If you checked out my guide to visiting Florida’s Paradise Coast last week and started planning your vacation, right about now you’ll be looking for the perfect beachfront hotel to stay in on your getaway. Let me make it easier for you. Go ahead and book a room at the Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort & Spa. Trust me, you won’t regret it. Need more convincing? Read on to learn why it’s such a fantastic place to stay.
Where is the Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort & Spa?
Before I can tell you about the Hilton Marco, I should probably give you an idea of where it’s located, right? Part of “Florida’s Paradise Coast,” Marco Island is only two hours from Miami or Fort Lauderdale, just south of Naples along the Gulf Coast in southwest Florida. The city of Marco Island is on the island of the same name. Fun little fact, it’s the largest of Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands, a chain of islets and islands off Florida’s Southwest coast. Interestingly, despite the name, there are really only a couple hundred of them, not 10,000. Still, it’s impressive!
Once you arrive in Marco Island, the Hilton is on South Collier Boulevard. It’s practically just steps from the beach yet also within walking distance of many arts and cultural attractions in Marco Island. Even though I’ve lived just two hours away in Miami for two decades, this was my first time visiting the area. I really can’t believe we never went there sooner! It was such a wonderful experience, and the Hilton was a huge part of that.
What to Expect From Your Hilton Marco Island Resort Weekend Getaway
The Hilton Marco Island is like the “Goldilocks” of hotels. In other words, it’s not too big, not too small. Just the right size for your family vacation. The entire hotel from the rooms to the restaurants to the common areas just underwent a multimillion dollar renovation, so everything is sparkling new and beautifully updated.
Let’s take a closer look at what to expect when you stay at the Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort & Spa.
Just steps away from the beach
I think the biggest draw to the Hilton Marco Island has to be its proximity to the beach. It’s pretty much as close as you can get without being in the water! The beaches in Southwest Florida are absolutely gorgeous, too. Amazing white sand and crystal-clear blue peaceful waters.
Beautiful pool with stunning views
As much as I love that the Hilton is so close to the ocean, sometimes you just want to hang out by the pool sipping a drink and watching the kids swim. Hilton Marco Island has a gorgeous heated “resort-size” pool with stunning views of the sunset. Sure, you can see the sun setting from all over the area, but the views from the pool were just amazing.
Family-friendly activities
The Hilton Marco Island is a very family-oriented hotel with some great kids’ activities during the day to keep them entertained. While we didn’t use it, if you want to spend a little one-on-one time with your significant other, they offer babysitting services for an extra fee. They also have a cute kids’ activity room with games and activities. Of course, there’s always the pool, too! Unlike a lot of hotels, the Hilton doesn’t ban pool toys. In fact, they even have some available in case you didn’t bring your own!
The hotel is also super close to a ton of family-friendly activities throughout Naples and Marco Island. Go shelling on the beach, arrange a sight-seeing tour through the concierge, or just head out on your own and explore the area. I highly recommend checking out the Dolphin Explorer Cruise. It’s just about ten minutes from the hotel. I shared more details about that, along with other fun things to do, in my Marcos Island and Naples visitor’s guide.
Amazing food
If you love fresh seafood, you’ll definitely want to plan to have at least one of your meals right at the Hilton Marco Island. While the hotel only has four dining options, they’ve managed to cover just about everything you could possibly want in those choices.
Your options include:
- 560 MKT: a “grab-and-go” market with a coffee bar, gourmet salads and sandwiches, pizzas, ice-cream and more. It’s the perfect spot to grab some picnic food to take along on your adventures.
- The Bar at 560: Grab one of their craft cocktails made with fresh juice or maybe a locally brewed beer, then take it over by the pool fire pits and watch the sunset.
- The Deck at 560: Their main restaurant, the Deck at 560 is open for all meals and has both indoor and outdoor dining. The chef focuses on using local and sustainable ingredients, like South Florida Clams or Gulf Coast Snapper. They even have a kid-sized breakfast buffet with fresh fruit and silver dollar pancakes just for the little ones.
- The Gulf Cart: You don’t even have to leave the beach to grab a snack, they’ll come right to you! The Gulf Cart delivers lighter fare, like fresh salad and sandwiches, along with tasty cocktails.
The pool bar and outdoor restaurant was amazing! We really enjoyed the buffet. We ate lots of seafood including our favorite, crab legs!
Award-winning spa
While we didn’t spend any time in the spa on this trip, if you’re looking for a relaxing vacation and want to grab a massage or facial treatment while you’re there, you can’t go wrong with the Hilton Marco Island. Their award-winning Mediterranean-inspired spa covers over 10,000 square feet and includes 10 state-of-the-art treatment rooms with a full menu of services. Get a relaxing massage or a rejuvenating facial, or just do a little meditating in their garden spa.
Our entire experience at the Hilton Marco Island was just outstanding. The staff was wonderful, the rooms were luxurious, and the whole resort was just gorgeous. The only thing I would recommend to make it even better is maybe having some live music by the pool at night. That would be a nice touch.
It was an awesome long weekend full of nature activities and we were able to spend a lot of quality time as a family, relax and enjoy the wonderful scenery of Marco Island and Florida’s Paradise Coast.
Special thanks to the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB for hosting my trip. Accommodations and some meals were provided. All opinions are my own.
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