Winter sun on points comes down to picking a resort where the weather and the property do the work, then searching your exact dates before you move a single point. This guide covers five Marriott resorts in the United States, from Orlando and Clearwater Beach to the California and Arizona deserts and Waikiki, using what each resort's own Marriott page says on October 23, 2026.
Marriott Bonvoy shows the points price for your dates when you search, so we haven't put a number on any of these stays. What we can tell you is what each resort offers, who it suits and what to check before you book. If you want a wider look at resorts you can book with points, our guide to the best all-inclusive resorts on points covers five hotel programs.
How to Read the Award Price Before You Commit
Search the resort on Marriott.com or in the Marriott Bonvoy app with your dates and look at the points price it shows. Marriott varies that price by date, so a number you saw for one week tells you little about the next.
Two things to check on the same screen. First, the room type: these resorts mix standard rooms with suites and residences, and the price you want may belong to a different room than the one you picture. Second, any resort fee. JW Marriott Desert Springs, for example, lists a $45 daily resort fee plus tax on its page, so check how a fee like that shows up on your award night before you book.
Five Marriott Resorts for Winter Sun
JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes
Marriott describes a 500-acre property with 1,010 guest rooms and suites. The Grande Lakes Water Park has a lazy river and the Headwaters Slide Tower with three waterslides, and there's an 18-hole golf course designed by Greg Norman. Marriott lists seven dining outlets, including Italian at Primo, plus The Ritz-Carlton Spa.
Over the holidays, the resort adds an ice-skating rink and a Christmas market, and its golf club is home to the PNC Championship, which Marriott lists for December 17 to 20, 2026. It suits families who want pools, a water park and golf in one place.
JW Marriott Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa
Marriott puts this resort on Clearwater Beach on the Gulf. Its page describes one-, two- and three-bedroom Residences with a kitchenette, an in-room washer and dryer and a private balcony. There's a pool on the 11th floor with cabanas, a rooftop bar called The Deep End, Spa by JW and the Hideaway Hangout Kids Club for ages 5 to 10.
Marriott lists St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport 13.3 miles away. It suits a family or a group that wants a kitchen and a beach in the same stay, so check whether the Residence you want shows for your dates.
JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa
This is the dry-sun pick, on 450 acres in Palm Desert. Marriott lists five pools, two Ted Robinson championship golf courses called the Palm and the Valley, a tennis club with hard, clay and grass courts plus eight pickleball courts and a 38,000-square-foot spa.
The $45 daily resort fee plus tax covers items Marriott names on the page, including daily fitness classes, golf range access and an hour of court rental for two guests. Palm Springs International Airport is 12.2 miles away. It suits golf and tennis players who want the whole trip in one resort.
The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa
Marriott places this Tucson resort at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains, on 250 acres of Sonoran Desert. The page lists six outdoor pools with cabanas and a 177-foot waterslide, a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course made up of three nine-hole courses called Canyon, Ridge and Hill, La Paloma Spa & Salon and a Kids Club.
Tucson International Airport is 16 miles away, and Marriott lists a partner airport transfer at $75 one way on request. It suits a quieter desert trip with a pool day built in.
The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki
The "Pink Palace of the Pacific" opened in 1927 and sits on Waikiki Beach. Guests choose the Historic Wing, with its carved wooden doors, or the Mailani Tower, where Marriott says every room has an ocean view and a private balcony. The Malulani Pool, Azure restaurant, the Mai Tai Bar and a luau on Mondays and Thursdays are on the property.
Marriott's page previews a revitalization of guest rooms, suites and resort spaces ahead of the resort's centennial celebration on February 1, 2027, so look at which rooms your dates show. Daniel K. Inouye International Airport is 9 miles away, and a shuttle partner charges $20 one way. It suits the one big trip of the winter.
Which One to Book
- Golf and tennis in one place: Desert Springs.
- Kids, pools and slides: Orlando for the water park, La Paloma for the 177-foot slide.
- Beach plus a kitchen: Clearwater Beach, in a Residence.
- A quiet desert week: La Paloma.
- A bucket-list stay: The Royal Hawaiian.
Paying Cash Instead
If a points price looks steep for your dates, price the same nights in cash. Our guide to what Marriott Bonvoy points are worth shows the division to do: the cash rate against the points price for the same room and dates. If the math favors points and your balance falls short, you can buy Marriott Bonvoy points to cover the gap.
Search Your Dates First
Pick the resort by who's traveling, then search your exact dates and compare the points price with the cash rate before you transfer anything. If you don't have a Marriott Bonvoy account yet, you can join Marriott Bonvoy for free when you book.
