Just returned from 6 nights at the Marriott Sand Key. I did alot of research on where to stay in the Clearwater/St. Pete area and found all the reviews of the Marriott Sand Key to be really helpful. Traveled with my husband and 9 year old son, we had a fabulous time. The room was great, we had the private balony overlooking the intercoastal. I am glad we did that instead of overlooking the pool, we saw dolphins most days from the balony. The pool area was excellent, service was excellent and really pleasant! We especially loved the boardwalk, it was really convenient to go and have breakfast by the water, pick up a few groceries, or pool toys or have a really great dinner... all without ever having to get in a car. I was worried about on being on the beach, but it really never mattered. The pool area of the Marriott is "way, way, way better" than the Sheraton which is on the beach. You can walk over to the beach within a matter of minutes and do all the "beaching" that you want. We went "shelling" a few of the days, which was a highlight for our son and found the beach clean, beautiful and plentiful with shells. We also did the Pirate ship cruise in Clearwater at sunset and it was fabulous! We would stay at the Marriott again in a 'heartbeat", we all miss the pool, sun and fun. Oh yeah, and the bedding was really comfortable which is always an added bonus when traveling! Go to this hotel and you won't go wrong....we loved it!

Not worth our stay for how much you pay a night

Stayed at the Marriott on Sand Key from 4/10 - 4/17/2003 and although the weather wasn't great the Marriott and the staff were excellent. I have used TripAdvisor for my last three trips and have taken the travelers advice and every time it has been good advice. The rooms and hotel have just been remodeled and everything looked very clean. The bathroom was a little small but the rooms are all suites and we had ample room. The balcony was big enough to sit on (several chairs) and you had a great view of the pool. The pool was big and had a great waterfall. They had tons of things to do for kids and even had a movie one night out by the pool. The Marriott seems to want to go out of their way to do things and accommodate you. They do have a laundry room and if you went at an odd time you could have 2-3 washers to yourself but other times you had to wait in line. The hotel is across the street from the beach (and the Sheraton) and although we thought this would be a problem -- it wasn't. There is a pathway right next to the Sheraton and you can easily walk (about 5 minutes to the beach). I agree with others when saying Clearwater Beach was very, very crowded and staying at Sand Key was a much better idea. You are away from the crowds and terrible traffic problems but still very close to everything. We explored Sand Key and the other areas surrounding it and had a great time. I would definitely stay here again.

Stayed at the Marriott on Sand Key from 4/17 through 4/23 and the weather was absolutely beautiful, as was the resort. There are only 2 resorts on Sand Key, the Marriott and the Sand Key and they are across from each other. You won't go wrong staying in either of these top-rated resorts. The Marriott has larger rooms because they are a suite hotel and the view overlooks the bay, which is breathtaking. The pool is very large with waterfalls. The only complaint I have is that because the pool is so large, that makes less space for chairs. They have alot of chairs, but they are crammed together. Beautiful, clean and very brightly decorated rooms. We walked across the street to the Sheraton's beach and rented cabanas when we wanted to beach it ($20.00). The money was well worth it - great breeze and nice clean beach. We went into Clearwater Beach a couple of nights for dinner and were so glad we did not stay there - very noisy. So you have the best of both worlds - you can stay on Sand Key and sleep undisturbed, but still hop on the trolley and go into Clearwater Beach at night for some fun!