Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino

First of all, I just don't know how this hotel is a 4 star hotel. The loby the pool the hollways, looks like some motel outside of Atlantic City. And the private island - just next to the airport right next to the strip so you can wave to the arriving people. Chose a hotel at Eagle or Palm beach, you can be in town in 5 minutes by bus or taxi ( from the Marriot, which is the last hotel on the beach taxi cost about $12) After one night, I cancelled the renaissance, and went to Marriot Stellaris, real 4 star hotel.

My wife and I travelled to the Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino for our 25th anniversay celebration. We chose to stay on the Marina side as it was "adults only". I spent some time prior to departure on this webset reading other reviews of the site. I had my "list of negatives to look for" when we landed.

We were greated by the hostess and told that we were a "Red dot" As I had read about this previously, I questioned what was required to update to "green dot status". The difference being well brands vs top shelf and also the type of menu you could eat from in the Steakhouse. The hostess informed me that the green dot program was being phased out about a month ago. Not wanting to start the trip on a negative, my wife encouraged me to let it go.

Our room was a normal hotel room. Not too large and not too small. I had read about the bathroom and shower being small, but they were more than adequate. The room was clean and maintained every day in a satisfactory fashion. We go on vacation to see new things and the room is really not that important to us. The furniture was comfortable, the internet available and the television nice. We really do not care for anything more so.....we were more than satisfied

We had read about the beach and took off the next morning to see if it was as good as advertised. I was shocked that it was even better than I imagiend. Total isolation. Rexaing and comfortable. Absolutely phenominal. The staff was friendly and helpful and the food and drinks excellent. You can read more about the beach in other reviews. No need to reiterate here.

For dinner the first night, we went to the LG Smith steakhouse and our fabulous first day took a turn for the better. Upon entering and showing our Red Card, we were asked by the hostess if we would like to upgrade to green. We responded yes and were seated. A minute later the Manager on Duty, Selmar, was at our table and provided us the requirements to upgrade. We agreed and before the meal was over, we were handed our new Green cards.

Dinner was excellent (and would be on the two other occasions we ate there). The service by Ricardo was top notch. The atmosphere, view of the marina and quality of food and drink were as good as anywhere I had been.

After dinner, we went for a night cap at the Blue bar which sits in the hotel lobby by the pool. The evening was great and we were served happily by all of the staff. The bartenders and wait staff were always aware of when you needed service and responded very quickly. It would become our favorite place over the course of the week. By 4PM we would sit by the pool until it was time to get prepared for dinner and then return to the Blue bar after dinner. We met and socialized with couples from all over the world and we became closer and closer to the staff that it was difficult leaving as we felt like we were saying good bye to friends.

Merly (Pedro), Alex, Lina, Iraida, G and Raffi.........THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU MADE OUR STAY A MEMORABLE ONE.

Over the course of the week, we had the opportunity to eat at all the restaurants and found each one had its own charm. The service was abave average in all and the food delicious.

Selmar (the manager that provided the upgrade to green cards) stopped by on two additional ocassions to chat with us for about ten minutes each time. He wanted to know the good and bad regarding our stay and was genuinely interested in all we had to say. We did not have very many negatives to say and the ones we mentioned were minimal compared to the positive comments.

Overall, I would rate this as my best vacation ever, due mainly, to the staff members that I have discussed. In our opinion, the people you meet will define the experience and in this case, the staff at the Reneissance contributed to a fabulous vacation.

We will return.

I stayed at the Renaissance Oceanside hotel from June 12-19, 2009. The hotel was so nice inside and out. My room was on the first floor and when you stepped outside you were 3 ft away from a clean pool, maybe 20 ft away from a lagoon and then the ocean was right ahead of that. It was amazing. The staff was ridiculously nice and friendly, so nice that my friends and i bought phone cards that didn't work at ANY pay phone ANYWHERE on the island, and the staff members actually let us use their cell phones to call home in the US. They were also excellent and helpful in helping us set up our excursions like the party bus (Kukoo Kunukoo), the Sunset Sail, horseback riding throughout the island and also setting up dinner reservations. Which by the way, we ate at the Sunset Beach Bistro in the pheonix hotel... AMAZING. Good prices, amazing view of the ocean/sunset while enjoying a great meal amongst friends. Going back to the hotel, the room was pretty clean, although we noticed that they didn't always change the sheets.. they don't clean the rooms on sundays and tuesdays. The private island which is only for members of the Renaissance hotel is absolutly gorgeous. There are iguanas, flamingos, a bar that serves you from your hammock/lounge chair, palm trees and crystal clear waters. The location of the hotel is also reaaaaally convenient. There are a bunch of little shops in walking distance along with a mall that has really nice stores (inside the Renaissance Marina side) Senor Frogs is pretty much down the block for the partiers (like myself haha). Aruba itself completely surpassed any expectation I had prior to my trip and I enjoyed the Renaissance hotel so much that I will look for other Renaissance's in my future travels. I will DEFINATELY be back!!

We stayed at the Ren Marina- May 16-24th....

First and foremost, arriving at the hotel, walking up to the lobby to be greeted by all the welcoming friends that always go out of their way to remember us & make us feel at home is just best way to kick off a great Vaca!

Our thanks go out to Raffi...., best slippery monkeys on the island, Gian Carlo, Ada, Jacqeuline, Jazmin, Marley, Iraida & Alejandro.........our vacation would never be as great & enjoyable as it is without all of you guys taking such good care of us!! We so appreciate everything!!! All of you...are the reason we return to the Ren again & again. BLUE Bar Staff is the Best.

We also would like to say many thanks for Maluska on the lsland, Thank you, Thank you!

We arrived @ 1pm, room was ready, check in very quick & easy. Front Desk Staff, wonderful. Moon, many thanks for the Special Birthday Welcome......what a way to start the vacation.

We could not have been happier, beautiful room. Nice corner, overlooking Marina & Pool Area. Great Views, the bed could not be better, soooo comfortable!! Room was spotless. Housekeeping was always taking care of everything, room was always clean, extra towels left, turn down service all great.

The spa service, out of this world.....we took advantage of the SPA Cove couples massage. This treatment cannot be beat, if visiting the Island, this is a MUST!

We met great people & had a fantastic time! Planning return for Sept/Oct....Cant wait to get back...

I was a guest at the Renaissance Aruba in May 2009. The staff was so pleasant and helpful, particularly management and security. They were more than accomodating to my needs as I had issues with flights, etc. The resort is beautiful and I can't wait to return with my friends. Thanks Selmar and France!!!

The Renaissance Hotel was everything we wanted and more! The rooms were very comfortable and the cleaning staff were just wonderful. The hotel bar Blue was great. We chose to sit upstairs instead of at the actual bar which made for a very romantic atmosphere next to the pool and overlooking the marina. The spa was very modern in decor but they created a very warm and relaxing atmosphere. We had a couple's massage and 2 facials. Worth every penny as far as we're concerned. The private island is Amazing! We enjoyed the boat ride to and from the island each day. Once on the island, there are two sides- one for adults and one for families. Both have wonderful views and a nice large area for swimming. There are hammocks available and plenty of lounge chairs. There is even a nature walk for those who are interested in a brief stroll. The island is near the airport but planes do not fly directly overhead and the noise is not so loud as to be annoying. Planes could be heard from time to time but it did not bother us at all. We went to the island almost everyday and each time we truly felt like we were in paradise! I would definitely recommend this hotel for young couples or families. It is located in the capital so it is near plenty of bars, restaurants and shops. If you are looking for a nice place where you can just walk out onto the beach and you have no interest in nightlife, find a hotel along Eagle Beach. However, if you are looking for a hotel that has a great beach AND plenty of things to do nearby, Stay Here:)

We went to the Renaissance for our honeymoon on the 4th May for 2 weeks.

The trip didnt get off to a good start as we were originally meant to be going to Cancun and it was cancelled due to the Swine Flu pandemic and then we had a terrible airline service on the journey to Aruba that culminated in them losing one of our suitcases so were were praying on arrival at the hotel we wouldnt face another disappointment!

We arrived at the hotel and we were booked into the Marina hotel. Our first impression was WOW! It was gorgeous to look at and had water on the ground floor that a speedboat came right in to to take you to the private island! We checked into our room however and were a bit disappointed! We were on the top floor overlooking the car park and although you could see the water, (we had booked ocean view) it wasnt very nice. It was small and the balcony was small so that you could stand on it but not fit a chair on it to sit out in. We asked Selmar the manager if he could do anything for us and he agreed to move us to the Ocean Suites.....and it was brilliant!!

Yes the rooms dont look like normal 5 star rooms, there's no marble bathrooms for example or chandeliers (lol!) but it was a good size, had a great balcony and had a seperate bedroom and living area. We were so glad we moved as the hotel was fantastic. Great pool areas, great staff there, hi Elizabeth, Legino, Nelson and Julio, and a brilliant little area of private beach which you could lie on and get the sun all day!

The drinks choice was fantastic.....best strawberry daiquiris I have ever had and believe me I made good use of them hahaha!!! The food in the pool bar was excellent too, great shrimp and other finger food and the prices werent too bad either.

We werent all inclusive and we spent probably about the same eating out at restaurants every night as we would have if we had been all inclusive at the hotel. There are so many brilliant restaurants nearby, El Gaucho, Yemanja, Iguana Joes and Pinchos (our favourite) to name but a few. If we were going back though, which we definitely will we would go all inclusive as the people we spoke to all had rave reviews of the hotels restaurants.

The private island was gorgeous. Shallow water to wade out in and lounge around on a lilo, flamingos, great weather and a great pool bar. It really was fantastic and the fact you got taken there by speedboat every day was pretty cool too!

We met loads of lovely people there, hi Joe, Lynn and Dan and Jeff and Kirsten, and this really helped make our honeymoon one to remember also.

In all we had a brilliant time and we would recommend it to anyone.

Our first timeshare vacation and it was WONDERFUL! We stayed in rm 2510 in the Ocean Suites, which overlooked the parking lot and street- not the best view, but we weren't on vacation to spend all our time in the hotel room! Unit had a comfy bed, dining area, clean bathroom (a little dated, but worked just fine) and a small kitchen- perfect for light cooking. (Go to the grocery store behind the Maria hotel, much larger and cheaper than the mini-mart next door. There are bigger grocers, but they are a bus/cab ride away.) Maid service everyday (except Sundays), so the room was always spic and span. The room had coffee, tea, sugars, creamers (in the kitchen) and a hair dryer, mint shampoo and condition, face soap, lotion, and lemon grass soap for the bathroom- restocked when you needed it. Fun pool, nice temp, with a swim up bar. Happy hour from 4:30-6pm, 2 for 1, a much nicer deal. Try a banana Jammer- Yum! Lots of open pool chairs. Small man-made beach facing the ocean, but the private island was the real draw-BEAUTIFUL!! Palms, hammocks, nice swimming areas- make sure to bring your snorkel gear!!! You wont want to leave!!! No problems with flies, even when we ate... Very friendly and helpful staff. Everything is within walking distance. Marina hotel is around the corner and down the street- 5 minute causal walk. The spa is beautiful,- all in blues, relaxing, and the staff is very pleasant as well. Great pedicures! We ate mostly at the Cafe' Plaza- super friendly staff and affordable prices. Had dinner at L.G. Smith Steak House. Great service, loved my grouper, husband's steak was good, but a lot like a steak we could make at home. $$$, but a nice dinner out. Dutch apple pie and cappuccinos became part of our nightly routine at The Plaza, nice way to end the night. We LOVED Aruba and this hotel. The private island is a HUGE draw!!! Everything about this trip was AMAZING! ABC land rover tour was a blast and scuba diving with Red Sail Sports was a great experience (They have a shop right on the private island as well.) We will be back, can't wait to do it all over again!!

We came to Aruba for the first time, and due to this Resort and staff we will be back again and again. We traded our timeshare week which allowed us to have an oceanfront suite in the Oceansuites side of the resort. We chose the all-inclusive (green-dot) which gave you choice of premium drinks, any and as much food as you could eat, all non motorized activities, and we feel status as a v.i.p. We were very pleased with the service of the staff (shout outs to...) Linda at concierge, she was awesome and made our anniversary and my birthday great, to bar staff, Julio, Ligeno, Lourdous, Merly, dorothy, Nelson, Y. Lake, Elizabeth (she had a permenant smile) Edward, and many more. They all were very good to us (and we made sure we were very good to them with extra tips! Thay really deserved them for going above and beyond)

Well, let's start out with the resort as a whole, it was very well-kept and clean, We were in the Ocean suites, the Marina looked nice and had some nice amenties but we are glad we were at the oceansuites, it was more tropical, better pools and bar. The Island was very nice, but it wasn't something we spent alot of time at, we were on both sides of the island, adult and family, the nature walk was nice, we went to the end of the island, it was cool to stand under the planes as they came into the airport, we made our own special monument out of coral, put shells on a tree which others have done also, gave a nice feeling of being with nature, leaving something others can enjoy and coming back next year to see if it survived. We saw a few women topless, nothing major, there were not many people there, on any given day maybe 50-75 total.

