Happy Wednesday friends!
Halfway through the week and one day after the national plan for vacation day. I wonder how many people planned a vacation yesterday just because it was announced all over social media. I think if you looked up what day it was on a random day, every day would have some sort of national holiday/event attracted to it. If you were one of those people, good for you! I hope it is the vacation of your dreams and maybe you will make it a habit to book on that day every year.
I recently just posted on my own social media (Instagram and Facebook) some of the reasons why I enjoy and use the Marriott Vacation Club Resorts. I am not sponsored by them in any way (maybe that will change one day, fingers crossed), but I do really believe in their vision and mission for the hotel industry.
It is a timeshare type of place in the sense that you need to use Vacation Club Points to be able to book at these resorts. That is not to say that you have to buy into the program to use the resorts. Owners all the time post on websites, such as Red Week, extra points they are not using or weeks they could not get to. This means that anyone can experience these places. Let me tell you, once you try these resorts you will want to buy your own points right away. You can even check the Marriott Bonvoy website for room availability, but that will be your most expensive option. I have never used the third-party booking or Bonvoy for the Vacation Clubs, but have talked to many people during my stay and have a good sense of how it works.
I have been very lucky to be a part of a family that loves to travel. Before 2016, we would just stay at normal hotels (Marriott, Hilton) and one day my dad came home from work telling us about our next upcoming trip to his awesome hotel and place. He was telling us about the Marriott Surf Club in Aruba, our first taste at a different side to hotels.
This was not your average two-queen size bedroom that we were used to or a little hotel with one little pool. This resort had a lazy-river, two other pools, adult only pools, beach, casino, living-room, two bedrooms and a kitchen. It was an absolute upgrade compared to the other places we stayed at. (Those other places were all really nice hotels too, but they were just normal hotels, nothing special. Now it is hard to stay at just a normal hotel when we are used to all Vacation Clubs give us).
We did not enter the program at that time since they were still only offering weeks. As a busy family we could not see being locked into one place forever, so we passed on the opportunity. A year later, we were in Myrtle Beach at the regular Marriott, its right next door to a Vacation Club. We decided to give it another try because everyone was talking about the new changes. This time the program changed to points, so you had x number of points to go to any Vacation Club you wanted, as long as if it was available and you had the points. This is when my family decided to join the program and ever since we have been using it to visit our favorite places as well as new ones!
Some of my favorite things about staying at a MVC (Marriott Vacation Club) Resort are
· Staff
· Pools
· Washer/dryer
· Grills/kitchen
· Unique activities
· Use of other hotel facilities (JW, Ritz)
· Use of fire pits/heat lamps
· Games and golf
· Each place is a new experience
· Always beautiful and clean
Staff: Always so helpful and nice. They will go out of their way to make your stay memorable. They are a big reason why I love the Vacation Clubs. I have never met one person who worked here that did not like their job and it really shows in how they handle every situation put in front of them. They always have a smile on their face and will go above and beyond for you. You cannot walk past anyone without getting greeted with a warm hello. In all my stays at a MVC (Marriott Vacation Club), I probably have had one situation with a worker being rude to me and the front desk was so apologetic, doing whatever they could to fix and resolve the problem.
Pools: Each resort is a little different from the next, but I’ll bet you’ll always find a well-cared for pool and hot tub, sometimes four or five of them. I love when there are many pools that you can find one that is completely empty just for you! Some places have adult only pools/areas that make those getaways without kids actually without kids. The resort in Aruba even has a lazy river!
Washer/dryer: You can find this at some hotels, but it might be hard to find one in your room. With each two bedroom or single you’ll find this right in your room for you to use whenever you need. This means you don’t have to pack as much and might not need to pay for a big bag. If you have a studio, they are usually located somewhere close to your building. I never felt like it was a hassle to do laundry and some resorts have the laundry by the pools, so you can relax while doing some chores.
