Best Marriott Resort with beach that is ideal for walking (hard packed sand at waters edge)?

[Boomer44]

Hi all,
We are Marriott timeshare owners in the midwest. We are looking to branch out and expand our travel. We love a beautiful resort and walking the beach. Our favorites include Marco Island, Naples, Sanibel and Captiva (all damaged by hurricanes in recent years), Cancun, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, Longboat Key had excellent beaches for walking. Ko olina (no real beach to walk but we did love our trip)
We have been looking at Aruba and the beach looks like is it is full of resorts and dining spots with minimal open space for long beach walks. Thoughts?
Name your favorite spots US or Caribbean with a great resort and fabulous beach to enjoy walking, sunsets etc. Thanks so much.

 

[Pamplemousse]

For places with MVC in addition to those you’ve listed I would add Maui Ocean club and one of the Singer Island /Palm Beach resorts.
We did stay at Aruba ocean club and I think I recall room for a nice beach walk?
For Hilton Head we enjoyed beach walks at Barony and Grande Ocean.
We have been back to Marco Island since the hurricane and there is still good beach walking.

 

[ljmiii]

I'm surprised by what you wrote about Aruba because the one thing the Palm Beach area did have going for it was well over a mile of uninterrupted sand from north of the RC to the jetties to the south. That said, Aruba was a 'once and done' for us because it was dry, dry, dry with a bathtub for an ocean and no local culture to speak of (at least in Palm Beach).

The MVC South Beach (in Miami) has a great beach that goes for miles. As does any of the ocean front Hilton Head resorts.

 

[dioxide45]

Here is a fairly recent thread talking about favorite beach resorts.

Your top MVC beach resort?

We have a deeded week at NCV but we'd like to use our points to try some new resorts. What is your favorite beach-y, family friendly (preferably 2 bedroom) resorts to try?

tugbbs.com

 

[jme]

Hilton head beaches for the Marriott "Big Three" + Monarch resorts are very wide and are zero-entry.
The surf created from the small-to-moderate sized waves roll out to an inch or less, and walking outward from there
the water depth increases gradually.....you can walk out 20-30 feet an still only have your ankles covered-----
10 yards and only be up to your knees, 20 yards and to your waist.

The beaches in these areas are as flat as they can get....no surprises. That goes specifically for beaches at Grande Ocean & Monarch (only 1 mile apart),
and then Barony & Surfwatch which are close to each other too, but several miles farther North up the beach...
Grande Ocean and Monarch definitely have the widest beaches of the group.
The widest beach on the island is located in front of Grande Ocean. It's why the original first hotel, the William Hilton Inn, located there on the widest stretch decades ago, which is the exact location where MGO located after Marriott bulldozed the old hotel.)
Barony and Surfwatch are very similar but a bit shorter beach, and they have a slight incline near the water, so the walking area is still quite plentiful.
Still very wide but not like Grande Ocean.
The dunes in front of all four Marriotts are gorgeous, Barony actually being my favorite, but those are located well off the water.
Any of the four mentioned would well suit your purposes, and ideal for walking, biking, laying out, playing beach games, etc.

 

[andre10056]

Hi all,
We are Marriott timeshare owners in the midwest. We are looking to branch out and expand our travel. We love a beautiful resort and walking the beach. Our favorites include Marco Island, Naples, Sanibel and Captiva (all damaged by hurricanes in recent years), Cancun, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, Longboat Key had excellent beaches for walking. Ko olina (no real beach to walk but we did love our trip)
We have been looking at Aruba and the beach looks like is it is full of resorts and dining spots with minimal open space for long beach walks. Thoughts?
Name your favorite spots US or Caribbean with a great resort and fabulous beach to enjoy walking, sunsets etc. Thanks so much.

Since you make mention the Caribbean, you might want to consider that this year is a particularly bad one for Sargassum seaweed. I'm sure you wouldn't enjoy walking on a beach like this (this happens to have been a picture of a Belize beach but is representative of what's going on throughout the Caribbean):

That picture was posted in post #19 in a TUG thread, as follows:

ALERT ALERT for southeast Florida, Keys, Caribbean, Cancun, Brazil, etc. travelers. Sargassum seaweed has increased by millions of tons this year.

