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After Five Years, Back at Aruba Surf Club

dioxide45

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
May 20, 2006
Messages
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Location
NE Florida
Resorts Owned
Marriott Grande Vista
Marriott Harbour Lake
Sheraton Vistana Villages
Club Wyndham CWA
We were last at Marriott's Aruba Surf Club in 2018, pre-pandemic. When we got to the airport we weren't really sure we would make it as we failed to complete the Aruba ED Card online. Easy enough, we did it from our phone about 5 hours before arrival. No one checked for it and when we got to Aruba they said it was tied to our passport number, so they didn't even want the QR code.

As for the resort, everything seems to be in top condition. I had heard some complaints about the rooms seeming to ba little tired, but that isn't our experience. We are in a third floor Spyglass 2BR. No view, but we don't hang out on the balcony even when we have the best views. In our case, a good view is just good for the videos. One thing we noticed about Spyglass is that there is no AC in the hallway. The elevator corridor is air conditioned, but the hallways are HOT. They also turn off the AC near the elevators in the evening and overnight.

The wind seems to be pretty heavy this week, but perhaps that is just me forgetting how bad it usually is. I know Aruba has tradewinds, but there are some bad wind tunnel areas around the resort. The lazy river is great and it doesn't seem overly crowded. I didn't remember there being a beach bar (Flip Flops), is that relatively new? I also noticed those spray sunscreen machines have been removed. Reserving a Palapa was easy online, but they do get booked fast. A few do open up sometime after 10am due to no shows. So if you don't get one, check back in. I noticed that they didn't release them right at 10am.

As for groceries. This time we went to Ling & Sons IGA. Just happened to be driving by it. The last time we went there many years ago I remember it being kinda worn out and run down. We were actually quite surprised, it looks like they have done a full renovation and it was a much more pleasurable shopping experience than Super Food which is always crammed with people and very busy. We will be going back to Ling and Sons IGA on future trips. Mainly to avoid the mayhem at Super Food. If you go to Ling & Sons, also sign up for their club and tell them you are a timeshare owner at checkout for 5% off.

We haven't eat or drank anything from any of the onsite restaurants at the Surf Club but did go to the new Campeones at the Ocean Club. This used to be Champions but that closed and it was converted to a Mexican/Tex-Mex restaurant. We were quite surprised as it was fairly good. They have a chips and salsa bar (tortilla chips, pico de gallo, sour cream, salsa verde and another salsa) which is included. The salsa bar however it was often out of most items. We asked for them to refill some and they did, but they never brought out more sour cream. The restaurant seemed fairly busy and we got there around 9pm (open 5pm-9pm). The main issue we had though was that they seemed like they were trying to close the place while we were there. The lack of them replenishing the salsa bar to being told there weren't any tables when they had several empty ones that couldn't be used because that section was already closed for the night. It seemed strange.

If anyone has any other questions about the property, let me know and I will try to answer them.
 
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I'll be waiting for your YouTube video resort review! The Surf Club is a real gem. The whole Island of Aruba is such a fun place to explore! We hit a bunch of different beaches, historic sites, and nature park.
 
I think the last time I was there was back in 2008-09. Not sure but I could look back in my way back machine. Heck I own a unit there as well. Planning a trip next year in '24.

Thanks for getting me ready.
 
I’m also waiting for your YouTube video review . Enjoy your time in Aruba.
 
It's much more difficult to get to Aruba from Denver. It keeps us from doing it, but someday.
 
It's much more difficult to get to Aruba from Denver. It keeps us from doing it, but someday.
I'll bet. It's 4.5 hours non-stop from BWI - we can almost get to California in that flight time. When looking at the departure flight list in the lobby at the Ocean Club I was shocked to see so few destinations. It's nothing like Cancun (or even Cozumel).
 
It's much more difficult to get to Aruba from Denver. It keeps us from doing it, but someday.

DEN to Orlando (3.5 hours) and then Orlando to Aruba (3.25 hours) on Southwest. Really not bad- though it is a very early morning flight out of Denver!
 
our non stop flight from PHL-AUA was 4.40 hours…8:30 am flight…arrived at 1:10pm…starting getting fidgety after 3 hours…lol
 
We were there (next door) last week, Jeremy. I always seem to miss running into you by a week or so no matter where I go LOL. Yeah, it was quite windy last week, especially up on the lighthouse bluff. And hot (like almost 90 every day). For what it's worth we thought the food was pretty good at Malmok / Antilla (same menu and kitchen, though Antilla had a hot dog special that was right there). They have a tomato/mozzarella/arugula salad that was fantastic.

Remember to give yourself a ton of time to get through check-in, Aruba emigration (I guess that's what that is?), security, luggage pickup, US immigration and customs, check-in (again), security (again) and getting to the gate. The airport club was meh at best, but at least it wasn't a zoo like the rest of the airport if you have the access.

Enjoy the rest of your stay.
 
DEN to Orlando (3.5 hours) and then Orlando to Aruba (3.25 hours) on Southwest. Really not bad- though it is a very early morning flight out of Denver!
What we are considering is a week at Marriott's Ocean Pointe first, and then flying out of FLL or Miami to Aruba. Maybe next May.
 
What we are considering is a week at Marriott's Ocean Pointe first, and then flying out of FLL or Miami to Aruba. Maybe next May.
It was 2 hours and 20 minutes, wheels up to wheels down for our flight from MIA to Aruba.
 
