Travel today looks extremely different than travel did in 2019. Since COVID turned the world upside down, traveling and doing it safely is a top priority. Making the decision to travel is a personal one and one that has a lot of new considerations to take into account. The main consideration is the health and well being of your family and others. Selecting a location that takes that into consideration is important to me.
Marco Island Family Vacation
The JW Marriott in Marco Island has committed to keeping their guests and staff safe with the following enhancements.
- Commitment To Clean – The entire Marriott brand is committed to a clean environment, you can read their full corporate policy here.
- Social Distancing and Contactless Experience – All areas on the property including the restaurants, shops, pools and beach require a minimum of 6 feet distance between each party at all times.
- Enhanced Cleaning and Housekeeping Services – Upon check in you select if you want room service and the time you want it so you can be sure to be out of the room.
- Dining Options – While all the restaurants on the property are open to visit in person you have the option to order on the Marriott Bonvoy App and have contactless pickup.
We visited the hotel in early 2021 and felt extremely safe the entire time. The hotel capacity was low and all guests were respectful of social distancing guidelines. We were thrilled that the JW Marriott team provided us with a few extra special things during our stay to make it even more memorable. It is one of our favorite locations and look forward to visiting it again soon!
Keep reading to see more about the hotel including the room types, restaurants, and pools.
Original Post
I’m switching gears today and sharing a personal post with you all. We recently took our first family vacation (on a plane) to Marco Island Florida at the JW Marriott. We technically drove to Lake Geneva earlier this year for a getaway, you can read about it here.
This time we finally took Lizzie on a plane. It wasn’t as bad as I was anticipating. However, I did end up hanging out with the flight attendants in the rear galley of the plane for a good 1.5 hour while I tried to get her to sleep. I did successfully sell two people on a credit card the airline was pushing and helped several people use the washroom during that time 🙂
I will have an upcoming post about the best tips for traveling with a baby. But until then, you need to hear about the most welcoming hotel property that I’ve been to in a while. It’s the JW Marriott Marco Island.
Hotels
Traveling has changed for us once we had a baby. We are used to traveling to smaller hotels and getting out and exploring the city we are vacationing in. Tiny hotel rooms were fine as we didn’t spend a lot of time in them.
Now that we have a baby, we are looking for different attributes in hotel properties. Having a large hotel room and a lot of amenities on the grounds is important. We most likely are spending more time at the hotel then we have in the past.
JW Marriott Marco Island
The JW Marriott Marco Island gets my seal of approval for a wonderful family hotel and destination. The property is huge and has something to offer everyone including:
2 pools
12 restaurants and bars
5+ room types and suites
private beach access
An adult only tower that includes exclusive dining options for adults only
5-star spa
On-site rental car facility
What We Loved On Our Marco Island Family Vacation
Restaurant Options
The restaurant options were amazing at the JW Marriott. With 12 restaurants on the property we never ate at the same place. Each place has its own distinct vibe and menu. The restaurants include:
Ario – Steakhouse
10K Alley – gaming gastro-pub
Tesoro – adult exclusive Mediterranean cuisine
Maia – breakfast spot
Quinn’s on the Beach – casual beach side restaurant
Korals Sushi and Cocktail Bar
400 Pazzi’s – Italian
Kane Tiki Bar and Grill
Cafe San Marco – Coffee and light bites
Rookery Grill – Located near the golf club
Hammock Bay Grill – located near the golf club
Menchies – Frozen Yogurt
We enjoyed the following places on the property:
We dined at 400 Pazzi’s one night and watched the sun set. It’s a fast casual Italian place with huge portions! You can order a full or half size of most items, which is great for sharing. We had meatballs, pizza and a half order of pasta and had a lot of left overs.
Quinn’s on the Beach is a traditional beach restaurant located steps from the beach and featuring live music every night. The blue crab salad was amazing as well as the lobster roll.
Kanes Tiki Bar is so cute. The bar is huge and they have tables to sit at as well. We just grabbed drinks here one night and walked and enjoyed the warm weather. They have a cute outdoor sand pit that makes you feel like you are right on the beach. The pina colada was very refreshing!
Cafe San Marco – Early morning breakfast and afternoon coffee are delicious at this place. The breakfast options are great for grabbing and going.
Spacious Rooms with Balconies
We stayed in a King Gulf View Room and it was spacious. We had plenty of room for a pack-and-play and stroller parking in the room. Given the size of the room we were able to create distance between us and the baby for sleeping.
There was also a balcony, which is key to traveling with a small child. We put the baby to sleep and enjoyed a glass of wine on a balcony. It was turtle nesting season so lights out at 9pm and we headed inside.
Private Beach Access
The JW Marriott has its own private beach. With access steps from the pool it makes it easy to use. They offer each guest a chair and umbrella to use daily. I loved this as we didn’t have to camp out there all day. We could arrive whenever and have a place to sit.
On the private beach they have a nightly fire show that starts at sundown. Truly an amazing experience, we went every night we were there, it was a lot of fun!
All in all the first family vacation on a plane was a huge success. A special thanks to the JW Marriott Marco Island for the extra goodies on the trip!
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