Oceansuites was very nice, the captains corner had bbq night, italian nite, breakfast buffet everyday, which the food was fair, not fantastic, but it was all incusive and a break from some of the fancier restaurants.The poolbar was where we spent ALOT of time at, they had a decent menu there, the sole platter, fruit platter, burgers were very good.

We went to aquarius at the marina for b-fast,(same as captains corner, the omelettes we heard were much better, we had there buffet dinner, we thought was very good good selection of seafood, a little skimpy on the crab-legs though.

We ate dinner at LG smiths, very good steak, good apps and dessert, Edward is an awesome server!!!

We had a couple massage at the Okienawa(sp?) spa wow was it worth it and check out their showers too,just too cool.

Not icluded in the all-inclusive but a must to eat at El Goucho's and we heard raves about Texas D'Brazil.

We also went to flying fishbones, we were both very disappointed, not what we expected, VERY CLOSE surroundings,(elbow to elbow) and only three tables where you can eat over the water, the food was very disappointing, the shrimp cocktail was warm and seasoned, just off the grill, not cold and crunchy like it should be, and whoever heard of putting chilean sea bass over mashed potatoes??? we walked out.

We also met other couples while we were there, which we partied and had a blast with.

Shout outs to Our friends Kirsten and Jeff, Campbell an Laura, Sue, Ann and Rhonda, Tracey and Craig, Crystal and Jerry, and the whole wedding party, to all that made our week great, a big CHEERS!

One tip, beware of the rental co. Thrifty at the hotel, vehicles are death traps and the woman behind the counter was very rude and obnoxious, did not care about anything.

The casinos were fun, but boy did our gambling budget go quick the last night we were there.

Girl’s trip to Aruba was fabulous at Renaissance. Our room was upgraded due to platinum status - fortunately due to the smaller rooms at the Adult only Marina side of the hotel. The bathroom was really small though and very poor lighting. This would be my only negative point of our 5 night trip.

We did the all-inclusive add on package and it was well worth it! The foods at the various restaurants were all EXCELLENT. I ate lobster 4 of the 5 nights at different places and was included in the plan! No extra charge! All our cocktails were also included and our beach waitress MARIA was AMAZING! Service on the beach is very nice and not seen at all resorts - even some of the better ones. All the service was over the top friendly and if you tipped a few extra dollars in cash (on top of the 15% service charge they add automatically) they were very thankful.

We visited the week before Easter and the resort was not full. The private island was the icing on the cake - beautiful, flamingo's strolling the beach all day, pelicans, nature walks, and no crowds or individuals trying to get you to parasail or take the banana boat. The all inclusive plan included rafts to float all day, kayaks, and snorkel gear. While snorkeling, just outside the beach barrier, I saw a large green moray eel swimming out and about - truly fantastic.

The marina hotel was in town and had nice access to shops. We did rent a car one day and would recommend going with a reputable rental agency. We tried to save a few dollars and got a good deal but the breaks failed within just a few miles and we had to wait for the dealer when we tried to return the car. Also, the hotel website indicated they have WiFi but this was not the case. However, if you walk into the adjacent shopping mall, you will find WiFi just a few steps away and was able to check emails on my PD.

I am a frequent traveler that enjoys a certain level of luxury and good value and the Renaissance is at the top of my list and very well worth every penny spent. Although a different experience, it exceed my trip to Grand Cayman Ritz Carlton which, although was very nice, I also paid more than twice the $$$. The all inclusive plan is not at all like all inclusive resorts.....good drinks and good food. Kudos to the staff including the front desk, manager, bellman, bar and wait staff. They were ALL overally accommodating.

We were at the Renaissance from March 31 – April 1 2009 and stayed in the Ocean Suites. This was our 3rd trip to Aruba, but 1st stay at the Renaissance. We had previously stayed at the Marriott at Palm Beach and Divi at Eagle Beach in Aruba. We have also visited Cayman, St Lucia, Turks / Caicos and St Kitts in the Caribbean.

Our room was very spacious and well appointed, and accommodated the 4 (2 adults, 2 children) of us nicely. We had a private bedroom, full bath, a nice kitchenette, living room with a dining room table for 4 and a sofa bed. There were TV’s in the bedroom and living room. The room had a balcony with a great view. We could not have been happier with our accommodations.

Check-in was very smooth and quick. Just like the whole island, the Renaissance staff was extremely friendly and helpful. This included the front desk, cleaning staff, the wait staff and bartenders. By the way, we did not have to wait long for anything – unlike, many other Caribbean hotels / islands.

The pools were very nice with a swim up bar. The mojitas were the best!! The beach area at the Renaissance was much nicer then I expected – but the private beach is where you want to go, but get back for happy hour.

The private island is gorgeous. Only a 5 - 10 minute water taxi ride to the island from the hotel. The private island had an adult side and a family side. The adult side was extremely quiet. We stayed on the family side during our visit. It never was crowded with always a choice of lounge chairs and hammocks spread out. Due to the ‘barrier’ rocks, the ocean was extremely calm – great for swimming / snorkeling / kayaking. We went the private island 4 out of 6 days. It was better then any beach I have been too!! The restaurant (Papagayo) at the private island was great – very tasty (and large) sandwiches (the steak sandwich was awesome) & salads. Everyone on the Island had a fun attitude.

We ate very well!! All the places we ate were easy walks from the Renaissance. We had good meals at Que Pasa, Yemanja, Casa Tua, Gambero Rossi, but our best experience (food, service, value) was at LG Smith. For our next visit, we will do the all-inclusive at the Renaissance since they have multiple restaurants and all the ones we tried were great.

I highly recommend the Renaissance in Aruba. We loved the location – never needed a taxi. We will be back soon!!!!

We used our Marriott points to get a city view room for free at the Marina side. We were pleasantly surprised when we got a free upgrade to an Oceanfront room due to our Platinum status. What a great way to start the trip! The front desk staff were very friendly and helpful throughout our trip.

The room was standard for a Marriott but the view was perfect! The king sized bed was very fluffy and comfortable. The room also included a couch, coffee tables, flat screen TV, dresser, mini fridge, and safe. The bathroom was a little small and had low lighting. Although this wasn't a 5 star hotel room, most of our time was not spent in the room. The location of the hotel is perfect!

The private island is gorgeous. Only a 10 minute water taxi ride to the island. To the left was the family side (Iguana Island), restaurant/bar, and shop/beach rental. To the right was an adult exclusive beach called Flamingo Island where we spent most of our time. During most of our stay there was approximately a dozen people at one time. Our favorite spot was on the far inlet arms. The beach chairs there were very comfortable and the wind kept us cool and bug free. There were also two hammocks on the inlets that were sleep inducing. The barrier rocks created a very calm ocean pool for swimming and provided a great view for crashing waves. There is also a great snorkeling spot just outside the barrier rocks on the private island. There is a sunken barge with tons of fish however do be careful of the current. If you cannot enjoy yourself on this island, stay home! It is phenomenal!

There is an all-inclusive food/drink option at the hotel however we enjoyed tasting the local cuisine instead. At the hotel, there is a Blue Bar, Aquarius buffet, and the LG Smith Steakhouse. All fairly good but nothing over the top. Our only complaint; if you are sitting at the infinity pool expect slow bar service. The restaurants that we dined at were:

Casa Tua-- Go to the one at the high-rise hotel area. The seating is all outdoors and there was a string duet playing. Very relaxing! The pizza and wine was a perfect start to the week. We also used this time to walk on the beach there. NOTHING compared to the private island.

Que Pasa-- This is within walking distance from the hotel. More of a local hangout. Ask for a seat on the patio, which was empty, and enjoy the Aruban air. There is local art displayed throughout the restaurant which is also available for sale. The food and sangria here was excellent. We both had one of their daily specials and it was seriously good. Wait staff was very helpful and attentive. Would dine here again.

Flying Fishbone-- A long taxi ride, approx. $20 each way, but totally worth it. Be sure to get an early reservation and ask for a table on the right side by the water. This allows for prime sunset views with your toes in the water/sand. The food/wine was excellent. This was the perfect spot for the perfect marriage proposal. I will never forget that sunset. We would love to return to this restaurant again.

Iguana Joe's-- within walking distance from the hotel near the Royal Plaza. Wonderful lunch spot. The burrito was excellent after a day in the sun. Buy yourself some of their hot sauce. Very tasty!

Buccaneer-- more of a local hangout and located more inland. There are aquariums at every table, filled with local fish, to watch while you eat. Kinda cool! We both had fish and found it to be good but not excellent. Not our favorite spot, but still a great find!

Sushi Ya-- located at the shops near the Ocean Suites. VERY slow service. It took us approximately 2 hours to get our sushi! The sushi was very good but kind of expensive also.

Mambo Jambos-- right next door from Iguana Joe's in the Royal plaza mall. Nothing too exciting. The service was kind of slow and the food was not nearly as good as Iguana Joe's. Local hangout and free wi-fi though.

Sole Mare-- Seriously excellent Italian food with a coastal twist. We had the Spaghetti Frutti di Mare. A seafood mix sautéed over pasta with a garlic olive oil sauce. Mouth-watering! We also had the Rigatoni in Vodka sauce with shrimp and mushrooms. WOW! Probably one of our favorite restaurants on the island and one of the best Italian restaurants we have ever dined at. It is located more inland behind the low-rise hotel area. This restaurant proves you do not need a fancy locale or stunning sunset to be amazing. The food speaks for itself!

Activities:

Rancho Daimari-- horseback riding to the natural pool. A must-see! Totally worth $75 per person. The horses run through the sand dunes and take you through the rough terrain. Stunning!

Bella Aruba Photography by Angela Munzenhofer-- We had a fun photo shoot throughout the island and are using these as engagement photos. Beautiful candid photography and she made it very easy. Would DEFINITLY recommend her for weddings, families, etc. Here is her online photo albums. http://picasaweb.google.com/Bellarubaphoto

We did not really spend a lot of money on activities. We found that the island and downtown provided plenty of entertainment for a young couple. We cannot wait to return.

Our first trip to Aruba and we were pleasantly surprise with great climate, friendly people, delicious food. We stayed in Ocean Suites, corner suite on a 5th floor with 180' view of the ocean. To make it clear there are two different towers in a hotel, Ocean suites are on lagoon with pool and wet bar. Marina Tower (adults only) is 5 min walk and there is no direct beach access from that building. MArina Tower is designed in a modern style, has great open air pool on a second floor and stylish Blue bar. Ocean suits have cross of styles traditional and modern - be aware rooms are not upgraded. We stayed in one bedroom unit - our bedroom didn't have a window. Kitchenette was not very practical - so if you planning a lot of cooking - it might be a concern. Bathroom is almost remodeled to modern level. In general my feel is the rooms of the Ocean suites are in transition from 80x. Everything else on a property is top notch. We didn't use pool much - it was not heated. Beach on a private island is fantastic!!! Beach is in a short ride on a motor boat from the hotel. No waves ,clear water, not too many people, most of the times there were more flamingos on a beach then people. If you are beach party type - its not for you! Its very quiet and relaxing with hammacks and spa in a secluded bungalow. There is a big bar with dining options on a family side of the island. There are no happy hour drinks on the island. But there is a happy hour prices by the pool ($3.50 for frozen drinks). Food is not bad at the Ocean Suites but nothing outstanding. There are plenty of places to try in walking distance from the hotel. Prices for dinner about $50- 80 on average for two. Be aware - you need reservation unless you re ok to eat at the bar. Service is island style = slow.

We liked the location a lot because there were no hotels in a walking distance. You'll have shops, restaurants, casinos in walking distance. If you want to visit different hotels take taxi ($11-15) for 15-20 min ride. There are north of Renaissance and overcroweded in my personal opinion. If you are looking for fun with bunch of people, crowded beaches - that's what you find on a hotel strip - you can walk from one to another in 40 min. Snorkling trips take place from this hotel strip (near Riu hotel). It was just fair - Virgin Islands have a better variety.

Taxi ride to the airport was $18. About groceries - there are few in walking distnance with limited choices. If you are a salad person - its not easy to find greeens.

Going back to States was painful - three hours in custom lines! Plan ahed and duty free shopping at the airport is very limited!!!

If you want realxing beach vacation with excellent restaurant choices - go ahead!

This hotel is awesome we have been here 10 times or more in four years. I love the staff they couldn't be nicer and they remember you and your family. Hi to Fatima, John, Leguino, Tucaya John, Hipolito and all :) We try to get there 2-3 times a year. Can't wait to go again in two weeks! My kids love this place and can't wait to go back (21, 19, 17 & 12) every time. We recommend it to friends and they always have a good time here. This hotel has a private island and boats take you over every 15 minutes its great for everybody gives you something else besides the pool. There are restaurants at the pools and at the island. The suites side has micro & fridge... everything a family wants. Walking distance to some of the best restaurants - don't miss Que Pasa and say hello to Martin the owner. This is the best hotel I have ever stayed at for recreation, friendly staff, comfortable and clean. I could not say in words enough reasons to stay here!! Vicki - Chicago

We were at the Renaissance February 6 – 13th 2009

We were on the timeshare part of the resort, so we had a kitchenette in our room. Our room was #2134. We were on the Ocean side of the hotel. The rooms were a bit dated in the furnishings than I expected, but everything was in fine working order. We had a private bedroom, full bath, small kitchenette, living room with a dining room table for 4 and a sofa bed. There were TV’s in the bedroom and living room.

