Villas at Doral

[futurewhitehat]

We are staying at the Doral Villas next week and know very little about the resort. We have two daughters, age 9 and 7. If anybody can give us some information on this resort it is greatly appreciated.

- What buildings/rooms are best for view og golf course?
- This there a map of the resort available online?
- What side trips would you recommend? South Beach?
- Is there parking readily available at the beach?
- Is the Blue Lagoon available for use if you're staying at th Villas?

Thanks in advance.

 

[KenK]

I don't know who owns the Miami Doral, but it is currently managed by Marriott International.

http://www.doralresort.com/

When we went to a sales meeting, it was presented that ALL the resort features were available to the guests at the timeshare. (THis was before Marriott managed the entire resort). So, I suppose you will be able to use all the facilities.

Now....about the charges....thats something I don't know about. I know you will pay for the several golf courses, I remember reading here there is a discount for some of them...but not all.

The lunch buffet is very good....they also have meals via the spa (although they might be very healthy....I'm not sure about the filling capabilities).

The area is under very heavy development. Many of the cruise lines have their main office bldgs in this area. You are not near the beach. You will see planes landing at Miami International.

There is (was) an Albertsons and Publix supermarket very close. I haven't been to the area since last May, so I'm not sure what has been changed.

There is no shuttle to the beachfront Doral (I don't think there is a beachfront Doral, anymore.) Beach acess is not that easy, as there are tons of condos and hotels along the beach, so even though public access is possible, there is no place to put your car.

If you might not like frontal exposure, I would not go to some parts of Haulover Beach, as it is allowed there. Also, it is not stopped (usually) on SoBe.....but other public beaches can ask for a person to cover up upon complaints from others.

There is several public parking lots and parks along A1A. During the week, these beaches should not be too full....so parking, and beach access S/B easier.

Aim toward the N when trying to find a close ocean beach.

 

[Rickh]

We stayed at Villas at Doral two years ago. I cannot remember the building number, but I would ask for a villa in a building that is close to the pool at the Villas. It is a small resort, so no matter what building you are in, you will be reasonably close, however, we just enjoyed looking out over the pool while having morning coffee. The facilities are modest in nature (pool, fitness room etc) and there was no onsite restaurant when we were there, because Villas was designed to leverage the facilities at Doral, which is a 5 minute walk across the street, or you can use Marriott's shuttle bus.

Frankly, we spent most of our time at Doral - the pool area is great, and for kids it is especially great, with a water slide and a 'walk in edge" pool. The fitness centre is also better equipped than the fitness room at Marriott Villas so I would do my workouts at Doral (free). There is a bar/grill overlooking the pool at Doral which is "typical resort priced", but the quantities are large, however, there are no charging priviledges between the resorts.

I did not golf, however, I understand that you can book through the front desk. I am not sure if there are discounts available for guests of the villas. There is also a large spa at Doral which you can book services for a fee.

As for side trips, we did do an everglades airboat ride which was great for us and the kids (ours were 9 and 11 at the time), shopping at the large outlet mall also went over well with our two daughters. We did not spend much time at South Beach - seemed like more of an adult place.

Have fun

Rick