Aruba Surf or Ocean Club?? And Renaissance Aruba?

[deemarket]

We have never been to Aruba and are contemplating making an exchange there. If you had your choice would you pick Marriott's Aruba Surf Club or Marriott's Aruba Ocean Club. I understand that Surf has the laundry in the unit and at Ocean they are on the floors (so do you have to pay for the ones outside the units at Ocean?) Like to do some laundry so we can pack light. Which has the best beach? - that is our priority. And how do these two compare to the Renaissance Aruba? All information very welcome.

And do you think it is worth going the greater distance from Arizona to Aruba vs going back to HI instead?

 

[ilene13]

We have never been to Aruba and are contemplating making an exchange there. If you had your choice would you pick Marriott's Aruba Surf Club or Marriott's Aruba Ocean Club. I understand that Surf has the laundry in the unit and at Ocean they are on the floors (so do you have to pay for the ones outside the units at Ocean?) Like to do some laundry so we can pack light. Which has the best beach? - that is our priority. And how do these two compare to the Renaissance Aruba? All information very welcome.

And do you think it is worth going the greater distance from Arizona to Aruba vs going back to HI instead?

We own at the Ocean Club. You do not pay for the laundry facilities. We have never had a problem using them. The OC and the SC are adjacent to each other, so in theory the beaches should be the same. Since the SC is much larger on a proportionally smaller property their beach is far more crowded. SC owners and guests may not use the OC beach--- in the same note OC owners and guests may not use SC pools.

 

[Sunbum]

There are all sorts of threads comparing the properties and many will probably weigh in on it. My comment is Yes. I personally, much prefer Aruba to HI for many reasons. Some of which may or may not apply to you.

 

[Steve A]

"SC owners and guests may not use the OC beach--- in the same note OC owners and guests may not use SC pools."

The beaches are public. What I think you meant is that SC owners and guests cannot use OC chairs and palabas.

We are OC owners and much prefer it to the SC. If you have children the SC might be a better option because of the lazy river.

 

[DCBoy]

If you are traveling with kids, then the Surf Club might be the way to go because of the lazy river. However, the beach there tends to be more crowded because it is too small for the size of the complex and there is a pier that juts out practically in the middle of the area. For my money, the Surf Club property seems to be more hectic than the Ocean Club in general too. If you are not traveling with kids and just want to hang out at the beach most days, then the Ocean Club might be the better bet for you since you can always hang out in the "lazy ocean" whenever the mood strikes. Don't get me wrong though, both properties are beautiful and neither will likely disappoint you. It's just a matter of each family's priorities.

 

[m61376]

You'll probably find opinions split as to whether the OC or the SC is the nicer resort. The OC villas have a whirlpool tub, laundry on the floors but not in suite, and are a tad smaller. Their pool, which is a basic nice resort pool, and beach areas are not as crowded.

The SC villas are a bit nicer (in my opinion, but also those of others I've spoken to) and have in suite laundry. The buildings are high rise, which allows for some spectacular views. However, it also means more people on about the same size beach. So the beach is the same, but more crowded. The pools are busier, but the pool facilities at the SC are much more extensive, with a great Lazy River and a new Serenity pool for adults with lounges in the pool at the edge. Getting a palapa there used to be an issue, but they have added many more and there were empty ones every day when I was there a few weeks ago. Even at their busiest, the beaches and pools are nothing like the crowds I've seen many other places.

While I prefer the SC, you can't go wrong with the beautiful Caribbean waters, great weather and great restaurants at either and I'd take whatever exchange came up.

 

[LUVourMarriotts]

Comparing SC/OC to Renaissance is somewhat difficult. There are pluses and minuses to each. On one hand, the villas at SC/OC will be substantially better than Ren. I recently got my friend a week at Ren and he said the room was like 1970 all over again, and it was trashed. I have pictures I couldn't believe. On the other hand, the Ren has a private island that you can enjoy by taking a quick boat ride out. It is also right in downtown, so you have easy access to a lot of shops/restaurants.

