Marriott's Aruba Ocean Club

After staying at the six times at Marriott Maui and Ko Olina Ocean clubs, we were excited to visit the Aruba Ocean Club. We rented a two bedroom oceanfront unit for our family of six. We came here with our four kids ages 13-20. My kids love hot tubs in the evening and on check-in found out that both spas at the resort are for people over 21. One of the three pools is also adult only. I wish I had known this ahead of time. Luckily my kids don’t care for pools and mainly wanted the beach.
We checked in @ 3 pm and was told the lock off unit was available and the master suite should be ready by 4 pm check in. As we went to the lock off to store our luggage we saw the people in the master suite leave with the bellman around 3:30 pm. We didn’t get access to the master suite to store the groceries until 5:30 pm. Shalaika at the front desk said that’s just the way it was and it’s normal to get the suite hours after 4 pm.? The only redeeming person at the front desk to apologize and make up for the inconvenience was Toneesha.
The pros to this resort is its proximity to the Stellaris next door. The resort is directly on the ocean so the sunsets in the evening are gorgeous. Angelica who runs the activities was very sweet and helpful. Housekeeping was efficient.
This resort is great if everyone is over 21. If my kids are all 21, we would rather stay at Stellaris. For anyone with kids under 21, the Surf club might be better.

My wife and I were at the Ocean Club a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, a pipe in the ceiling above our front door burst, and the water came under our door. The kitchen, living and dining rooms which have laminated floors were covered with water. Luckily, none of our stuff was damaged, but the bad news was that the carpet in the bedroom entrance was soaked. The engineers tried to dry the carpet with a blower but that did not work, so they relocated us and our stuff to a new room and gave us a credit to our bill. Everyone involved including Camilo Cardona and his engineering staff, the front desk, housekeeping and the bellmen were very apologetic and courteous the whole time. It was a tough situation, out of their control, but they handled it with class. Kudos...

We just spent a week in a 2 bedroom ocean view room. There were 2 couples and it was perfect for the 4 of us although we could have slept more on the 2 pullout couches if needed. We lucked out with a top floor unit and we could see the sunrise and sunset from the balcony. The unit appeared to be remodeled and was fully equipped so that we could make breakfast everyday and we stored plenty of beverages in the full size fridge. The kitchen was bright with stainless appliances. The living room was very comfortable and the TV was huge so we could watch the game. We had a lock off unit on one side with a mini fridge, microwave, toaster and coffee maker and that would have been perfectly sufficient if it was only 1 couple. We really had no issues with anything - beds were comfy, unit was clean, water pressure was great - pools were beautiful - never had an issue getting pool chairs or palapas as I was worried about that. This place is really awesome - we will definitely be back sooner rather than later.

My wife and I have been coming since 2020. It is our “happy place.” We love the staff. Unfortunately, the shops are independent, covered by confidentiality, and this trip resulted in what we consider a “high pressure sales tactic.” The OC manager, in spite of her efforts, was unable to recover the $10,000 mistake that I was foolish enough to fall for. Trusting Seniors beware. I should have known better. I will not disparage the vendor in public, but I will be hiring legal consul. Not Marriotts fault. They are aware of my situation and hopefully will take “up stream” in determining future lease arrangement. I wish I was smarter, but care for this place and all who come here.

This luxury hotel somehow thought it was appropriate to give us a room where the windows were boarded up from floor to ceiling with plywood. Much like you would find in a condemned crack house. Look at the photos if you think this would never happen. It did. Bottom line - this shows the hotel and its management do not care about their guests or owners. I recommend that you do not stay here and definitely do not buy a timeshare here. Buyer beware!

We are owners at the Surf Club next door but just felt like a change and exchanged into this property. The pool had just opened with just some minor outdoor construction still in progress but might be done by now. We went November 8th. We were very happy with this property, from the size of the two-bedroom villas, to the cleanliness, service etc.
We want to give high praise to Anita at the Front Desk who was so pleasant and professional from the beginning of our trip until we left.
The on-site restaurant was convenient and quite good without being too expensive.
The beach is busy, yes and you need to understand the palapa reservation system but it is not that challenging. Because of all the water sports and boat activity, yes, the ocean floor is not as firm and clean as Eagle Beach in my opinion but that's the tradeoff with having a lot of activities to choose from.
Overall, we would recommend this property and do plan on coming back to it every few years in addition to the nearby Surf Club.

My wife and I had a wonderful time. It felt like being at home. I-Jon was a delightful bellman. He was so considerate, kind, and helpful. I really enjoyed him as a person. Lindsey, in the Aloe Shop, was a breath of fresh air. She was so personable, fun-loving, and kind. Rinaldo helped us on the beach with the chairs. He was so helpful, thoughtful, and hard-working. He really looked out for us. Diana (Dir. of Housekeeping) was also personable, kind, and went the extra mile to support our stay. Love these people!

We loved our stay at the Ocean Club! The staff were friendly, helpful, and extremely professional. They were eager to help us learn about things to do and places to go around the island. The pool was closed for renovations unfortunately but they made accommodations to allow guests to use the other Marriott resort pools. Lovely time!

I had a glorious massage on the beach at the Mandarin Spa hut. Viviana the masseuse was expert. She was gentle and quiet yet instinctively knew where my body was carrying tension and she worked on them. She used fabulous smelling oils that also contained ingredients that were good for my skin and hair, I paid for a full hour and it was worth it! I would highly recommend Viviana!

