Marriott's Aruba Surf Club

WE stayed for two weeks at the Surf Club and had a very relaxing and fun time. The first week we stayed in the one bedroom unit which is very comfortable and has a well stocked kitchen. The living room area was nice to hang out and relax. The bedroom is large with a decent size bathroom. The only problem we had is with the carpet in the bedroom which blocks opening the closet. It creates a tripping hazard when you open the closet door. The second week we stayed in the studio which is small and has limited storage for clothes. The sink are is tiny and the dishes are stored in the cabinet below. We didn't like the small table and two backless hassocks to sit on to eat on. The pool area can get crowded but the lush tropical landscaping makes it very relaxing. We will definitely come back to the Surf Club again.

Beware Lighthouse Tower is still under construction and its effects stretch beyond the building. As for the building itself, one elevator was closed our entire trip. This said constant backlog at the elevators and long wait times. Many people opted for the stairs. The construction is currently on the 3rd and 2nd floor but that is not accurate. We stayed on floor 4. Jackhammering was above us and below us. We understand that the tower would be under construction but it is inexcusable that they assign rooms so close to the construction. Construction started every day at 8am until 5pm. The noise of construction can be heard at the pool. They gave us a unit on the 4 th floor that had malfunctioning air conditioning that took 3 days to resolve. Our unit had water leaking through the lights from floor 5. The unit are full of VOCs fresh paint and all new finishing stab if you are sensitive to that, you will not be well. Our unit while mostly completed, wasn’t complete. Fixtures were missing. Sticker Labels still on the new locks, unfinished cut wood trim etc. The new appliances are all gassing off. When we toasted a bagel the smell from the toaster was so strong. Same with the oven. Be warned lighthouse tower will not be done by first week of December. Updates are hard to find. Here is your update!

My husband and I have been coming to the surf club since 2006. We recently were at Moomba to watch a football game and my husband had a medical emergency requiring an ambulance and hospital visit. The staff from Marriott heard that an ambulance had been called for and rushed over to Moomba to see if the emergency was one of their guests. Jose and the team were outstanding and Jose came and picked us up after my husband was discharged from the hospital. The compassion and kindness shown to us was incredible. The surf club really is one big family and we love it here. Thank you does not seem to be enough. We will be back soon Marriott to visit and will look forward to personally thanking your entire team.

My trip to the Marriotts Aruba Surf Club to celebrate our anniversary didn't start out the way we planned. The room I reserved from their website looked nothing like the room I was assigned. You had to lean over the balcony to see the ocean, the bed was not a queen, the room had a 1980's decor, unlike the website photos. I called the front desk thinking there had to be a mistake. I was informed "you could see the ocean if you were on a higher floor". With that said, we had to bring our luggage to another building in the hot sun after long day of traveling only to be given the same type of room (old looking, no queen bed) with a partial ocean view. Since we were only staying for a few days and we didn't want to waste any more time, we decided to make the best of this situation. On the bright side, the grounds were well maintained, no complaints about the beach and pool, and the staff was very friendly and accommodating. There was a good selection of places to dine (there are 3 Marriott hotels together) and the food was enjoyable and reasonably priced. We had the opportunity to have a meal at the Sunset Grille located at the Hilton Hotel 5 minutes from the Marriott. The meal and the service was excellent and atmosphere was wonderful. We didn't have time to check out the rest of the Hilton, but from what we were able to see. the place is first class and worth looking into. The area around the hotel was like a mini–Times Square in New York. Another issue we experienced during our stay was terrible sewer type odor. In fairness to Marriott, we were informed that there would be ongoing construction and I don't if the two are related, but my threshold for tolerating bad smells was put to the test one day while walking from the beach to the restroom. The odor was also noticeable on occasion walking past the pool towards the beach. I made effort to communicate some of our concerns when we arrived home, most importantly that we didn't receive the accommodations we paid for. I received a reply with a case number with the promise my concerns would be looked into within 5 days. After 2 weeks and no response, I attempted again to make contact and received a reply from Nicole V. stating Marriotts Case Resolution Team will follow-up. This was November 4th. I'm surprised Marriott's customer service team couldn't take the time to respond Bonvoy Gold Elite member who has been loyal customer for many years. i

Be sure to pack your earplugs. Marriott is conducting the oh so needed updates to their hotel. I'm sure it will be beautiful when it's complete but if you're traveling anytime soon be prepared for the constant and ear piercing loudness of jackhammers all day. Every day. They are jackhammering numerous floor with guest staying in the rooms next door and beneath them.

Huge 2 bedroom Villa with full kitchen. We enjoyed the room, clean and spacious. Staff is helpful and attentive Check in desk was quick and easy and check out was too. quick cab ride from the airport Loved it You can join in the fun or find a quiet spot to relax it has everything Quality, service , cleanliness, surrounded by good people, alot of couples and some families, but not alot of screaming kids like a disney trip it is all spotless and well kept busy but roomy never felt crammed in HIghly reccomended Poolside andor beach service was very attentive Every day happy hour 2 for 1 drinks no they had everything that we needed

What was EXCELLENT: the staff (especially Joseph), the food/drinks, the civil and fair online Palapa rental system, the onsite Marketplace (very fair prices), the beach and the cleanliness of the surroundings. In addition, the island of Aruba is simply beautiful and relaxing, thank goodness! What caused this rating: We were placed in a two bedroom villa in the Lighthouse Tower. This particular tower is under construction and the noise and chaos is understood and dealt with by going to the beach and removing oneself from the noise. However, this is not entirely about the noise. Our guests were placed in a room with a construction elevator moving up and down past their room beginning at 7:50am-8:00am everyday. If they wanted to rest and sleep past 8:00am they could not. One day there was a construction worker standing on the railing side of their balcony. At times this was an invasion of privacy. They were unable to use their balcony even when the elevator stopped around 5:30pm because of the stench of garbage. This trip was a gift to our guests for their recent retirement and as a couple having elderly parents in a nursing facility and recently losing their father - a vacation was desperately needed. I went to the front desk and was told a manager would contact me. A manager never contacted me. This situation was an embarrassment and only by the grace of our dearest friends and the beauty of the island was the trip not a complete fail. I can only imagine that renovation of this scale must be a logistical and managerial nightmare, however, Marriott brand DO BETTER. If you check into the Aruba Surf Club in the coming months ask if you are being placed in a room on the Oceanside ending in 02 because you will have a construction elevator going past your room beginning at 8:00am. I need to also say that on check out day a manager did speak with me and gave some credit to the bill and although appreciated, it was too little too late.

Louis the fitness instructor was the highlight of our visit. He did water aerobics in the morning and pool Zumba in the afternoon. He was excellent. So much fun, great attitude, encouraging and inspiring. And very nice. He was just really great.

Wonderful stay at the Surf club. We stayed at the Compass tower and our unit was clean and had everything we needed for a comfortable stay. Staff were all,very friendly and there are many property was well maintained. They offer many fun poolside activities. We stayed at the resort beach several days as it was very comfortable and there are many people were very friendly. Highly recommend this resort for couples, families and groups .