It was about $20 for the taxi ride from the airport to the hotel. For some strange reason the number of bags influences the price of the taxi, which was confirmed by other guests at the resort.

It may be because of the current economic situation, but the resort did not feel crowded at all. It was so nice to have plenty of lounge chairs by the pool and beach for a change. I’m used to people saving chairs in the early morning hours and not returning to them for HOURS. This was also the case here. But there were many other lounge chairs left to choose from. We wouldn’t get to the pool until 10am, and still many chairs in the shade left. I liked how the beach area was so close to the pool area so it was easy to go to the bar and get a drink. There were many lovely palm trees in the beach area that provided beautiful shade.

Someone had mentioned free internet in the lobby, but we did not find this to be true. We paid $70 for the week of service.

There is a supermarket, KongHing behind the marina side of the hotel. This had everything you would need. There was a small convenient store right behind the ocean side in the Renaissance Market Place, but they didn’t have much of a selection and at 3 times the price. There was lots of shopping by the marina side of the hotel. High end stores plus the fun little tourist shops as well.

The private island was very nice. PLENTY of room all over the private island. The island lounge chairs were barely 50% full every day we were there. Others had mentioned bringing bug spray, but there was always a nice breeze, so we never had to use the bug spray. But I will agree with others that if you eat at the restaurant on the island beware of the flies that invade you once your food is at the table. But the island was very beautiful. Remember to bring your room key for each person that wants to board the water taxi to the island.

I would recommend bringing some water shoes. The sand once you hit the water was full of broken coral, not fun trying to navigate in bare feet.

DINING – I am a foodie – so I’m kinda picky on restaurants, but there was great dining close to the hotel. Be aware that many restaurants charge an automatice 15% service charge. In order of my favorite –

Madame Janette’s – absolutely fantastic! You need a reservation here days in advance though. This was the only restaurant we went to where you needed a taxi to get to it. It’s a big more expensive than the other restaurants but absolutely worth it. I had the surf and turf and my husband had the chicken cordon blue which was a huge portion. We also had the lobster ravioli which was great. Excellent wine choices as well.

Que Pasa – great choices. The goat cheese salad was one of the best I’ve had. We got the beef teriyaki which was surprisingly well done. The service was very pleasant here.

Waterfront – right next to the hotel in the Renaissance Market Place on the marina side, so very convenient. We had the linguine with shrimp which was the best dish we had here.

El Goucho – pretty good steaks. I liked the sauces they had available at the table, one of them being chimchurri sauce which I love. My filet was underdone, but they took it back no problem and it was great once I got it back. They even refreshed my side dishes when they returned the steak. Pretty good service here.

Driftwood – I had the blackened catch of the day, which was wahoo. It was a bit dry. I asked for extra sauce 3 times which never came. When I mentioned it, they apologized and gave us a free flan to go. It was not the best seafood I’ve had even living in the Midwest.

Don Carlos – our least favorite of the restaurants. The grouper was just okay and my husband got the pepperoni pizza which was a bit tasteless.

All in all I thought it a very relaxing beautiful beach area to stay. Not a lot of screaming kids which was nice. Mostly a bit older crowd. The last day we were there was a younger group that came in that was obnoxious taking over the pool area by the swim up bar with no regard to the other guests. But that was not the norm the other days we were there. It’s one of the few places in the Caribbean where I thought it was a good value for the money and I would return.

I'm not sure why anyone would write a negative review of the Renaissance Ocean Suites. We just got back from a week with our 2 children and having the extra space that these suites offer for the price of a regular hotel room was the best part.

The beach at the Ocean Suites is small but pretty and the resort has 2 pools there plus it's an easy and fun ride over to Renaissance Island where they have amazing beaches.

Adults with no kids would probably enjoy the other hotel - the adult exclusive Marina Hotel more - we got a babysitter one night through the hotel and went over for dinner without the kids. The martini bar and their Steak & Chop House Restaurant were really cool and trendy.

We had great service everywhere we went and the staff couldn't have been better.

This was a great hotel. It is close to the airport and many restaurants are within walking distance. If you are not going on vacation with children I would recommend staying on the adult side of the hotel. It seems to be better kept and has a better pool. There hotel staff was great and very attentive. I would definitely recommend this hotel for anyone that wants a fun relaxing vacation.

The only issue I had was with the restaurant on the private island. Once you get your food you are swarmed with flies. So many that you cannot enjoy your food. We actually left about half way through our meal because it was so bothersome.

I have been home for almost a week and I am counting down the day until I can go back!

Girlfriend and I took a vacation during week 52 of 2008. Our original plan was to stay at another (budget) hotel, but a couple of days spent at the budget hotel made us so uncomfortable that we decided to swith to the Renaissance.

Renaissance was selling for more than $500 a night, but we managed to get 3 nights for $900 including taxes using priceline.

Overall, our experience at the Renaissance was excellent, though there were some small things that could be better.

Considering the busy time of the year (we stayed from Dec 30 to Jan 2), I would say the hotel was fairly booked, although according to the locals and the staff, occupancy during this particular holiday season was far lower than previous ones.

We did not find the place too crowded, save for the arrival of midnight 2009. Generally, all amenities were easily available including chairs by the adults-only pool, access to the private island, access to staff, etc.

The hospitality staff was very helpful, including the front desk and the valets. In fact, I had the misfortune of getting my rental car's battery dead, and the manager himself made sure to have someone get me jump cables, and also help me get my car started. That was a very nice gesture.

The room was comfortable, with hints of age. Spacious, with plenty of closet and drawer space, modern flat screen TV, comfortable bed (by far below a Sheraton bed).

Rooms were kept clean, and housekeeping operated very promptly. Once they forget to give us towels, but there were at least 4-5 housekeepers on each floor most of the time, so obtaining additional towels was not a problem.

The carpet in the rooms and the hallways was showing some signs of wear. So the room could use a bit of an update.

Shower / bathroom were clean. Water pressure was good, and the temperature could go as hot as you want.

Our room had a window into the inside part (the atrium), and we found the noise level to be acceptable.

The one point of complaint about the hotel was the bar. We did not have all-inclusive, and ordered drinks from the bar on a couple of occasions. First time, I got frozen drink during the two-for-one special hour. The drinks were absolute junk, and this with a not-so picky attitude. I went back to the bar and ordered another frozen drink. Noticing that both of my drinks were un-toucched, the bartender asked what's up, and after he found out I did not like them, he did not charge me for my second round. Well, the second drink was totally junk as well.

Elsewhere in Aruba, we enjoyed our drinks, so this was an isolated incident, but due to the unique monopoly that this bar was enjoying, I figured that they had no incentive to work on their quality.

We made extensive use of the island, which was great. We went as late as 1 pm and as early as 8 am, and it was never crowded. One part of the island is adults only, and is less crowded.

There are iguanas and hermit crabs and god-knows what animals on the island. It was pretty cool and enjoyable, although I got bitten on a couple of occasions despite using off. I would say that anytime you are out and about, use off or something stronger. There are some pretty new strains of diseases passed through mosquitoes in Aruba, and according to the local TV ads, one or two of those can be fatal.

Due to its unique location, the Renaissance enjoys a central place and role in downtown's life. The fireworks seen from the pool-area were great, as was access to everything downtown.

We ate at Gaucho, Rumba, Yemanja, and drank at a few bars here and there. Access to the mall was nice, although I did not get the point of "shopping at the caribbean". I bet you can find better deals in any American city or online.

Overall I think Renaissance was a good deal considering how much we paid. I think if paying rack rate or their own rate or the rate on Expedia would make this is borderline expensive deal.

We stayed for a week in Sept 2008 in a 1BR on the condo-timeshare (ocean side) for the third time in 4 years. As it was the tail-end of hurricane season and even though Aruba is mostly shielded from hurricanes, we did have a couple days of really strong winds, rain and very choppy waters too dangerous for snorkeling. So, the private island saved us on those couple of days we wanted to snorkel. It is easy and fast access via the small boats which are always operated by friendly and sometimes entertaining boatsmen. This is what they mean by "private beach" - it's on Renaissance Island, not at the hotel. Location is great if you want to take advantage of the more local downtown shops and restaurants - walking distance to many, and to historic sites, and in the opposite direction there are the shops catering to the cruise ships. There is a small shopping plaza next store incl theatres (didn't go) and a few restaurants, although several businesses closed I guess because of the economy and lower tourism. If you want the big hotel scene, then this is not the place. The bar at the hotel side across the street is OK. Convenient free parking is a plus too. Rooms are comfortable and the oceanside views are lovely. Living room/combo dining area is good size if you don't have to open the sofa bed, and there are just 2 people in the 1BR. The closet and cabinets in the living room came in handy because storage is limited in the bedroom. Kitchenette is well-equipped but small - everything is pretty tight, and there is little or no counter space, but we got by cooking 1 dinner and several breakfasts. Sink is too small to easily wash the frying pan. There were 2 small refrigerator/freezers, one worked better than the other. Helpfulness of staff varied each day and time of day. Yes, there was construction going on but we were not bothered. What was troublesome was the black tar-like splatters on the walkway along the coast and outside the swimming pool - nasty to get off from your flip-flops. We think it's perhaps aircraft fuel since it is close to the flight pattern; the hotel staff didn't know. All in all, we would recommend this place and plan to return in the future.

Well, we have been to many of the islands and were definitely looking forward to our first trip to Aruba. We heard many great things about it. First of all the island is lovely and very safe. We used the bus system many times during our stay (cab fares are regulated by government, so just ask how much to get where you are going): it was convienent, safe and inexpensive ($2.30 USD R/T per person). The water is yummy. I know that sounds silly but it is great right out of the tap. The world health organization rates it extremely high. I believe that the island has 2nd largest desalinization plant in the world. The weather is great. Even if you see clouds...most likely they will just roll away as the day progresses. There is a constant breeze and sometimes a hefty wind, so hold onto your hats. There are about 12 casinos on the island as well and while only one of us came home a winner, they were pretty fun (drinks are complimentary). The Aruban people are very nice and definitely not pushy. If you have been to other locations where the "timeshare pitchmen", sales persons and tour folks are relentless, rest assured you won't have that on this island.

We found that the food (if you don't have an AI stay) is very expensive on the island. Even the grocery stores are expensive (we had small kitchen in our room). I mean you can find a few places with a little less expensive food, but you should plan on about $25-$35 per person for entrees. Paddock's has an all you can eat rib night on Wednesdays that was only $15 and was good. We did spend the $45 per person at Texas de Brazil and it was well worth it. Salad bar and never ending parade of absolutely fabulous meats (filet mignon, rib eye, chicken, other cuts of beef and pork cooked by the gauchos and served directly off the skewers). We did the Jolly Pirate trip and besides the watery drinks, it was a lot of fun. I would recommend the afternoon (3pm-6pm) trip for $33 per person. Book directly with them and use coupon that you can find in any of the magazines around. We took a deep sea fishing trip for 4 hours for 4 people was $350 but unfortunately it was not a good season for fishing and we only caught one tuna, but it was yummy. Aqua Grill great seafood restaurant, try the Snook.

Our hotel was near the cruise pier. There wasn't much going on down at this end of town (Senor Frogs was there, but as it was low season, not very busy). The hotel has a "family side" (the suites/timeshare) and the "adult" (marina) side. The family side is where we stayed and it seemed better to us. The adult side had a pool overlooking the main street, but the family side had 2 pools, much larger and the beach/lagoon area. There is a golf cart shuttle between the tools sides, but it isn't much of a walk to get to either one. There is a boat that starts in the marina side (picks up right in the hotel lobby) and continues to suites side picking up passengers for the private island. The island is nice. Once again, most people seem to hang out on the "family side" because the beach area is easier on the feet and that is where the restaurant is located. Beware bottled water (it gets hot out there) is $2.75 each plus the obligatory 15% service charge. Which brings me back to the restaurants, most of them automatically charge the 15% service fee and some encourage more (just read each bill and add or not based on your level of service). The adult side of the private island has beautiful flamingos, but sand/coral is definitely rough on the feet. The AI fee for the Renaissance was $130 per person per day. That is extremely high to us, because we own with Palace Resorts and their AI is much less and includes so MUCH more. When we asked about the fee, we were curtly told how much it was and basically got the feeling that they really didn't want you to purchase it. It is limited so be aware of where you can use it. Also, the fee for the internet is $15 per day or $70 for the week. This is the only way that you can utilize the wifi in the lobby area. There are areas adjacent to the hotel that have wifi as well (no charge). We would probably stay at the "Hi Rise" area if/when we return to Aruba, because it seemed that there was far more going on at that end and we were travelling with our 20 & 22 y/o sons. The beaches are all public so you can go through any hotel and use the beach, you may have to rent a chair though.

