Reviews of Marriott's Aruba Surf Club

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

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

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 .

We are Marriot Vacation Club owners. We have traveled the world staying at Marriott properties. We have been coming to Aruba for 16 years now. Usually September/October timeframe been here in May a few times as well. We have become friends with some of the locals. There is so much good to say about Aruba in itself, but the Marriothas always been great to us wherever we stay. We love the service we love the beach.

We booked this hotel through an Explore package of Marriott. The hotel was nice and facilities are great. The lazy river is a nice touch. The beach is clean and has palapa fir shade. Close to shopping and restaurants

The location is good. On Palm beach. The largest hotel on the island with close to 900 rooms. Very busy and loud with families. Hard to get a spot on the beach so swimming in the pool was the only option. There is a lazy river that is always busy. Swim tubes always bumping into each other. Not relaxing.

We have been deed owners at the Marriott Surf Club for 18 years. WE own Surf and Ocean club units. We are Presidential and Titanium level members through out Marriott, The new Palapa system is a disaster as you can't get a Palapa at 530 PMand waste half a day waiting to get into the system. and 700 AM has not been that great either. The visuals for the palapa numbers can't be seen and to request one you need to be on super speed or they are gone. So far this has decreased my love for Marriott and the new system. When I approached the front desk they gave me the politically correct answer but was of no help. Management. please listen to your loyal and long term guests, that this system is a failure and correct it. Technology is not always the best answer, waiting on the lines in the mornings were great social events and friendship makers. HELP

The customer service experience at this property was outstanding. I’d like to give a shout out to Dean, who professionally and efficiently got us checked in and into our room in no time.

Love the surf club. The location is great, super walkable. Staff is incredibly kind and helpful. The lazy river can entertain me for days - give me a float and a frozen drink and you’ve got one happy girl! Rooms are spacious. Would come here again and again. No fancy restaurants here just casual eats, but there are plenty that are a short walk. Family friendly. All around great!

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.

My party of 10 (consisting mostly of family including young children and teenagers) spent a week in Aruba and while we were unsure of he vibe when we arrived, we ended up loving every part of it. Chi-chi checked us in and anticipated our needs. She was very thorough in explaining the resort rules and processes as it was our first time staying at the Surf Club. All the staff we encountered were friendly and was proactive about being helpful. This resort is great for families especially children. There is always something to do at the resort including the lazy river, hot tubs, pools (one has a slide), beach or even fishing! The kids were never bored. There is a process for reserving palapas and getting your pool towels, but once you adjust to the routine everything was smooth for us. I read the complaints about waking up at 7am to reserve a palapa, but I am surprised that no one mentions you can also reserve them at 5:30 pm the day before. Granted most of them were gone within minutes, but I did not have any issues reserving 2 palapas each day at 5:30pm. This allowed me to sleep in each morning. We stayed in two 2 bedroom villas for the week. They are very similar to other Marriott vacation club villas. We loved the kitchen and washer/dryers. While the furnishings were not brand new, it was not as tired as others made it out to be. It was honestly fine and functional. The villas were ready and clean when we arrived. We could have used a few extra USB ports throughout the villa. They could only be found at the alarm clock next to the bed. We made use of 2 different delivery apps. Aruba to You works very similar to Uber Eats. Food arrives in about an hour. Customer service will call you or WhatsApp you if an item is not available and you can substitute or ask for a partial refund. Food-Aw only worked in the evening and had more selections. The only option for payment is upon delivery and can be cash, debit or credit card. I opted for credit card and the delivery person arrived with a credit card machine. I was quite impressed. If anyone in your party likes fishing, please bring some fishing gear. You can fish right off the dock by the hotel. My nephew caught many snapper and grouper which we were able to cook and eat. The restaurant can also cook them (I heard others say for $20). If you don't bring any gear, you can go downtown to a bait and tackle shop to pick up a rod for about $45. You can also charter a boat. I heard a charter is about $450 for 3 hours. We also liked that the lazy river closes late (at 10pm)! Tubes are not required after 6pm. You can bring your own tubes or grab a free one from people who leave them behind in a bin near where the air hoses are for filling tubes. Tubes are also sold in the market place. The lazy river is an oval and not as impressive as the lazy river at Hyatt Vacation Club at Bonita Springs. It's definitely still nice to have when you want a change of pace from a regular pool. The resort is also very

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.

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.