I personally would choose SC/OC because I believe your overall experience will be better. If you prefer a more secluded beach with much less traffic, maybe Ren would be better for you if you are OK with lesser quality villas.

 

[elaine]

given your location, I would go to Hawaii. We live on the East Coast--so Aruba is a 4.5 hr nonstop for us--Hawaii is usually 12 hrs with plane change. As we have gotten older, we have decided Hawaii is not worth the long flight and so are going to Carib. locations instead---but Hawaii is still our favorite tropical destination--maybe tied with St. John--but that is impossible to get into with timeshare.

 

[Mamianka]

You'll probably find opinions split as to whether the OC or the SC is the nicer resort. The OC villas have a whirlpool tub, laundry on the floors but not in suite, and are a tad smaller. Their pool, which is a basic nice resort pool, and beach areas are not as crowded.

The SC villas are a bit nicer (in my opinion, but also those of others I've spoken to) and have in suite laundry. The buildings are high rise, which allows for some spectacular views. However, it also means more people on about the same size beach. So the beach is the same, but more crowded. The pools are busier, but the pool facilities at the SC are much more extensive, with a great Lazy River and a new Serenity pool for adults with lounges in the pool at the edge. Getting a palapa there used to be an issue, but they have added many more and there were empty ones every day when I was there a few weeks ago. Even at their busiest, the beaches and pools are nothing like the crowds I've seen many other places.

While I prefer the SC, you can't go wrong with the beautiful Caribbean waters, great weather and great restaurants at either and I'd take whatever exchange came up.

I am the one who reads TUG, and then reports my finding to The Boss. He maintains that the *full of kids* issue should not matter to us as much, since we are planning to be in Aruba in late October or sometimes in November. Thoughts? Or when the kids leave, does this fill up with retirees like us? Is there ever a good and quiet season? Everything else about Surf Club steers us to that property, but the *kids* thing - is this a non-issue at the time we intend to go? (Not this year - maybe next.)

M

 

[Weimaraner]

I am the one who reads TUG, and then reports my finding to The Boss. He maintains that the *full of kids* issue should not matter to us as much, since we are planning to be in Aruba in late October or sometimes in November. Thoughts? Or when the kids leave, does this fill up with retirees like us? Is there ever a good and quiet season? Everything else about Surf Club steers us to that property, but the *kids* thing - is this a non-issue at the time we intend to go? (Not this year - maybe next.)

M

I don't think the kids thing should be the deal breaker. We bought at Surf Club before we had kids and loved it for the lazy river. Haven't gone there during low season but I would assume that there would be fewer families unless you hit Thanksgiving. Like Elaine said above, if we lived closer to the West Coast, we probably would go to Hawaii more often. It is a long, long flight from Michigan. Aruba was suggested to us as the East Coast alternative to Hawaii and we have enjoyed it. The scenery is very different, more desert than tropical, and a different culture but very Americanized and welcoming.

 

[BocaBoy]

We have never been to Aruba and are contemplating making an exchange there.......And do you think it is worth going the greater distance from Arizona to Aruba vs going back to HI instead?

I assume you would fly US Air nonstop from Phoenix to Hawaii. If not, then the time and distance from Phoenix to Aruba is almost identical to the time and distance from Phoenix to Hawaii. Where to go is obviously a personal choice and some like Aruba a lot. For me, I have been to Aruba twice (but never to a timeshare there), and comparing it to Hawaii is like comparing hamburger (Aruba) to steak (Hawaii).

 

[m61376]

I am the one who reads TUG, and then reports my finding to The Boss. He maintains that the *full of kids* issue should not matter to us as much, since we are planning to be in Aruba in late October or sometimes in November. Thoughts? Or when the kids leave, does this fill up with retirees like us? Is there ever a good and quiet season? Everything else about Surf Club steers us to that property, but the *kids* thing - is this a non-issue at the time we intend to go? (Not this year - maybe next.)

