Marriott's OceanWatch Villas at Grande Dunes

We checked in all excited. Have been here multiple times and are “owners”. We got to our room and it was not as expected. We did not need nor want an accessible room; nor informed that it was one! No soaking tub and a long shower area that took up majority of master bath. This was not going to work. We expected the soaking tub and wanted it specifically to soak a shoulder issue. The shower would (and did) caused a wet floor in entire bathroom which ironically is a slip hazard. There was a six inch high vertical metal divider to balcony. Another hazard. We had maintenance come in and put ramps so we wouldn’t break a bone on it. We immediately called to switch but the room they SHOULD have given us vanished in literally 15 seconds. So, basically TOO BAD. We are REGRETFULLY vacation club owners. That inventory is separate from everything else. I could find a standard room on ******* while on phone with front desk but they could not give it to me nor even check it out. You are using vacation points blah blah. There was ZERO flexibility or outside the box thinking. They had my points so TOO BAD. Now if I had a sales presentation scheduled I strongly suspect there would have been a different outcome. Super disappointed in Marriott. BUYER BEWARE!!

The main bed is still too soft. Many issues with our stay from poor balcony floor maintenance, hot tubs down, shower hazards due to drain overflow, gurgling drain noise. My high maintenance fees not being used well at all. Manager was apologetic.

Marriott OceanWatch is one of our very favorite places to visit and we come at least twice a year. I had a bit of challenge with one of my reservations and when I went to the desk to see what could be done, I was greeted by DARRYLE Murphy with a big smile and “how may I help” and from there she was able to help get things straightened out. DARRYLE has a true “it’s my pleasure” attitude. Her smile says it all. We would highly recommend OceanWatch. We love coming in the spring and fall. It’s the perfect “home away from home” place to visit when you want low key or lots of action. You can have it all.

This was our 5th time staying at this property. The property itself is overall, a wonderful resort. It is in a prime location within easy walking distance to many restaurants. The staff during our stay did a great job. The grounds were well kept and the folks cleaning the grills every morning did a fantastic job. Why only 4 stars instead of 5? There were a few minor issues, but the one major issue is that the same elevator in our building broke down 3 times in 4 days. This made you not feel safe riding in that elevator.

Beautiful resort right on the ocean with lots of amenities. Many pools and hot tubs for adults and kids as well. There is also putting green and plenty of free parking. You are right next to Grand Dunes which is a phenomenal golf course. Plenty of good shopping and restaurants nearby as well.

The experience was extremely disappointing!!! In short, you should be careful about everything there and their service is not professional at all!!! 1. We reserved an Oceanview Villa for three nights. It appears there are front villas with prime ocean views and rear villas with obstructed views, yet both are marketed under the same category: Oceanview Villas. If you choose to stay here, insist on a front villa. The rear villas are inconvenient and do not justify the expense. 2. All events, which appeared promising, were listed upon check-in, and we were informed that we were invited to attend. However, it turns out that some events are exclusively for owners, and non-owners are not permitted to participate. 3. Room service scheduling at check-in should have been a convenience, but due to poor management, our room service did not arrive at the designated time, causing significant inconvenience. 4. We requested a late check-out for 11 AM, which was confirmed twice by the front desk. Yet, on the day of check-out, room service disturbed us at 8:30 AM insisting the room needed cleaning. At 9:45am, someone knocked on our door say that we need to check-out at 10am. We told them we have late check-out and they did not believe us and insisted we need to check out at 10am. Then I have to show them the proof on my cellphone: my text message with the front desk. We were looking forward to it but we end up extremely disappointing.

I’m surprised to be writing this review. Grounds are stunning. Layout and ease of getting to the pool and beach, etc is complicated and timely when you’re walking around with young kids. Amenities open late (9am) and close early (6-9pm). Front desk and 2 lifeguards said the hot tubs had no age requirements, however posted signs say 10 and the older patrons were quick to kick our 8 year old out. Rooms have the basics, but posted signs saying they will not replenish anything like toilet paper or paper towels and that you must buy more in the lobby. The sand dollar bar will not honor the 10% discount unless you have your silver card with you. Apparently the wrist band you have to PURCHASE doesn’t validate you are a resort guest enough to satisfy the discount. The bar tender by the pool is grumpy. The pool had a bunch of gunk in it. I told a staff member and they said it was sunscreen residue but didn’t offer for someone to come clean it. Looks like baby spit up at first, but upon closer look I agreed with the sunscreen residue assessment. Still gross and should have been cleaned. Beds are hard and uncomfortable. No extra towels so make sure you hold on to yours. And if you need to wash them, go buy some laundry soap because resort rations it. Just so many little things that really surprised me for the price we are paying vs all these little things that contribute to a less than 5 star experience. Again, resort is gorgeous.

We stayed here for a family trip last week that we were very much looking forward to and from the moment we arrived we had a horrible experience. We were informed upon arrival that two of the kids pools were closed, which was a big reason we chose staying here for our toddler to enjoy. They said it was not in their policy to inform us of pool closure. We are not vacation club members either and because of this we learned upon checkin that the Oceanside room we booked was simply a view of the parking lot - when asked why the photos showed ocean view pictures they said we only qualified for the second floor. To me, that’s false marketing and incredibly misleading after waiting for our room for several hours they decided to tell us this. They basically put us in the worst room they had. The front desk managers we spoke with could not have been ruder to us during this entire process. For the amount we travel, I’ve never dealt with more unprofessional management. During our stay, it rained one day when we were out at the pool. Sun came out a bit later and when I called for more pool towels they said we were not able to get new towels - we must wash them ourselves and this is “not a hotel” from the front desk manager. The list goes on, but we would never stay here again or recommend to a friend.

We are MVC Chairmen's level, and this is was our fourth trip to this property. We generally like the property, which is well maintained, but we were disappointed with several things this time - 1. We submitted villa preferences in advance using the Marriott system, asking for a high floor villa. We were disappointed to be assigned to a villa on the 3rd floor. The only alternative offered was the 4th floor. There should be a way to strive to accommodate Chairmen's Club owners requests, and if not able to, call them back before they arrive. 2. When we arrived on May 7th, in addition to not getting the villa we requested (first or second choice) we were informed that the Board had implemented a limitation on villa supplies, in the form of a "starter pack", effective May1st. Additional supplies would need to be purchased. Had we known in advance we might have brought some of the supplies with us. As it is, this seems to be "nickel and diming", especially given how much we spent to be owners. (Unlimited coffee filters, but only 1 pack of decaf and 2 packs regular for the week?) I understand the need to control or manage costs, but I doubt this is an effective way to save significantly. And at what cost - getting owners upset? 3. During our stay sludge of undetermined makeup backed up into our master bathroom sinks. The engineer who came to clean it speculated that it was caused by another guest using a plunger. Really? Sounds gross. At least the staff who came to our villa cleaned it up quickly. 4. In the fitness center, the same rowing machine that was not working properly last year still is not working this year. 5. Villa sliding glass doors need screens to keen insects out.