"this year’s sargassum bloom has already broken its own size record by millions of tons" https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/15/climate/seaweed-bloom-florida-atlantic-ocean-climate

tugbbs.com

Johnny O of TUG also wrote within that same thread on July 15 as follows:

"We are in Grand Cayman East End and the sargassum is nasty. We’ve gone around the island airport, south, east to north and it’s bad there too. Have not gone to 7 mile beach or west end as that’s later in the trip. They say it’s the worst they’ve had it since 2015. They make a valiant effort to clean the beach but they can’t clean the stench. One gets used to it as long as the breeze is constant. And one has to be very careful and selective to find a clear path to go swimming in the outer cleaner water. Otherwise one has to swim though the soup at the shore line and it’s terrible."

 

[Superchief]

For places with MVC in addition to those you’ve listed I would add Maui Ocean club and one of the Singer Island /Palm Beach resorts.
We did stay at Aruba ocean club and I think I recall room for a nice beach walk?
For Hilton Head we enjoyed beach walks at Barony and Grande Ocean.
We have been back to Marco Island since the hurricane and there is still good beach walking.

The beaches on Singer Island have extremely soft sand that is difficult to walk on. The tides often create 'cliffs' on the beach that can be difficult to navigate. The beach is wider near Oceana Palms than Ocean Pointe. We try to do our beach walks at low tide on the wet sand.

 

[andre10056]

Hi all,
We are Marriott timeshare owners in the midwest. We are looking to branch out and expand our travel. We love a beautiful resort and walking the beach. Our favorites include Marco Island, Naples, Sanibel and Captiva (all damaged by hurricanes in recent years), Cancun, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, Longboat Key had excellent beaches for walking. Ko olina (no real beach to walk but we did love our trip)
We have been looking at Aruba and the beach looks like is it is full of resorts and dining spots with minimal open space for long beach walks. Thoughts?
Name your favorite spots US or Caribbean with a great resort and fabulous beach to enjoy walking, sunsets etc. Thanks so much.

The only beaches that I can think of that may be what you're looking for are those that might be used for bike riding (or even for driving a car). And then you're talking Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach, Daytona Beach Shores, Ponce Inlet, or, even better, "across the inlet" New Smyrna Beach. Most other beaches are soft, soft sand in which your bike tires would sink way down and those beaches would of course be the most difficult to walk along.

They have Marriotts in the Daytona Beach area but I don't know if they're timeshare resorts.

Daytona Beach Shores at the Tropic Shores resort:

Bike riding somewhere in Daytona Beach:

The inlet between Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach is the "shark bite capital of the world". That inlet naturally causes ocean water and baitfish to be sucked in at great velocity. Sharks, of course, follow those large quantities of baitfish. And who else regards that inlet as the greatest place on earth? Surfers, particularly 15, 16, 17 year old surfers. And while waiting for that wave with their feet dangling in the water, they get nibbled upon necessitating countless stitches. It's a rite of passage for them as they "prove" their manhood.

 

[Boomer44]

We definitely are not looking for a beach like Daytona or one to ride bikes. Something in between those beaches. We were in West Palm Beach this last spring and the walking was very squishy. You could barely take a step without sinking.

 

[Boomer44]

The beaches on Singer Island have extremely soft sand that is difficult to walk on. The tides often create 'cliffs' on the beach that can be difficult to navigate. The beach is wider near Oceana Palms than Ocean Pointe. We try to do our beach walks at low tide on the wet sand.

Exactly, we had such a hard time walking on Singer Island this spring. Just curious how the beaches are in Aruba and the Caribbean.

 

[andre10056]

We definitely are not looking for a beach like Daytona or one to ride bikes. Something in between those beaches. We were in West Palm Beach this last spring and the walking was very squishy. You could barely take a step without sinking.

Which is precisely what causes one to keep stepping into holes as one enters the water at Miami Beach (for example). And Miami Beach was the only Florida beach that I knew of before visiting New Smyrna Beach. And that NSB level beach continued to be level as I walked into the water. It was wonderful. I thought it was the best beach I had ever visited in my entire life.

So that "levelness" caused by those beaches' packed sand not only makes it easy to enter into and then come back out of the water (even with strong waves, the sand doesn't get pulled out from below your feet), but also makes it fun to walk along the beach. No need to ride any bikes but you can unlike at most other beaches. Inquire of any resort if you can ride bikes on the beach and you'll either find what you're looking for or be able to cross it off your list.

