Barcelo Aruba

Great service and felt very welcome. Took care of us the entire week. Looking forward to coming back [Details]

We stayed here for my birthday. The hotel is very nice with an outstanding beach. The water is bathtub warm with talcum white sand. You can walk for several kilometers up and down the beach at any time of day or night.

Aruba is safe, clean and the water can be consumed right out of the tap. The food at the buffet is just average, but the restaurants and royal club offer outstanding food. I would recommend the royal club if you are considering this hotel.

The drinks are wonderful from all the bars. They have a great selection. The disco is inside the lobby meaning that noise in guest suites is not a problem.

The view from the higher floors is very pretty. The pool is nice as is the hot tub. The pool is good for the hottest part of the day (noon to three) but the beach is amazing all other times of the day. There are hardly any waves which makes swimming and floating super fun and relaxing. The hotel will lend you a free floating bed for the ocean.

There are a range of tour operators on the beach and at the hotel, so it is easy to book excursions if you wish to. There are lots of shops and restaurants with nightlife just across from the hotel.

The hotel entertainment staff was enthusiastic and sweet. The staff service was generally good. Most of the staff were excellent, and some were outstanding, but there were a few who did not seem to be enjoying the 'one happy island' experience.

The wifi here is terrible. If you need to check e-mail you will need to go to the lobby, even if you pay for the service, because it simply will not connect from the rooms.

It is a beautiful hotel and we had a great experience. We would not hesitate to stay here again when travelling to Aruba. [Details]

Wonderful time, friendly people, staff accomadating,excellent food very clean [Details]

Great service. Upgrade to Royal Club, well worth it. Clean resort never a problem, always go above and beyond for service. Definetly will return. [Details]

Overall experience was not as expected for the price and the rating. The rooms are old and need updating, especially the bathrooms and the food was average. Nice vacation, but nothing special. [Details]

Right from arrival we felt that we were in a 2.5 star hotel. The lobby is dull, not welcoming and the overall feel is very dated. The only impressive factor for this hotel, is the beach and the ocean. If you are considering staying here, it will be fine, you will get an ok room, ok food and ok staff. Price would have to be a bargain for us to return. [Details]

Love Aruba, and have a time share down the beach at the Ocean Club. There wasn't anything available on short notice when I wanted to travel, so I looked for a deal on an all-inclusive resort in the same location, Palm Beach, Aruba. At first, I was Marriot spoiled, and felt disappointed. But as the days went by the little details that "little counter space" in the bathroom, became superficial. The grounds are gorgeous, I can remember the names of about 15 staff members, they were so nice, everything was very clean, the beach was so perfect, immaculate and there was so much entertainment, activities, and services available. So many conveniences that in 2 weeks, we never left the resort property, we had a great time. Even with the time share, I am thinking of going back to the Occidental next year and taking my parents and fiance, cause this was a girls vacation, and I had such a relaxing and wonderful time there, that I want to share that with my family. [Details]

great hotel, nice rooms, great food and amazing beach. Definately would return and recommend to everyone. [Details]

Unbelievably amazing!! This hotel is perfect!! [Details]

Disappointed in that we were three couple travelling together - in February at the time of booking we requested 3 rooms on the same floor facing the pool. We called the hotel direct to ask about their upgraded floors, decided against it, but again requested 3 rooms on the same floor facing the pool. When we arrived we got 2 rooms om the same floor but only one facing the pool and the 3rd on another floor. Why do they take requests? [Details]

Had a pleasurable stay at Occidental Grand. Royal Club made things (check-in, reservations, check-out, etc..) much more enjoyable. Food at the restaurants on site were great, Edgar at L'Olio was amazing, didn't want to leave because of him. Zen was also a great time but please, watch the chefs cook, they're more entertaining than simply sitting at a table. Food at the buffet was what you'd expect at any buffet, no complaints, you'll probably always find something to eat. Watch out for the paella by the pool/beach, it is a must have! Royal Club for breakfast/lunch/dinner is worth mentioning as well. Royal Club has a bit better alcohol selection, so keep that in mind. Pool was clean and well kept. Beach had bottles and cups in the sand in the morning from lazy hotel guests. Beach palapas were obtained by waking up relatively early (I saw some open at 9am) and I never had a problem securing one. Desire lounge in the evening was pretty weak, playing music from the 50s, 60s, and 70s? Seriously? The 'nightclub' is lackluster at best for entertainment. They had their rendition of Grease in The Ballroom one evening which was interesting and well performed. Nightlife is almost non-existant on the resort, unless you're 35 or have kids. You'll want to travel off the resort for a younger crowd and more of a social scene if you're in your twenties. The beach party is enjoyable as well, so don't miss that.
Overall great experience. Aruba is a great place to vacation. If I were to come back, I'd probably not shoot for all inclusive because travelling off the resort will yield you better food and more of a vacation experience.
Oh ya, and the elevators suck. [Details]

i am a frequent vistor to aruba (10th) time and have stayed at different hotels. this hotel is far the best for service and making reservations, water sports guys were great [Details]

