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I love Marriott properties.  My first co-brand hotel cared was the Marriott card (now Bonvoy).  I’ve stayed at many Marriott brands over the years.  Marriott’s my go-to hotel.  I especially love the Boca Raton Marriott.   We started staying at Marriott properties when my boys were playing little league baseball.  Marriott just made it so easy to stay with kids; not to mention the amount of Marriott properties around.    I just love Marriott for so many reasons.  First of all, they’re everywhere!   If you’re in the U.S., chances are you can find a Marriott property wherever you’re going.

And if you get a Marriott cobrand card, you can rack up points pretty darn easy.  Marriott and Hyatt’s are my favorite hotels for sure – their comfort and pricing can’t be beat, plus it’s pretty easy to score deals at both properties, if you know how.  You can read my latest Hyatt Review to get my take on Hyatt.  

BASEBALL DAYS

Years ago, we were “that” group that always congregated by the pool, took over the fire pit, and had the run of the place. And yes, I’m sure those were our boys playing elevator tag!  When the kids were playing little league and doing out of town tournaments,  Marriott was always our choice of place to stay and they have always been a good sport, even when our little “sports” weren’t too good.  Maybe that’s why I’ve always been a fan.

Fast forward a few years and my boys are no longer playing little league, but I still love Marriott.  I recently took a trip to Florida to visit my son.  We booked the Renaissance Boca Raton.  I’ve never stayed at a Renaissance and always wanted to try it out.

My sister was with me on this trip and she’s stayed at Renaissance properties quite a few times for business and gives them a big thumbs up. She’s got great taste, so off to the Renaissance we went!

We arrived late on a weeknight. We were exhausted from our long day of travel. Thankfully, check in was quick and painless.  I liked the looks of things so far.  The lobby was pretty swanky especially when you’re used to staying at more budget type properties.

 

We reserved a double queen. The rooms were a cut above the standard Marriott rooms.   The headboards were plush, the lamps glitzy.  The room finishes were nicer than what you’d find a in a standard room.   Aside from looking good, the beds were very comfortable.

 

MARRIOTT BOCA RATON POOL

 

There were two main reason we booked this hotel.  Number one, it was supposed to be a step up from the normal Fairfield Inn or Springhill Suites.  Number two, the pool looked awesome!  The hotel website did an awesome job of showcasing the pool area.  It looked swanky and upscale (for a semi-budget hotel) this was just the vibe we wanted.  Could it deliver?  It did deliver on almost all counts with just one unfortunate miss.  Here’s what I loved about the pool:

POOL THUMBS UP

• Tiki Bar!  It’s so vacation-y to be able to get a drink at the pool!  Like why would you not have a bar at the pool?  I have no idea why some hotels don’t do it.  All should!  Not that everyone wants to have alcohol – just to be able to get a lemonade or iced tea while outside on the pool deck is awesome.
• Clean, beautiful saltwater!  Yay!  No rubbing my eyes because of the stingy chlorine.
• Gorgeous waterfall!  A very nice tropical touch to add to the ambiance!
• Nice loungers!  And there were plenty of them.  I hate staying at places where you have to get up at the crack of dawn to reserve your chair.  No problems here!

They only “miss” at the pool was one day while lounging at the pool we noticed a smell of trash wafting over into the pool area.  I think the wind was blowing just right; and without any wind it may not have even been noticeable.  But this day it was noticeable.  Everything else about the pool area was great!!

 

MARRIOTT BOCA RATON FITNESS CENTER

I loved my workouts at the  Boca Raton Marriott Renaissance.  The fitness center was above average, with 3 treadmills, a stationary bike, two elipticals and free weights.  And, all the equipment seemed new and they all had personal tvs, which I love.  Machine time goes super fast while watching the latest episode of House Hunters or Chopped!.  Anyway, the equipment was great, no broken knobs or missing buttons.  I got my work out on almost every day we were there; and the place was clean every time.  There was no gross kleenex left behind on machines as I’ve discovered in the past at other hotels.

FOOD

We didn’t try the on-site restaurant because we already had plans to try a bunch of local Boca eateries, but it did look very inviting.  Every time I peeked in, the place was bustling – especially Sunday  morning for brunch.  They did have a Starbucks coffee bar set up in the lobby which I did help myself at.  That was a nice touch.

MARRIOTT BOCA RATON CONCIERGE LEVEL

My sister has status at Marriott, so we did manage to make our way to the 5th floor concierge level and took advantage of the free food and drink.  Free is always good.   I can’t say I was “wowed” by the spread.  The food was O.K.  It wasn’t lobster or crab legs, but it was “fine”.  And it was free.  We visited the concierge level just about every day of our stay for either breakfast or the dinner buffet.  The breakfast was a good spread, especially for free:  waffles, cereal, rolls, eggs, bacon or sausage, yogurt, orange juice, etc.

At the dinner buffet we ate really lite because we were going out later, but usually we ate the cheese & crackers with our wine and that was great!

Also, it was really convenient to be able to pop in to the 5th floor anytime and grab waters & pops out of the fridge to take back to our room; or take down to the pool  That was  a really super nice touch.

 

 

 

The Marriott Advantage?

The Marriott website lists the Renaissance under it’s “premium” umbrella along with The Autograph, Marriott, Westin and Marriott Vacation Clubs (MVC).  I’ve stayed at numerous  MVC properties, and they are in an entirely different class.  This Renaissance had amenities you won’t find at a Fairfield Inn or Spring Suites, for sure but the MVC’s are in a  class by themselves.

For me the pool was the best part of the Marriott Boca Raton Renaissance.  We wanted a resort style pool to hang out at while in Boca.  The pool here was much better than the standard square box you’ll find at most hotels of this class.

NEXT TIME

Would I stay here next time in Boca Raton?  I wanted to try the Marriott Boca Raton Renaissance because I usually stay at more budget friendly choices like Springhill Suites or Fairfield Inn.  To give you an idea on on pricing,  the price difference between Renaissance and Springhill Suites is $166.00 total.  So for 4 nights, you’re paying $41.50 more per night to stay at the Renaissance.

Was it worth it?  The pool area was hands down a winner.  The whole pool area, with the tiki bar, really made the Renaissance for me.  For the pool, I’ll stay here again next time I’m in Boca!

 

 

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