Through Interval International, we did an exchange and went to the "Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino" for two weeks, May 29 - June 12. The name is a bit misleading because if you are a timeshare owner and staying in the one bedroom apartments, it's really the "Renaissance Ocean Suites" that you are going to.

The Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino has two parts to it. This first name refers to the "hotel" portion which is regular hotel rooms. The timeshare portion are the Renaissance Ocean Suites and are located just down the street.

Both the hotel and the ocean suites (timeshare apartments) are right in the middle of downtown Orangestad on a beautiful piece of property. I can only speak to the timeshares as that is where we stayed.

Arrival - Upon arrival to the airport, you go through customs. Initially, I was shocked when upon our arrival, there were very, very long lines with only 2 customs agents. However, very quickly, more customs agents booths opened up and we got through arrival customs in 15 minutes. Before you jump into a cab, be sure to take the "coupon booklet" being given to all new arrivals. It has great coupon discounts from all the major tour companies.

Cabs were lined up in front of the airport and there was virtually no waiting time. The drivers speak a variety of languages, including excellent english, and were polite. The only confusion was the name of the resort. According to the paperwork from Interval International, it says, "Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino" so that's what I told the driver. However, the timeshares are actually, "Renaissance Ocean Suites" - But not a problem because when the taxi dropped us off, the concierge immediately realized the discrepancy and in those extended golf carts, loaded us up and drove us down the street to the Renaissance Ocean Suites. The cost of cabfare for 2 adults w/2 pieces of luggage total was $20 USD (not including gratuity).

Upon our arrival to the Renaissance Ocean Suites, the front desk checked us in and moved us along very quickly. We opted not to partake in the "all inclusive" which is $130.00 per person, per day for breakfast, lunch, dinner. We actually spent less than $130.00 per person per day on food, so it wasn't worth the all inclusive for us. We found that we spent much less than that. If we had kids along, then it may have been a benefit to us. Maybe.

The front desk was courteous and fast. We took our own luggage (because it was only 1 bag each) to the apartment which was located on the 4th floor. The lobby was beautiful and directly through the lobby is an outdoor pool with a swim up bar. It's a big pool, with a lot of lounge chairs, umbrella shaded areas too, and very, very comfortable. Additionally, there was a man-made beach area right next to it, that we didn't use, it looked okay, not bad, not great. But we went to the pool on several days and it was great. At 4:30 pm it's 2 for 1 at both the pool (timeshare) and at the Blue pool and lounge (hotel).

The apartment itself (1 bedroom) had a musty odor. Not horrible, but we could clearly smell it. We opened up the balcony door and left it open. That took care of the musty smell. The apartment was well equipped, good AC, comfortable, with a television set in the livingroom and bedroom. There is an ice machine (near the elevators) on every floor as well as a washing machine/dryer on every floor (in case of emergency.) We was a very comfortable situation for 2 adults. We definitely could not have comfortably fit 4 persons, even though the livingroom sofa is a pull out bed that can sleep 2. That would have been far too cramped. The apartment had 2 mini refrigerators which was ample, a sink, comfortable double sink bathroom, and nice toiletries. The apartment also had a nice balcony although we never used it. It was quiet and peaceful at night.

Keep in mind that you have usage access at both the "hotel" section and the "timeshare apts" section. The hotel section has a nice outdoor infinity pool (smaller) located directly behind the bar called "Blue" - It's on an outdoor deck of the hotel. It's a nice area to sit and have a drink at night and overlook the downtown area and people watch.

The hotel section also has a 24 hour casino, high end shops in their attached "mall" such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, LaCoste, cuban cigar shops, pharmacies, etc. You can get free wi-fi connection in this area as well because there is no free wi-fi connection in the hotel, you have to pay for it. Something like $15 per day. However, if you're willing to hang out in the mall which is just few steps away, get your wi-fi for free. On "Main Street" directly behind the mall, is a supermarket called "Hong King" or something like that, which is where we purchased all of our apartment goods for the refrigerator, etc. Better prices than the mini markets on the property.

The hotel section also has some good restaurants such as LG Smith's Steakhouse (very expensive - good food) and Aquarius (midprice - excellent buffet which a big variety of food overall but terrible fish at the grill). However, in the immediate neighborhood, within easy walking distance (just a couple of blocks away) are also some other restaurants such as Cuba's Cooking (reasonably priced - good cuban food, even better live entertainment, good prices), Que Pasa's (reasonably priced - excellent variety of foods, try the goat cheese salad and the beef teriyaki), Iguana Joe's (reasonably priced - very good variety of foods - try the original baby back ribs, the jerk ribs, and the curry chicken). *Note: the coupon booklet that I mentioned earlier had discount coupons for several of these restaurants and we took full advantage of that.

At the plaza area adjacent to the Ocean Suites, there are many little shops. In addition to another smaller casino, there are jewelry stores, Scandals Restaurant (reasonably priced, very good food), Dutch Pancake House (reasonably priced, excellent crepes and mini pancakes), and some great little shops as well as a movie theatre with current films reasonably priced (half priced compared to New York). There's a Starbucks opening soon as well.

The Renaissance is unique to the other hotels because it has it's own private island and this island is gorgeous. You can catch a ride via motor boat to the island at both the hotel side (the boat arrives in the middle of the lobby and it's pretty cool to watch) and at the timeshare as well. Remember to bring your "room card key" because you have to present it each time you take a ride to the island. Upon arrival to the island you can either go to the left (family side with kids, etc.) or to the right of the island (adult side with flamingos and topless bathers). The water on both sides is tranquil and lovely. The flamingos are friendly, love to be fed, and at 5 pm every day do a little show up and down the beach. There are huge iguanas everywhere, completely harmless, and hermit crabs galores, also pretty harmless. The private island is breathtaking and the boat arrived every 15-20 minutes to and from the island. We read that "black flies" can swarm you if you attempt to eat at the private island. Perhaps it's a seasonal problem because we did not experience this issue and we had lunch on the beach several times. However, I will tell you that I was chomped to bit by mosquitos in the mangroves. The island has a beautiful walk through the mangroves but I practically had to run through it because of all the mosquitos. Otherwise, mosquitos are not a problem for the island because of the 24 hour trade winds. It is seriously windy but we loved that because it's refreshing and keeps you from overheating. The ocean water was gorgeous, clear, warm (80 degrees), and really beautiful and clean, clean, clean. The air was about 80-85 degrees and we didn't have one drop of rain while we were there. It was just delicious, but thank goodness for the trade winds because it really cooled us off.

April though September is off peak season so there were no crowds, no reservations needed at the restaurants, no waiting for taxi's, none of that. The taxi drivers mentioned that October through March is peak season and that it can be very crowded, reservations needed, 20 minutes for a taxi, 3 hours to get through customs upon returning, etc.

We attended the Boni Bini Festival (every Tuesday) which was held locally (about 2 blocks away and was terrific. It was only $3 USD! We did the mini bus tour excursion with De Palm Tours (9 am - 1 pm and they pick you up on the property) and it was terrific. We also made a reservation in advance of the trip for a sunset sailing & snorkeling excursion with The Tranquillo ([ --XXX.XXXXXXXXXXXXXX.XXX-- ] which was the best sailing and snorkeling experience I've ever had at an island. It's privately owned and was excellent. I highly recommend this company, speak with the owner, Anthony. It was $50 USD per person, it worth every dime. We set sail at 4 pm and returned at 7 pm. It was excellent.

Note: The coupon discount booklet has coupons for De Palm Tours which we used. Organize your excursions in the lobby with the concierge. For example, we saved $20 per person with our coupon for the bus tour. It was originally $44 per person, but with the coupon, we paid $24 per person. That's a serious savings...

We went jet skiing and parasailing near the high rise hotels (taxi - $11 total each way)

and had dinner at Casa Tua (reasonably priced, excellent food, and some of the best thin pizza I've ever had), Hyatt Hotel (expensive - gorgeous and excellent restaurants. We saw a Las Vegas Revue at the Occidental, it was very cheesy, but amusing and it was only $20 USD and includes a drink. Every night is a different show at the Occidental. The high rise area had some really nice activities going on, some outdoor mini malls/markets with shops, etc. and was really a nice area overall. Some major changes has occurred in this area and it was much improved since our last visit.

Departure - we were arrived in Aruba, we were surprised when the pilot announced that upon returning from Aruba, we should arrive to the airport 3 hours in advance to go through customs. And according to other reviews, this was mentioned as well. It turns out that in Aruba you have to go through Aruba departure customs, and also US Arrival Customs, all while you're in Aruba.

First, you arrive at the airport, check in your luggage and go through Aruba departure customs. Your "departure tax" is now included in the price of your ticket. After you clear Aruba customs, you then go through a very nice shopping area, where I recommend that you pick up a meal (if you're flying with JetBlue) and get your last minute souvenirs because the stores are pretty good here.

You then continue and have to pick up your luggage yet again, and then walk a path to drop off your luggage for "US Customs" and then go through the US Customs screening center. Because the season was "off peak" it took us 45 minutes to get through this entire process and that includes "with shopping" - However, we've been told by many, many friends that it took them 3 full hours to get through this process during "peak season."

As for getting around, a car is not a necessity, but you can rent one if you want to get around and not have to take a taxi. The least expensive car we could find was $34 per day, since we only used a few cabs, it wasn't worth it for us. You don't need a car, but it's a nice convenience especially depending on how many persons are traveling. Taxi's are readily available and you can also take a bus if you really want to.

Overall, Aruba was gorgeous, and Aruba has continued to improve since our last visit. More shops, more activities, better restaurants, yet not overbuilt which was good to see. The Renaissance hotel was very pretty and the Ocean Suites (timeshare section) was very beautiful. They should do something about the musty smell in the apartments (it's probably the carpet) and we definitely plan to return again and again (off peak of course...) I definitely recommend it!

This review is about the hotel and surrounding area. My girlfriend and I stayed at the Marina side of the hotel (adults only section) and to our surprise found the hotel almost empty the entire week's stay (6/2-6/9/2009). Aruba in general is taking a huge hit due to low tourism at this time.

Location

The absolute best feature of this hotel is the private island and beach. It is extremely dream-like, lush and tropical, with wildlife all over the place. I could not have pictured a more perfect beach. You need to take a private boat which at times we had to wait around for...

The hotel is in the downtown area surrounded by a lot of little restaurants, bars and shops. There is also a upscale mall attached with high end stores (Gucci, Rolex, etc.) I found a very good cigar shop within the mall, selling Cuban's at a reasonable price.

Service, Cleanliness, Value

This is a toss up. The wait staff was great, everyone was so friendly!! especially the bartenders at the Blue bar and LG Smith's. Our room was clean. I would say service was on par with other 4 star resorts.

On the other hand we experienced some deceptive corporate policies set in place by Marriott. We had purchased the all-inclusive plan - which as you will read in other reviews - has 2 (green/red) structures. This was not presented as an option you can purchase on their own website! Since I booked through Expedia, I was unaware and stuck with the lower structure - which only included a few restaurants, one with a limited menu as well as low-end (well) drinks. The reception told me that I could not upgrade, and they were phasing out the green all inclusive. Yet during our trip I found a few green guests... The Aruba beer "Balashi" was light but refreshing and the house wines were actually pretty good as well, so we got over the initial disappointment.

The restaurants were decent - none that I would consider to be high end. The buffet food was equally as good as most Vegas buffets Ive tried. (Bellagio comes to mind) LG Smith's steakhouse was good ($$$$). One thing to be said - If you do not get the All inclusive option, plan on spending a lot of money on food and drinks... Aruba is expensive.

Rooms

The downfall to this resort, is the extremely small, poorly decorated rooms. Overall I compare the rooms to a best western or holiday inn and not any 4 star hotel Ive stayed in before. The shower was tiny, I almost fell out of it, and I'm not a big guy! In the end it was ok for us, because we were on the private beach most of the time.

We stayed for our honeymoon on 5/13-5/18/09. Excellant location, private beach was awesome, shopping was excellant! Went on a few excursions with DePalm tours (great) and in getting to desinations, had a chance to see what locations other resorts were in. Too crowded on the beaches in the high rise areas, not as crowded (but not as nice) in the low rise areas, but the private beach at the Renaissance was always uncrowded and wonderful - so glad that I picked this resort. There is a shuttle that picks you up right at lobby to boat you to the island. If you didn't feel like going to the island, the family resort pool/beach was fine. We stayed at the adult Marina side, but I think I would have been happy at the family side also, difference being that the Marina only has a nice pool, but the family side has pool, beach and swim up bar. Right in shopping district so when you get tired of lounging at the beach/pool, you can walk to shopping areas, restaurants, etc. For restaurants, the only drawback that I saw was that everything seemed to be on "island time", so if you want really quick service, you might be disappointed. Also, for early risers, most places didn't open until 8:30, but there was a cute little restaurant behind the Marina Hotel that was open earlier that was nice for breakfast, and the place above it was nice for pizza and tapas. Both had outdoor seating. Dutch Pancake house was nice too. Definately consider staying here, you can get to anywhere you want, but you'll end up being in the heart of where you want to be!

