best Marriotts for small children

[tzahner]

We have two kids - a 5 year old and a 3 year old. Are there some locations and particular resorts that are better suited for small children than others? I would love to hear people's experiences on this.

 

[travelmom11]

Ko Olina

We have two kids - a 5 year old and a 3 year old. Are there some locations and particular resorts that are better suited for small children than others? I would love to hear people's experiences on this.

My 4 year old loves ko Olina on oahu

 

[larryallen]

I agree about Ko Olina. The beach is made for little kids. Pools great too. Waterslide still a bit much for kids that age though.

 

[Carol C]

We have two kids - a 5 year old and a 3 year old. Are there some locations and particular resorts that are better suited for small children than others? I would love to hear people's experiences on this.

Wish I knew if you're on east or west coast. On Hilton Head Island the Barony is completely done with a new addition, a pool complex with some fun water features...almost a tropical/zoo "theme" in its design. It's in the gardenview section of Barony. Families also love Grande Ocean on Hilton Head...both those resorts are Marriotts and are oceanfront which means great bicycling right on the beach or numerous paved bike paths. Enjoy!

 

[PearlCity]

My 3 and 5 yo loves ko olina too.

 

[rthib]

My wife says "Hawaii is for making children not for taking children."

Harbor Lakes in Orlando with the Pirate Ship pool is great for young ones.

 

[jdunn1]

Definately Harbor Lake. I will be there this coming Easter and will have first hand knowledge but by all accounts this is the #1 resort for kids. Not sure if you own any Marriott weeks and if so, if you own any Marriott weeks strong enough to pull one of the Carolina resorts in the summer but that would be my #2 suggestion. The problem with the Carolinas is that you definately cannot trade into those resorts over the summer unless you own a high powered Marriott week. Harbor Lake is a pretty easy trade, Marriott preference or not.

...but just about any of the Marriotts, especially the bigger resorts will be so much fun for your kids. Marriott has a really good kids program. Have fun deciding.

 

[tzahner]

Not sure if you own any Marriott weeks and if so, if you own any Marriott weeks strong enough to pull one of the Carolina resorts in the summer but that would be my #2 suggestion.

We actually own at Marriott OceanWatch in Myrtle Beach (Platinum Summer Week) and we also own a ski week at Marriott Summit Watch in Park City, Utah. Both pretty strong traders.

We just purchased at OceanWatch and have not yet had a chance to go to the resort. Would you consider OceanWatch a better resort for small children or one of the Hilton Head Marriotts instead? Or are they both about the same when it comes to small children?

 

[TRAVELING FOOL]

The Woodsy pool area at MOW is excellent for small kids.It has the zero entry and splash pads. There is also a great treehouse for climbing. I agree with Barony Beach as well. The new area they recently completed is great with slides, splash pads, zero entry, and a sandy area.

 

[jont]

From the marriotts I have been to:

Grande vista...Orlando nuf said
Ocean pointe...very family oriented
Surfwatch...great activities staff
Barony... New kids pool
Ocean watch....woodsy pool

 

[jont]

My wife says "Hawaii is for making children not for taking children."

Harbor Lakes in Orlando with the Pirate Ship pool is great for young ones.

LOL.....:hysterical:

 

[cissy]

We actually own at Marriott OceanWatch in Myrtle Beach (Platinum Summer Week) and we also own a ski week at Marriott Summit Watch in Park City, Utah. Both pretty strong traders.

We just purchased at OceanWatch and have not yet had a chance to go to the resort. Would you consider OceanWatch a better resort for small children or one of the Hilton Head Marriotts instead? Or are they both about the same when it comes to small children?

There are more activities for children outside of the resort at MOW.

 

[Aviator621]

I'll second what Cissy said. We have kids the OP's age, and they LOVED Ocean Watch and Myrtle Beach and got a little bored when we were at Surf Watch on HHI. (They did enjoy the bike trails though.) In addition to the ones already mentioned, I would also (surprisingly) add Boston's Custom House: there were lots of things there the kids' loved including the Aquarium, Children's Museum, Science Museum, Duckboat tours, and Cape Cod (with whale watching, Plymouth Rock and the Pilgrim's Plantation).

 

[Pompey Family]

Fairway Villas was too quiet and the pool too small. Nearby Atlantic City was not for kids, the beach was unappealing and Steel Pier was a tired, dated monumental rip off.

Grande Ocean was great, good choice of pools and a fantastic beach. Not much choice for activities in the vicinity though.

