Marriott's Crystal Shores

This review is hard for me to write as I have been an owner of a 3-bedroom Marriott Deeded Week for over 68 years in the Marriot Vacation Club. I have made various purchases for flexibility options within the system over the years and have taken several presentations " to educate yourself about how to maximize your options within the Vacation Club". First let me say that Crystal Shores and Marco Island are a lovely stretch of Beach with blue water, great shelling and an easy by car location if you fly into Regional SW Airport. Our 2-bedroom unit in the Egret building had a mix of partial ocean view, pool view and was high enough to be quiet and to enjoy breakfast on the balcony off the living room. The kitchen, 2-bedroom unit, AC, internet, and other amenities were what I would expect from this resort. The adult and children's pools gave both family and adult quiet options. The indoor parking garage was fine and there were plenty of elevators to move without delay within your building. The property and landscaping are very well maintained. It is easy to visit and even walk to other connecting beaches on Marco Island, day trip to Sanibel Island, and even to Naples State Park beaches with a car. We enjoyed learning about the" Marco Cat" at the Historical museum which is worth a visit. April was a great time to visit after a harsh NE winter. My complaint and what left a really bad feel about this visit was the way I was treated by the Sales Department. Be Aware that the "check-in desk "(no problems) will make you go to another " welcome desk" to pick up your Parking Pass). That's where the problem started. A Mr. RJ told us about the " activities we could purchase through him with other vendors- ok", then you will be asked to " attend an owner presentation for 2 hours in the Sales Dept but you need to leave your credit card with him and if you don't show up, we will bill you? $200 but we will give you a credit of $250 as I recall, " we are not hard sale at this resort, we just what to make sure you are making the most of your week. " The credit card part was a shock to me as never has anyone in the MVC System ever requested this outside of the Check in Desk. Most of the time they offer you some points for your time and to be fair to them they can see your history- and I have purchased add Ons to the system. Frankly, I am there for the vacation part, but my time is worth something, but I like to learn about new properties domestically and abroad. I refused the credit card part but took a 9:00 AM time spot to hear about " new things within the Vacation Club". I arrived on time, I am a married owner, but I own the week- purchased many years back prior to marriage. After two people in the sales dept came and went and I listened to the " updates", Almost 1.5 hours later someone a Mr. MA , abruptly ends the " presentation" and tells me, "We aren't selling anyway at Crystal Shores and ' You can't buy anything from us because your husband isn't here" . I told him it was clear to the " welcome desk- sales folks" that it was just me and family and it has always been just me and my family". I am the Owner. Clearly, after over 1 hour of sitting there he could see that it was just me and not me and my husband. I have never encountered this type of treatment, deception, and unprofessionalism at any other Vacation Club properties in Florida and or elsewhere. The property and location are very nice, but I won't be trading weeks, points and or anything else to return to that location. I have yet to receive a response and or call from the Director of Marketing at Crystal shores about this experience even though I was told " I will pass that on- he is out for the day". That was over 2 months ago. A word to the wise enjoy your week, pick up your parking pass and bypass any sales pitch, updates, or whatever they are calling it when you are there.

I’m currently still at the Marriott Crystal Shores, but as I sit by the pool watching my three children enjoy every single second of this vacation I thought it’d be the perfect time to write a review. I very rarely write reviews. But this property is deserving of a solid wonderful review in every way. First and foremost it is the cleanest resort I think we’ve been to in a long time. At any point in the day, you can find their workers constantly cleaning every part of the building and property. All of the workers are incredibly friendly. And not even fake friendly. The hotel itself is so perfect for families with young children. But I also feel like it’s important to note that the resort does a really good job of separating the kids from the adults who just want to be there to relax, who may not have children. The resort is very accommodating. And there are so many activities for kids throughout the day. We did karaoke one night with our kids, and even though the crowd was small the worker that was doing the karaoke really got everyone into it. Which then drew in more people. It ended up being so fun. The beds are super comfortable. There are more than enough pool chairs, which I think is really important. Overall, it was just a wonderful vacation and we don’t want to leave. Usually by the fourth or fifth day I’m ready to go home, this vacation is different. None of us want to leave. We will absolutely be back to this resort. Also, the beach is right out in front and they have a beautiful boardwalk. They do a really good job of keeping outsiders off of the property. They enforced the wristbands pretty strictly, but we also had some friends meet us here for the day and we were able to go to the front desk to get a wristband for them. (our room did accommodate up to eight people so that might be why.) Again, I highly highly recommend this resort. If I knew who to contact, I would be calling the person in charge to absolutely rave about the employees here. Oh, and the water slide is SO FUN & SO PERFECT for our kids. Even the adults loved it. We spent 90% of our time on it!!!

