• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Aruba Beach Front

gnipgnop

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2005
Messages
1,838
Reaction score
161
Points
424
Location
Pennsylvania
Our family will be traveling to Aruba in August. We would like to stay in the High Rise area since we are going with 3 teen-agers. Seems like there is more activity in that area. My question is: which resort has the best beach front for swimming and beach activies? Our kids are crazy about swimming in the Ocean and we, their parents, love to sit on the beach. Thanks for any suggestions.
 

siesta

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2010
Messages
3,514
Reaction score
57
Points
283
Its the same beach, with same activities

Hello, the high rise area, or Palm Beach, is indeed where alot of action is. Glitzy hotels, alot of people, water sports, and of course this all makes it more crowded than Eagle Beach. Not to mention, it is not as wide as Eagle Beach.

You didnt mention if your tied to II or RCI, but most hotels on Palm Beach will have great beach accessibility, and since your kids are teenagers its not like you need a front row palapa to keep an eye on them the whole tme. They will probably be all over the beach. So with that in mind, stay at any hotel with a good reputation, thats available, and have a great time.
 

gnipgnop

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2005
Messages
1,838
Reaction score
161
Points
424
Location
Pennsylvania
Thanks Siesta ~ I am a member of both RCI & II. (weeks). I am interested in the Occidental Grand Resort - All Inclusive. Are you familiar with it? I know it's expensive but for the first trip to Aruba for my family they feel it would be best. I'm not particularly in favor of all inclusive but they like to travel this way. :shrug:
 

Pappy Mentos

Guest
Joined
Feb 25, 2011
Messages
88
Reaction score
4
Points
168
The "high-rise" area in Aruba runs from the Divi Phoenix at one end to the Marriott at the other. The beach by the Marriott is very crowded with "chickees"(the umbrella/huts built into the sand) and lounge chairs and the water is very calm with few rocks/shells. There are several piers in that area where you can pay for water activities such as parasailing, jet skis, etc. If they are looking to snorkel, then you will need to go to some of the other beaches such as Malmok/Arashi which is further up the coast.
As you travel away from the Marriott, the beach becomes more open and the water is IMO much nicer. After the Marriott is the Holiday Inn, then Playa Linda, the Hyatt, the Occidental,the Radisson, RIU, the Westin and then last, the Divi Phoenix. There is an activities pier between the Radisson and the RIU. For soft sand (both in and out of the water), a wide beach, and less crowds, the best bet is in the area around the Westin/RIU/Radisson. However, as Siesta mentioned above, the best beach by far is Eagle Beach, which is below the Divi Phoenix between the high-rise and low-rise areas.
 

ilene13

TUG Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2008
Messages
2,630
Reaction score
310
Points
468
Location
Lakewood Ranch, Florida
Thanks Siesta ~ I am a member of both RCI & II. (weeks). I am interested in the Occidental Grand Resort - All Inclusive. Are you familiar with it? I know it's expensive but for the first trip to Aruba for my family they feel it would be best. I'm not particularly in favor of all inclusive but they like to travel this way. :shrug:

I would try to talk your family out of an all inclusive. Aruba has spectacular restaurants and it would be a shame to miss them.
 

siesta

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2010
Messages
3,514
Reaction score
57
Points
283
Thanks Siesta ~ I am a member of both RCI & II. (weeks). I am interested in the Occidental Grand Resort - All Inclusive. Are you familiar with it? I know it's expensive but for the first trip to Aruba for my family they feel it would be best. I'm not particularly in favor of all inclusive but they like to travel this way. :shrug:
I haven't stayed there but it looks very nice. I personally wouldnt recommend an all inclusive in Aruba unless you plan on doing a lot of drinking. Because there is plenty of good food in tbe area, walking distance or a short cab ride away.

I would recommend Frommers Portable Aruba book. You can get it for around $10, great maps, hotel and restaraunt reviews, activities advice. Of course this information is also free on the website if you don't want the hard copy.

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/aruba/
 
Last edited:

m61376

Tug Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Messages
7,200
Reaction score
269
Points
518
Location
NY
Resorts Owned
Marriott Aruba Surf Club 2 & 3BRs
I would try to talk your family out of an all inclusive. Aruba has spectacular restaurants and it would be a shame to miss them.

As Ilene posted, if you go to an all inclusive you will miss out on the many wonderful restaurants which is one of the reasons many people love going back.
 

gnipgnop

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2005
Messages
1,838
Reaction score
161
Points
424
Location
Pennsylvania
Well, the reason we're thinking all-inclusive is that the teenagers can eat plenty and if we do the AI it will keep the cost down. Don't you think going to restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner, (5 people) would be very expensive in Aruba? My daughter and I are light eaters but the other three can really put it away! :ignore:
 

lvhmbh

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
1,486
Reaction score
23
Points
248
Location
Boca Raton, FL and Aruba
If you are in a timeshare you will have a kitchen. We go out to b-fast maybe once a trip (we usually stay more than a week) but usually eat in our unit. Lunch as well. If they love the ocean all they have to do is go upstairs and make a sandwich or something. Dinner out can be reasonable OR expensive - your choice. Aruba has high end restaurant and lower end with large portions. AI would NOT be my choice and I usually have at least two 15 year old hockey players with me - now THEY can eat!!!!
 

TravelMamma

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2012
Messages
154
Reaction score
0
Points
226
Location
New England
Well, the reason we're thinking all-inclusive is that the teenagers can eat plenty and if we do the AI it will keep the cost down. Don't you think going to restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner, (5 people) would be very expensive in Aruba? My daughter and I are light eaters but the other three can really put it away! :ignore:[/QUOTE

It still might be more cost effective without an all inclusive. I say this because my sister and I both planned trips to Aruba one year by coincidence with travel dates within a couple days of each other. She did the all inclusive route with her hubby, had no car rental, stayed only 1 week and stayed at a place that wasn't as nice (we went to visit them and check it out, basic 2 dbl. hotel room, that was outdated too), plus they had indirect flights. They paid the same as we did, within a hundred dollars and we were there 2 weeks (1 week used exchange, 2nd week paid $1000 for getaway week), had a car rental for 2 weeks, had 4 people vs. 2, had direct flights out of the same airport as her and we had a 2bdrm modern condo (stayed 1 week each at Marriott's Surf Club and Ocean Club). We also didn't skimp on eating out or ordering drinks, we had dinner out each night, ordered lunches by the pool or on the beach each day and had drinks ordered whenever we desired, our costs also included groceries we got for snacks, drinks and some breakfasts to have in our unit). I don't know where you are from, but for us, everything cost double there....if you go out to dinner here and your steak dinner is $20 it would be $40 there, a cocktail $6, $12 there, etc.... that might help if you figure the costs. If you decide to not go the all inclusive route, it sounds like your family would enjoy the Marriott's Surf Club, it has awesome pools (including a lazy river), it's has water sports tents right out front and close enough to walk to shopping, restaurants, movies, clubs, etc... Have fun!
 
Top