Stay Report: Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort (Cayman Islands - November 2019)

Stay Report: Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort

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There are many resorts on Grand Cayman island, some fancy and some not so fancy.  I was looking for a mid-fancy resort hotel that could accommodate 4 people in one room, had access to the pools and beach, and was within walking or short car distance to amenities.  Based on this criteria, and price, I decided to book the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort.  It was very easy to book through the Marriott website and I could manage my booking either through the website or through the app.  24-hours prior to my arrival I was given the option to remotely check into my room, but I always wait until I arrive at the hotel before doing this.

I had rented a car when I got to the island so I was able to transport myself from the airport to the hotel.  The hotel does provide valet parking as well as complimentary self-parking.  From the street, there is a long entryway where you pass the parking lot to get to the hotel.  As you get out of your car on the curbed driveway you enter into the lobby.  There's the valet stand outside and inside on your left is a little store that sells clothing items as well as toiletries and smaller items you may have forgotten at home.  Beyond there was the check-in desks, but they were smaller than the traditional check-in desks and were more like check-in kiosks.  To the right of the check-in desks was the sitting area, hotel restaurant, bar, and dessert area.  It was a large area with a variety of seating areas.  Check-in takes some time as the hotel associate has to go over all the aspects of the resort, what activities and items are included in your resort (included in the daily resort fee) as well as the amenities that hotel provides.  Once we received our key, we proceeded to go straight left (as if behind the check-in desks) to the elevators to take us up to our room.  There were only two elevators and sometimes there was a bit of a traffic jam to wait for the elevators.  

The hotel is laid out in a square with an open atrium in the middle and rooms surrounding it; depending on which room you booked your room could face either the parking lot, the beach, or one of the adjoining hotels.  I had requested a room with two double beds so the room was laid out as such.  As you entered into the room, there was a hallway which led you to the main part of the room.  The hallway contained the bathroom on the right, and the bathroom was standard with a toilet, a sink, a tub with a shower and bathroom toiletries; the best thing about the bathroom was the long counter which provided great space.  The closet was also a standard closet and contained a shelf, hangers to hang clothes, an iron and an ironing board.  The hallway ended in the main part of the room which contained the beds and the TV.  The beds were against the right-side of the wall and there were two double beds with a nightstand in the middle.  The beds were generally comfortable and wide enough for two so it provided a decent nights sleep.  Across from the beds was a chest that had the TV and coffee maker on top and below were drawers for storage, a small fridge, as well as the safe.  Right next to the chest was the desk and chair, and looking to your right from the chair you could see outside.  Along the far wall was a sliding door which led out onto the deck, and while the deck was small it was still nice to have a bit of an outdoor space.  The deck we had faced the adjoining hotel but you could also see part of the ocean and city as well (considering how high we were).  There were deck chairs outside on the deck and inside next to the sliding door was another chair and lamp so you could sit inside while still enjoying the outside view.  Overall, it was not an overly fancy room but it was a decent size and there were enough amenities in the room for it to be comfortable and enjoyable.  

As it was a full-service hotel and resort, there were many amenities for the guests including pool, beach, fitness center, coffee bar, indoor restaurant, outdoor restaurant, valet, wifi, bike rental, car rental, and water rentals.  Some of these amenities were included in the daily resort fee of $60 which was added to the bill, and while other resorts add the fee but do not do anything at least in this resort the hotel did assist in getting you beach/pool chairs, set up the chairs with towels, provided complimentary water, suntan lotion and cooling gel, provided complimentary watermelon slices or other snacks, as well as other key items.  In terms of the pool and beach, there were generally enough chairs and spaces for everyone to enjoy the pool or the beach but both were smaller in size.  The hotel does have a partnership with the club next door for extra chairs and also to provide the 'sandy beach experience' as the hotel was built far into the beach so there really is no sandy beach only ocean, especially when its high tide.  One amenity that I really enjoyed was the hotel provided glass water jugs in the room and each floor had a water station so you go and fill up your jug to have access to clean, filtered water and be environmentally friendly at the same time. 

