Aruba - Occidental Grand Aruba

The hotel itself was really nice and the food was great but the room was awful! It had mold on headboard of bed and the whole room smelled of mold! .. More>

The hotel itself was really nice and the food was great but the room was awful! It had mold on headboard of bed and the whole room smelled of mold!

We had wonderful time, the food was great and staff was good. Only thing this hotel was lacking was a night life, or centralized place for guests to hang out. Although there was a show every evening, it was not that great. There were plenty of bars open however there was never any one in them. I un .. More>

We had wonderful time, the food was great and staff was good. Only thing this hotel was lacking was a night life, or centralized place for guests to hang out. Although there was a show every evening, it was not that great. There were plenty of bars open however there was never any one in them. I understand that because aruba is a safe island many people want to go club around the island, however when I have already paid for my drinks and the club is not my scene,there was a lack of things to do after dinner. They do have a lobby bar, however with only four barstools, a lack of airconditioning most evengs, and poor entertainment here as well. Perhaps they should look into having a centralized bar/gathering place that people would want to hang out at.

Room was completely misrepresented. Room was tiny and the only view was to the pool. I did upgrade for $600 and got an ocean front room. Lost of smoke and mirrors with their advertising. The royal club upgrade saved our trip and the severs in the restaurants are completely rude. .. More>

Room was completely misrepresented. Room was tiny and the only view was to the pool. I did upgrade for $600 and got an ocean front room. Lost of smoke and mirrors with their advertising. The royal club upgrade saved our trip and the severs in the restaurants are completely rude.

Everything went well after some confusion , I requested a room with 2 double beds when arrived was told only had Rm with 1 King I became upset they said a roller bed could be put in Rm not good at all, but apple rep understood my very much disappointment as I always use apple vacations she found u .. More>

Everything went well after some confusion , I requested a room with 2 double beds when arrived was told only had Rm with 1 King I became upset they said a roller bed could be put in Rm not good at all, but apple rep understood my very much disappointment as I always use apple vacations she found us a great Rm with 2 doubles I thank her for that would have been terrible otherwise apple reps were very helpful only problem with hotel never had hot water in showere

Just wanted more pillows .. More>

Just wanted more pillows

Overall a great place. It tends to be very noisy in hallways and next door visitors. Loved all the shows and food selection and experience. It is truly a destination we would like to visit again soon! .. More>

Overall a great place. It tends to be very noisy in hallways and next door visitors. Loved all the shows and food selection and experience. It is truly a destination we would like to visit again soon!

Overall our stay was a very good one. The beaches we beautiful and the pool was as described. The staff was good overall. The food staff was not always around when needed but otherwise it was good. My only major complaint was scheduling reservationS at the restaurants. We were instructed to call fo .. More>

Overall our stay was a very good one. The beaches we beautiful and the pool was as described. The staff was good overall. The food staff was not always around when needed but otherwise it was good. My only major complaint was scheduling reservationS at the restaurants. We were instructed to call for a reservation the night before each meal and we did so. Then when we got to each restaurant our names were never on the list. That was frustrating but the food always made up for it.

I paid for an upgrade to an ocean view room, but was unaware that every evening they would play incredibly loud music at the pool that would keep me awake. The entertainment was low quality to the point of being laughable (a lip-syncing performance of the entire movie Greece was the low-point). T .. More>

I paid for an upgrade to an ocean view room, but was unaware that every evening they would play incredibly loud music at the pool that would keep me awake. The entertainment was low quality to the point of being laughable (a lip-syncing performance of the entire movie Greece was the low-point). The bars were overcrowded and there was only 1 on the beach, 1 at the pool, and 1 in the lobby. The food was good but the cost and quality of the food outside the resort was far superior to our all-inclusive package. The servers were generally pleasant, but the overcrowded buffets would often cause you to wait upwards of 20 minutes just to get your drink orders. Every day the pool would host a bingo game where the numbers are announced for over an hour through a loudspeaker which you could hear clearly from the beach. This would break up the relaxing nature and tranquility of the ocean to the point where my wife and I would actually leave until the game ended. With only a handful of people playing, I don't know why they needed a PA system to announce every bingo ball to the entire resort. Lastly, the quantity of smokers at the resort was shocking and by the time we left I felt like I was stepping in cigarette butts with every step in the sand. I wish they raked and cleaned the sand every night like they did when I stayed in Punta Cana and Cabo. However, after weeding out all the negative aspects, my wife and I still had an incredible time on our honeymoon. We loved how clean our room was every day and the stocked mini bar. They would clean our room 2 - 3 times every day which was unbelievable. Our room had a safe which made us feel better about leaving our passports behind when we went out to the beach. The Italian and Chinese restaurants were very good and we really enjoyed drinking on the beach every day. The ocean water was crystal blue and swimming in it every day was a real treat. The pool is gorgeous and big enough to accommodate the population of the resort. i never felt overcrowded on the beach or at the pool which is possibly the most important thing about a vacation in my mind. Overall, this resort was very nice and worth the money. But I can't say that I would go back only because I enjoy a quite and relaxing retreat and this resort was really a destination for the partying group.

