Summer Vacation

 Hello Marco Island! This year we decided to take our family vacation a little more south and head down to Marco Island, Florida.  My husband and I had been there once before over Christmas of 2009 but had not used the beaches and figured it was time to go back.  I decided to book through Hilton (which is usually our "go to" hotel choice.  I knew we wanted to be directly on the beach because it just makes everything go smoother especially with the girls.  There isn't many large hotel chains on the Island..I believe just the Hilton and Marriott. 

The Hilton welcomed us with a little note and bag of seashells we could take home. Such a sweet way to begin our vacation!

 The first thing we did that day was explore around the island and stop for lunch.  We ended up in a cute complex on the water made up of marinas, eateries, shopping and bars. The views were absolutely stunning.

The rest of our days were filled with pool and beach time!! The pool was very large and had a poolside bar and snack shack that also served simple lunches.  Most of the frozen cocktails were around $12 which isn't too bad.  The grounds of the hotel were flawless.  Mature palm trees and mangroves everywhere as well as a little running creek that could be seen through the whole main lobby by glass walls. 

The hotel provided towels, beach chairs and beach toys that you could check out with your name and room number free of charge.  The umbrellas were $20 a day.  

The water was just gorgeous! It reminded me of Miami water but without the crazy waves.  Perfect for families with little ones! The beach was so wide which left lots of space for playing in the sand or playing in the shallow water.

This is the large board walk from the hotel to the beach. There was actually two of these.  One from the pool deck and one straight from the hotel.  They have rinse off showers at the end and also little "Shells Sinks" for cleaning any beach treasures.  This is the boardwalk we used each night to go watch the sunset.

 Beach days are the best days!

All rooms seem to have views of the water by the way the balconies are designed.  This was the view straight on.  We didn't mind it! It was gorgeous.  The balconies are large and rounded with two chairs and a table. 

Some of the most gorgeous sunsets I have ever seen! Even my husband who doesn't get phased easily commented each night on the amazing skies.

 The hotel has three restaurants on site. A casual, a buffet and a fine dining.  We ate at the famous Friday night Seafood Buffet and it did not disappoint.  The casual fare was just okay perfect for beach lunches. We also had breakfast at the buffet twice and ordered room service other days.  We actually all really enjoy room service and one night my husband even ordered up a 5 course Romance dinner that was amazing! 

The beach was all around perfect.  Beautiful waters that weren't rough, perfect soft white sand with areas made of shells for all the kids to enjoy. It was definitely a fantastic vacation and I can see us coming back next summer! 

Thank you Marco Island!