Overall, it was a nice and comfortable stay at the Marriott Grand Cayman.  I would call this a hotel with resort facilities/amenities rather than calling it a full resort and if you look at it that way then you will get a pleasant stay.  The rooms were spacious, the property was spacious enough to be able to walk around and enjoy the outside and inside, the room had a balcony so that was a nice touch, and while the resort fee was high there were lots of amenities that were included so it did not feel like a lot.  Valet parking was available at a cost or self parking was available for free but you could also rent bikes and there were lots of restaurants and other beaches within walking distance of the hotel.  As I said, if you go with decent expectations then you will have a good time at the hotel.

Stay Report: London Marriott Hotel Maida Vale (London - July 2019)

Stay Report: London Marriott Hotel Maida Vale

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I was going to London for the summer and we were 3 people traveling together so we wanted to all stay in one room, and apparently this is a difficult thing to find in Europe.  There were not many hotels that fit this criteria so this narrowed my search quite a bit, but in that I found the London Marriott Maida Vale and this hotel fit all my criteria - two beds, walking distance to a tube station, not too far from Oxford Street, and within walking distance to some shops and restaurants.  It was very easy to book the hotel through the Marriott site and very easy to manage the reservation either through the app or the website.  The hotel itself does not have an entryway as the hotel is built to be integrated into the landscape of the neighborhood.  The entrance to the hotel is a door on the sidewalk, so that is the only downside as some people prefer hotels to have a grand entrance.  As you enter the lobby, the first thing that is apparent is how small and compact the lobby is.  As you enter the lobby, straight ahead is the small check-in desk while in the middle was an equally small sitting/waiting area and to the right was the entrance to the hotel's restaurant.  There were two elevators for guests to access the rooms, one next to the check-in desk and one behind the seating area.  The check-in took a while and was not very customer friendly, nor did they recognize the Marriott status but after a while we received our key and went to the room. 

We had booked a room with a double bed so our room was laid out as follows.  As you opened the door, on

the left was a little ledge to hold your key and then further ahead was the entrance to the bathroom.  The bathroom itself was a decent size and contained a toilet, a full tub, a sink, and bathroom toiletries including soap, lotion, and shampoo/conditioner.  Across from the bathroom, on the right hand side, was an open closet that had hangers to hang your clothes and the closet also contained the iron and ironing board.  Further into the room there was a lot of furniture packed into an average size room, so while the room was not small the amount of furniture was definitely two much.  Along the left wall were the two beds with a nightstand in the middle; the beds were comfortable and provided a decent nights sleep but were the size of two doubles and not two queen beds.  In between the bed and the wall to the bathroom was a chair and a table, and across from the beds was a chest with drawers and a fridge on the bottom and the coffee maker, glasses, and complimentary water bottles on top.  There was an on-the-wall TV across from the beds, and between the TV and the window was a desk and chair; as I said there was a lot of furniture and while it was appreciated, it did feel a bit cramped given the average size of the room but the beds were double beds and were comfortable.

The hotel is a full hotel so there were many amenities provided for the guests.  These included wifi, parking, restaurants, access to fitness facility, and concierge.  The wifi was complimentary and it provided decent access for emails and checking the internet, but was a bit slow when loading videos.  There was a restaurant connected to the hotel as well as restaurants surrounding the hotel.  The hotel itself did not have a fitness facility so it had partnered with a local fitness gym that was housed in the same building and guests could use their facilities free of charge; this seemed like a smart way to provide access for the residents without taking up real-estate of the hotel.  The best amenity of the hotel was the location itself, as the hotel was on high street so it was within walking distance of shops, restaurants, and coffee shops.  There was also several bus stands nearby, each which provided a 15-minute bus ride to Oxford street, and there was a tube station stop about 5-7 minute walk away.

Overall, it was a mixed stay at the London Marriott Maida Vale.  While the management and customer service was poor, the rooms were nice, the beds were comfortable, there were two beds that up to 4 adults  could share, and the location of the hotel was perfect as there were many restaurants, access to transportation, and amenities within walking distance.