Harbour Lake, fantastic for kids. Great pools and non-stop activities throughout the day plus all the parks nearby and Cape Canaveral.

Playa Andaluza, great kids pool but the beach isn't too good. Nearby trip to Gibraltar Rock to see the monkeys will appeal to kids.

Son Antem, excellent villas with shared pools per 8 villas and a very good main pool. Activities are not as good as some of the other resorts. Great beach at nearby Es Trenc and the fantastic Aqualand 10 minutes drive away.

Village D'ile De France, lovely villas but a freezing outdoor pool even in August. Disneyland Paris a few minutes away plus the very interesting town of Provins within driving distance.

My favourite is Playa Andaluza whilst my kids would say Harbour Lake.

 

[Pompey Family]

Aviator - I've never considered Custom House as a trade as it never seemed to be a 'holiday destination' for the kids. Would a fortnight be too much with two kids aged 5 & 7?

 

[Aviator621]

I think it would be a great trip length for that age, but I am basing that off of my kids (currently 4, 6, and 8), who would be overjoyed to go back, but they love the hands on things that the museums and aquarium had to offer. I will also caveat that the Cape Cod activities I mentioned are full day type stuff and would require your own personal vehicle due to the distance. If you have more specific questions on what we did to keep them entertained, let me know.

Will also say, if your kids love history, there is no better place--we intend to go back for that side of Boston in a couple of years.

 

[jdunn1]

I do think OceanWatch is the best Carolina Marriott resort for kids, but that is just my oppinion. I exchanged into SurfWatch this past Easter and my family and the group we were with just loved it, but there were not as many activities to keep us all busy as there are at OceanWatch. We loved biking, and probably I loved biking more than anyone. Being able to bike just about anywhere you wanted was a treat for me and I wish Myrtle Beach had better biking trails.

We love leaving the resort at night to shop and do toursit stuff. This is where Hilton Head is lacking big time in my book. There are things to do as a family at night in Hilton Head but Myrtle Beach has so much more to offer.

As far as the resorts go, OceanWatch is a place you do not need to leave all week. I do not feel the same about the Hilton Head Marriotts. The Hilton Head resorts are nice but Myrtle Beach has the best pool complex of all the resorts and an awesome kids program and so many daily activities it is just hands down the best resort for families in the Carolinas.

I am very excited to check out Harbor Lake this Easter. From what I have learned from other tuggers and by reviewing lots of trip reports, Harbor Lake might have all the other Marriott resorts beat by a mile in terms of resort pool, mini-golf, sports, and daily activities. We have a good group of 15 or so people going down this Easter and I have a feeling the kids are never going to want to leave this place.

Honestly though, whatever Marriott resort you pick, you can't go wrong. I even liked (though this is not a recomendation over a beach resort) Marriott's Mountain Valley in Breckenridge. I took my six year old there last February for five days. Just the two of us and we had a blast. For being such a small resort and probably the least plush Marriott resort there is, there were so many daily activities to keep us busy. For most of the kids activities my son was the only kid participating or there may have been one or two other kids. I was impressed by how much the staff did with such little space.

...someone posted about OceanPointe being a good choice. I agree with this, but think this resort is best for older kids. The pools are very plain at OceanPoint, beautiful landscaping but plain. I was there this past 4th of July week and was shocked by how little the resort did this week. They had a few events but nothing very exciting and you couldn't even whisper the word fireworks without being swarmed by hotel security and police officers. I must admit the ocean water at OceanPointe is the most beautiful water I have ever seen in the United States, outside of Key West. The water is almost crystal clear and teaming with colorful fish. The surf is mostly calm, too. I like waves but for little kids the ocean was very easy. Peanut Island is a must, if you go.

We actually own at Marriott OceanWatch in Myrtle Beach (Platinum Summer Week) and we also own a ski week at Marriott Summit Watch in Park City, Utah. Both pretty strong traders.

We just purchased at OceanWatch and have not yet had a chance to go to the resort. Would you consider OceanWatch a better resort for small children or one of the Hilton Head Marriotts instead? Or are they both about the same when it comes to small children?

 

[gblotter]

I agree about Ko Olina. The beach is made for little kids. Pools great too. Waterslide still a bit much for kids that age though.

Agree about Ko Olina.

Since nobody else mentioned it, I will add that our kids also love the great Maui Ocean Club pirate ship pool arrangement. The Maui Ocean Club beach is not quite as kid-friendly as the Ko Olina man-made lagoon, but still fun with lots of soft sand.