Firstly i work for First Choice Airways- have stayed in some amazing places all over the world with work. This was our 11th time in florida and made the mistake of booking this hotel (have wised up since)
Emailed them before we left the uk this was ignored..
Room was overlooking the car park tried to change rooms wasn't accomadated..
Some customers(americans) however managed to upgrade for free...
Car parking obismal, didnt end up paying the $7a day as parked on the street with the workers..
Damp carpets in our room, room smelt damp...
Very impersonal..
Was very glad we were there for only one week and ended up going to sanibel in the sanibel inn for a couple of days which was amazing..
Tried emailing when i got home 3 times it was ignored..
Wouldn't stay in another Marriot again.. Hated it!!!

im going to be strait forward and honest with this review. the hotel itself is georgeus. the pool is massive and beautiful and has a waterslide. the arcade is decent but nothing speacial. the food is overpriced. they wil try to nickel and dime you for everything but it is a resort and that is expected. the problem with this resort is the service.it was basically very poor. they did not give us turndown service one night and did not pick up our menues hanging on the door for breakfast. when we called about it the woman at the front desk was very indifferent and uncaring about it. then they tried to appease us by giving us some free choclates. overall i could not recommend it even though the hotel itself was beautiful just because of service.

I initially had some reservations because there were some mixed reviews, but I absolutely loved this hotel.

The resort was absolutely beautiful. The staff allowed us to check-in early, and even upgraded us to a better room with a fantastic view of the pool area. We had booked directly with the hotel, we had a marriot rewards #, and we had stayed at a few other marriot hotels before. We also got cards for discounts at the hotel restaurants as well as a welcome package, with nuts, jelly belly jellybeans, water, etc.

Our room was spacious and very clean. The only downside was that it was a bit dim in there. We got the extra pillows we requested. The tv worked great, and there were so many pay movies to choose from.

The pool was immaculate. There were plenty of loungers and the cabanas were only $20 per day. The pool bar was great and the food was good too. However, I wish there were a few more menu choices. The food court was great, and the free soda refills were a nice perk. We spent pretty much every day, all day, in the pool area. My husband and I don't have kids, and we were a bit wary that this is a family place. However, all the children were so incredibly well behaved and there were lots of things for them to do. My husband and I even went down the water slide with the kids! It was great fun.

The hotel restaurants, Ristorante Tuscany and Hawk's Landing, were decent but nothing special. A bit overpriced, but of course, you expect that from a hotel restaurant. The steaks at Hawk's Landing were cheap considering the size of the steaks, but the quality was poor. I ordered a ribeye, but it tasted nothing like a ribeye. But at $30 for 16oz, you can't really complain. Portion sizes are huge so I recommend sharing. The best restaurant was Mikado's, with group dining and a teppanyaki show. We had a really nice time there.

The biggest downside of this hotel is the near constant harrassment by staff trying to get you to view/buy the vacation time-shares in the area. They just do not leave you alone. Coming from NYC, where people drink coffee at all hours of the night, it was weird that the Starbucks was closed by 5-6pm. The hotel newsstand had very few choices, so I recommend buying magazines at the airport.

The taxi fare from the airport to the hotel was about $40-$50 each way. The hotel is also a bit secluded, so if you plan to go anyway I recommend getting a rental car. The rental cars onsite are really expensive. They wanted to charge $150+ just for the day, because they only had SUVs left. Usually, when the rental car company doesn't have a compact, they usually reduce the price to the compact size to accomodate you. The line was huge as well to get seen by a customer service rep. The hotel does have a private car service, with drivers waiting just a few feet from the main hotel lobby. It was a very nice ride, but expensive - more expensive than yellow cabs at the airport.

I stayed here for 5 nights in December with my two children after booking through Priceline and getting a great price.

We were given a superb room with a lovely balcony overlooking the swimming pool and great views, the room was spacious and had all we needed.

We loved the buffet breakfast, not cheap but excellent food and my children loved watching the chefs cooks waffles and eggs in front of them. The pool was idyllic (although cold in December!) and we enjoyed using the small food court area.

I would certainly stay here again, the staff were all very helpful and friendly however I would specify having a room in the main block as I belive that some rooms are quite a walk away from the main areas.