Mary

My husband and I will be visitng Aruba for the first between November 13 and 19th. Our accomodations are at the Marriot. <BR><BR>Please advise what would be the top three things to see..other that the beaches<BR><BR>Also what should I pack? Are most island activities casual? Both day and evening?

James

Aruba is exceedingly casual.<BR>Ever been to Las Vegas?<BR>Peple walking around in all sorts of things they shouldn't be wearing...same with Aruba but less annoying than LV.<BR>Wear whatever you want to.<BR>The Marriott is casual as well.<BR>Shopping and dining out are the pastimes away from the beach.<BR>No museums, relics, historical artifacts, etc.<BR>You can rent a car and tour the island in a day, it's only about 16 miles long.<BR>People who go to Aruba regularly go to relax, not to sightsee or find 'cultural' activities (there aren't any).

PJ

Stayed at the Marriott September 2001 agree with James, it is very casual. I did dress up for the nicer dinners (Sun dress with heels) You can tour the island in one day. The bus runs right in front of the Marriott to go downtown. Do see all of the tourist things such as Baby Beach and the Natural Bridge. I would also recommend eating at Madam Jeannettes (sp?) it's only about 10min drive from Marriott but it was hard to find because there are no street signs. We rented a car from a company that the hotel recommended...can't remember the name but had a "frog" in the name...well you get what you pay for, ended up taking the car back, getting our money back and renting from Hertz which was right on Marriott's parking lot. Also the wind blows constantly, so forget any fancy hairdo...<BR><BR>Have fun...<BR>PJ

Susan

Hi, Mary! The Marriott in Aruba is so casual that women show up for breakfast in swimsuits w/ a simple wrap tied around the waist. We stayed there over Christmas & if people didn't dress on Christmas Day then I think you can assume everything will be extremely casual in November which is when you will be there.<BR><BR>BTW, if you are expecting "5 star" you are not going to find it @ the Marriott. On the other hand, if you are staying there on "points" & your expectations are not high you shd. be ok. The hotel is badly in need of refurbishment & upgrading. On the positive side, the Marriott is located on a gorgeous beach that boasts spectacular sunsets nightly!

sue

To Susan. I don't know where you stayed at the Marriott or how long ago, but we just retuned and had no problems. No,it is not a 5 Star hotel. None are on Aruba. You go to relax and have a good time. Don't worry Mary,there is always someone who will find fault with their accomodations. Have a good trip and don't let negative posts ruin your vacation.

Kristen

Kukoo Kunukoo party bus<BR>Jolly Pirates snorkel cruise<BR>Rent a 4x4 and go to the Natural Pool<BR>Eat at El gaucho!

Susan

We stayed @ Marriott Aruba over Christmas in the "oceanfront deluxe". The room was very basic & crying out for refurbishment. Food, services, pool area were all mediocre. The room had an overpowering & pervasive mustiness that knocked us over as we entered. Marriott refused to move us to another room. Told us there was nothing wrong & that they cld. not smell anything.<BR><BR>Room service was soooooo slow. One night we waited for almost an hour. When we called we were told it was "on its way". Called back 20 minutes later & were told "Oh, did you place an order. We don't have it!"<BR>Room service trays were left in the hallways for days! Elevators were non-functional throughout our entire week.<BR>Front desk "customer service" had the surliest collection of individuals we have ever met anywhere!<BR><BR> My "negative post" was not intended to "ruin" Mary's vacation. I offered it as a candid description of what we encountered @ the Marriott in Aruba. We are not the type of people who generally "find fault" with our accomodations. <BR><BR>

Aries13

We are going to Aruba for our honeymoon next June. We have already been to Hawaii, Mexico (several spots), Jamaica, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Caymens etc. etc. and did not want to spend a million hours getting anywhere (we live in Atlanta). Greek Cruise was our other finalist pretty much...but we have never cruised and don't want to risk hating it on our honeymoon.<BR><BR>We like to lounge all day by pool or beach / watersports and go out at night to nice restaurants and casinos and bars.<BR><BR>We are using ff miles to fly and points to stay at the Ocean Club next door.<BR><BR>I'm getting nervous that it's really going to suck (sorry, that's the first word I can think of). I thought the Marriott in the Caymans sucked. Can anyone tell me anything positive about this place?!! (Marriott Aruba)

PJ

I was at the Marriott Ocean Club in Aruba for my 30th wedding anniversay in September 2001 and I loved it!!!! I walked thru the Hotel side and thought it was a lovely resort. We had a great room (ocean/pool view) big king size bed, full kitchen......and two bathrooms. The people that I ran into who were staying at the hotel part did not seem at all disatisfied or unhappy. Relax, and have a good time...I don't think that you will be too disappointed.

Sue

To Susan, Sorry you had such a bad experience at the Marriott, but that was almost 10 months ago. We,along with several resent visitors who have also responded with their posts, agree that none of us encountered any of those problems. The rooms were clean and well cared for, never more than a 1 minute wait for an elevator, no smell what so ever no matter where we were, and the food and service was great. I can't comment on the room service as we did not use it. Maybe they have ungone new management, as we did not experience any of the problems you encountered.

Mike

Also remember that some people drive Kia Sephias and think they're mighty fine transport and some people drive Mercedes Benzes and aren't overly impressed with them.<BR><BR>That'll give you a big clue as to why there are so many different opinions about this.

sue

We are not talking about the Ritz, just comfortable, clean, friendly accomodations.

Antoinette

Try to book in the Marriott Ocean Club. It's lovely andhaving the extra room and kitchen is really worth it. I'm surprised and sorry about Susan's experience. It's disappointing that the Marriott management did not change rooms for her. Whenever we have a room that is not "up to par" we found that asking nicely usually gets results. If not, a firmer stance with a top manager usually gets that job done. I have even sprang for a telephone call to the hotel headquarters (you can usually find where theyarelocated on the promotional material they leave in the rooms) and have been upgraded to suites! If you are really unhappy with your room, be persistent but polite and you will get results. That said, I don't think you will have any problems at either the Marriott or the Ocean Club. Enjoy your trip. Aruba is a wonderful island.