Grills/kitchen: At these resorts you have the option to do some cooking. This will help you to save money by not having to go out to eat every meal. There are usually grills all over the resort, so you do not have to run around with your plate of food. I never had a problem with waiting for a grill as there are so many that everyone basically has their own.
Unique activities: There will be something for anyone of any age to do. I have made my own aloe scrub, body scrub and even candles. There’s wine tasting, beer tasting and margarita making. These activities don’t even require you to leave the resort or break the bank. Of course there are always workout activities like aqua fit, yoga and hikes. I really love to take advantage of these activities as they are usually based around the area you are in and are things that would cost a lot more money if you did it outside of the resort. I really love when they do live music, they are always such amazing singers who bring their local flare to the performance.
Use of other hotel facilities (JW, Ritz): Since it is a Marriott property there might be other facilities close by that Vacation Club guests are allowed to use. This means even more pools, restaurants, and spas! I have used the spas at other hotels, gone to the restaurants to get some different food and even visit the gym, The gyms at the MVCs are usually pretty good with all the equipment you could need, but the gyms at the other facilities tend to have a wow factor that makes my workouts feel more pleasing. I love this feature in some MVCs, you get two properties for the same price.
Use of fire pits/heat lamps: Some resorts have other awesome features like fire pits. They do s’mores and nighttime activities that the fire will keep you warm by. Some resorts have gas fire pits that make it easy for you to be able to turn off and on, but some have a traditional fire pit which means you can only use it when the staff lights it. I am sure if you asked them, they would always light it for you, but they have it on at each place almost every night that there's no need to even ask.
Games and golf: Shuffleboard, ping pong, volleyball and bocce ball are just some of the few games seen at different resorts. These make for fun family activities or tournaments with new friends. My favorites are the giant chess pieces. Sometimes the activities the resorts run are game tournaments, I would highly suggest taking part in them. They have been some of the funniest games I ever had the pleasure to participate in. There are many MVCs that are on golf courses giving you some amazing greens for you to play on. I am not a good golfer, so I do not spend time doing that, but my brother is a big golfer and sometimes he gets to play courses he normally could not have gotten on if we weren't staying at the MVC.
Each place is a new experience: Every resort has something different that makes each place a new adventure. You’ll get to know and expect certain things (washer, dryer, kitchen, staff and pool) but see unique experiences at each place (rent boats, beach, pool, and activities). I honestly cannot pick a favorite resort because they are all so different from each other. Every time I stay somewhere new, I find something else I really enjoy that the resort did that no one else does.
Always beautiful and clean: The maintenance staff is constantly working to keep the already beautiful facilities perfect! You will always see someone fixing something and you will always see the pools being cleaned and tested. For me, I love that! It shows the amount of effort that goes into keeping these places running and looking good for the guests. I really feel like the MVC company cares about giving their guests the highest quality of service they can in every area possible. At other places, you are lucky if they change a lightbulb, let alone clean the pools more than once a day.
I truly love MVC Resorts and have had the best experiences staying at them. It is a family resort, but also great resorts to solo travel too (I have done both at some of the places). I am forever a MVC guest and hope to stay at each resort at least once in my life. They are constantly adding new places on the list (they bought the Sheratons and Westins), so I am not sure that will ever happen, but am up for the challenge.
I do stay at other hotels and other Marriott properties, it depends on where I am going (there are not MVCs everywhere and sometimes they are booked), but I do try to always stay at an MVC due to all the reasons I listed above.
This was a very general overview of MVCs. Please reach out if you have any questions regarding MVC or my experience with it. I will be going more in depth in other posts but thought it best to start with an overview of why I love it.
Hopefully you enjoy the rest of your week and find some enjoyment if you have not already. Head to my Instagram or Facebook, both @_vip_adventures if you need inspiration with your joy.
Thanks for reading,
-G
Photo from Marriot Canyon Villas Desert Ridge
I loved my stay at this resort and the 14 days was not enough, I want to go back!
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