It was our first trip to aruba and with so many hotel options I was torn on what to choose. So I used hotwire and wound up with the renaissance. I was concerned that it was not on the beach and from what I read on here I was concerned about the airport noise.

The marina hotel was great. We spent a lot of time sitting by the pool there. I loved that they had big fluffy cushions on the lounge chairs and that there was spots for sun and shade as well. It never was a problem getting a lounge chair and the bar was right there so that was an additional perk.

We loved the island. I thought the restaurant on the island was good for lunch, my hubby thought it was just okay. It was so quiet and it felt so private since there were very few people there.

The room itself I would say was nothing special but I did love the high ceilings and that there was a fridge in the room. We met some people who were staying at other hotels and after speaking with them we realized we had better TV channels than most as well.

The location worked out perfectly. We were able to walk to restaurants and shops. We rented a car one day from the thrifty in the hotel. We didnt have to worry about paying for parking which was nice. I liked that they were right there but we did find the woman we had to return the car to very rude.

First off, the private island alone is the attraction here... was fantastic and we spent a lot of time over on the island.

Unfortunately the rest of the hotel was about average for this Hotel class... Staff was friendly if a little slow (though that is probably the island overall). Worst part was our room was on the interior of the hotel with a window overlooking the atrium. That in itself is fine, though it seemed as if the widow was always open with how loud it got, especially between 9 and 12 pm when the lobby bar got kicking.

We may stay here again when we visit Aruba next, if we do it would be because of the island, and we would make sure our room wasn't on the atrium side of the building.

My husband and I stayed in the Marina portion of the hotel over Memorial Day weekend. There are many things we loved about the hotel, but there are a few things to consider before booking.

First, the good: the private island beach is LOVELY. It is beautiful and very peaceful and romantic. You can get as much sun or shade as you would like, whichever you prefer. There was a little noise from the airport but it really wasn't bad at all (and we found it was quieter on the weekends than it was during the week). We did not have problems with bugs as mentioned by some previous reviewers. This is definitely a great way to enjoy the beach without putting up with the party boat/Bo Derek braids/jet ski chaos of the larger resort areas. The lobby/pool/bar area of the Marina hotel was chic and was enjoyable. Again, not a lot of the usual resort madness/crap. The concierge was very knowledgeable and was able to get us reservations at some truly fabulous restaurants.

And the not-so-good: the room was small and dimly lit. No view. The bathroom needed to be redone and the water temperature in the shower fluctuated a lot and without warning. The hotel is far from most of the good restaurants/casinos and we ended up spending a lot of money on taxis when we wanted to eat and go out. As much as we loved the private island beach, the water there was too shallow for much swimming and too rocky to wade comfortably.

Conclusion: I really liked this hotel. The private island was really fantastic for someone who wants to relax by the water and doesn't plan to do a ton of swimming or water sports. The room, though not great, was good enough. However, if you are extremely fussy about size and quality of hotel rooms, I would suggest staying elsewhere. Similarly, if you want more of the party/Caribbean scene, I would not recommend this hotel. Also, I would recommend renting a car for at least a few days so you can visit restaurants in other areas without having to spend an arm and a leg on cabfare.

Great location, people accomodating and friendly. Great pool with swim up bar and the island is a short free boat ride away and has a lovely beach and nature trail. Saw a turqoise aguana, hermit crabs, and other natural habitat.

The pancake house is fabulous. Strawberry crepes with whip cream.

Fabulous location, just the relaxation we needed. Great place to eat about 5 minutes away. A little dock bar and resturaunt. Fantastic service and food and lovely sunset. Also the Dunkin Donuts is fabulous!

The people of Aruba are very nice. It is very clean.

We loved it so much we bought a time share on the island. Abount 75 degrees year round with a breeze. The humidity is something to get used to coming from Arizona.

By the way. DO NOT fly American Airlines. Nightmare for many travelors.

Lucretia Agostarola

Goodyear, AZ

Arrived at the airport on Friday 5/8/09...Was celebrating hubby's 50th birthday.

Taxi ride was not pleasant as the driver was not cordial!

Was a little worried about this resort as it appeared to not have a great beach...but we were so surprised.!! The little boat trip to our island was very much enjoyed.AND HEAVENLY once out there.Wow!

This was our first stay at in Aruba other than off a cruise ship.

We experienced great dining and wonderful stay.

Our fave restaurant was the "driftwood"...and the "plaza cafe" right there at the resort.

We also visited the Amazonian and had nice dinner but not one we would re-visit.

Not terribly fond of all of the iguanas and lizards there but we got around them.

No bugs on the island as what was mentioned here. But heavenly.

We rented a car for 2 days and very much enjoyed visiting around the island.

Great vacation and will definately be back.Maybe stay at the Marina next time.

We were there on an interval exchange and hoping one comes up again .

There are two completely seperate sections to this hotel. The "family" Ocean suites and the "Adults only" Marina section. We stayed at the latter.

Most of the hotels are in a strip just outside town, but this hotel is right in the middle of town so offers more variety.

Location was great for a room only vacation, where we enjoyed the local restaurants.

The private island was was a novelty, with a good bar and restaurant. Didn't see the flies other reports mentioned.

Fitness centre was one of the best I have seen in a hotel.

Service for drinks and food around the hotel pool was very slow.

Rooms were small but mainly clean. Sometimes there was a musty smell but nothing too unbearable.

Food and drink at restaurants was generally good but sometimes pricey. Rumba's at the back of the hotel was great for breakfast. Casa Tua had a good selection of relatively inexpensive salads, pasta etc.

The meal on the beach at Flying Fishbone was trmendous for our anniversary. We went a little late and missed the sunset. Try and time your reservation to see that, as apparently it is to die for. Great experience anyway.

Several things make Aruba stand out to the many other island we have visited.

1. One Happy Island is the motto on the vehicle plates and it is true

2. No hassle from street sellers

3. Cars stop to let you cross the road even when you are not at a crossing

4. The breeze is great at making the midday sun bearable

5. It feels a very safe place even late at night

Scuba diving was pretty good, just make sure you check out the itinerary if you go more than once (I saw the Antilla wreck three times!!!)

If you want to do soemthing different then rent a Harley for the day. If you do, then pay the extra 20 bucks for the guided tour with Rene!!!

Pros: private island, all inclusive if you want to eat and drink ALOT, kids club

Cons: old property, much nicer options (JW Cancun) in the area

The Bottom Line: If you want a peaceful vacation and want to gamble consider this property.

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Just got back from a 7 night stay at the Renaissance Aruba. There are two distinct properties, the Marina Hotel and the Ocean Suites. They are about a five minute walk away from each other.

The Marina hotel is very nice and smack in the middle of downtown. It is in a very trendy area and I'd recommend it for singles and couples--NOT for family travel. The pool is a joke, I mean smaller than the pool in my own back yard. Having said that it is very cool place to hang out and drink, the Blue Martini bar is very trendy and full of beautiful people, very nice.

The Ocean Suites is where we stayed, family of four, Mom, Dad and 12 year old and 9 year old. Since I am a Platinum (75 nights per year) we were upgraded to a suite (2449) directly on the ocean. The view was awesome, very nice from the private balcony.

The suite itself was two bedrooms (again due to the upgrade) and was nice but old. The bathroom was NOT heavenly--pun intended. The shower was in the tub with a shower curtain and a very low end shower head. No separate shower although we did have two bathrooms which were identical.

This is an older property and not a five star hotel by a long shot. The past several years we have stayed at the JW in Cancun--MUCH nicer and opulent compared with the Renaissance Aruba and the JW Ihalani on the west coast of Oahu-no content here either.

Pools: as I've said the pool at the Marina is a joke- don't stay there if you want a cool pool. The Ocean Suites has two pools which are free form but NO waterfalls, NO lazy river (like the JW in Orlando) NO water slides. There is a swim up bar which is nice but the pools at this property are average.

Beach: NOTHING at the Marina hotel--well they do have shopping and a cool casino but no beach--period.

The beach at the Ocean Suites is a lagoon, no direct access to the Ocean. It is a man made beach and fairly nice but nothing like Cancun, not even close.

Private Island: they hype the hell out of their "private island" called the "Renaissance Island" it is very nice but here too like the Suites they have lagoons on manmade beaches, no direct access to the ocean, i.e. no waves. There are two beaches, one is called Iguana Beach because of the huge number of Iguanas, which my wife and daughter hated and the other is supposedly the adult beach called the Flamingo Beach because of the Flamingos that are all over there. The adult beach allows topless bathing but I didn't see any. The private island also has a restaurant and bar which is fairly nice, fried food mostly. They also have waiters who will bring you food and drinks out to the beach. The bad thing about the island is that it is only accessible by boat which is on "island time" sometimes only going every 30 minutes despite the claim of every 15 mins. The island was not too crowded though and I would recommend it.

All inclusive: Aruba is expensive. Period. Literally as expensive as Hawaii, but not as nice.

They offer a $130/day/adult all inclusive fee. What you get for this is three meals a day plus all you can drink. I would definitely recommend this if you have kids 12 or under as they get the same deal for free. It also includes access to the kids club.

The downside to the all inclusive is that despite the 15 or so restaurants you can choose from, there is only one--LG Smith's steakhouse that is truly top notch. We ate there four out of the seven nights and I would compare it favorably with Ruth's Chris or Smith and Wollensky. It is very good and I had surf and turf and also a great Cowboy Ribeye. LG's is great but only a good deal if you are on the all-inclusive as our normal charge for a family of four was $300, to be sure my wife and I had three of four drinks during dinner but if you are paying without the all inclusive it is expensive.

What to do: we rented a Jeep Wrangler 4X4 and drove all over the island. This is a one day deal. The island is small, much smaller than Oahu or Maui and there is not much to do, except for eat/drink/gamble and lay out on the beach.

I am glad to have gone to Aruba but I would probably not go back and honestly if I could have gotten four free plane tickets to Maui we would have gone there. If you are on the east coast it is a much better option than coming from the west coast (we flew from Dallas and it was five hours in the air).

Lastly, going through customs on the way home is a joke, literally took two hours, unreal

We were happy with this hotel. The rooms were clean and the service kept them that way. The lobby is incredible. The island is a 10 minute boat ride away, but having the hotels boat pick you up right in the lobby was a fun experience. The island is secluded and the areas for swimming are protected from the ocean by a barrier. That was nice to have calm water without jet skis or boats approaching the beach every few minutes to take another group out for various activities.

The only real thing we noticed was that the hallway and the room had a slight musty smell. Nothing that was overpowering or detracted from our experience, we just figured thats one of the troubles with having a hotel near the ocean.

We didnt really try any of the hotel restaurants. We heard good things about LJ smiths steakhouse from a visitor, but the reviews we read commented that the hotel food was just ok. That is why we passed on the all inclusive. There really is no reason to stay in the hotel for food as there are a number of good places nearby. I highly recommend Gostoso for a fantastic dining experience with an aruban flare, and Mirandi for an incredible sunset, good food, and great service. El gaucho had a great steak but the service was so so and we felt like tourists there. Iguana joes had great drinks and is just up the street.

Two things I would recommend, and this is coming from someone who is not wealthy and likes to explore. I would rent a car. Cab fares are expensive and apparently set by the government. The driving is on the right and there are lots of roundabouts, and as long as you dont leave valuables in the car you should have no problem. Arashi beach is beautiful, malmok is great for snorkeling (rent snorkel equipment between rio and radisson on palm beach), and the car allows you to travel around the island to these places. Palm beach is a must see too, lots of excitement.

The other recommendation is to go to the IGA grocer. You can ask for directions and its a big grocer. Avoid the little grocers around the hotel, go to the IGA. It was nice to have a fridge in the room as we never found a great breakfast place.

We enjoyed are stay at the renaissance. I would say this is a 3.5-4 star hotel for the rooms and lack of beach side and a definite four star based on the service and access to a private beach.

we have been to alot of island this is the second best very safe to go out. Senior frog downtown great. Private beach best place in the world not alot of people. If you want to fish bring a pole fish off the two docks bring weights lot of fish big 40 lbs test. The only thing the beds are hard. rooms are fine lot of room dishes too. there are a lot of places to eat it is not cheep beer 6-7 $ A case $50. Marina Pincha greaqt food. there are alot of cheep places to eat subway and others like that. We will go back maystay at Riu next but we will be back at this hotel,

This hotel is divided in two, the Ocean Suites (family friendly) and the Marina Hotel (adult only - where I stayed). When you get to the hotel it has motion sensor escalators. They take you up to the lobby and you overlook the boat launch that will take you to the private beach/island belonging to the hotel.

The lobby has a bar that has a great selection of appetizers. You can eat them at the bar or up the steps at the amazing adult only pool. The pool area has plenty of lounge chairs, tables and a big canopy for those who want to stay in the shade. You have a great view of the main road and can see the Cruise ships and Marina.