 

[Boomer44]

I'm surprised by what you wrote about Aruba because the one thing the Palm Beach area did have going for it was well over a mile of uninterrupted sand from north of the RC to the jetties to the south. That said, Aruba was a 'once and done' for us because it was dry, dry, dry with a bathtub for an ocean and no local culture to speak of (at least in Palm Beach).

The MVC South Beach (in Miami) has a great beach that goes for miles. As does any of the ocean front Hilton Head resorts.

Thanks for the info regarding Aruba. I really have no knowledge, just looking at pictures and reading a few reviews.

 

[ljmiii]

Thanks for the info regarding Aruba. I really have no knowledge, just looking at pictures and reading a few reviews.

There certainly are people and umbrellas pretty much along the entire length…but we had no problem walking along the water for quite a ways in both directions.

 

[GTLINZ]

Exactly, we had such a hard time walking on Singer Island this spring. Just curious how the beaches are in Aruba and the Caribbean.

Rivera beach on Singer island is beautiful but it is hard to walk. It is not well compacted because the sand moves so much there.

Hilton head has brownish water if you care because it is near the mouth of the Savannah river. But it is packed and easy to walk.

Marco is also packed and a lot prettier than HHI.

South Beach is beautiful and not too hard to walk.

Beach place in FLL - i have not stayed there but it looks more compacted and not too hard to walk.

I think the beaches in SW FL are the prettiest in the US due to the water color from the Gulf stream.

 

[cubigbird]

Westin Lagunamar Cancun. The Cancun hotel zone eastern facing beach is about 7 miles long so plenty of walking opportunity.

 

[vol_90]

The best in my opinion would be Aruba Surf and Ocean Club when comparing to OceanWatch, Oceana Palms/Ocean Point, Ko Olina and Phuket Beach Club. Fairly flat with hard sand near the water and great views with many opportunities to stop for food and/or drinks. It can get warm so before 11AM or after 5PM is best with consistent awesome sunsets.

 

[Superchief]

Beach place in FLL - i have not stayed there but it looks more compacted and not too hard to walk.

We found the beach in FL to be too soft, similar to Singer Island. When we stayed at Beach Place with our daughters, we walked a couple miles on the beach to the Marriott resort where my daughters' friends were staying. I was getting serious charley horses in my legs by the time we got there. We decided to walk back on the sidewalks along the road. My brother really likes the beaches in Destin, but I haven't been there.

 

[davemy]

The best walking beaches we have been on is Hilton Head and 2nd would be Aruba Palm Beach near the water.

 

[Red elephant]

Westin Lagunamar Cancun. The Cancun hotel zone eastern facing beach is about 7 miles long so plenty of walking opportunity.

I tried walking that beach and sand was too soft in July. Beaches in HHI are the best walking beaches. Aruba is too congested.

 

[jme]

The best walking beaches we have been on is Hilton Head and 2nd would be Aruba Palm Beach near the water.

Below are several reasons why Hilton Head beaches, specifically in front of Grande Ocean, are the best "family vacation" beaches
we have encountered for walking, biking, playing games, kite flying, laying out, and setting up tents and umbrellas, etc.
That translates to ideal vacation-type conditions.
(Scroll back up to my post #5 to read how Grande Ocean happened to become situated on its current premier stretch of beach.)
That said, I happen to love the Caribbean beaches the best-----nothing compares to the soft, beautiful, fluffy white sand
and magnificent surreal turquoise water----but as special as it is, it isn't as user-friendly for families who want to set up on the beach
and stay all day, alternately playing and relaxing.

These are not my best pictures, but just a few I found quickly.

In the opening photo, the waves themselves testify to the zero-entry nature of the surf, and to the gentle graduation of water levels thereafter
as you venture out from a soft one-inch trickle of surf to the ankle-deep, then knee-deep, then waist-deep, and then chest-deep waters.
That makes it ideal for everything you want to do out there, and when tides are out, they are WAY OUT.
That too makes for a wonderful day----an hours-long "playground"--- before the tide changes and starts to come in.
The sand near the ocean is hard-packed, and softens only slightly as you walk farther out.
That same solid hard feel goes all the way back up toward the resort, to the soft white powdery sand which is about 30 feet wide,
before you then encounter the rolling dunes that have a beautiful array of foliage and grasses that separates the beach from the resort proper.

And yet the walk from the resort buildings, even the "back" buildings, takes only 3-4 minutes, and from the oceanfront buildings only 2 minutes,
so you're always only steps from the ocean.
There are many reasons why this area of Hilton Head is the perfect family getaway, not to mention the close proximity of the oceanfront mega-pools
just on the other side of the dunes.