M

The Fall is relatively quiet- weather is great (it is below the hurricane belt), but kids are in school and people aren't looking to escape the cold weather. In general, there are less tourists from the beginning of Sept. through mid. Dec., with the exception of Thanksgiving week.

As for comparing Aruba to Hawaii- can't beat the lushness and beauty of Hawaii, but the weather is consistently better in Aruba. The flip side to it being a desert environment and not having the beautiful lush foliage is that you rarely have a rainy day, and while it is approximately the same distance from the equator so similar temperature wise, Aruba has a lot of trade winds, so that while in Hawaii you really feel the summer heat, in Aruba you enjoy a nice cooling breeze so it feels much more comfortable; the heat and humidity in Hawaii can get oppressive at times. I also enjoy the restaurants better in Aruba, but that's a matter of taste. And the calmness and color of the Caribbean waters and beaches are wonderful. Admittedly, though, if I wasn't balancing a 4.5 hour versus a 12 hour flight I'd visit Hawaii more frequently, but certainly don't consider Aruba a consolation prize.

 

[classiclincoln]

While we have never stayed at either of the high rise Marriotts, we did do the tour our first time in Aruba when we stayed at the Ren. We really loved the Ren and ended up buying there. Everyone sees things differently, and this is just our opinion (and you know what people say about opinions):

The high rise resorts are built perpendicular to the beach. That means that all those people share the same beach. On one of our trips to Aruba, we met a family picking playing cards to see who would get up early to reserve the chairs. We also have heard of (not witnessed) fights over beach chairs at those resorts.

On another trip to Aruba, we went down to the high rise area for dinner. While walking around after dinner, we felt like we were walking down the streets in Philly; it was very crowded. We were bumping elbows a good portion of the time.

While the rooms at the Ren are absolutely older, they are comfortable enough and they are either doing or will shortly be doing a renovation. We've never had a problem with anything being broken or the room being trashed. Are they as nice as the other Marriotts? No, but we don't spend a whole lot of time in the room.

The private island is absolutely a paradise. There is a "family" side and a "couples" side. The family side has the bar/restaurant and the iguanas. The couples side has the spa and the flamingos. In all the times we have stayed there, we never had a problem getting a lounge chair on the island or at the pool.

The location of the Ren is also a plus. You are within walking distance of a ton of great restaurants and shops. You are close to everything, yet far enough away not to be crowded. Never a problem walking around the area.

We've been to Aruba over Xmas and Easter, and thoroughly enjoyed the Ren. Again, just our opinion. Check out visitaruba.com for more information, especially the restaurant section. When you go, try to hit the ostrich farm and rent a Jeep (not a car) and drive on the north side of the island; it's beautiful!

 

[mazzonetv]

We've owned at the surf club since before it was even built, and have been there about 8 times. We typically go in August but have gone there in November as well. A couple of things to keep in mind - there are ALWAYS lots of kids at the surf club. Not a problem for us since we have two kids, but a couple could find it annoying. There is an adult only pool but it is rather small.

The ocean club is smaller, quieter, and has nicer shops in the lobby. The washer and dryer is in a common area so that might be an issue. Overall both properties are nice. We really love going there. There are a few things I'm not happy with at the property, but overall it's very nice.

Enjoy your stay!

 

[SpikeMauler]

We've stayed at all three Aruba resorts. If traveling with kids I'd choose the Surf Club. Without kids the Ocean Club(where we own). And the Renaissance?Liked the location but that's about all we liked.

 

[BocaBoy]

As for comparing Aruba to Hawaii- can't beat the lushness and beauty of Hawaii, but the weather is consistently better in Aruba. The flip side to it being a desert environment and not having the beautiful lush foliage is that you rarely have a rainy day, and while it is approximately the same distance from the equator so similar temperature wise, Aruba has a lot of trade winds, so that while in Hawaii you really feel the summer heat, in Aruba you enjoy a nice cooling breeze so it feels much more comfortable; the heat and humidity in Hawaii can get oppressive at times.