My room was facing the marina and had a little balcony. With the door open you capture the what seems like constant breeze of Aruba. Don't worry, it's warm and inviting. Other than that, the room is your standard Marriott variety. Nice television, plenty of outlets (uses US standard wattage). The bathroom is a bit small, but there was a nice selection of amenities (shampoo, lotion, bath salts, etc.) There were also robes and slippers.

For those of you who want to spend as little time in the hotel room as possible, the hotel is connected to the only casino on the island that's open 24-hours. Although the other stay open until around 4am, so for most, it's not much of an issue. If you are a non-smoker, you'll find the casinos a little thick with smoke most of the time. Go down one more level and you're in a nice indoor mall with plenty of designer stores. For those more budget conscience, just stroll outside and there are plenty of other choices within walking distance. When the stores close there are restaurants and clubs also close to the hotel.

When you want to hit the beach you can take the boat in the lobby to the island and the hotel's private beaches. There is a family friendly one with a restaurant next to it and an adult only one called Flamingo beach (comes with plenty of flamingos) where tops are optional.

The staff is amazing and all are friendly and helpful. I do recommend renting a car or taking a tour and seeing the rest of the island. The terrain is very different once you get outside the cities.

From what I hear, the weather is good pretty much year round, so no matter when you go, enjoy the sun!!

We arrived in Aruba on February 19th for a five night stay at the Renaissance Marina Resort. The less than 10 minute cab fare from the airport to the hotel was $22.00 – definitely a rip-off! Everyone and every shop in Aruba (at least those we encountered) take US Dollars.

Once arriving at the Renaissance Marina Resort for adults only (The Renaissance Ocean Suits across the street is the family resort), we were efficiently guided to the front desk for a prompt and speedy check-in. If you drink alcohol, consider the all inclusive plan. It will definitely save you money on booze and food.

The Standard King Room was of adequate size. The bed was quite firm with many pillows and clean white crisp linens. The water pressure in the restroom was infrequent during the morning hours and the toilet had trouble flushing and sounded like a jet engine starting when it did flush. The restroom soaps, shampoos and conditioners were of very nice quality. The flat panel television in the room was nice, but the movie, and room account channels did not work for our entire stay. The A/C did not seem to be able to cool the room below 75 degrees – I like it cooler when I sleep. However, I would still rate the room a 4 out of 5.

The Renaissance Island is absolutely beautiful. The small boats make runs to and from the island about every 15 minutes. You actually board the boat in the Renaissance lobby. The beaches on the island are very nice and there is always a breeze, actually quite windy at times. There was plenty of shade to be found when you have had enough sun. The island is directly across from the airport, so you get to watch the planes land from the island. It is a bit noisy at times, but fun to watch the planes come and go. Beware, if you try to eat anything on the island, you get inundated with black flies. Also, we were bitten all over by something on the beach – like mosquito bites.

We had trouble with our bill during checkout – over charged. In the end, everything was corrected to our satisfaction thanks to the front desk attendant, Maria. Be sure to closely check your bill and be prepared for a long wait while any correction is sorted out.

The Renaissance is a nice hotel resort, but it is really starting to show its age – built in 1986. Evidence of patchwork throughout. It is located right in the middle of the downtown Aruba shopping district and part of a high end mall facility. You can walk everywhere. The Casino is very nice with plenty of tables and machines. The best food by far at the Renaissance is the LG Smith Steakhouse. The steaks and seafood at this place are excellent. One of the best waiters I have had in years, Andrey, provided superb service. The bar staff and management at this restaurant were also outstanding. Service at the other Renaissance venues could be spotty.

All in all, I would certainly stay at this hotel resort again. Defintely the best offering in the downtown area. Nice hotel, nice room and too much to do in only 5 nights stay.

WOW, I have to say I'm shocked to read some of these negative reviews. But, I guess an opinion is an opinion! My comments: I stayed at Marina side, it's awesome. Pool is top notch, rooms are nice and spacious. Hotel staff is gracious and accomodating. Hotel is located in the heart of everything. If you want a "beach" hotel, go stay somewhere else. This hotel has a great pool,great atmosphere and great access to local shopping and restaurants. And, the private beach is great, but note you DO have to take a little boat ride to get there. Really nice hotel. Make sure you have breakfast at the Dutch pancake house! Best Crepes I've had since going to Europe!!

Not a bad place. Seemed to be an over 50 crowd. The staff is very friendly and helpful. This hotel is not on the beach, but they do offer free boat service to their private island. The boat ride is very cool, and the boats pick-up/drop-off every 10 minutes or so. The island is really nice. The food on the island (an outdoor type place) was just o/k. Once you get your food and drink, you get swarmed by black fly's (like a science fiction movie....). Overall I would stay there again if the price was right.

Just got back from 8 days at the Renaissance. This is my honest opinion from a 34-year old mother of two young kids (boys ages 4.5 and almost 2). Note: We stayed in the "Ocean Suites"--where families can stay. The "marina" is the adult-only resort... where the ferry pulls up inside the hotel. At the "Ocean Suites" you walk about 5 minutes to the ferry dock for the boat to the private island (very scenic with crabs and iguanas all along the rocks).

The private island is AMAZING... I couldn't have imagined a more wonderful, relaxing place. the sand was powdery, the scene tropical, the flamingos and iguanas were beautiful. While the food and drinks at the Papagayo grill were way overpriced and not very good, it was wonderful having our lunches 10 feet from the sand. Kids' meals WERE a great deal though--$6 got you soup, fish/chicken fingers/burger & fries, drink & ice cream! The tropical drinks were a huge disappointment though. I cannot stress how much I LOVED this island.

The weather FYI was NOT what I expected--everyone says it never rains in Aruba. Well, in our 8 day stay it rained AT LEAST TWICE a day... with two days totally rained out and overcast when it wasn't raining.

Now for the hotel itself. they did a fantastic job renovating the lobby--looks modern. Could have used some better seating//layout though. The pool was fine... and we loved the daily happy hour at 4:30pm (2 for 1 drinks). Everyone we met was VERY friendly. However, the check-in was terrible--they lied to us about the room types (saying that no oceanview or oceanfront rooms have kitchens, so since we have kids we'll need the kitchen so we got a view of the parking lot). We were never informed about the all-inclusive option until we overheard people discussing it at the pool. When we asked about it we were told it was 'too late.' Our room was dated--glass block in the entry way... peeling wallpaper in the bathroom and mold stains and water stains on the drop tile ceiling in the bathroom. The hallway carpeting looks like it's straight out of 1985. The cleaning staff did a great job tidying up our room everyday though.

As for a vacation for a young family, since our kids are just under 2 and 5, it was great because there were only about 5 other young kids there our entire stay... so we had a lot of family time and it didn't matter that there weren't a lot of playmates. However, this seems more like an Active Adult 55+ Retirement community than a hotel/timeshare resort. Our last day we spent several hours at the pool and saw a handful of children (under 18) and everyone else were retirees. Not that there's anything wrong with that--they were all very pleasant to us... and hey, I'd love to retire here for the winter!!! But this is not a destination with lots of young kids around. And the playground was just one slide. That ended into a giant mud puddle. That's it. Imagine my kids disappointment!!!

We ate in various places... mainly walking distance. The Pancake House was good for breakfast, but dinner made me sick. The Waterfront Crabhouse was mediocre for dinner but great value for breakfast. The seafood buffet at the Marina hotel "The Aquarius" looked great but also made me sick! Buccanneer restaurant was super-kitschy, but kept the kids entertained--however, the food was not very good. We LOVED El Gaucho!

Overall, I LOVED our vacation here... thanks to the beautiful private island and friendly people. I feel that the amount we paid per night for the hotel itself was too high.

Ok, so people go here for the climate. Every local seemed to remind me of this. The hotel iteself is decently appointed in a tropical style. I stayed at the Harbor hotel section, which is in downtown, and for Adults only. The hotel did a nice job at that part, as I never saw many teens or whatnot in the place. The hotel bar and pool is its nicest quality, but ruined by the auto exhaust from the very busy street just below...Aruba has lower pollution standards, and you'll notice this right away. On days that the breeze blows the right direction, the pool is great: infinity style, looking out to a sunset, which is blocked by a cruise ship on occasion. Try to get a drink within a reasonable time here, and you'll be quite amused as an American.

Arubans, in general, are in no rush to do anything, and you'll wait. At least there was a happy hour 2-for-1 deal while I stayed. I needed a drink, after the hotel did not honour my request at reservation for 2 beds (and I am platinum). However, they did try to make amends with breakfast in the Buffet style restaurant in the lobby, overpriced: you can do far better at the other side of the resort, in the renaissance mall by the ocean suites..dutch pancake house there was great! You can also leave your bags with the desk, and shop at the Renaissance mall while you wait. Everything is overpriced to an American, except maybe the jewelry stores, which abound here.

The room was appropriately sized, with paid internet ($15 per day) and a lot of US TV programming for those rare rain-days on the flatscreen. The bathroom was sub-par for this brand. The tub was stained, and needed to be regrouted or replaced with a stand-in shower. Not excusable for this brand. Otherwise, found the rooms quiet. Hint: quietest side of hotel is side facing the casino. I feel sorry for those with a room in the atrium or overlooking the pool, as they play this loop of corporate feel-good club-bar music constantly until 11pm. Light sleepers, beware of this! Turndown service was hit or miss, sometimes it happened, sometimes not.

The boat to the private island takes about 10 minutes, and runs until 7pm. The island is great, although noise from airport is noteworthy: it's at the end of the main runway! Afternoons are a busy flight time, so bring some music or otherwise just pretend the 757's are large birds. Island staff is the same as back at the hotel: no apparent concern for reasonable service time. I'd recommend getting a sandwich or salad from the hotel coffee-bar, and bringing to the island, as I found the island's restaurant to be pricey for the food-quality. The island boats are not ADA compatible, they are too small for that, so don't bring anyone in a leg brace, etc.

2 sides of the island: family-friendly, and adult. Adult side's beach was very rocky. Best to enter it from the center. Iguanas, lizards, and hermit crabs abound. Saw a conch and some sea horses in the lagoon waters, by the trees, too. Flock of flamingos on the adult beach can be loud, but they're all about camera photos. Adult, unlike what I had expected, means age here, not a standard for clothing. This resort enforces western standards for dress... too bad, as the island is european. I guess go to public beaches on other side of the island to enjoy that.

All in all, I expected higher service quality here from a Renaissance property. The rest of my time was enjoyable, and relaxed, just what Aruba advertises. Eat out at the great restaurants nearby, they exceed what the hotel offers: Que Pasa, and the Paddock are great laid-back options within a few short blocks,and the pancake house at the renaissance mall across the street is not to be missed.

We used our Marriot points for a 5 night stay 12/4 through12/9/08. The Renaissance is in a good location in the city for restaurants and shopping. Staff was friendly and helpful. The Concierge Berlinda was phenomenal-no question was too small or too big and she was always helpful! She enjoyed answering our questions and giving us useful information. We were offered an upgrade when we went to check in but we declined so we had to wait about 20 minutes for a room. The room was on the sixth floor and it was great. We bought water, soda and beer at supermarket behind hotel. A little boat would come in to the lobby to take you to the Private Island which was about a 10-15 minute boat ride away. The island was beautiful with the iguanas and flamingoes. The blue fish under the bridge to the Adult only side (which is where we went each day) were beautiful. It is rocky in the water and the planes from the airport were sporadically a nuisance but it didn't ruin your day. I still think it was better than a crowded beach. The best service we had was at the restaurant on the private island for lunch. The waitress had been there for many years and she was excellent! The wait staff by the water on the adult side had to be approached to get you a drink; I guess they weren't too eager to run back and forth or maybe they weren't motivated because the tip was included on your bill. We did see a few people each day with small coolers. Not all restaurants included the 15% gratuity;you had to read the check. It rained almost every morning but then the sun came out except for Sunday it rained all day. The shops in front of the Marina hotel seemed mostly for cruise ships. There was a Dunkin Donuts down the block in front of the hotel. Don't miss Happy hour at the hotel's Blue Bar everyday 4:30-6; drinks are 2 for 1. Raffi and Alejandro are wonderful, friendly, attentive bartenders. You can google Raffi ; he was very informative about restaurants etc. A burger at the bar was better than expected.One day we took a minibus from a street behind the hotel to Charlie's bar; it was about a 20 minute drive. Minibuses were only 20 cents more than the bus and alot quicker. We were dropped off in front of Charlie's. Charlie's had great memorabilia hanging from the ceiling, license plates from all different states,funny sayings, etc; the bartender was friendly and fun, but the steak sandwiches were terrible.We had to walk a little through the red light district to get to the minibus (which seemed to transport workers back and forth). Don't know if I would do it again.Most mornings we had breakfast at 8 alone at Rumba's, a little restaurant behind the hotel. Food was good; homefries were excellent! Cafe au lait was better than coffee, and the staff was very friendly.One day we had breakfast at the Waterfront Crabhouse which was by the Ocean Suites hotel; it was very good but a little more expensive. They did have french toast. The pool at the Marina hotel was small and often crowded in the afternoon. From the pool you overlooked the main street and harbor. The pool at Ocean Suites was a lot larger and had more chairs. We never had a problem getting shade for my husband at any one of the pools or at the Private Island.but we usually went pretty early. We saved on taxis to restaurants by staying in the city. We ate at Driftwood-the white Sangria was good; the lobster in the lobster crepe was overdone. My Snapper which was catch of the day was delicious. Mojitos were good at Cuba's Cooking, and I think this was the least expensive restaurant we went to. The best restaurant that we went to, Yemanja, was recommended by Berlinda. It was excellent-fresh fish, good food and staff was friendly and attentive. We found staff friendly and attentive where ever we went to dinner, but we usually went early before the crowds at 6. We did take a cab to Papiamiento; my husband was disappointed with his chicken parm, but my lamb chops cooked on the stone were okay. I would have preferred to sit by the pool (more romantic) but inside was alright. Dinner at Que Pasa was good. I had a Grouper special that was delicious. I do feel like we missed something by not doing a jeep tour, but that leaves something to look forward to when we go back. We paid $18 taxi fare to and from the airport. Enjoy!