We stayed on the 6th floor (as we requested a high floor) and found the room to be well-appointed and very clean. All contact with staff was friendly and helpful. The only real negative was the pool being closed and under construction...but we knew that ahead of time and were took advantage of the lazy river at the Surf Club and the pool at Stellaris next door. All in all would definitely recommend.

On our stay in October we knew the pool was going under construction. We were also put in a 2 bedroom unit where both balconies were being painted. My suggestion would be to be fair to guests why not paint the building or redo the pool at different times. My next issue is with the creepy security guard roaming around your palapa staring at you. I understand there should be security but making guests feel uncomfortable is not part of the job. I was walking toward my palapa on the last day of the week and he came toward me asking if I was lost and needed help. What??? So weird. It was super annoying the whole week.
We have been renting here for the last three years and am definitely coming back. The units are very clean and the beach is spacious and beautiful.

⚠️ Warning for anyone booking through RedWeek or with timeshare owner Elaine Brockett ⚠️
We want to share our experience so others don’t go through what we’re dealing with right now.
We booked a week at the Marriott’s Ocean Club in Aruba through Elaine Brockett on RedWeek, paying $4,000 back in July. After hearing from a friend currently at the resort in September that major construction was underway (including pool closures), we reached out to Elaine for clarification.
She told us that “owners were not informed,” which we later found to be untrue, as the Marriott’s own website had posted construction updates. Instead of helping or offering a refund, she simply forwarded us the Marriott link and refused our refund request.
Now, just before our travel date, we’ve discovered she has relisted the same week for $8,000 while we’re still out our $4,000 — and we’re definitely not traveling internationally just to be disappointed.
We’ve stayed at this resort four times before and have always booked directly with Marriott — never had an issue until now. We’re pursuing legal action, but in the meantime, please be cautious if you see listings from Elaine Brockett or related RedWeek posts for Marriott’s Aruba Ocean Club.
If anyone has had a similar experience or knows how to contact her directly, please DM me. We just don’t want anyone else to lose money like we did.

DO NOT RECOMMEND - it’s a loud construction zone and the staff does not do anything for you to alleviate the situation if you have a SUPER LOUD - like jackhammers at 7 am LOUD - room. We knew before arriving that the Ocean Club was renovating the pool and were ok with that. When we checked in, reception said we will put you on the Surf Club side as it will be quieter, but what she failed to mention is that the Surf Club is renovating and it is 10 times louder on this side. We feel super misled by this. Every day we ask for a room change and we are denied - they are full here, so there is no reason to keep us in this awful noisy room. They seem to value Marriott policy over guest satisfaction. I am extremely disappointed in the customer service here and I doubt I will ever come back to the Ocean Club, ever after this experience. We are Marriott owners for over 30 years and this is the worst customer service experience we have had. Very disappointed, Marriott, I thought you were better than this.

Well, I hesitate to write this review because each and every time I return to this fabulous resort there are more people.
I have to admit it is still one of the happiest places on earth and a paradise waiting to be discovered. The the Marriott ocean club is one of the premier properties on Palm Beach. You’re sure to have a fantastic time.

We are owners at the Ocean Club and knew about the pool work but the newsletter stated that the outside painting would be done at the end of July. So arriving in mid Sept should have been good….Not so. Upon check in we were given a room facing the pool work and with a balcony that we could not use for our two week stay…not acceptable. After much arguing we were given a room on the quiet side. This room was by the elevator and the noisy laundry and no view except of the roof. Next we asked to be moved but nothing was available until 3 days later. We moved to the new room and stayed for the remainder of our visit. This room was on the quiet side and not affected by the outdoor painting. We felt that we should not have to argue to get a room that we as owners are due. Communication was bad about the painting . Front desk was less than helpful.

Everything was connected with a casino and fine restaurants.

You can’t use the pool. It is completely torn up. You cannot use the balconies in your room. You should not send facility. They do not provide this information and wait until you get here and slide notes under your door to tell you.

This is one of the top resorts in Aruba sitting on a beautiful beach with miles of sand!! Two of their sister resorts surround it and can use amenities at both of them as well! Many great resorts in walking distance.

We have stayed here several times and loved it. However, this time we didn't receive the pre-arrival email. When we arrived, we were told that painting was going on in our balconies from 8am to 5pm, which meant not only not being able to use them, but being woken up every morning at 8am and keeping the curtains closed throughout our stay. This is not a vacation! Besides this, we were given the worse rooms possible right next to the trash, laundry and elevators. We were offered free palapas at the back of the beach in exchange for the balcony situation. However, had we known this in advance, we would have booked elsewhere. You would think they would try to accommodate a late checkout after all of this, but all they did was give us an extra hour. Very disappointed with our stay as Marriott timeshare owners!

Staff on both sides are super supportive and caring. Ocean club studio rooms are bigger compared to surf club HOWEVER surf club has towel service machines around the entire property which is a massive plus for families and anyone needing it more than once. Ocean club towel hut staff are super stingy with their towels and say things like “we don’t exchange towels after 3pm” which sucks for families. Another important plus in the surf club beyond the Lazy River is the ice and water machines that are located IN THE HOTEL instead of outside the building like Surf Club.

Overall a great experience at ocean club however our family prefers Surf Club for future visits.
Important credit to amazing staff: Shanelle, Vianca, Dwight helped make the crazy long wait for the room worth it by helping us get an ocean view for our stay. Jeanelly, she was so nice to our kids throughout the holiday during various hours! Her hospitality and compassionate approach to our kids is something we won’t forget. My five year old son would look for her every day to chat and catch up! It was amazing to see someone so busy take the time to connect with guests.