JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort and Spa Review

By Ramon

Ramon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further. ​​

JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort and Spa Overview
Our first stay after getting the COVID-19 vaccine was impressive. Christina got great elite recognition with an upgrade to a junior suite and enjoyed the impressive resort amenities at what ended up being the best resort we have stayed in within the United States. 

Pros- Amenity Rich Urban Resort, Strong Elite Recognition, Great Points Redemption, Spanish Style Architecture, Large Junior Suites, Quick and Friendly Service
Cons- Mediocre Buffet Breakfast

JW Marriott Turnberry Entrance

Booking
​​For the first trip after we received our COVID-19 vaccines we went to the Miami area to attend a family wedding in May 2021. We decided to stay at a resort we have never stayed at the JW Marriott Turnberry in Aventura, Florida just north of Miami. In part because of all of the amenities this resort offered including an adult pool and a water park. 

​For our five night stay  in for a Golf View King we paid 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, with the fifth night free, which was a great value for our room which would have cost $2,672. However, we still had to pay a $50 per night resort fee which is a frustrating part of redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points. However, this was still a great deal with a value of 1.34 cents per point excluding the resort fee. This great value was in part driven by the Marriott Bonvoy Stay for 5 Pay for 4 program which gives you the lowest cost night free on five night award stays. This makes the Marriott Bonvoy points a solid redemption  for longer stays. This stay was one of the best values I had gotten with Marriott Bonvoy points which I typically value closer to 0.5 cents. 

Check-In Desk

Check-In
​Four days before our stay the resort reached out with a pleasant email. At check-in that same friendliness continued. When we booked the hotel I was disappointed that they didn't allow Christina who was a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum member to redeem her Suite Night Upgrade despite it being allowed for JW Marriott brand hotels. However, that disappointment went away quickly when the morning prior to our check-in the hotel upgraded us to a  Junior Suite. 

JW Marriott Turnberry Entrance

As we pulled up to the hotel in our Uber we were already got the sense that this hotel was Miami luxury as a number of luxury cars were parked out front including a Lamborghini.

JW Marriott Turnberry Lobby

At check-in we got a friendly welcome to what was a beautiful lobby. At check-in they gave us wrists band for the water park that had to be exchanged each time of a new one and we were warned that it would cost $100 if lost. We were also told that we would get free breakfast at the restaurant Corsair. ​As we left the check-in area we also got a sneak peek at the hotel's beautiful lobby bar called Soff's Lobby Lounge.

Soff's Lobby Lounge

Junior King Suite
​As we walked through the property we loved the Spanish style buildings and thought this property didn't look like the typical Marriott. 

Junior King Suite

The Junior King Suite was quite stylish reflecting a tropical luxury vibe appropriate for Miami. The room had a comfortable king bed at its center with a bench at the foot of the bed to put on and take off shoes, something I always appreciate. The room also had an arm chair, sofa, dressers, television, and a table with another chair.

Double Closet

The junior suite also had a large double closet which was bigger than the one at our then home. Next to the closet was a Kureig coffee maker, coffee mugs,  and two glasses. The room also had two Biscoff cookies and two complimentary bottles of Aquafina. We called and the hotel was kind enough to bring us a small complimentary fridge. 

Cups and Pods

​The bathroom in the junior suite was huge and impressive. The bathroom and marble tiling that we would have loved in our home. It also had both a soaking tub and shower.

Bathroom

Another stand out feature of the room was a private balcony with nice views of the Aventura area. On the balcony were a wicker table and chairs

Balcony

This was definitely one of the nicest rooms I have seen in a United States hotel and I could only imagine how much nice the full sized suite would have been. ​

Amenities and Activities 
​Golf Courses
​The resort offers two golf courses, has a country club, and in the past has hosted multiple PGA tournaments. As a part of the resort fee guests had access to the driving range. Christina and I didn't use the driving range since her ankle was hurting. 