A fresh tide pool in foreground.....maybe a foot deep at most.......perfect for children

Random Tide Pools come and go daily, always different, or not at all........perfect for the kids.
They can sit and play, or splash to their heart's content, or chase minnows......they love it.

"Dad, why do you have my shovel??????"

Interesting patterns in the sand----- bicycles, wagons, footprints, paw prints, bird prints,
and if you look close enough, a few varying lines made by stealthy crabs scurrying about.
And by virtue of the thousands of tracks weaving all over the place, NOBODY seems to have been in a hurry.....
No reports of crashes, illegal lane changes, road rage, riding someone's bumper, or riding over bodies......
And all happening while brain cells are not even functioning.
Here, life seems.....Well, perfect!!!
...... Home Sweet Home!

 

[m61376]

Obviously everyone has their preferences and our favorite beach for walking is Aruba. There are umbrellas close to the water but there's plenty of space for walking in either direction, and staying at the Marriotts one can walk literally for miles in both directions. There is a small area up N, maybe a mile plus, where it gets hard to walk on the sand and generally will take a detour around it, but it's an interesting walk and you can enjoy the kite surfers about half a mile or so north of the Surf Club. South you can walk from Palm beach to Eagle Beach if you're so inclined, although we usually turn back by the Divi.
Beaches along Hilton Head are wider for walking but the sand is firm (why it's good for bike riding) and beige, rather than the soft white sand in Aruba that'll squish between your toes. The beach along the Westin Lagunamar in Cancun is also good for walking, but not as fine sand and I like the activity both on the resort side and in the water when walking to people watch. Maybe it's us, but I've found the Beachwalk boardwalks more conducive for walking in Maui rather than purely walking on the beach, but did enjoy walking along the beaches when visiting Kaui, esp. in the Poipu area.

I guess it depends on your preferences- when walking I like activity to watch. I think Aruba has the best of both worlds in a sense- walking S there's plenty of activity both on the resort side and the beach side, and walking N it's much more tranquil, without seeing many passerby's, but still entertained by the kite and water surfers and the occasional parasailers in the distance. Not along Palm Beach, but if you go to Eagle beach there are long swaths of open sand where you probably can walk long distances seeing few people, but still enjoy the soft white sand that you just don't get in beaches along the Eastern coast or Florida beaches. We live on Long Island, 20 minutes from beaches and walking along the beaches here just don't give us the same feeling or relaxation as walking in Aruba, and not something we bother to do.

For us, the narrower beach in Aruba also means easier access from beach to pool, and while we set up at the beach, we often go back and forth. Plenty of room for water sports, whether it's tossing a football on the sand or more often in the ocean or a Waiboba ball, frisbee or even water lacrosse; as the grandkids have gotten older, these have replaced the sand toys when we go with the family. As adults, we're more apt to enjoy the serenity of long walks on the beach.

 

[andre10056]

Below are several reasons why Hilton Head beaches, specifically in front of Grande Ocean, are the best "family vacation" beaches
we have encountered for walking, biking, playing games, kite flying, laying out, and setting up tents and umbrellas, etc.
That translates to ideal vacation-type conditions.
(Scroll back up to my post #5 to read how Grande Ocean happened to become situated on its current premier stretch of beach.)
That said, I happen to love the Caribbean beaches the best-----nothing compares to the soft, beautiful, fluffy white sand
and magnificent surreal turquoise water----but as special as it is, it isn't as user-friendly for families who want to set up on the beach
and stay all day, alternately playing and relaxing.

These are not my best pictures, but just a few I found quickly.

In the opening photo, the waves themselves testify to the zero-entry nature of the surf, and to the gentle graduation of water levels thereafter
as you venture out from a soft one-inch trickle of surf to the ankle-deep, then knee-deep, then waist-deep, and then chest-deep waters.
That makes it ideal for everything you want to do out there, and when tides are out, they are WAY OUT.
That too makes for a wonderful day----an hours-long "playground"--- before the tide changes and starts to come in.
The sand near the ocean is hard-packed, and softens only slightly as you walk farther out.
That same solid hard feel goes all the way back up toward the resort, to the soft white powdery sand which is about 30 feet wide,
before you then encounter the rolling dunes that have a beautiful array of foliage and grasses that separates the beach from the resort proper.

