Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusive

The beach is the one thing this resort has going for it: white sand and clear water. The location is good, but I don’t think the all-inclusive stay is worth the hundreds of dollars a day. There are good restaurants and nightlife downtown, and it’s easy and inexpensive to get there, so I’d be better off at another resort without the all-inclusive plan. Service was poor throughout. At check-in, the front desk wasn’t welcoming, and the doorman didn’t seem to care about our bags. We were handed wristbands and left to manage on our own. Staff at the lobby bar were rude, restaurant choices were limited to a 5 PM dinner, and service at the bars, restaurants, and front desk was below par. When I lost something, the front desk didn’t seem to care. In general, staff acted as if serving us was a favor. I’ve stayed at all-inclusive resorts around the Caribbean and Mexico, and this was probably the worst service experience I’ve had. The room was mediocre, with basic furniture, no real amenities, uncomfortable pillows, poor toiletries, smelly towels, and an empty fridge. You get water bottles that you have to go around and refill. They only provide three towels for the whole stay, and exchanging them is difficult. There are also many bars and restaurants that cost extra and aren’t included. Good luck getting a golf cart when you need one.

Aruba is absolutely beautiful, and Tamarijn and Divi were amazing. The staff were super friendly, the amenities were great, and I was especially impressed by the gym. Chef Frank at Red Parrot helped confirm what was halal and what he wasn’t sure about, and Kelvin helped make some special memories too. Best vacation I’ve had yet. Hopefully I’ll be back soon!

We stayed here through a Jet Blue vacation package for our 20th anniversary, and loved the property. Our first-floor room had a sliding glass door opening onto a patio just about 10 feet from the beach. The room was nice, the views were amazing, and both the staff and food were wonderful. The food was also convenient, and getting to the Divi resorts and restaurants by shuttle was easy. We never waited more than five minutes for one.

We booked directly through Tamarijn Aruba for a group of 13 in seven rooms, and the room arrangements were a big part of planning our trip with small children. We confirmed them twice beforehand: two rooms were supposed to connect so the kids could nap together, and we had booked and confirmed a king bed to fit our pack and play. On arrival, several rooms were wrong. Some of our group were placed in another building, and our room had two queens instead of the king we’d reserved. We showed the front desk our booking details. They weren’t openly rude, but seemed unconcerned and didn’t make a meaningful effort to fix anything. Other guests told us they’d had the same problem and received the same indifferent response. The property may be in a beautiful spot, but when you’re traveling with family and little kids, having rooms together and the right bed matters a lot. These weren’t small details for us. The whole situation was very frustrating and not what we expected.