Hotel Review: Marriott Aruba Surf Club

Hi friends,

Happy Travel Tuesday! We’re taking you to the beautiful island of Aruba today – and giving you a sneak peek at our stay at the Marriott Aruba Surf Club! If you thought our stay at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino looked amazing, just wait until you see the relaxing tropical rainstorm from our oceanfront balcony at the Surf Club.

LOCATION

Where is the hotel located?
The Marriott Aruba Surf Club is located on Palm Beach, the beautiful strip of sand where you can find most of Aruba’s “high-rise” hotels. We loved the location of this hotel because it offered easy access to several beachfront restaurants and was walking distance to shops, dining and nightlife. There’s also a public bus stop in front of the hotel, which will save you lots of money on cab fare if you decide you don’t want to walk!

What was our first impression when we arrived?
Gorgeous! We loved the ambiance right away – swaying palm trees, a nicely appointed lobby, and reggae music playing by the pool!

 

SERVICE

How easy was check-in?
Desk agents were very knowledgeable and helpful in checking us in. We arrived early and they kindly offered to hold our bags while we waited by the pool until our room was ready.

Were we offered a room upgrade or any other complimentary perks?
We were offered an upgraded room with an awesome view of the pool and ocean. We also received a voucher to make a free Shutterfly book with photos from our trip – we loved this personalized offer to create our memento!

How was the service throughout our stay?
The service was excellent – resort staff were friendly and, when we could reach them, they were helpful in providing recommendations for restaurants and activities in the local area. The activities desk proved to be a bit hard to reach by phone. One other small item of note – one of the concierge staff mentioned that there is a $10 credit for diners who visit the Flying Fishbone, which is about a 45-minute drive from the hotel. We understood this to mean we would receive the discount, but the credit actually goes to the cab driver as in incentive to get them to drive the long distance.  It was a simple misunderstanding, but just a heads up for those who decide to make the trek!

 

OUR ROOM

What was our first impression of our room?
Nice. It was average size with all the expected amenities. As with many of our stays, we were most impressed what we saw from our balcony…

How was the view from our room?
Gorgeous! Swaying palm trees, white sand, beautiful blue water – and, at night, a gorgeous view of the romantically lit pool and the lights of the nearby casino and downtown area in the distance. A little beach and a little city = the best of both worlds. What do you think of these views from our balcony!?

We loved the occasional tropical rainstorms too…

 

AMENITIES

Bathrobe, slippers, and bath amenities?
Nope, but they honestly weren’t needed. We spend most of the time in our bathing suits. 🙂

Beverages?
The room came with a mini fridge (un-stocked) and a coffee maker with coffee grounds. We highly recommend packing some bottled water from home in your suitcase or purchasing some at the local grocery store. As with everywhere in Aruba, food at the Marriott Surf Club is extremely expensive, especially at the gift shop – get ready to pay $10 for a box of cereal. The gift shop does, however, make an amazing iced mocha.

Wifi / Phone Charging Station
Didn’t see one, but we’d brought our own, so it wasn’t really needed.

Food
The hotel has a bar and casual eatery near the pool. There are other restaurant options on the beach near the hotel. One of our favorites was  Moomba, which had a casual American menu, island-style cocktails, and dining with your toes in the sand – can’t beat that, right? Don’t be surprised if a guest or two decide to join you for a meal though. He loved the mayonnaise…

If you prefer to cook your own meals, the resort has BBQs located throughout the property – we grilled up some hamburgers one night and got to meet people from around the world while our food was cooking!

 

RECAP

Cost:
Nightly rates from approximately $465 – we booked our stay through an RCI timeshare.

Would we stay there again?
Definitely! We had a great time – and didn’t want to leave after our week-long stay!

Would we recommend it to a friend?
Absolutely – it’s great for families, groups, or couples who like a balance of relaxation and fun activity!

What’s your favorite hotel you’ve stayed at? Tell us in the comments below! We love to hear your recommendations!