Great staff. The upgrade to Royal Club is worth it. Fanny is amazing! Clean hotel, lots of beach chairs. Staff very helpful.Lots of variety of food.Would return again, our third time in Aruba, first time here, definetly go back to this hotel. [Details]

Hotel was quite nice, a little old but still in good shape with some upgrades. [Details]

great beach, understaffed hotel, food okay-not able to get to the restaurants without reservation, BAD WIFI..,
Would go back to Aruba, but would try another hotel [Details]

The hotel was very nice and service was excellet. We have upgraded to Royal Club and it was certanly worth it. We were able to have our breakfast and lunch at the Royal Club restaurant which was great. The a la carte restaurants were very nice, especially the Italian restaurant. It was definitely great value for what we spent. [Details]

Excellent time- only negatives - you have to go early after 8 a.m and put your beach towel to get the shade at the beach- food got real good after restaurant manager was told of changes to implement.Watch out for Iguanas.Tipping a US dollar also gives you an edge with all.I paid for all inclusive but had no problem tipping.I recommend it.As soon as the person who will serve you once you are taken to the table just give a dollar and see the service-although they will still give you great service even if not tipped. [Details]

A great hotel on a lovely beach and close to shopping. It was great knowing we were at a very safe destination. [Details]

Older hotel , great setting , beautiful beach and pool area , great a la carte restaurants , rooms tired and needing updating with new bedding and pillows , buffet retaurant food good but ambience needing some freshining up. [Details]

The management is very unorganised, they overbooked the hotel by 170 rooms and people did not have rooms till 3am while others were shipped to other hotels including the Raddison where the guests had no water at all. There was no food or drinks on the first day of arrival for the flight from Toronto with the exception of half a sandwich and 2 fruits per person left in the room. The Sunquest rep was not there at the hotel nor any other frontdesk manager with the exception of 2 people to check in all the people. [Details]

Upon check in...late on a Friday night...15 couples/families were told somebody must have made a mistake as they had no rooms available for us. After many worries, no explanations, by 4:00 a.m, after sitting in the lobby, we are all given a room for one night, albeit some were at a different hotel. Management explained the next day that this never happens, but during the week, we watched more of this unfold and heard about more nightmares from other guests. This is a big time share resort, so some have been going there for over 20 - 30 years. They did explain that this is a constant problem as the hotel tends to book at 130% occupancy. Other than the management, the staff/crew themselves are wonderful and helpful. Even problems with a la cartes...making reservations doesn't necessarily mean they will have it at the restaurant when you arrive. I feel this could be a beautiful resort, nice beaches, clean beautiful pool, nicely kept grounds, great location but really needs some management. We heard complaints from other guests that they were having a hard time getting towels in their bathrooms, getting their rooms cleaned, getting toilet paper, but I guess we were lucky there..as we never experienced a problem..but did tip every day. The fridge in our room was only stocked once or twice during the week with water and two cans of pop. Fridges didn't really work so would have really liked a cold water some days in our room. All bars close by 2 a.m; and it is a very quiet resort. We went to the disco twice just to check it out..loud music but very few people...I'm talking approx. 12 guests. The entertainment group were great but not a lot of activities...bingo every day(which you had to pay for), volleyball, pool exercises..but they do do a great beach party on Thursday nights. The buffet closes down and moves everything to the beach. [Details]

We were returning guests to this property, having enjoyed it the year before, inspite of the daily attempt to hard sell us a timeshare spot. This visit we noticed some unhappy changes to the property and the service; there was no working bath or hot water in our shower for the first four days, even though we requested service each day, the room floor was constantly wet from condensation from the A/C unit in the room below ours, which meant it was dangerously slippery, there were empty picture hooks on the wall where mirrors had once been, the fixtures in the room were not all working, not enough chairs at the tables in the restaurants, meant empty tables, so you had to wait a while for someone to finish eating in order to sit, small maintenance issues that showed they are cutting corners to save costs. Frequently there were no answers to phone calls to the desk, the concierge, maintenance, so staff levels are also lower. But on the good side, food quality is excellent, lots of beach towels, and very nice service from all the staff when you did find them. The specialty restaurants are much better than the large buffet, but it is more the presentation than the difference in the food. The food is uniformly good quality, but not well presented. This is a beautiful resort, in a perfect location, with a gorgeous beach, but does not deserve the 4.5 stars it has been allowed. Tip the beach boys generously if you want a chance to have a spot on the beach with a palapa or some shade, (this is the worst kept 'secret' of the place.) [Details]

