Riu Palace Antillas: Awesome Experience

Everything from service, food, location, entertainment options was top notch. We will definitely return to the Riu Palace Antillas. It is within walking distance to many shops and restaurants and is a very safe island.

Tamarijn Beach Resort: Great Beach - Tired Resort

My review will mimic most of the others you will read. I'll start with the Positives: The Beach is AWESOME The food is probably the best I've had at an all inclusive The selection of alcohol is very good (all brand name booze) The rooms are all beachfront (this is the best part) The sun sets directly in front of the hotel The water is clean and safe (I drank out of the bathroom faucet daily with no issues) The hotel is small and loungers are available anywhere at any time Now for the [... read more] negatives: Rooms are very small, and tired, and in desperate need of updating (toilets don't flush well, grout in bathrooms is filthy, drawers in dresser don't open correctly, cracked tiles, etc.). There is only 1 pool at the Tamarijn, and there is no "swim up" bar. If you want organised activities - forget it Aside from a few good eggs, the majority of the staff are unfriendly, uninterested, and generally rude Bars are understaffed, so even though there may only be a few people sitting at the bar, you will wait longer than you would expect for a drink I'm giving the Beach/Pools a five star rating - but specifically for the beach - not the pool.

Riu Palace Antillas: Great vacation

Excellent resort,great staff,great location. Nice beach, Enjoyed food in every restaurant. Older resort except well maintained. Receive upgrade to better room at no additional cost. Month of March is more windy except we add sun every day.

Riu Palace Antillas: Amazing resort

Ok thank you Julie I had the most amazing time in Aruba first time there food was amazing staff was awesome room was great but we needed two double beds instead of a king size. But we managed but I'll we go back it was fantastic again thank you.

Riu Palace Antillas: Our time at Riu Palace Antillas was very enjoyable.

The food was great and always something different. We found it very windy therefore the beach was uncomfortable with the sand blowing all the time. The pool was always full and found you have to be there very early in the morning to reserve a spot by laying your towel on the lounge. The staff was very attentive and always there to help with anything.

Tamarijn Beach Resort: Beautiful Beachfront resort!

Walkout to beach. Beautiful view of the beach and sunset from room and semi-private patlio. Very clean room and resort. Staff are very friendly. Loved that it was quieter than high rise hotels. Perfect overall.

Riu Palace Aruba: Riu at its best

We had a wonderful stay at the Riu Palace Aruba last week. This was our 4th Riu Palace we have been to and it was the best stay yet The food,the grounds, the staff, and the location were all above expectations. The only one small negative was that the beds were a little hard for my liking. Would go back in a heartbeat !!!

Riu Palace Antillas: Great Holiday

The riu Palace Antillas was great. We had a fabulous time. I ve come to realize you should never read reviews. There was absolutely nothing negative at this resort. I rate this hotel a 5 in every category and i am support fussy. The staff were super friendly, always going out of there way to help us, always smiling and making small talk. The beach was amazing, walking the beach was breathtaking as well as the boardwalk. The hotel was super clean, public bathrooms were cleaned 24/7. Our roo [... read more]m was awesome, ocean view and again very clean. We would recommend this hotel to anyone. For us, the only downfall is the size of resort, lots of people, we prefer smaller resorts with 200-300 people. But thats just us. Saying that, i would go back to Riu Palaca Antillas.

Tamarijn Beach Resort: Good all inclusive!

Hotel was good, grounds beautiful and of course every room faces the beach. We were in bldg. 21 which is a fair walk from the lobby, restaurants. But not too far from the bunker bar. A big shout out to Carmen, Kenneth, Gilbert, and Eddie. These are the type of bartenders who are truly interested in serving their customers and not just sniffing around for a tip. Now about our room, the a/c worked great, the cabinetry in the bathroom was not professionally installed by any means. The plumbing didn [... read more]'t work well as our sink was slow in draining and it usually took 3-4 flushes of the toilet to make things disappear. The toilet even started leaking overnight but was rectified quickly the next morning. We didn't use the pool at all as there is very little shade at the pool. There's lots of palapas on the beach so we stayed in the shade on the beach for our two week holiday. There isn't an abundance of kids at this resort as opposed to the Divi but I think it's because of there's more pools at Divi and more shade around their pools. We met many nice people both staff and guests. The cleaning staff were efficient and timely. We heard through the grapevine that they were going to take down the bunker bar but we didn't hear if they were going to replace it. The snack bar had great pizza, and sandwiches if you got bored with the buffet. We went to RedParrot for dinner twice it was just OK. Not great. We also went to Papparazzi once and were disappointed. My wife's meal had a sharp piece of plastic in it and my lasagna wasn't great. When we found the plastic piece we left without finishing our dinner. The beach was nice but there was some seaweed at the far end of the resort. Most of the beach is sandy to enter but you might want to consider wearing water shoes at other entry points. The shower has shampoo and conditioner but no soap so bring your own. This would be a good place to bring young kids as they are finicky eaters and there are a lot of choices at the buffet for them. All in all I would recommend the Tamarijn for a family vacation. It's handy being able to use the golf cart people movers on the property between the Divi and the Tam and the casino. Enjoy your holiday here folks! I forgot to mention we stayed here Feb. 18-March 4. One other thing though is it would be nice if guests would pick up their cups etc. when they take that stuff on the beach. Come on people! Don't leave cups and plates on the beach! Help keep this resort nice for everyone to enjoy.

Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort: great food, drinks and facilities

stayed there for 7 days last week and had a really great time. we paid for all inclusive and the package includes a lot of things except for a few signature cocktails, premium liquor and higher end steaks at the L.G Smith steakhouse. they have a total of 7 restaurants/bars you can pick from. On the Marina side (adults only) they have the blue bar (the bar beside the pool with great variety of good quality food), the aquarius buffet and the LG Smith steakhouse. the lounge (which is the lg smith s [... read more]teakhouse that opens midnight to 6am and obviously with different selection of food than during the day). On the Ocean Suites side (kids friendly), there's the Sole (bar and grill) and the Fresco (italian food). On the renaissance private island, there's the papagayo restaurant on the family friendly side and the mangrove beach bar on the adults only side. my girlfriend and i stayed at the marina side and we got the "island king room". originally we got room #07 but the view was of a shorter building right next door, so we got it changed to room #45 and got good island view and partial ocean/marina view. room is very modern, clean, and bathroom is also the same with a standup shower, no tub. all the staff were very friendly and helpful. eric at the front desk helped us out a lot. in terms of tipping with the all inclusive; we tipped very sporadically. you will see that on every bill (they give you a bill to sign every time even tho you are all inclusive as there are others that aren't) there's a service charge included already, so we weren't very generous with the tip. the private island is the best part of the resort. there's a boat that comes about every 15 minutes to pick you up from either one of the hotels to go to the private island. on the adults side of the private island, that's where the flamingos are and you can buy bird food on the bridge to the beach to feed them. the mangrove beach bar is there and you can also order food. the island spa is also on the adults only side, we got a massage there but i would definitely recommend paying more so you get to use the spa hut for an extra hour and 40 minutes; you get a really nice view of the ocean with 2 lounge chairs and a hammock inside the hut all to yourself. overall, great experience and i would definitely go back to this resort if i come back to aruba.

Riu Palace Antillas: Vacation Foibles

First (and probably last time) we've ridden on Sunwing Airlimes. Cramped space and no alternative seating available. For a 4.5 hour trip this is hardly acceptable. Visited Aruba during the rainy season - both windy and rained about 3 times a day each day. Wasn't aware it would be that bad. Swimming pool was cold as was the ocean. Very surprising! Hotel safe was repaired 3 times while we waited in the room. Beach in front of the hotel was rife with garbage and glass in places. Picked [... read more] up as we went along. Funny thing, other hotels groomed their beach front. Worst of all, smoking allowed on the hotel grounds, around the pool, the casino and lounge areas outside as well. Not going back there, thanks!

Riu Palace Antillas: amazing vacation

We absolutely loved Aruba and were very happy at the Riu Antilles. The people working there are all amazing, happy and friendly and everyone speaks english. The grounds were kept meticulous. They are always cleaning and making sure everything looks perfect. The rooms were very clean. My only negative would be that they need to be updated. The rooms are very big but the bathroom needs fixing up badly. The food was great. We went to every restaurant except the Arubian one. They were all am [... read more]azing and the buffet was incredible. Everything was fresh and always different varieties of food. The beach and pool areas were beautiful. Never a problem getting a chair at the beach. They do not do bar service at the beach only at the pool area. but the bar is right there so not a problem for us. We loved walking out the front door and being able to walk into town within minutes. There is also a boardwalk that runs along the entire beach which was great too. Gorgeous water colors, powdery white sand, there was never any seaweed. We would return to the Riu in a heartbeat.

Riu Palace Antillas: ARUBA IS AMAZING

Spent one week at the Riu Palace Antillas in Aruba, this place is PARADISE. Everything about the RIU was Great. The Food, The People the Location the facilities - it was Perfect From the moment we got there to the time we left the staff was amazing making you feel at home and asking to do anything for you. Can't wait to go back!!!!!!!

