Divi Aruba All Inclusive, Oranjestad, Aruba

disappointed

 by  anonymous  on  2008-07-12

to start out with the positives, the beach is pretty and not crowded at all. the rooms have nice views and you can catch the sunset at night from the beach. the pizza bar is great (food and staff). as for the disappointing points, the bars were understaffed and you felt that you were an inconvience to the bartenders. for the water sports, the divi and the tamarijn share the equipment and it is very limited. there were only two windsurf boards available for both resorts to use. one day there were only 3 kayaks out and we saw more in the shed. when we asked to use them, the staff said it was alot of work for them to take them out!!!! i hope you like to plan ahead cause the resturants require reservations and they fill up quickly. we were told hertz took them, found out they dont, finally we got to use the cards at the sunset beach bistro after arguing w/ hte manager for 1/2 and hour, ruined the evening. there should have been more money left on the card, tried to used the rest at the gift shop, per the staff in the shop, there wasnt. they say the presentation is an hour, wrong, it was 2 1/2. i just want to let others know so they dont have to experience the same aggrevation that we did. and like all other reviews said, the air conditioner is very loud and the bathrooms can use an update.

disappointed

 by  anonymous  on  2008-04-15

There really is NOTHING to complain about when speaking of this resort. Although it is NOT a HIGH END resort we got everything that we expected for the price we paid. 9 out of 10 employees were fantastic so we didn't mind the 1 of 10 that were clearly not happy with their jobs! The beach was AMAZING, as was the water! The beds could be upgraded perhaps and it wouldn't hurt them to install central air (which probably not possible at this point) or maybe update their room air conditioners. They work fine but are unbelieveably noisy! Our friends chose the Tamarijn, THEY MADE THE WRONG CHOICE! The beach at the Tam is bad! Very small, lotts of rocks and tons of sea weed!!!! Though they had 2 more fine dining restaurants than we did getting from our resort to theirs for dinner was a snap. We ate at the Paparazzi one nite.....nothing special, didn't feel the need to go back to try the asian restaurant. The res parrot )at the Divi) was very nice. Buffets were different nightly and at lunch but the same for breakfast daily. It was nice the food was higher quality than I have experienced at the Occidental, Aruba and in St Lucia at Sandals. Drinks were great, bartenders friendly and always happy to accomodate! And remembertipping is appreciated but not required! We tipped 1 here and there and at the end of our stay gave the individuals who provided us with the best service 5 a person. Skip the cabs and use the bus when you can. The cab fees are set by the gov't but the cabbies know there is no way to track how much they are charging as they have no meters. Bus is cheaper!

1 week at the Divi All Inclusive

 by  anonymous  on  2008-03-25

Very disappointed with the hotel. We stayed in beach-front room which was really old and unpleasant.Yes, it was only steps away from the white-sand beach. However, we felt we've arrived at some cheap motel room with non-existent furniture. The bathroom was tiny and very old, the kind where you really don't want to touch anything. The A/C unit was really old and VERY VERY LOUD. A sign on the slider door said that we must lock up for the night. The problem was that there is no window in the room, so you have no choice but to sleep with the super loud air-conditioner running all night long. It is my personal opinion that this hotel's three-star rating should re-evaluated.

disappointed

 by  anonymous  on  2008-03-23

This was our second visit to Aruba. The first time my husband and I stayed at the Tamarijn, the Divi's sister property, which is located right next door. The Tam is more kid-friendly. The Divi is a little quieter and we'll stay there again when we go back. After booking a gardenview room we contacted the Divi and requested to stay gardenview second floor in the Veranda building. It's located in a more private setting on the property and has its own pool. We were very surprised when they not only honored our request, but also sent to our room a bottle of wine and two glasses for our anniversary. I had mentioned when requesting the room that we were celebrating our 25th anniversary early and the staff must have remembered. The room was classified as gardenview, but it was actually oceanview. While the Divi has undergone alot of renovations and upgrades that have enhanced the property, we did have an ant problem in our room. Other than that, it was beautiful and the maid service was good. The Divi offers a wide variety of food at various venues. The buffet does not require reservations and the food there is average. If you want to eat at any of the restaurants on the property, you have to make reservations. I suggest doing that at check-in. The staff is really friendly at the Divi, but don't expect to be waited on hand and foot. If you want a drink at the crowded bars, you just need to shout it out and someone will make it for you. Remember, you are sharing the resort with hundreds of other vacationers so be patient. The Divi is located about 20 minutes from the airport, 10 minutes from downtown. Taxis are about 20.

1 week at the Divi All Inclusive

 by  anonymous  on  2008-01-02

This was our second time vacationing at the Divi. It was even more wonderful than we remembered. The staff was very helpful and friendly. The food was great. The pools were sparkling clean. The ocean is right at your doorstep. The rooms are out dated but it doesn't matter when you step out of your sliding glass door and see the beautiful view of the sea. I highly recommend this resort. I will be returning!

Divi Worth the

 by  anonymous  on  2007-09-23

Our stay at the Divi was absolutely wonderful. This was our second trip there. This time they had renovated a couple of the restaurants and even added a new one, Ginger. The 2 resorts (Divi and Tamarijn) have activities planned for every night and throughout most of the day. Those activities are a good time consumer. Most of the staff were nice. However, service at the Coco grill was horrible. The cooks never asked if we wanted food and often times we had to sit for 10 minutes before we were offered a drink. Most of the staff seems to like talking on their cell phones more than working. I also felt that our room could use some renovating. There was a water stain dripping down the wall under our overly loud AC and our thermostat was functionless. The room just felt like it was about time for some new stuff. Overall, though the new features of the Divi were welcomed. And the abundance of the all inclusive features were nice including the free wind sailing lessons. I would stay here again.