Golf Course

Adult Pool
We went to the adult pool on two different occasions because we really enjoyed the peace and quiet of the pool. The pool was located just outside the lobby but felt much more secluded because the parents with kids went to the Tidal Cover Waterpark.The pool was never full and had plenty of space for social distancing. As soon as we came over a pool attendant came over to set up towels.

Adult Pool

The first day the same person took orders, however during our second visit to the pool there was separate person who taking drink orders. The seat either had an umbrella or shade from palm trees which actually grow coconuts but not sure what they do with them. Another tree on the property grew mangoes and in a funny incident we saw a guest tried to get some to eat. As with the Tidal Cove Waterpark service at the pool included a mandatory 18% service charge. ​

Tidal Cove Waterpark
Also included in the resort fee was access to Tidal Cove Waterpark which was the standout amenity of the resort. The water park is also open to outside guest and because it was Memorial Day weekend it was packed and made it hard to socially distance. However, we spent most of the time in the pool and enjoyed our time at the waterpark. Included in the park entrance were lounge chairs and towels set up at each chair. The park was large for a hotel waterpark. It had three pools, a lazy river, and various water rides. These rides included a surfing ride and multiple water slides. 

We loved the lazy river and spent a lot of time on it. It was my first time using a lazy river and it was very relaxing. This wasn't the largest lazy river in the world but it was fun! The lazy river had two options for tubes single ones which were black and dual tubes which were blue. Because of Christina’s ankle we took single tubes.

While at the pool we ordered two frozen drinks. My frozen strawberry daiquiri which was good and Christina’s frozen drink which was pretty bad. Overall, we really loved having access to the water park and it was a great resort feature. ​

Dining
​Corsair Restaurant
The inside of the Corsair restaurant had very modern decorations and a large wine fridge. We sat outside and really enjoyed the view of the golf course. The only thing we would have appreciated was more shade.

The elite breakfast includes access to the buffet which was  served by hotel staff. The options included scrambled (powdered) eggs, bacon, mini- pancakes, french toast. These dishes were all average. I liked the pancake the best but it wasn’t anything amazing. The buffet also offered fruit including watermelon, pineapple, bananas they were all average at best. I also had the chocolate croissant and it was bad tasted stale. I ordered apple juice and Christina had iced coffee which were also average. Overall experience was mediocre. 
​
We went back for a second day had worse service and still were not impressed by the buffet. Overall, the best part of this restraint was the view of the golf course. We ended up dup skipping for breakfast on Day 3 or 4 since we were not impressed. 

In-Room Dining
In-room dining was available at the resort with the actual meals coming from the restaurant/bar by the Tidal Cove Waterpark with a slightly expanded menu offered after 8 pm. 

We ordered a large cheese pizza and a salad with beans and chicken and we were surprised that the order came very quickly in about 15 minutes. 
The pizza was huge big enough to feed a whole family and tasted good. The salad was also good and tasted like Chipotle. 

The in-room dining came with 20% gratuity and a $4 service fee. Overall the in-room dining was no frills but yummy. 
​
One additional dining experience we appreciated was the complimentary cookies and lemonade offered by the resort each afternoon in the lobby. We liked the cookies and appreciated the additional touch. 

Service
​With the exception of the Corsair restaurant, where service was slow, service was quick and friendly at this resort. While we were at the Tidal Waterpark the servers were busy but did their best to be attentive. The speed of the in-room dining delivery in particular stood out. Overall, I would say the service at this resort was solid. 

Take Away
​The JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa Showed why JW Marriott is my favorite Marriott luxury brand. The resort did a great job recognizing Christina's Marriott Platinum status with an upgrade to a Junior Suite and free buffet breakfast. The resort itself impressed with a wide-array of amenities including the standout waterpark in an urban setting. This was a great stay and I would say the best stay I have had at a resort within the United States. If I found myself in the Aventura, Florida area again I would definitely stay here again.