Stayed at the Renaissance Ocean Suites from December 13-19th and thoroughly enjoyed it. The private beach was lovely and the boat ride there was quick and effortless. We did rent a jeep and so traveled to other beaches on the island to sample them ,and enjoyed this also. Renaissance personnel were courteous and helpful. The cleaning staff was always respectful/quiet in the mornings for the times one wants to sleep-in yet get the job done quickly and efficiently. Rooms were spacious enough for one bedroom units, and the mini kitchen very handy for breakfasts or quick lunch. Toiletries were replaced each day in the bathroom as need. If I had one constructive comment to make it would be that the bathrooms and furnishings could use an update- but they were not in disrepair. Security was good, never an issue as I am reading about at some of the other hotels/resorts.

I stayed at the Ocean Suites/family side of the hotel because I thought I would rather have an ocean view than overlooking the street at the Marina hotel. Unfortunately, my ocean view was hindered by the palm trees - as beautiful as those were. There was also a large, unsightly paint blister on the balcony wall - looked like some sort of water damage. The room smelled damp and the decor was pretty outdated. I also found the bathroom dark and very old looking. However, the bed was very comfortable, and that was all that really mattered because I didn't plan on spending a lot of time in the room.

I did walk over to the Marina/adult only sister hotel and noticed both hotels seemed a bit empty which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I had the breakfast buffet one morning which was nice. Lots of choices. I also ate at LG Smith's Steak & Chophouse one evening. Wonderful food and wonderful service!

I had an outdoor massage on the private island which was absolutely fabulous. It was so beautiful and peaceful there. My only regret is that after the massage I didn't stay long on the island because I had a snorkeling trip scheduled.

The staff were fairly nice. Took me awhile to find someone to get me a taxi - which took a long time on a Friday night. Make sure to order one in advance so you aren't waiting!

Internet connectivity was poor and a bit expensive. It also took three people over the phone to finally help me get my Mac hooked up with their connection. No wifi available. Didn't work at all the second day I was there so I couldn't check-in for my return flight online. Not the end of the world, but an inconvenience.

Overall, I would say this is an "ok" place to stay, not the best. I would probably pick a different hotel if I went again. It's nice for families. The little lagoon was interesting. The private island the best part, and that's really why I picked this hotel. As far as value for what I paid, I was fortunate because I was able to use a Marriott family discount rate. I don't think the room itself is worth the normal rate.

We went to the Ocean Suites in May for our honeymoon. We had to switch our vacation at the last minute because we were supposed to go to Mexico and this was in the middle of the whole swine flu outbreak. Upon our arrival very late at night, they did not have any of our all-inclusive package available. Also, the first room they tried to give us reeked of mold. The second and third rooms they tried to give us lacked ocean views. Well, finally on the fourth room they got it right. In the morning when we received our all-inclusive package info, we were shocked to discover that we only had a "limited" all-inclusive which didn't really include much of anything (only the local Balashi beer and bar brand liquor). We could not even get Corona or Bacardi!! Apparently, if you purchase "wholesale" through a travel agent this is the only option available. You can upgrade to a "premium" all-inclusive (which would have only cost us $70) but no one at the resort even told us about this. After I completely flipped out on the hotel manager, we were upgraded for free. The hotel itself is not that nicely furnished-- the rooms look outdated and are painted an ugly bright yellow color and the tile in the bathrooms is old and outdated. However, the resort did have a private island which was spectacular, especially considering the fact that Aruba only has public beaches. We also enjoyed staying in downtown Oranjestaad, because we felt there was more to do in this area then in the resort area where most of the hotels are. The food at the restaurants was good, although not spectacular. The best restaurant so far was LG Smith's Chophouse. And the bartenders at the swim-up bar really took great care of us! So overall we had a good time, but BEWARE of the differences in the all-inclusive options!!

My sister & I just returned from our first visit to Aruba. I've stayed at a few Renaissance properties, & this was buy far the most dated. Totally wasn't expecting it to be so old. The lobby area & pool was very modern, but the rooms weren't at all. There was water damage on the ceiling of room, & some in the hallway near our room...the area in the hall (4th floor) had a horrible smell so every time we left or went back to our room we had to hold our breath so we wouldn't smell it. In our room it didn't smell, but the brown spots on the ceiling were just ugly. The bathroom was really small too. Definitely not big enough for 2 ppl to get ready simultaneously. And the bath tub...I coudn't believe they hadn't replaced it. It was very dingy. So even after housekeeping came & cleaned it, it just didn't look clean.

The purpose of our trip was to relax & enjoy some good food. But we honestly never really found any. We thought it was really weird that when we asked the conceirge for recommendations she suggested we try some of the restaurants at The Radisson or Hilton hotel. We were hoping to enjoy some local cuisine, not hotel food.

The private island was nice, but the food was terrible. Location was good b/c it's connected to a nice mall & walking distance to several restaurants & a local market. Overall the staff was friendly (w/the exception of the waiter at the pool who was very selective of who he waited on), but I would never stay at this hotel again unless it was remodeled. Honestly I will probably never visit Aruba again anyway. It's sad when you come all the way from the states & one of your best meals is a Subway sandwich :-/

My family and I had never been to Aruba before so we decided to give it a try. We had some Marriott points to use up and the other Marriott property had restrictions. We decided to stay at the Renaissance Beach Hotel. There is another, separate part to this hotel across from the marina. This hotel is close to the airport and the taxi driver wasn't pleased that he was taking us there. He acted like he only wanted to take people to hotels that were further away (so he could charge more). He still over-charged us for the ride. Additionally, he let us out near the street instead of taking us to the hotel front door. This has nothing to do with the hotel itself, but was our first experience in Aruba.

The hotel itself is fine (beach hotel). It is a little dated and not very big. Our room did need remodeling, but was okay. There is a little restaurant out by the pool you can use for breakfast and lunch. It is next to a shopping area that has more restaurants. There are plenty of places to walk around and the shopping area has entertainment at night (not always though). The service at the hotel was good. The private island is nice too, but you need to get there early because it gets crowded. I think most of the people came from the marina hotel.

My main comment would be if you're flying all the way there from the US or Canada and you're going to stay a week, then you're probably at the wrong place if you're looking for a resort-type of experience. We took trips and crashed the category 7 Marriott for a day and visited the Hyatt. When we go back, my first choice would either be the Hyatt (for location and nice dining in walking distance) or the cat-7 Marriott, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to stay at the Renaissance the last two days to hit the local spots. Finally, the Marina hotel was more upscale than the beach property.

I stayed at this resort for 8 days. The main purpose of my trip was for a conference, hence why I chose this resort. The resort is definitely in a great location to restaurants and shopping. The people are exceptionally kind, helpful and hardworking.

The cab ride from the airport was about 15 minutes and was $28. When you arrive to the hotel there are bellhop that are very helpful. Just know if you use them they charge your room $4.

The Renaissance has 2 hotels within walking distance from each other, the Marina and the Suites. I stayed at the Marina. The rooms are definitely in need of updating, they aren't terrible, but not the best. The bed was my biggest complaint, very worn and uncomfotable. The only thing that appeared to be newer was the flatscreen TV.

I did absolutely love the private beaches. Private boats for guests only arrive every 15 minutes within the Marina hotel. When you arrive you have a choice of 2 beaches, Flamingo beach (right) or Iguana beach (left). Flamingo beach literally has flamingo's walking around and iguana beach literally has Iguana's walking around. I liked iguana beach better because your by the bar and bathrooms. There is no bar / food / bathrooms on flamingo beach, although it's less than a 5 minute walk to the Iguana side for those amenities. Flamingo beach is also an adult only beach.

I found the restaurants to be very reasonably priced. My favorite restaurants within walking distance were El Gaucho, Yehmanja and Que Pasa. El Gaucho has a seperate piano bar across the street from the restaurant which I thoroughly enjoyed. My favorite restaurants by cab were Screaming Eagle and Marandi. Marandi is beautiful and the best time to be there is at sunset. Cab rides were 5 to 10 minutes and averages $15.

Would I return to Aruba? not sure. If I did it would be for the great people and food.

My wife and I stayed at the Renaissance Aruba for our honeymoon at the end of April 2008. I read many reviews on this site before we went and figured that I would share our experiences hoping that others would find some useful information. It was a nice hotel with many positives, but probably outweighed by the negatives.

First of all you cannot complain about the weather in Aruba, it was so nice the entire time we were there. The island has such a vast eco system for being so small as well, it is truly unbelievable. We took a jeep ride around the island and I recommend that to anyone visiting. On the tourist side it is calm with shallow water and nice beaches, then there are mountains with cacti in the middle and goats roaming, and on the other coast deep rough water and terrain. Very intersting place.

The hotel was, at best, an average place to stay. There are a few good qualities though. There are many shops in the area where you can find all kinds of jewelry and clothing, just at high prices. There are also two parts to the hotel, a family side and the adult side, which we stayed at. We did visit the family side when we first got there just to check it out. There was a very little lagoon/beach that was not very appealing, but they did have a nice swim up bar. The pool at the adult hotel is much nicer. It was never very crowded and had a bar right next to it and servers always coming around to get you what you wanted.

The service at the hotel was excellent, everyone was very friendly. They made really good, strong drinks at the bar, and the concierge was helpful with any questions we asked.

The room we stayed in was pretty nice, but nothing that really made me want to stay there again. Although the shower water did go from cold to hot and back to cold often, the bathroom was nicely decorated and equipped. We had a view of the island side as well, which might not be as nice as the ocean, but it was pretty. There were nice buildings and mountains you could see in the distance.

The private beach was a very unique experience. In just a short boatride you arrived at a small island with both an adult side and a family side. The adult side was very cool because you could see pink flamingos walking the beach, and they loved to be fed. The water was so clear and calm that it was easy to snorkle, and there was a surprisingly large amount and variety of fish.

The family side was a little bigger, and had more swimming area than the adult side and I actually found it nicer. Not quite as relaxing, but more enjoyable. There was also a restaurant/bar on this side that served great food.

I love all vacations I go on, but unfortunately this is one place I probably would not visit again. The hotel just did not have enough good things about it.

I'm a person that can sleep through anything and I don't mind a little noise, but this hotel is located right on a busy street that can be very noisy at night. It wasn't too much of a problem for me to sleep through it, but sometimes it was just very annoying. The residents constantly burn out when driving, and they happen to be doing it for what seems like all night. Most nights we didn't even head to bed til after 2 am, and there was still a lot of noise outside our room. Almost everynight there were burgular alarms going off as well, usually at about 4 in the morning it seemed like. They would last for about 10 minutes too. It's nice to be able to sleep with the sliding glass door open at night, but it just wasn't possible here.

We made the mistake of walking around the hotel area while it was dark one night and were offered drugs many times. It's not something that scared me so much, but we made sure that when it was dark out from now on we stayed close to the hotel.

The private beach is nice, but not at all worth staying at the hotel for. I'll admit I would like to visit it one day if I stayed again, but that's it. It just isn't worth waiting for a boat to come to the hotel and taking it out there. They have the area walled off with stones as well that makes it feel enclosed and not as big. We did visit the beaches of other hotels a few day and they were much nicer. It's just so much better being able to walk out of your hotel onto a beach and not onto a busy street. The ones we visited were much better quality too. Larger beaches, nicer sand, and just an amazing unobstructed view of the blue ocean.

The nightlife in the area was boring as well. There just weren't that many places to go and have a lot of fun. I don't know if the rest of the island is the same, but just once it got late, it seemed like you were on your own...not that many people out at bars having a good time.

I can see how many people like this place, but for a young couple on their honeymoon it just isn't that great of a place i don't think. If you enjoy lot's of shopping and just relaxing it probably would be a place worth visiting. For me though, I would probably not travel to the island again. A place such as the Mayan Riviera seems to be more affordable, with more activities, a better nightlife, and just as great of beaches. If I did happen to visit again, I would chose a hotel on the beach. I am a definite beach bum.