Barcelo Aruba: Great Resort for our kind of vacation

We return to this resort year after year at this time of year (Jan/Feb) as we know that the weather is always great with lots of sun and hardly ever any rain. We have always booked the Royal Club for the extra amenities (brand name liquor, concierge service and priority booking to all restaurants (the Royal Lounge included) as many times as we like). We like the beach area and going in the ocean. The beach area seems to be the nicest without any sea weed which is in the water at some of the h [... read more]otels. The pool is very nice and has the swim up bar. The buffets have always been fine for us. There is the main buffet which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the beach buffet open for lunch from 12:00 to 5:00. There is live evening entertainment (live music in the evening in the lobby lounge with a dance floor and live shows in the ballroom). We like the closed in reception and lobby so we can sit in air conditioning if needed to get relief from the heat and breezes. There is plenty of seating for relaxing away from your room. (Most of the other hotels in the highrise area have lobbies open to the heat and breezes and your only relief is in your air conditioned rooms or the restaurants. The staff have always been very friendly and helpful. We feel safe here and like that we can walk out of the hotel at night and there are shops and restaurants open for sightseeing and there is access to all the casinos in the other hotels. It is a short and safe bus ride into Oranjestad if desired to shop.

Riu Palace Antillas: Great place

This hotel is a remodel from an old Westin I believe. It's not really a 5 star as advertised where you might expect perfection but it is still a very nice hotel with great service. You have access to the neighbouring Riu Palace as well. Their pool was better but our food was better. Our bathroom tub was refitted and it was not solid which was a bit of a slipping hazard and the bathroom tap leaked a bit. The food was excellent with many choices at each meal. The al a carte restaurants were easy  [... read more]to get into without much wait and the pager system worked very well, you can get a drink in the bar while you wait. The steakhouse was very good but our friends found the Italian one just ok. They had premium alcohol at the bars which was a nice change to other resorts we've been to. Music around the pool was missing except for when they had activities going on. Doesn't have to be loud but it's a nice touch around the pool. Brian, and Jayme from the entertainment staff were hilarious. You do have to reserve chairs by the pool but it wasn't too difficult and there is plenty of chairs on the fantastic beach with lots of huts for shade. Service at all bars and restaurants was excellent and the staff was all very friendly. The manager even managed to set up a super bowl party which was appreciated, but they wouldn't let us take food out of the buffet area to supplement the small food selection they had set up. That was frustrating. All in all it was a fantastic week and I would definitely recommend this hotel and I would go back as well.

Riu Palace Antillas: Not a Palace

While I do not think this was a 5* hotel, I did have a nice stay. The staff were pleasant and the service was very good. There was a manager that was constantly asking us if the service was good and if there was anything he could do to make our stay better. The food was exceptional with great variety, especially at the buffet. The drinks were so-so (the orange juice was Tang or something other than orange juice). The public areas and rooms are dated and require updating but they are fun [... read more]ctional. The room we stayed in was very musty smelling - even when the air conditioning was left on all day, there was no difference. I liked the activities around the pool area that were held at different times during the day. The beach area is beautiful and the water is clear. Some of the shows at night were very good and they put on a great Superbowl Party for us on the Sunday, complete with a large screen television and Superbowl buffet. ps On the bus going to the hotel , the woman with the microphone tried to sell us $10 bracelets to ward off the "bad mosquito problem in Aruba". Don't buy one, I never saw one mosquito.

Holiday Inn Resort Aruba: Aruba experience

I have vacationed at this Resort before hence was expecting great service . There were a lot of things that exceeded my expectations namely the food , house-keeping staff and service at the restaurants. Unfortunately, check -in experience was disappointing . It was slow and of poor quality . One person in particular was rude and unhelpful . That initial contact almost ruined the day. Martin , the assistant manager intervened and resolved our room assignment . Another area that was of concern wa [... read more]s related to beach hut assignment . The system used was hit and miss lottery. It is a waste of time and does not ensure fairness of first come first serve . That again required management intervention and Kevin was very helpful

Holiday Inn Resort Aruba: Beautiful beach

The Holiday Inn Aruba is located on a beautiful beach which is easily accessible. The pool is right by the beach and the outdoor area is gorgeous. It is a great resort for families. Staff in the restaurants and bars were always very friendly and eager to help. Rooms are clean but they are old. It is not a fancy hotel but it is clean and you can't beat the beach and pool area. We would stay there again.

Riu Palace Aruba: Beautiful Resort

We loved the hotel location. Beach was beautiful. The pool was lovely with ample chairs for everyone. Buffets were excellent - great variety of foods. Raul at the pool was always on top of out drink orders and had a great smile at all times.

Riu Palace Antillas: Perfect Getaway

Great vacation! Hotel was very nice, food was very good, and the service was excellent. Beach was beautiful, perfect sun set every night. Friendly and safe island...... I will be back to this resort.