Turibana Plaza

We found this through Airbnb even though it's ranked 2 starts. The rooms have been renovated nicely, and the team was great. There's a quiet pool at the back. I'd suggest having a car or relying on taxis, as the buses don't really run there and it's not the most walkable location for every beach. We made one beach walk from where we were, but it took 1.5-2 hours.

Check-in was easy, the area felt very safe, and there are plenty of good locations nearby. We had a spacious deluxe room with a useful kitchen area and supplied utensils and cookware. The main problem was the smells. There was a bathroom odor throughout the day that seemed like it might be from the septic tank, perhaps coming through the toilet. The air conditioner had a strong mold smell when switched off, so we left it running the whole trip even when the room got too cold. We also noticed the smell when we set it to a warmer temperature. The dogs at the home next to the hotel were another issue. They were brought outside at 6am each morning and barked until about 11 am, so I got little sleep after 6am. Sometimes they were let out at 2 a.m. and barked just as much. By the time we left it had become very aggravating and affected our stay. Overall, it was decent.

Ana made check-in quick and easy, showed us to the room, and stayed to share recommendations. We ended up having a friendly conversation, and she made sure we had what we needed for a pleasant stay. The rooms are large, the beds comfortable, and the bathrooms have hot water, which not every Aruba hotel has. There's also a storage closet with snorkeling gear, coolers, and chairs to borrow for the beach. Excellent place to stay, highly recommended.

We swam every day and really liked the pool area, which has grills too, though we didn't use them. Our room was spacious and clean, with a mini kitchen, microwave, stovetop, larger fridge, and toaster oven. It's a pleasant, quaint smaller place. The free WiFi had trouble a couple of times, but maintenance took care of it. Staff were helpful. One thing to know about arrival: go before check-in time if you can. You get an outside door code, which worked fine, then access to your room with the keys inside. Our room was locked, though, so we had to go downstairs to find someone. They close at 5, and there's virtually no way to reach anyone after that. It wouldn't have been a problem if the room had been open.