We were very satisfied with the hotel and its services. [Details]

the hotel is old not a 4 star hotel at all, the rooms are old-the lobby is not welcoming at all
the food is ok-
the beach is great [Details]

We first went to this resort in Nov. 2008, and had a great experience. We decided to return again May 2010. The rooms were as good, but we found that the fresh fruit variety on the buffet at breakfast to be more limited this time (recession?). We also found that a tip at breakfast ($1) to our waiter for bringing hot milk with our coffee, and a daily ($2) tip to the maid ensured better service (more timely receipt of towels). The beach is amazing and the ocean fantastic for swimming - usually calm and warm. [Details]

No major complaints. The hotel is nice, nothing fancy. The food is really good, the beach is great for walking and swimming. The "strip" is great for walking, shopping, etc. If you are expecting 5 star, it is not quite there, however, we had no major complaints. Our room was a little "tired" and not the best location, however we are hardly in the room so not a big issue. The bathroom was modern and spacious.
The a la cartes were very good, and the service was also good all over. The staff is really friendly. We only walked through the casino, but it seemed fairly busy at night. Would return here, no problem! [Details]

Musty not luxury bed, small room, good royal club service, so-so food but some choices. Look too old for the paid price [Details]

Not very friendly. Told me I would get a room overlooking the garden/ocean but got a room overlooking the parking lot. Not a big deal and wasn't going to make a fuss about it since I waited two hours for my room. Towels, bath,hand, face and the matt, very scarce. Had to call for towels or didn't bother because I would bring fresh beach towels in everyday to use. Asked for a simple thing for their Aruba papaya sauce...they didn't have any. At any other hotel they would have it readily available. One day, under one of the beach huts there were bottles and cups and not one person from the resort came to clean it. It was one of the vendors on the beach that cleaned it up. Snacks only at night from 11pm - 1pm. Outside the buffet restaurant with very little light. They had a hot item and then the sandwiches and pastries were not covered - they were left out in the open. I will make sure I go back to the Riu when I return to Aruba or even the Holiday Inn, yes, the Holiday Inn was much more friendly than the Occidental. The staff at the restaurant - it felt like we were bothering them when we asked for water. Just small stuff that you expect wouldn't be a problem. Anyways, its over. The weather was beautiful, the water was great and the casinos were not good to me but overall it was ok stay at the Occidental. [Details]

Great place, nice beaches, friendly staff, clean and overall a very nice island
The buffet could use some variation and decoration, the staff is very friendly and helpful with efficient service, the specialty restaurants are great and enjoyable.
Time share sales people are aggressive right at the arrival and check in, claiming to give you a hotel orientation when in fact all they are interested is setting you up for a sales presentation, which is not the first thing I wan't to do when arriving. [Details]

This hotel did not meet expectations at ALL.
From the first moment you walk in to the entire stay. This was our honeymoon -- we were first given a horrendous room --- and being told by the front desk staff that nothing was available --- after complaining to the manager we were given a better room. Not any better -- the bed was horrible -- when my husband and i lay on it we both rolled to the middle because it was so soft --- complained again and again about it until finally a pillow top was added to it which made it marginally better. Always had to call for towels in the room.

***one thing to note -- this hotel has a timeshare ---- so they have an abundant amount of staff whose main goal is to try and sell Hotel guests a time share --- which after about day 3 bevomes very annoying! And ironic -- when you need something -- there is no staff to help you. My suggestion to the hotel would be to redirect their efforts to the paying guests and service them properly and then maybe someone might condier purchasing a timeshare there.

Food --- restaurants were average -- but they make it sound like its impossible to get a table. And when you go to the restaurant -- and ask for a different table -- the table is alwasy not available -- even if it sits empty the entire time you are there. The only restaurant worth going back to is the Japanese .. dont bother with the others. Buffets are boring and lack variety for all three meals. We regretted doing an all inclusive at this property as we ended up eating dinner out 10 nights we were there as we couldnt take the food three times a day there. My suggestion would be to skip this as an all inclusive -- spend the money on a nice hotel like the Hyatt or the Westin or the Marriott and go out for your dinners.

The only good thing is the location of this resort -- right in the middle of everything which is nice beacuse you can walk everywhere. [Details]