When visiting check out Iguana Joe's. They have incredible food at the best prices. Get their Mojito as well, it is by far the best I have ever had. I could have drank them all day and night.

We did the Kukuu Kunuku party bus and that was a lot of fun as well. You get to travel around the island with a lot of fun people and visit some local bars. It was a blast.

The jeep tours are pretty inexpensive and defnitely worth doing. We drove all around the island. I drove that jeep to death and it still kept going. You can drive up the mountains, all around the other coast, through brush, over rocks and just have a whole lot of fun and enjoy all the scenery that aruba has to offer.

Overall I would say it was a great experience going to Aruba, but I would probably not travel there again. It is not much different than closer locations with better prices. And again, if I did, I would choose a hotel that was more my style and on the beach. Any other questions just contact me.

After visiting the high-rise hotels in Palm/Eagle beach, I felt that the Renaissance Marina was in a perfect location in Oranjestad.

When we checked in, it was nice that the front desk took their time to explain to us in detail the additional amenities the hotel offered. They gave us a breakdown of if we wanted to make out trip all-inclusive. Of course we opted out, as we wanted to try local fare. The bellhop Mario was very insightful and went through a list of top things to do and local restaurants to try on our way up to our room.

The room was decent with an LCD TV, but our juliet balcony faced the center of hotel (inside) and was loud at times when children walking through or bands played since it echoed. The mall connected to the Marina was great if you like high-end shopping from Louis Vuitton to Cartier.

I loved the fact that no children were allowed to stay at the Marina side- since Ocean Suites is the designated side for them. The pool was small on our side, but you should be going to Renaissance Island instead! After seeing all the boat traffic and leech-like cruise tenants in front of the Hyatt before our scuba diving excursions, the private island was great. I will however recommend that the Papaguyo Restaurant on the island had horrible service and the local Arubans working here were miserable and hated life. We found that most Arubans working in tourism had a monstrous chip on their shoulders. The best service we received were of the Filipinos and Dutch working on the island, they were happy and it exuded in their sevice.

Back to the private island, the boat ride was well worth the exclusivities on the island. From the iguanas, lizards, and flamingoes to the hammocks and soothing view. The ride is short and not too rocky. Cons are the island closing at 7PM and the airport traffic, which can be zoned out.

We did not try too many of the restaurants on the Marina side as the Ocean Suites side had better fare. The tapas offered at BLUE were mediocre and the service was horrendous as mentioned prior with locals.

Our favorite restaurant was Que Pasa! Order the fried brie salad! Driftwood was okay and the service at Yemenja was very RUDE. The Paradise Café across from the Seaport Casino (Renaissance Marketplace) had a very nice owner from Holland working there and we had cappuccinos every night after dinner here.

If you enjoy scuba diving, Red Sail was just okay. Their equipment seemed worn down and there were too many people per divemaster. I would recommend going with a different company.

Overall, I was quite happy with Renaissance Marina minus the local Arubans working there. I will not be traveling back to Aruba again as there are too many other islands to visit.

My wife and I stayed at the Renaissance Aruba Ocean Suites and having stayed at other hotels on Aruba for the past 8 years, I can say that there are much better choices. The best way to descibe this hotel: "dress on a pig". There were good points to it, such as :

1. The pool bar staff- they were warm and entertaining i.e, Legino, Elizabeth and the rest.

2. The appearance of the other part of the hotel across the street was very well done in and around the pool area.

3. The gym is very big and equipment looked new.

4. If you like the town you are right in the heart of it.

5. Microwave in the room (big plus)

Now the bad points:

1. Once past the lobby the hotel and the rooms are very old and motel -like, and smell of it too.

2. The shower did not work and when we reported it to the front desk they did nothing. We went down and told them face to face and they never got back to us until the 3rd day when we called and they said it was fixed; it wasn't, we just dealt with it.

3 The toilet that I had to keep fixing the flusher handle myself, it would consantly slip off inside tank.

4. Most of other staff (besides pool bar staff) were not friendly or knowledgeable about simple things such as restaurants or taxis. We waited twice for 30 min. for a cab, (which never happens in Aruba). After the front desk said we could get one right in front of hotel, the the bell captain who saw us waiting said "why didn't you ask me for a taxi?" My question to him was "what do you think we were doing standing there for 30 minutes and why didn't you ask us if we needed help?" He also made himself invisible quite frequently.

5. The concierge was often unavailable and was unaware that certain restaurants were closed on specific days. We were not informed that a restaurant that we assumed we had reservations for was closed until an hour before we were due to have dinner. Needless to say it was too late to make other plans and we had to settle for bar food at the martini bar across the street.

6. L.G. Steakhouse - nice-looking but food was mediocre at best and grilled chicken on the menu was served fried.

7. Rarely available gym attendent, water dispenser was often not filled, and one needs to cross through a restaurant to use the bathroom. There are no showers available. Charge extra for sauna, no hot tubs at all on the facility.

8. No waiter/waitress service at the beach or pool.

9. Beach on hotel grounds horrible.

10. No beach attendents and therefore no organization, beach towels left on chairs and huts. Difficult to know if guests are still using chairs or huts.

I have just returned from a 4 night stay at this hotel and I was extremely disappointed. It cost a ridiculous amount to stay in a room that was no better than a cheap motel. The room was smelly, the shower didnt work and it took 2 hours to run a bath. Furnishings in rooms are sub standard and whilst the rooms in the adult hotel are advertised as having a "balcony" - do not be fooled ! they are not balconies, just french windows with a grille in front. I particularly wanted a balcony so we upgraded our room at an additional cost of $112 per night to the Ocean Suites. Whilst these did have balconies, they were very small. There were no utensils, plates, glasses etc in the kitchen rendering it useless and the in room movies were not working for the duration of our stay. I enjoyed Aruba but please, choose a different hotel !!

My husband and I, and two friends arrived at the Renaissance on May 3rd. We had originally booked a vacation to Cancun to stay at The Royal Cancun but due to the swine flu outbreak needed to find a new destination in under a week from our departure date. Having been to Aruba before and enjoying our time there we thought that would be the next best thing. I am a travel agent and used US Airways Vacations to book the trip for myself and friends. There was availability at the Riu for an additional $280 a couple for the all inclusive room which we ended up booking. Two days before our departure date we received a call saying the Riu was overbooked but the Renaissance was available for an additional $180 a couple and it would again be all inclusive. We ended up booking this.

We arrived around 2pm on May 3rd and proceeded to check in. During check in the woman at the front desk advised us that we were on the Red Dot "limited all inclusive plan." We insisted that we paid for an all inclusive package, which our confirmation from US Airways proved, however she said that was not correct. The limited plan allowed us to have the most very basic alcohol (not even Captain Morgan's was included in our plan which is pretty basic in our eyes), also the food plan was limited as well, having a specific menu for their steak house. She advised us that if we wanted to upgrade to the green dot plan which was totally all inclusive it would be an additional $35 per person per day. We did not do this because we had already paid close to an extra $500 a couple at this point to be at the Renaissance and thought we had already paid for the all inclusive plan. She did say that if we wanted to order something on the menu at LG Smith not on our limited plan we would just need to pay the difference of the cost. Already frustrated by this, the woman told us only one of our rooms was available, but the other should be ready within the hour but no later than 4pm. The second room was not ready until 5pm which is well after check in time. Once we checked into our room we discovered the TV was not working for the entire hotel (however it was working for the hotel on the ocean side) and did not work for the next 3 days.

That night we ate at Aquarius restaurant which was a buffet with a lot of options however the food was very poor. The tenderloin was raw and not edible and the other options were just not good. The service was also very slow even though there was only about 4 other parties in the restaurant. The following night we went to LG Smith Steakhouse with is their top restaurant and claimed to be one of the best steakhouses on the island. We were seated with our limited menu. All the meals were pretty good, except my husbands steak was well over cooked from what he asked for. The service however was pretty pathetic. For 4 people to eat it took over 2 1/2 hours. Our waiter never checked on us, never offered us coffee (which we witnessed our entire stay) and was not friendly whatsoever.

On Monday afternoon I decided to call to talk about some of the issues we encountered. I ended up speaking with Selmar DeRue who was the manager of I believe customer service. I expressed my concerns with our stay so far (the tv not working, not having the true all inclusive plan, the elevator not working, poor customer service, our room not ready). Selmar asked what I'd like to make up for this and told him all 4 of us would like to be upgraded to the all inclusive plan. He immediately said no that's not possible. I asked about a credit to the casino and he said no. I asked for a credit to the spa and said he could offer 15% off any service. Not realizing that a basic massage was $115 for 50 minutes I accepted that.

The next day on their private island they ran out of beach towels and oars for there kayaks. The employees at the activities hut were less than personable. The electric doors on our floor also broke and there were constantly workers in the hallways working on things. That night we again went to LG Smith. Our sever was the best we encountered the entire week and the food was good.

On Wednesday morning a few more issues arose and I decided to give Selmar a call again. I was told he'd be in at 3pm. I decided to go to the private island and leave around 2:30 to catch Selmar when he came in. After leaving the island and calling Selmar at 3:10pm I was told he wasn't coming in until after 4pm. I called him back later that night to once again express more frustrations. I explained that the 4 of us were extremely dissatisfied and after paying over $7000 to come here this was not the experience we had expected. He asked what I wanted and said since we only have 2 more days left after that night we wanted to be upgraded. It would be less than $100 total per guest. He first said no but put me on hold and then said the only thing he could do was give the upgrades to my husband and I but not our two friends who had experienced the same frustrations and issues. He said there was nothing else he was going to do. I said do you want me to come up with a list of everything that's gone wrong and he said, "Ya I do actually." Extremely condescending and rude. At that point I hung up and my friend called Selmar with her frustrations and confusion as t why here and her husband would not be allowed the same concession. She did have a list ready to read to Selmar with all the issues and as she read it he started speaking over her loudly saying He would not do anything else. They hung up. My husband then called Selmar to thank him for our upgrades and to express his concern about our friends and that since it's such a small amount ($140 total at this point) that it would really go a long way to make this experience better for us. Selmar said it would be a poor business decision and it would allow the Marriott Corporation to hit their profit margins. What a POOR EXCUSE. My husband than asked Selmar if he would at least take some time to consider upgrading our friends and to calls us back with an answer. Selmar did call back an hour later and I answered the phone and said extremely rudely that he had thought about it and the answer was NO. I asked Selmar how a Billion Dollar corporation like the Marriott could not be willing to pay $70 for each of these guests and he said "If you don't think $70 is a lot of money why don't you pay it yourself." He also said "I called the Riu to move you guys there but they're still over booked." I have never been treated so POORLY in my life in a hotel or any other service establishment for that matter. After those comments we were completely disgusted. Totally UNACCEPTABLE. Our vacation was on the brink of being ruined before that but after that, we were ready to pack up and go home and disgusted we just wasted $7000 on such a poorly run establishment.

That evening we had gone to LG Smith where we had another poor experience with the wait staff. My husband and I used our all inclusive plan and our friends also ordered off the menu realized they'd have to pay the difference. We were told that on the limited plan a dessert was $7 and on the regular menu if you ordered a dessert that was $8 it would be a $1 difference. NOT THE CASE. We were never told there was a $70 limit per couple and anything over that amount you paid the difference. After realizing this we asked to see the manager of the restaurant where he told us we were wrong even though his staff explained this to us and he also mentioned that the restaurant received an email from a general manager (Selmar) saying we might try to go there and pull a fast one on them. How embarrassing and belittling that we were now being black bald in their restaurant having their staff be on the look out for our party. Not something you expect from any restaurant/hotel, but especially not from a supposed 4 star hotel and "TOP STEAK HOUSE" in Aruba.

The final main frustration came on Thursday and Friday morning beginning at 5am where the staff decided to clean the boat tunnel for 2 hours waking guests up from a dead sleep with this extremely loud noise. Because our rooms were on the inside, and the lobby/boat was below us, the noise was unbearable to sleep through for those 2 hours. Poor judgement on the hotels part to do a project like that at 5am when guests are trying to sleep!!

Needless to say this was the worst vacation experience we have ever had and will never return to this hotel again.

This was by far the worst vacation I have ever had. The concierge at the Ocean Suites are extremely rude and unhelpful. The hotel isnt located on a beach and that puddle you see in pictures is disgusting so we had to take a taxi to a different beach every day because commuting to the private island after 2 days was annoying. The food is disgusting in itself. When you have to check out, they agree to give you a hospitality room for 30 minutes before your flight so you can freshen up but the concierge told us they dont have any rooms available and did absolutely nothing to accommodate the inconvenience. Worst of it all, I left a book in the room after checking out and realized i left it there once i got home. i called the resort back to lost and found and they just kept transferring me back and forth or hanging up. When i finally did reach someone, they said they threw everything out. Whats the point of having a lost and found if you throw everything out anyways? Horrible! I'm usually the most optimistic person in my group and to disappoint me takes a lot and i was beyond disappointed from this trip.