Our 2-bedroom villa with an ocean view (& 2 balconies) in the Osprey Tower was perfect for our family of 5. It was very clean & spacious and exceeded our expectations. The staff was super-friendly and service was fantastic! Only wish it had a dining option overlooking the water, but there are other options nearby.

I’ve been a Marriott owner for 25 years and have been cast aside, spoken to very condescending and preferences given an afterthought. The rooms are great.

Staff are great!! Management are always mingling and willing to assist in any way Karl ,Director of Operations was always available and friendly Happy hr drinks are made well esp the pina collada with rum Topper Very clean, with attentive staff Serenity pool should be longer in duration as there are plenty of options for children and this area, when quiet is wonderful Definitely a wonderful experience Thank you Marriott for an unforgetable experience

Our family’s favorite MVC resort! Safe area, great for all ages. Often hard to get a lounge chair around the pool for a family

We were fortunate to be assigned a gulf front villa - albeit on the lowest floor and just above the 8 gas grills. But we loved the large balcony. However, on Thursday, which is checkout day for some people, the cleaning crew on the floor above us was so loud - constantly shouting to each other as if there was an ongoing disagreement - for at least 2 hours - that I had to move inside because I couldn’t concentrate reading. The night before we also heard every movement of people and roller bags and furniture from the unit above ours….and when we went inside to enjoy the night air, the visitors in that villa were playing loud music and were singing to it on their balcony. So, again, we moved inside for some quiet. The dining table chairs and the kitchen island stools should have felt pads on their legs to mute these very loud sounds from above. Sound insulation in the units is not ideal. Noise was an issue even in the posted “quiet” upper pool. People playing music and boisterous voices. But there’s nobody there to police that or to complain to. I moved three times to find a quieter spot until I finally gave up. But when I returned to our villa, the afternoon pool activities in the lower pool brought loud music and very loud PA announcements from whoever was leading the activity. Those activities are daily. In short, this is not a quiet property. At check-in, after 12 hours of traveling, we were pressured to agree to attending a sales presentation. We were tired, hungry and mind-weary and, for the first time in years, just gave up the fight and agreed because the guy checking us in promised it would not be a sales pitch, but rather, an educational session for all of our questions. Our better judgement settled in the next morning and we cancelled. It is really obnoxious how they have you check in at one desk, but then, to get your parking pass, you have to go to another desk to give them the chance to wear you down until you accept the sales presentation. Summary: Good location, nice beach, good restaurants within walking distance. But noisy. And - as always - beware the sales pitch.

Crystal Shores is now one of our favorite Marriott Vacation Club locations. It is in a fantastic location — right on the beach and within walking distance to lots of great restaurants, with a 7-Eleven right across the street for last minute items. We were in an ocean front villa that was immaculate and well maintained. The view from the lanai was phenomenal! Generally, we don’t splurge on ocean front views with MVC, but this one was definitely worth it. The front office is very responsive to texts. Housekeeping requests were filled within minutes! We were ‘wowed” by the exceptional service. Management plans well — there was a city water system upgrade scheduled during our stay. We were made aware of the projected 8 hour outage sbout 2 weeks prior to check in. About 4 gallons of bottled water was delivered to our villa the evening prior along with a bucket to use to pull water from the bath tub to flush the toilet. Repeated text and hard copy reminders were sent with instructions and updates, including a boil water notice after completion of the upgrade, and a text announcing lifting of the boil water notice. We are really impressed with the fantastic communication! The fitness center and pools are great. We had an outstanding experience and are hoping to return in a few years.

Location on the beach. Room very comfortable.

Rudeness at check in, extra fee for parking and use of chairs in the beach. Environment in the hotel looks like a nursing home.