The resort was AMAZING and the island felt very safe and was great! The only thing that went wrong was that our name was not on the shuttle pick up list from the airport which made us worry that other things were going to be wrong with the vacation. The only other thing that was unexpected was that .. More>

The resort was AMAZING and the island felt very safe and was great! The only thing that went wrong was that our name was not on the shuttle pick up list from the airport which made us worry that other things were going to be wrong with the vacation. The only other thing that was unexpected was that there was a dress code for men at most of the restaurants. This should have been on the website somewhere, who just brings pants and a long sleeved shirt to a tropical location that is supposed to be 93 degrees everyday? Other than that the hotel was absolutely amazing and we are trying to go back for our one year anniversary =)

The hotel was nice, but not a 6 red apple. The housekeeping was good, but they on some days, did not clean the room until after 5 pm. Which made it a little difficult to get ready for a 6 PM dinner reservation. The beach was nice, but very difficult to get a lounge. Chairs would be reserved with t .. More>

The hotel was nice, but not a 6 red apple. The housekeeping was good, but they on some days, did not clean the room until after 5 pm. Which made it a little difficult to get ready for a 6 PM dinner reservation. The beach was nice, but very difficult to get a lounge. Chairs would be reserved with towels by 8AM. There were sections of the beach in front of the hotel that "rented" chairs for $5 a piece for the day. We ended up getting frustrated and just used "reserved" chairs. we also had trouble getting beach towels. On 3 different occasions, we went to get towels and they had none. And the staff in the towel hut actually laughed about it. We notified our associate at the hotel and they tried to make up for the inconvenience by upgrading a dinner by having us eat at the Royal Club. It was nice. The attractions near the hotel and the entire island was wonderful. We rented a jeep for the whole day and had a blast exploring the island. I would highly recommend this to anyone going to Aruba.

The hotel was good. Needs some updating and repair work. Overall a good experience. Buffet for dinner could use a little more variety. .. More>

The hotel was good. Needs some updating and repair work. Overall a good experience. Buffet for dinner could use a little more variety.

We enjoyed OG Aruba tremendously. The all-inclusive plan was very convenient. Pool and swim-up bar were awesome. Beach AH-Mazing! The location cannot be beat. Located smack dab in the middle of... More>

We enjoyed OG Aruba tremendously. The all-inclusive plan was very convenient. Pool and swim-up bar were awesome. Beach AH-Mazing! The location cannot be beat. Located smack dab in the middle of the "High Rise" area of Eagle Beach and with a Casino and theater on site as well as multiple restaurants, you can't go wrong with the OC Aruba.

Went to Occidental Grand Arube for 14 days. We had the best time of our life. We spent our anniversay night in the Royal Club--they couldn't do enough for us.Had bottle of champane in bucket by our... More>

Went to Occidental Grand Arube for 14 days. We had the best time of our life. We spent our anniversay night in the Royal Club--they couldn't do enough for us.Had bottle of champane in bucket by our table and were treated like royality. The general manager Jesus' Cardoso is the most caring and warm person any hotel could have,He really cares for his quests.He's a wonderful person a great asset to the hotel. There are also two people who excel at their jobs Resty the food and beverage managerYou see him working Day and night checking in on every restaurant to make sure everything is running properly and he greets the quests and asks how everything is. The other person is Quinta she's at the beach and pool bar--a great great person. When you go up to the bar and she knows you your drink is there in a second.She loves all the people and is very very friendly--she works very hard. This is the reason we have been coming to the occidental Grand Aruba for many many yrears it's the people who work there who make our trip outstanding! We would never go anywhere else--this is the best place. Thank-You my Aruba family at the Occidental for so wonderful to us all these years. We love you guys Carmella and John DeRosa

Service and location make the Occidental a brilliant place to stay on Aruba. From the moment we checked in, Veronica and all the girls at our Royal Club check in were exceptional with everything we... More>

Service and location make the Occidental a brilliant place to stay on Aruba. From the moment we checked in, Veronica and all the girls at our Royal Club check in were exceptional with everything we needed. Fanny and Avery were outstanding for every meal we had at the Royal Club restaurant and made the holiday so peaceful. The location is brilliant and the beach excellent. The restaurants were all nice and what you would expect from an all inclusive. The beach bar was great and the only real knock was the limited beer selection, but with the royal club you could always get premium beers up in the Royal Club, just not at the beach or pool bar.

