After our recent stay at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point and Spa, we can easily see why this is a favorite family-friendly resort on the Florida Gulf coast. Located just south of Ft. Myers and about 30 minutes north of Naples, the location is perfect for a warm Florida beach getaway.
Just to highlight some top features: multiple pools, theme-park worthy waterslides, a large lazy river, kids club (for a fee), yard games, a fire pit, ample food options, and tons of local attractions.
Here is an overview of our amazing family vacation at Hyatt Regency Coconut Point:
PROS:
Close to Fort Myers airport (35 min drive). We rented a car to also explore the area
Tons of included activities; poolside games, gorgeous grounds with yard games, hammocks, a firepit (you can buy Smores kits at the marketplace)
Tons of food options in various price points
Nestled in a very vibrant Florida town; very short drive to many off site restaurants, shopping, activities
Rooms were large, modern, clean
CONS
The 3 large waterslides have a high restriction of 48" and there is no wiggle room despite your swimming ability. My petite kids were crushed that they were only tall enough for the one small slide
You have to drive to get to the picturesque gulf beaches (about 15 minutes). The large parking lot at Bonita Beach Access #1 and the small access lots as you drive down Bonita Beach Road fill up quickly.
ON SITE DINING
The hotel offers a large continental breakfast spread, with omelet station, hot food options, cereal, fresh cut fruit, pastries, and so much more. It was $30 per adult, and kids paid their age. For example, my six year old was $6 dollars. Drinks (coffee, juice, etc) were not included in that price, just fare warning.
For poolside, Corkscrew Poolside Bar & Grill was a gorgeous poolside patio restaurant (it reminded us on dining in Hawaii). There were also poolside waitstaff with a full menu of drinks and food options- pricing was on par with resort food. There were plenty of options on Uber Eats/Door dash that we met right to the lobby. Remember that many travel credit cards come with a free Door dash subscription and monthly statement credit.
HOW TO "TRAVEL HACK"
We traveled as a family of 4 for nearly free utilizing Hyatt Points and Southwest Points. These are my two absolute favorite credit card travel redemptions.
Flights- FREE, we just paid $5.60 each way for taxes/per person
Hotel Stay- FREE
Out of pocket Travel expenses:
Rental Car (rented through Costco Travel). There are ways to utilize travel credits to reduce this expense (ex. Chase Sapphire has a $50 per year travel credit)
Parking at the Hyatt
In terms of travel points, this was an excellent value for credit card point exchange. Our family of 4 flew Southwest from Denver to Ft. Myers (made one stop, unfortunately no directs). We traveled the week of Thanksgiving for 7,265 points each way. With Southwest companion pass for both adults, flights were a total of 29,060 points for a family of 4. The cash value of these flights would have been $1,000+. The Hyatt Regency Coconut Point was 20,000 points per night (Category 5 standard room), but the cash value was $513 per night.
Tip to maximize earning Hyatt travel points during your stay: we charge everything during our stay to our hotel room to ensure its coded correctly, and pay at the end with a Hyatt credit card to earn 9x the points. Here is an example, our $70 breakfast earned 630 points ($70 x 9x Bonus by using the Hyatt credit card at a Hyatt property).
OTHER TRAVEL TIPS FOR THE HYATT COCONUT POINT
If you pay on points, there was no resort fee. This is a huge perk to traveling on points
There is a fee for parking at the Hyatt Coconut Point, either valet or self-park. Self-parking was very close to the entrance and very easy.