And yet the walk from the resort buildings, even the "back" buildings, takes only 3-4 minutes, and from the oceanfront buildings only 2 minutes,
so you're always only steps from the ocean.
There are many reasons why this area of Hilton Head is the perfect family getaway, not to mention the close proximity of the oceanfront mega-pools
just on the other side of the dunes.

View attachment 114105

View attachment 114114

View attachment 114116


A fresh tide pool in foreground.....maybe a foot deep at most.......perfect for children
View attachment 114115

View attachment 114102

View attachment 114108

View attachment 114120

View attachment 114103

Random Tide Pools come and go daily, always different, or not at all........perfect for the kids.
They can sit and play, or splash to their heart's content, or chase minnows......they love it.
View attachment 114104

"Dad, why do you have my shovel??????"
View attachment 114106

View attachment 114107


Interesting patterns in the sand----- bicycles, wagons, footprints, paw prints, bird prints,
and if you look close enough, a few varying lines made by stealthy crabs scurrying about.
And by virtue of the thousands of tracks weaving all over the place, NOBODY seems to have been in a hurry.....
No reports of crashes, illegal lane changes, road rage, riding someone's bumper, or riding over bodies......
And all happening while brain cells are not even functioning.
Here, life seems.....Well, perfect!!!
...... Home Sweet Home!
View attachment 114117

Thank you for all the work you put into your post. It truly does seem like paradise. As someone who spent an interesting twelve weeks near there in Parris Island, I had no idea HHI had become so nice.

 

[ilene13]

Exactly, we had such a hard time walking on Singer Island this spring. Just curious how the beaches are in Aruba and the Caribbean.

Aruba and the Caribbean beaches are not hard packed. The best ones are at the Hilton Head resorts- not only are they great for walking but you can bike ride on them too.

 

[Boomer44]

Obviously everyone has their preferences and our favorite beach for walking is Aruba. There are umbrellas close to the water but there's plenty of space for walking in either direction, and staying at the Marriotts one can walk literally for miles in both directions. There is a small area up N, maybe a mile plus, where it gets hard to walk on the sand and generally will take a detour around it, but it's an interesting walk and you can enjoy the kite surfers about half a mile or so north of the Surf Club. South you can walk from Palm beach to Eagle Beach if you're so inclined, although we usually turn back by the Divi.
Beaches along Hilton Head are wider for walking but the sand is firm (why it's good for bike riding) and beige, rather than the soft white sand in Aruba that'll squish between your toes. The beach along the Westin Lagunamar in Cancun is also good for walking, but not as fine sand and I like the activity both on the resort side and in the water when walking to people watch. Maybe it's us, but I've found the Beachwalk boardwalks more conducive for walking in Maui rather than purely walking on the beach, but did enjoy walking along the beaches when visiting Kaui, esp. in the Poipu area.

I guess it depends on your preferences- when walking I like activity to watch. I think Aruba has the best of both worlds in a sense- walking S there's plenty of activity both on the resort side and the beach side, and walking N it's much more tranquil, without seeing many passerby's, but still entertained by the kite and water surfers and the occasional parasailers in the distance. Not along Palm Beach, but if you go to Eagle beach there are long swaths of open sand where you probably can walk long distances seeing few people, but still enjoy the soft white sand that you just don't get in beaches along the Eastern coast or Florida beaches. We live on Long Island, 20 minutes from beaches and walking along the beaches here just don't give us the same feeling or relaxation as walking in Aruba, and not something we bother to do.

For us, the narrower beach in Aruba also means easier access from beach to pool, and while we set up at the beach, we often go back and forth. Plenty of room for water sports, whether it's tossing a football on the sand or more often in the ocean or a Waiboba ball, frisbee or even water lacrosse; as the grandkids have gotten older, these have replaced the sand toys when we go with the family. As adults, we're more apt to enjoy the serenity of long walks on the beach.

Thank you so much, this was incredibly helpful and has shed a new light on Aruba for me.

 

[m61376]

Thank you so much, this was incredibly helpful and has shed a new light on Aruba for me.

One thing I forgot to mention, since you asked about sunsets, s beachside dining. While many beach resorts will have beautiful sunsets, one thing that that we really enjoy in Aruba is having dinner on the beach during sunset. Most places that offer dinner on the beach are more private and expensive dinners, but Aruba has several on the beach restaurants at reasonable prices.