Marriott's Grande Ocean

Fabulous location. The unit was spacious, clean and comfortable.

We are long time Marriott owners with over 80,000 destinations points, including our 9 deeded weeks. We just checked into 3 villas at Marriott’s Grande Ocean and have never been so disappointed! First of all, we booked 3 ocean front villas and received 1 ocean front villa on the first floor. The other 2 villas were on the side of the building and definitely not ocean front, BUT we used an extra 400 points to book each of the ocean front villas. Each of the rooms stink terribly! They are filthy with very dirty carpet, stains and grunge on all of the furniture. We will not return and cannot recommend this property.

Enjoyed our stay. Top notch.

The grounds, view, and location are pretty amazing. But, the room we received was stale and smelly. One bathroom had 4 inches of black mold around the ring of the shower, light fixtures missing caps and built up dust colonies inside and the master room smelled of mildew which I believe came from the nasty carpet and bathroom ceiling that had black spots. When we approached the manager he stated he had zero inventory to move on a holiday week. We understood that and his only offer was to send housekeeping to tackle the issues that seemed beyond what housekeeping could rectify with a cleaning, except maybe the shower with loads of bleach. Perhaps we got a lemon room.Perhaps not. I added photos but unfortunately cannot record the stale smell. Towels are on their last leg- dingy, thin, and almost can’t do their job. Need replacing. Pool towels okay. Workers up very early talking loudly in the courtyards and blowing leaves. It became my 7:30 alarm clock. Manager did not care at all to help us and kinda robotic. The other staff were nice. If I were him, I’d offer some kind of incentive to make up for the gross room. The lovely beach saved the trip. And of course great company. We made the most of what we were dealt. I wouldn’t go back. Sad, because this is a jewel Marriott location. I hope GM/Director takes a look at whose running this place on the daily and checking units.

This was my first time to both this Marriott timeshare and Hilton Head Island. I did not have any specific expectations other than hearing this was a great vacation destination. This property is nestled into the native environment as are most of the island businesses, homes and properties. Quite frankly, I have never experienced anything like it before. Usually, builders remove everything and then replant but that was not the case here. There is an extensive environmental area between the property and the beach which can be accessed by two long boardwalks by the main pools. If you are into shell hunting, there are very few shells on this beach. The tide does move up and down the beach a significant distance between the High and Low periods. Note that this is not a lock-off timeshare so there is only one entrance to the Villa. What I Liked: - The property is very serene and well maintained. Our two-bedroom Villa was the best Marriott time share property we have stayed at to date. - The Villa interior appeared to be recently renovated and was visually excellent - The parking availability under the units was also excellent. We never had a problem getting a space regardless of the time of day. - The first floor was not at ground level. Since we opted for the first floor based on wait time for a Villa at a higher level, our concern was having a unit where anyone could walk by your Villa and walk onto your patio. This was not the case. - We were able to pre-check in early (12:00pm) and there was a minimal line around 4:00pm when we did the final check-in - They offer beach chairs and umbrellas. When we were at the Singer Island (West Plam Beach) Marriott timeshare last year and they did not offer this option. - The pools were not overcrowded. Note that the main pool on the south end of the property was the busiest. - There were more grills and grilling areas than I recalled at comparable Marriott timeshare properties - There were a lot of people on the beach doing a lot of activities yet the vibe was very relaxing and tranquil - The beach was great and the water was clean. - There was a large chessboard located by the northern main pool tucked inside a pond areas where turtles would appear begging for food at certain times of the day. What I Did Not Like - Our biggest problem occurred the day before we were to check-out. We came back from the beach to eat lunch only to find we could not access the room because the keys were not working. We reported it to the front desk and the new set of keys would not work. The security team came up and they could not get into the room. It turned out to be a major fiasco trying to get into the room and then replacing the door lock. It took more than three hours to remedy the problem. They felt the excessive humidity that week was the cause. In one sense I felt very safe because the Marriott couldn’t even break into the room without a team of 3-4 resources! - The morning of Day #2, I found a large Palmetto bug in the unit entrance way and a small roach in the kitchen the next day. I was able to make the “hit” on both of them. - I needed to have maintenance better seal the front entrance door and door jambs because there were large spaces for bugs to freely enter - The toilet in the MB was leaking water so it kept filling and draining. I needed to have the maintenance team fix the problem within the tank. - The fitness center was very hot each of the three days I was there - The front desk staff was not very versed on the rental of beach chairs / umbrellas or local eating recommendations Beach chair and umbrella rentals can be done through the Marriott Bike Shop or a private provider. The Marriott charges $10/day or $25/week for each beach chair or umbrella (plus tax), You can get two beach chairs, an umbrella and a cart with a small cooler for $30/day or $125 week (plus tax). The private firm has full-size chairs and umbrellas already operational on the beach, but is more expensive. As an example, a set of two chairs and an umbrella rental for six consecutive days (discounted) is $255, plus 7% tax. So, a rental of two chairs and an umbrella for six consecutive days at the Marriott is $75 without a cart (plus tax) or $125 with cart (plus tax) vs. $255 (plus tax). My overall rating is 8.4/10. No matter where I have stayed at a Marriott timeshare, there are always problems. The extent of the problems and how the staff / management respond is always the key. The staff was very accommodating and diligent here. They compensated us for the lunch we had to have at Loggerheads the day we could not get into our room for lunch. If possible, I will return next year.

We loved the dolphin pool with lazy river, my kids (ages 6 and 11) went around and around for hours. It’s tiny but the water is shallow and moving at a good pace so super fun and safe for kids. Not really a relaxing lazy river for adults though so be aware. The ocean is a very short walk and there are multiple entrance points. We spent more time by the ocean than I expected. Fun to visit at various points in the tide cycle. We appreciated the activities and did poolside bingo twice (they have lots of winners so my kids were thrilled and won both days) and my kids made soaps. There were lots more activities we were interested in but had other things planned. Parking is free which is nice with a rental car. Rooms are a bit dated but were clean which is what is most important to us! The setup can’t be beat for families- 2 separate bedrooms and bathrooms with a large kitchen/living space.