We have stayed at the Surf Club 3 times and our last stay was at the Ocean Club…we strolled over to the Surf Club one day,and imo,found it to be too crowded and noisy…the loungers were so close together around the pools that we would feel uncomfortable using them…the Ocean Club was at 100% capacity when we were there in April and we found the Ocean Club to be a more laid back and relaxing resort.
 
We have stayed at the Surf Club 3 times and our last stay was at the Ocean Club…we strolled over to the Surf Club one day,and imo,found it to be too crowded and noisy…the loungers were so close together around the pools that we would feel uncomfortable using them…we definitely found the Ocean Club to be a more laid back and relaxing resort.
We agree. Our kids are all grown...been there, done that. We prefer the less hectic and crowded atmosphere also of the Ocean Club in Aruba. We love the island and go there every few years.
 
We were there (next door) last week, Jeremy. I always seem to miss running into you by a week or so no matter where I go LOL. Yeah, it was quite windy last week, especially up on the lighthouse bluff. And hot (like almost 90 every day). For what it's worth we thought the food was pretty good at Malmok / Antilla (same menu and kitchen, though Antilla had a hot dog special that was right there). They have a tomato/mozzarella/arugula salad that was fantastic.

Remember to give yourself a ton of time to get through check-in, Aruba emigration (I guess that's what that is?), security, luggage pickup, US immigration and customs, check-in (again), security (again) and getting to the gate. The airport club was meh at best, but at least it wasn't a zoo like the rest of the airport if you have the access.

Enjoy the rest of your stay.
Thanks for the tip about the airport. It all seemed kind of chaotic when we arrived, mostly at the car rental places with a lot of people standing around waiting for their vehicle. Next time we will probably skip the rental and just take a taxi. Are there any grocery delivery services in Aruba?
 
We always enjoyed the lazy River though..but will return to the Ocean Club again…We also love Aruba and the laid back vibe and the many wonderful restaurants…highly recommend Aruba for a relaxing vacation.
 
We have stayed at the Surf Club 3 times and our last stay was at the Ocean Club…we strolled over to the Surf Club one day,and imo,found it to be too crowded and noisy…the loungers were so close together around the pools that we would feel uncomfortable using them…the Ocean Club was at 100% capacity when we were there in April and we found the Ocean Club to be a more laid back and relaxing resort.
We walked through the Ocean Club yesterday after our sales presentation and we said when we come back that we will probably book there next time. Definitely has a different feel.

Does anyone know how many beach palapas they have at each resort? The ones here at Surf Club get booked up pretty fast.
 
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The white ones are same day reservation…the blue ones can be booked up to 3 days in advance…blue is $25 in advance..white is $10..booked at 7am daily..57 same day Palapas and 57 blue ones…114 Palapas total at the Ocean Club
 
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Definitely different vibes between the two resorts. Geared to different ages. On another note. We found that the Moomba club/bar/restaurant had a very good breakfast buffet. Home made omelets and everything else you could ask for. Only 15 bucks per person. And Moomba is on the restaurant list for discounts. I think we ate at 10 different restaurants when we were there and they were all very good. Pappillon and Gianni's stand out.
 
We had a very good Italian dinner at Patrizias of New York..serves fresh homemade pasta and has great service and very large portions..Patrizias has 14 restaurants in the NYC area….its only a few miles from the Marriots,in Oranjestad.
 
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View attachment 78015The white ones are same day reservation…the blue ones can be booked up to 3 days in advance…blue is $25 in advance..white is $10..booked at 7am daily..57 same day Palapas and 57 blue ones…114 Palapas total at the Ocean Club
This seems like a slightlhy different system than Surf Club. The blue ones are scattered and are $0 same day. White ones (kinda yellowish) are $10 or $20 same day or day before. Only the back row 900 can be booked up to three days in advance for $10.

I have a similar map and I counted and it looks like 156 palapas at Surf Club. Certainly a better ratio at the OC than the SC.

Ocean Club - 1 for every 1.9 villas
Surf Club - 1 for every 2.9 villas
 
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Thanks for the tip about the airport. It all seemed kind of chaotic when we arrived, mostly at the car rental places with a lot of people standing around waiting for their vehicle. Next time we will probably skip the rental and just take a taxi. Are there any grocery delivery services in Aruba?

Yes...we got them delivered from Super Foods for a really nominal delivery fee. They were delivered exactly when promised with just a few replacement items for stuff out of stock (and you get to choose whether this occurs or not). There is also a Hertz rental office next door at the Marriott Stellaris next door if you need one for a day or two.
 
This seems like a slightlhy different system than Surf Club. The blue ones are scattered and are $0 same day. White ones (kinda yellowish) are $10 or $20 same day or day before. Only the back row 900 can be booked up to three days in advance for $10.

I have a similar map and I counted and it looks like 156 palapas at Surf Club. Certainly a better ratio at the OC than the SC.

Ocean Club - 1 for every 1.9 villas
Surf Club - 1 for every 2.9 villas
We never had a problem booking a Palapa at 7am every day at the Ocean Club.
 
Great news you got back to Aruba Jeremy. It’s our favorite place on earth. If you snorkel I recommend Tres Trapi (just north of Malmok beach). Best on the island in my opinion.
 
Thanks for the tip about the airport. It all seemed kind of chaotic when we arrived, mostly at the car rental places with a lot of people standing around waiting for their vehicle. Next time we will probably skip the rental and just take a taxi. Are there any grocery delivery services in Aruba?
How was the airport when you when you left Aruba?
 
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