My husband and I stayed at the occidental for our honeymoon. We chose this place because it was an all-inclusive and they had the option to upgrade to the royal club package which seemed like a good... More>

My husband and I stayed at the occidental for our honeymoon. We chose this place because it was an all-inclusive and they had the option to upgrade to the royal club package which seemed like a good value. To be honest, upon arrival we were a little underwhelmed. The place seemed a bit cramped and a tad outdated (in the royal club lounge particularly) and our room for an upgraded package was small and nothing special. HOWEVER, we quickly realized that this hotel really did have a lot to offer. Although our room wasn't huge, it had a small balcony which looked over the beautiful pool and it was very clean. The bathroom was also very nice and updated. The service was excellent and the staff were very friendly and professional. Emily, our concierge on the 9th floor of the royal club was super friendly and took care of making all our meal plans (they have a number of restaurants at the occidental which are all good, the Japanese one being our favorite). She was very helpful and wanted us to have a good time. The food was great and although the buffet had its better days, overall there was always something for everybody. The hotel itself was actually quite big on the inside with a casino, a big auditorium for their shows (of which we went to one and it was quite good), shops, a bar in an open area, a computer lounge, and more. The pool area was again not huge but was in our opinion the nicest out of the pool decks we saw at the other hotels in our stretch. It had a swim up bar, 3 hot tubs, waterfalls, and beds with canopies to lounge in. The beach area was also in our opinion the nicest, but since all the high rises are on the same beach there honestly isn't too much of a difference. The palapas and beach loungers were free while at other hotels they can be up o 35$ a day. All in all, our stay was fantastic. If you are looking for a secluded honeymoon spot I wouldn't choose this hotel since it is a kid-friendly resort and busy, but we don't mind the noise and had a wonderful time.

I just returned from a seven day stay this past Thursday, June 13th, 2013, never wrote a review, and thought I would for the first time, hoping I could help others with my experience. We asked for a... More>

I just returned from a seven day stay this past Thursday, June 13th, 2013, never wrote a review, and thought I would for the first time, hoping I could help others with my experience. We asked for a pool side view, although our room faced the pool, it was behind two walls and atop a loud air conditioning unit. The front desk people, with their understanding rehearsed sympathetic smiles said they were sorry and would transfer to another room the next day which they did. The room was very nice with a marvelous view. A small dish of fruit awaited us. However the next day the wall started to leak and I awoke to a large puddle which I stepped into the next day. They fixed it...two days later, it leaked again....whatever, I just put a towel on the floor, I didn't want to lose the room to another room with a wall. Basically I am a patient guy. I have been to many all inclusives, as far as this one goes, the facilities are very nice, the grounds are inpeccably kept. So is the hotel in general. They have a very nice, large pool, hot tubs, plenty of lounge chairs with umbrella's, and chairs on the beach. The beach and location is just picture perfect. They do offer entertainment, not exactly name acts, but something fun to do at night. Beach party one night, pool party another. The casino is very small, but as I walked to many hotels along Palm Beach, most are small. This isn't Vegas. Like I said I have gone to many all inclusives all throughout the Carribean, as for the food, I have had better, and some worse. This I found good. I find alot of reviewers nit picking at every little thing, but let's face it, every hotel in every city has its faults and good points, even mom's home cooking does. The Major Flaw with the dining over here is that 90% of the guest's book several restaurants for the same night, taking up the good dining times, which is unfair. When we would go down to make a reservation for restaurant they would say the restaurant was either booked or only had a 9:30 pm sitting, because the hotels flawed system allowed rude guests to make multiple reservations. We would go to the restaurant, and it was empty, because noone kept reservations...A Major Flaw. The drinks: they do have brand name liquors and do not spare the alcohol. However they do not have one good bartender there. They just throw some booze in a glass and put some smoothie in and you have pina colada, or some more smoothie and you got a daquiri. Like I said though they do not spare the booze. There were many guests I saw, they must have traveled together, they came with thermos's and they would swim up to the pool bar and the bartender would fill them up with a half a bottle of whatever and they would go swim off with a straw. One day there was a fight that broke out between two guys in the pool! Not a good thing, especially for kids to see. This brings me to my only MAJOR COMPLAINTS (notice the caps). I go away to relax...to chill out, relax in the sun, around the pool. From about 11am until about 6pm, they absolutely blast music around the pool!!! Not just play it a little loud, but blast it. You can't get away from it...and it's not pleasant island music...tropical steel drums or even light music or easy listening. Just annoying crap! The second MAJOR COMPLAINT is that they insist on entertaining you pool side from morning to night! They have a DJ type guy with a microphone at a decible as high as the blasting music, doing pool games, anything from drinking games, ball tossing games, water aerobics, in pool kayac racing, very loud volley ball games, Bingo games, and so on. Non stop, all day. He would not only announce the games in a high pitch manor in English, but he would repeat it in Spanish, Dutch and Papiemento too! It was torturous. If you are looking to read a book, listen to music on your IPod, or have quiet conversations around the pool or bar, this is not the place. However you can inside, to be fair at the lounge where they have a bar and lounge with comfortable chairs, where you could actually talk. They had a live singer who was playing songs that many guests, young and old were actually singing along to and even dancing. One last thing, the staff is very friendly, and their is plenty of security inside the hotel, however even though there was a security guard poolside, he did not stop the fight. If it was not for the loudness, and their ability for getting me so tense around the pool and trying to entertain constantly, I might stay there again. But I probably would go to the Renaissance Marina hotel in Orangestaed instead. I have been there twice and it is just far far more superior! I hope this helped.