JW MARRIOTT TURNBERRY MIAMI RESORT & SPA
by Kayode
Straight to the point, the JW Marriott Turnberry Miami Resort and Spa is a family-friendly luxury hotels and resorts located in the lush city of Aventura, north of Miami-Beach, Florida. Famously known for its waterpark with seven waterslides, 18-hole golf course, a spa with 3-floors of treatment areas, tennis courts, restaurants, and much more.
Although this hotel is a Category 6 hotel in the Marriott portfolio, after my such a wonderful experience at this hotel, I can unapologetically say that the JW Marriott Turnberry Miami makes a better alternative to The Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne. And while this hotel doesn’t have the beach or Oceanview present, I honestly still won’t mind ditching my favorite The St. Regis Bal Harbour for this JW Turnberry Hotel. You want to know why? Then continue reading.
BOOKING:
As part of my Miami hotels fest 2020, I booked a Golf View King Guest Room with Balcony for 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. But thanks to my Titanium Elite status with Marriott as I was pre-upgraded to a One Bedroom Suite, 1 Bedroom Larger Suite, 1 King, Sofa Bed, Golf View, Corner Room with Balcony prior to my arrival at the hotel. A 1,000 square-foot suite with 2 balconies and 1.5 bathrooms. As at the time of my stay, the rate of this suite was $900 / night.
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CHECKING IN:
My room was assigned before noon on the day of arrival and I received the usual push notification on the Marriott Bonvoy app that says, “your room is ready, and you can go there directly”. With this notification, I didn’t have to stop by at the front desk. And while I’ve stayed at over 20 hotels and more than 50-nights during this pandemic, this JW Marriott Turnberry Miami is the only hotel I’ve seen with a thermal screening system. A Temperature Checkpoint at the lobby that checks your temperature as you pass by.
I must say this was a great implementation from the hotel as I believe it provides a level of safety and confidence for both the guests and the hotel staff. And as you would expect, social distancing was being observe throughout the hotel and facemasks are required in all public areas. Hand sanitizer stations were also spread across different areas throughout the hotel.
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The resort has 2 different towers and the location of your room determines what elevators you’ll need to take to get to your room. I was assigned suite 2716, meaning that the suite is located on the seventh floor of tower 2, room 716.
THE SUITE (SWEET) SPOT:
Located at the far-end of the hallway, the 1,000 square foot Suite 2716 exceeded my expectations. The oversized separate living / sitting area was huge enough to feature a wraparound sofa and a coffee table, a dining area that can sit up to 4 people, a tea/coffee station with Keurig coffee maker, mini bar, half bathroom for guest, 2 floor to ceiling doors on each end of the sitting room that leads to 1 of the 2 huge balconies, an office area with chair and table, and a huge TV.
And no matter what side of the suite you’re seated at, you are still guarantee the view of the golf course with the city of Miami in the backdrop.
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The large bedroom featured a king-size JW Marriott Bed which boasts of a deep, motion-controlling mattress with gel-infused foam for a sound sleep. The bedroom also featured a large LED TV, 2 nightstands and a couch.
Another thing that set this Corner Suite apart was the bathroom. This large bathroom featured a separate bathtub which is desirable to behold.
The bathroom also featured a separate enclosed marble walk-in shower, double vanity, lighted makeup mirror, and Aromatherapy Associates bath amenities. And kudos to the JW Marriott Turnberry Miami Resorts and Spa for providing the Bath Minerals, as this bath salt was a great touch.
THE GREEN PASTURES:
Another selling point of this hotel is its championship golf courses. And while you may be an amateur golfer like I am, being surrounded by green grass is a symbol of good health, wealth, happiness, or abundance just to name a few. The golf view couldn’t have been perfect in my opinion, but hey, I’m not a golfer. But seriously, as you can see from the pictures below, don’t they look lovely? I’ll let you answer that in the comment section.
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THE WATERPARK:
The Tidal Cove Waterpark was named as one of Miami’s 10Best by Readers Choice Award in 2020. Featuring multiple waterslides, FlowRider, Kids Cove, Lazy River, and much more, this newest addition to the JW Marriott Turnberry Miami Resort & Spa is guaranteed to provide you a fun-filled stay during your visit. And as a guest of the hotel who paid the $40 Resort Fee, you’ll have exclusive access to this waterpark. A minimum value of between $65 – $125 per guest (depending on what days of the week). Click here to learn more about the waterpark.
And if you would rather spend some time in the pool area while another member of your party keeps an eye on the kids, you can do so at either of the VIP Pool or Oasis Pool. And if you’re weird like me (yea I’m weird), you can as well soak up in the hot tub while sunbathing under the Miami sun.
Treat your little ones in this emoji-inspired playscape as they splash into loads of fun activities and adventures. And even though it’s called The Kids Cove, don’t be surprise if you find some adults that are letting out the inner child in them around here.
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FOOD & BEVERAGE:
This is one area where I felt the JW Marriott Turnberry Miami Resort & Spa could have done better. Especially since I had to push a little before I got something reasonable out of the complimentary breakfast I am entitled to.
INTERNET CONNECTION:
This is another area where the hotel struggles. With free internet being part of the benefits of paying $40 resort fee, this hotel should be able to provide enhanced internet for its guests. With a download speed of 4.81Mbps and a 4.72Mbps upload speed, this hotel’s internet failed The Points Engineer’s WiFi test.
BOTTOMLINE:
As mentioned earlier, this has become one of my favorite hotels in Miami. There couldn’t have been many better ways to redeem 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, especially since this was during peak summer when the rate of the complimentary suite upgrade was around $900. And despite the few areas for improvement, I still wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this hotel to anyone visiting the Miami area. This is one of the few hotels I will be revisiting once COVID-19 is a thing of the past and everything is back to the normal we used to know.
Have you been to this hotel before, or will be visiting soon after reading this post? I’d like to read your comment or answer your question below.
Nigeria-born, California-based.
Kayode currently holds higher status on multiple airlines and hotel programs. He has visited 4 continents, 30 countries, and 35 of the 50 US states.
He began his adventure journey after selling his first cellphone ever, and used the money to apply for his first passport. He said to himself, “I’d rather have a passport than a cellphone”. And since then, he has been globetrotting.
Great breakdown of your trip! It’s definitely worth adding to one’s bucket list while in Miami
Thanks for reading Abigail. For sure, it’s worth adding to one’s bucket list