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Spain coastal vacation club

mariawolf

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Anyone been there recently--preference of one over the other--Saw somewhere--which, of course I can no longer find that 3 bedroom occupancy is 8 which is what a 2 bedroom is at Frenchman's Cove where I initally purchased before doing points--plan to call tomorrow but just curious what the 2 bedroom occupancy is there--can't seem to find it on the MVC web site. Or anyone with experiences going there--plan to travel to Italy after this part of trip I hope to book.
 

Steve Fatula

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Depends what you like of course. I was at Playa Andaluza, not the fanciest place, but a lot of things to do there and very nice people, and quiet. Right on the beach basically.

The fancy resort would be Son Antem. What specifically are you looking for?
 

mariawolf

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turning 70 next July and want a place for adult children and grandchildren--a place we can all go and while there flights to Italy etc. cheaper--so 5-6 days there and then travel elsewhere for another 7-10 days.
 

Steve Fatula

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I think they would love Son Antem. Unless, you are looking to drive around, for example take a daytrip to Morocco or Gibraltar, in which case Playa Andaluza is closer to those.
 

jlp879

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All the Spanish MVC occupancies are 6 for a two bedroom and 8 for a three bedroom. Unlike the two bedroom units here in the US, the second (and third) bedrooms each only sleep 2 people. So if you want to have those maximum numbers, it requires sleeping 2 on the living room sofabed.

Room sizes are listed on II website.
 

bazzap

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If you follow this link
https://www.marriottvacationclub.eu/european-resorts.shtml
Select the Resort
Select Accommodation
It will show the capacity with a photo gallery.
It does depend entirely on what you are looking for in a vacation as to which might be best.
The Spanish resorts are very different, especially Club Son Antem as a rural resort set amid 2 golf courses (not on the coast)
 

mariawolf

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I spoke to them today--it turns out that the 2 bedrooms at Marbella and Andaluza are different--one of them does not have a sleep sofa--so just a king and 2 singles in the second bedroom--so will only sleep 4. Son Antem is too rural--being able to drive is a must for us. I did check the link above and both resorts said 6 people and the one bedroom says 4 so not sure who to believe--guessing the web site? Anyone with personal experience on this? Guess I will be calling back...........
Thanks for the feedback
 

Steve Fatula

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I spoke to them today--it turns out that the 2 bedrooms at Marbella and Andaluza are different--one of them does not have a sleep sofa--so just a king and 2 singles in the second bedroom--so will only sleep 4. Son Antem is too rural--being able to drive is a must for us.
Thanks for the feedback

Ours at Andaluza had a sleeper sofa, we had a 2BR. Which you pick depends on what you want to do. Andaluza is more south.

Son Antem is actually on an island.
 

bazzap

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I spoke to them today--it turns out that the 2 bedrooms at Marbella and Andaluza are different--one of them does not have a sleep sofa--so just a king and 2 singles in the second bedroom--so will only sleep 4. Son Antem is too rural--being able to drive is a must for us. I did check the link above and both resorts said 6 people and the one bedroom says 4 so not sure who to believe--guessing the web site? Anyone with personal experience on this? Guess I will be calling back...........
Thanks for the feedback
I would be surprised if either did not have a sleep sofa and hence sleep 6.
We stayed in a 2 Bed unit in Marbella Beach in March and I am almost certain that it had one there although we didn’t use it as one.
Playa Andaluza does have different types, as they have dedicated 2 Bed Units, but also lock off 3 Bed units (which we own) comprising a 2 Bed Master Suite and a 1 Bed Guest Suite each securely accessed via a communal reception hall.
I also fairly certain that both types have a sleep sofa.
The room layouts are shown in
https://www.marriottvacationclub.com/vacation-resorts/agppy-marriotts-playa-andaluza/accommodations/
 
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Son Antem is too rural--being able to drive is a must for us.

Not sure what you mean by this. Because Son Antem is "rural" (not particularly but equally not directly on the coast) and therefore a car is recommended you'll have the ability to drive.

Mallorca is a fantastic island to explore and so varied. Son Antem is by far our favourite Spanish resort (the Spanish resorts being much better than any of the US one's we've stayed at in our opinion). The villas in Son Antem are excellent and the fact that you have your own private garden, barbecue and pool shared between eight other villas sets it apart from many of the other resorts. I certainly wouldn't overlook Mallorca, it's part of Spain that is often overlooked by Americans and there's certainly more than enough to occupy your time there.
 

mariawolf

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Ok rural is wrong word (however mentioned above by another poster) but we are traveling with young children and having to drive to a beach is not what we are looking for—it also looks like the other 2 Spain resorts have more options for children
I would do it on another visit for sure
 
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Of the three resorts Playa Andaluza offers the most for kids, particularly young ones. It's a compact resort so there isn't far to go, there is a dedicated kids pool with slide and splash pool then there's a sports pool for the older kids where they usually set up a net for water polo etc then there's the football court, tennis court, climbing wall, mini golf, table tennis, giant chess etc. Marbella offers similar although the kids pool is indoors (there is an outside splash pool but not quite as good as Andaluza) and the other activities are more spaced out. Son Antem doesn't offer a separate kids pool however the real benefit, in our opinion, is the 'private' pools shared between the villas. We regularly have these pools to ourselves or at least shared with some sunbathers so in effect they become your own private kids pool and if you're lucky enough to have a villa adjacent to the pool it's great to be able to prepare a barbecue whilst being able to keep an eye on the kids. There is a main pool in the central complex which is often full of children and it's surrounded by a large sand area with a volleyball net, a small play park and a football court. All three resorts have a good kids club.

Marbella has the better beach over Andaluza however for the most part, people tend to prefer the pools and lounging around the resort rather than being on the beach. There are a number of hawkers hanging around outside (particularly Marbella) trying to sell knocked off handbags and the like. Besides, there are only a few months where the sea is warm enough to be enjoyable.

At Son Antem, El Arenal is only 15 minutes away and has a long stretch of sandy beach. It is an area favoured mainly by Germans and has a lot of amenities, hotels etc. We prefer Es Trenc beach which is a 30 minute drive away which whilst it isn't a simple five minute walk across the resort it is fine if you're planning to spend a day at the beach. There's also Aqualand (a water park) in El Arenal and one in Torremolinos (30 minutes from Marbella or 50 minutes from Andaluza).

If I were to decide between Marbella and Andaluza it would depend on the ages of the children. Ours are 13 and 11 and at this age they prefer Marbella although it's a very tight vote. I would say Andaluza is probably the better choice for younger children although both are excellent. I would be happy with either choice if it came up for exchange.
 

taterhed

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Marbella is wonderful, and the surround towns are very quaint and friendly for tapas, wine, music, shopping.

There is a great kids pool at Marbella, and a nice indoor pool too.

In Malaga (nearest airport) there is a fantastic indoor market with an absolutely amazing selection of meats, cheese, seafood, vegetables and, of course, olives and almonds. It's an amazing experience unto itself for those that only shop in US groceries. A plate of fresh razor clams and some fried fishies (Pescaíto frito) with a cerveza on the sidewalk is a true Anthony Bourdain kind of moment (RIP).

There are some very good tours in the region. We did the organic winery tour and really enjoyed it. We also went to Rhonda and DIDN'T buy the postcard because we now have our own postcard! It's amazing.
 
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