Review: The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa
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Last hotel of our trip in the Southeast United States: The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa booked with our hotel points.
The reservation of our room with points
Our destination being Savannah, we were looking for a hotel in the area to enjoy the discovery of the city… but also the surrounding beach. Within 30-45 minutes of Savannah is Hilton Head Island, and many hotel options with points.
Our choice was The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa, which we booked with our starpoints (now Marriott points).
This hotel was available on the Marriott Bonvoy website for 12,000 starpoints per night (equivalent to 36,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) instead of CA$349 (+taxes). Now, in Marriott’s new rate structure, it costs 35,000 points per night.
Since we were staying 5 nights, we took advantage of the 4 nights purchased with points = 1 night free promotion, which brings the cost per night down to 9,600 starpoints (or 28,800 Marriott points). The 5 night stay cost us 48,000 starpoints (144,000 Marriott points).
To get 48,000 starpoints (or 144,000 Marriott points), I converted 96,000 Select Membership Rewards points from my American Express Cobalt Card. As of August 2018, Membership Rewards/Select Membership Rewards points transfer to Marriott is at the 1,000:1,200 rate.
- Annual fee
- $191.88
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$255Total$255Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $255
- Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months
- Up to 15,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
Arrival at the hotel
The parking lot of the hotel is very large. If you park outside, you’ll have to walk a long way to get to the lobby! Our advice: use the underground parking (free).
When we arrived in the lobby, there was no waiting in the Gold & Platinum members only girl.
The hotel is particularly busy during these summer vacations: 95-100% occupancy rate! In the hotel: 6 Platinum members, 21 Gold members in 410 rooms… Proof of this is this table reserved for the members of the staff that I discreetly photographed:
I might as well tell you that the upgrade to a suite… was not possible, the hotel being REALLY full! On the other hand, we had the right to a room with a view on the ocean contrary to our initial reservation.
Other views of the Lobby:
Welcome lemonade:
And the café near the lobby:
So we go to our room.
The arrival in our room
After several (kilo)meters of corridors crossed(one of the real weak points of this hotel), we are in our room located on the 4th floor.
This one is composed of a king bed (for the parents) and a sofa bed (for our two children).
We find all the usual Westin facilities: coffee machine with Starbucks products, and functional desk.
Note: a mini-fridge, practical to store the gallon of milk… so adored by our gluttonous children!
Another view of the king bed:
And the office:
In the hallway is the bathroom (with sliding door… very fun for the kids (much less for their little fingers…)) and a closet:
In the closet, the traditional ironing board and a safe.
The bathroom is composed of a double sink:
And a bathtub shower.
Here is the view of the complex from our balcony:
And at dawn:
Breakfast
Our Platinum status entitles us to the buffet… cold buffet. If you wish to have access to the hot dishes (omelets, bacon…), you have to add 5 US$ per person. We are in summer, it is 40 degrees, the cold will be enough!
Here is a slideshow of the wide choice offered:
The beach
The main attraction of this hotel: its beach and pools. Its beach is particularly pleasant and we had a great time with our family.
A post shared by milesopedia (@milesopedia) on August 14, 2018 at 3:49 PDT
Pools
There are several pools available for both adults and children. Here again, very good moments spent with the family. On the other hand, the hotel being full, few places are still available in the shade. Do what everyone else does: “reserve” your seats with personal belongings in the morning before going to breakfast.
That’s what we did here:
There is an indoor swimming pool, especially suitable for children:
Another pool, all round, also shallow for children:
And the main pool:
In the center of the pool area there is a whirlpool:
Nearby, you will find cabanas available for rent:
A ping pong table:
Lounges:
And of course a bar-restaurant that will be popular for watching the 2018 World Cup soccer matches:
Next to the pool is the hotel’s Kids Club. Unfortunately for Alexandra (3 years old) this one is not yet accessible to her (4 years old).
Bottom Line
We visited this hotel in an extremely busy period. So it was not the best conditions (lots of people in the pools, on the beach), but we expected it.
The hotel is worth its 35,000 Marriott points per night. However, like many resorts today… additional resort fees are to be expected: 25 US$ per night. It’s hard to avoid this in the region: most resort hotels charge this fee.
- Annual fee
- $799
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$1,190Total$1,190Plus $510 of bonus paid after the first year, not counted in this total.Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $1,190
- Welcome offerAfter $10,000 in 3 months
- Up to 100,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
- Annual fee
- $191.88
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$255Total$255Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $255
- Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months
- Up to 15,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
Go further with Marriott Bonvoy
To maximize your stays and points earning, check our complete Marriott Bonvoy program guide and our best Marriott Bonvoy credit cards ranking. For personal use, see the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card. For business expenses, the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card earns points on every business purchase. And if a points purchase promotion is running, take advantage via our Marriott Bonvoy points purchase guide.
