. But we ate there before sunset so those options would have had the sun beaming down on us.
- Mosaico – We ordered lunch here on the full day we were there and it worked well; they have pizza and a few sandwiches you can choose from. You can get it to go or eat there at their outdoor dining tables. We brought ours down to the beach to eat.
- Café San Marco – This is where we got breakfast each morning; it is a market with coffee and grab and go options.
- Ario – This is a fine-dining steakhouse; we did not eat here so I can’t speak to it
- 10K Alley – We loved 10K Alley, but we did not eat here; they have a restaurant though and this would be a great option if it was raining or the kids wanted to spend time at the arcade
- Tesoro – This restaurant is 21+ to go with their Sirene, adults only, option. So, we did not eat here but it’s an Italian restaurant and is a nice option to have if you are having an adult only trip
- Maia – This restaurant offers a sit-down breakfast experience; we rarely do sit down restaurants for breakfast at resorts, so we did not try this one, but the restaurant itself looked nice
- Kane Tiki Bar & Grill – This restaurant is located next to the pool and serves American food that you would typically see at a poolside restaurant at a resort. They also have tables and chairs in the sand and that would be a great option once the sun goes down for dinner.
- Korals Sushi & Cocktail Lobby Bar – We walked by this several times and it looked nice, but we never ate there. If you are in the mood for a drink and sushi, this would be the perfect spot.
- Room Service – The resort does offer room service, and we ordered from their menu our first night.
How We Spent our Day at the Resort
We were there for a weekend and although we got there as early as we could on Friday, Saturday was our one full day at the resort. And this is what our day looked like.
7:30am – Pick up coffee and breakfast from Café San Marco and bring back to the room to sit on the balcony and enjoy the view
9am – Head down to the beach to get chairs for the day
9am – 3pm – We spent our day going between the pool and the beach
11am – Foam party on the beach
12pm – Brought food from Mosaico down to the beach for lunch (note: when eating at the beach, our kids have to eat all of their lunch and it is then immediately cleaned up because of the birds; we do not leave food sitting out)
1pm – Pool noodle race at the pool
2:45pm – Jet ski rental for 30 minutes, my husband took each of my older boys out for 15 minutes
3:30pm – Head back to the room to shower and have some down time
4:30pm – 5:30pm – 10K Alley
5:30pm – Dinner at Quinn’s
6:30pm – Hung out at the beach looking for shells while the sun set
7:25pm – Watch the fire dancer at the sunset ceremony
8pm – Head up to our room to get ready for bed and relax; my husband and I hung out on the balcony at night and enjoyed our view
Overall Feedback & FAQs
Overall, we absolutely loved this resort. My husband and I both agreed (as well as our kids) that this was one of our favorite resorts. Both the beach and the pool were beautiful and so much fun for everyone. I loved the activities that the resort provided (seriously a foam party?!) and it will be hard to top this experience.
I would have loved to have another day to do a seashell excursion, but we will just have to come back again. Upgrading to a nice view was worth it in my opinion because we loved sitting on our balcony each morning and each night and enjoying the view. 10K Alley exceeded our expectations of a resort arcade, and it will be hard to go back to one of the small ones at other resorts.
For me, the only two negatives I would call out are 1) the wear and tear of the rooms, you can tell it is an older building but the rooms are clean and renovated and 2) I need some hooks or something in the bathroom so I have a place for all of our wet suits.
FAQs
Is JW Marriott worth the price? In my opinion, yes. I’m sure Spring break time may have very high rates but prices when we were there were more reasonable. You can also use points for your stay so if you are a points person like me, make sure to check that as an option.
Did you like the balcony? As a balcony person at resorts, I can safely say that I really liked this balcony. It was spacious enough to have us all out there and actually enjoy it.
Is upgrading your room to a gulf view worth it? To me, it was. We had coffee out there each morning and then sat out there in the evening while the kids watched a movie to wind down from the day. It felt like a date night.
Is the resort kid friendly? Yes. There are a lot of families here and the resort has lots of kind-friendly activities.
What is your favorite dining option? Café San Marco for breakfast, Mosaico to go for lunch, and Quinn’s for dinner.
Is the pool heated? Yes, the pool is heated.
Which cabana do you recommend? We did not reserve any premium seating at this resort. With the time of year we went, we didn’t think it was necessary. But I really loved the chickee hut or the waterfront beach daybed options. I would consider renting those if needed.
Where can I get coffee? Café San Marco. It is located on the lobby level. If you are getting off the elevators, walk the opposite way of the lobby. I call this out as someone who walked around for 20 minutes trying to find coffee the first morning 😊
Is there a kids club? Yes, the resort has a kids club with different options and activities.
What is the cost? That will depend on when you go and what accommodation option you choose. The rooms and pricing section at the beginning of this post provides additional details.
Is there a parking fee? Yes, it is $40 for self-parking and $55 for valet.