Have you ever been to Hawaii? I am sure you must have, but I certainly can't tell that from your description of the Hawaii weather. Your statements did not track with my experience, so I checked it out. The facts are that the average high temperature in Aruba is in the upper 80"s every month. Record low temperatures for most months are low 70s, and the average lows are close to 80. So the Aruba lows are not much cooler than the Hawaii highs. It is in the 90's right now in Aruba. Number of annual wet days in Aruba average 131 and vary from 7 to 18 depending on the month. Hawaii high temperatures in most places average from the upper 70s to the mid 80's. It seldom gets to 90. The trade winds in Hawaii are very strong and keep it very comfortable on all but a handful of days each year. It was hot, but not unbearable, both times I was in Aruba. The days I have ever been uncomfortable in Hawaii (out of 200-300 total days) were two days when the trades were not blowing, which caused high humidity but not much higher temperatures. Hawaii averages 126 days of precipitation to Aruba's 131, but this varies a lot by location within Hawaii.

 

[m61376]

Bocaboy-yes, of course I have, or I would not have made the post,
What you are reading must categorize "wet" days as days with any precipitation. Our experience in Aruba has been about one day out if the week will have a little rain, varying from a few short showers, a couple of times with over night downpours, or a day with 1 or 2 ten minute bursts of rain. In all our trips we had one afternoon with about two hours of rain. While we were fortunate in Hawaii, I've had several friends who experienced days or at least good portions of the day ruined by rain. Obviously, given its desert classification, Aruba has a lot less rain, so inferring that Hawaii has direr weather doesn't quite make sense. As for temperatures and trade winds- we've been to Hawaii over the summer, and I am only relating our experiences. It felt a lot hotter. The ambient temperatures were about the same, possibly a few degrees warmer in Aruba, yet I can sit on the beach in Aruba and not feel clammy and hot like I did in Hawaii.

That's not to say I didn't love Hawaii, but just that we find the weather in Aruba to be more comfortable. That's our opinion, of course, and certainly you obviously feel differently, which is fine. Just please don't attack me for expressing a difference of opinion.

 

[dioxide45]

If 131 wet days means any type of precipitation anywhere on the island. Wouldn't Hawaii be at 365, as it is pretty much raining at some point somewhere in the islands.

We love Hawaii and have been to the islands twice. We have also been to Aruba. We are going back to both places in 2012. I am not going to try to compare the two, we love them both for very different reasons.

 

[BocaBoy]

That's not to say I didn't love Hawaii, but just that we find the weather in Aruba to be more comfortable. That's our opinion, of course, and certainly you obviously feel differently, which is fine. Just please don't attack me for expressing a difference of opinion.

WOW! I certainly did not attack you, just disagreed with your statements. Unbelievable. (And that is an attack of sorts.)

 

[deemarket]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. Stu, thank you for the info on the Renaissance. It sounds very enticing. We love the beach and taking boat rides. How long does it take to get to the island by boat? We are retired and traveling without family and/or grandkids this time so don't need to know about where they would like to be or what they want to do.

Happy vacationing all!

 

[Docklander]

Would it be possible to have a sticky describing the factual differences between these two resorts? I ask because this seems to be one of the most often repeated question on here so it's clearly of interest to a great many users.

Either this or we have one big merged thread on the ASC and AOC but then this would mean the Mods have to merge all future questions that arise (and they will definitely arise) into this thread as they occur.

 

[Luckybee]

I've lost track counting the number of times I've been to Hawaii but it's well over 20( it may be 30 but as I said I've lost count). We've been to all the tourist islands and we love the islands . I think we're also pretty darn close to the same number of visits to Aruba as well now and we love it there too!

We purchased in Aruba when the OC was being built because it was closer to home thanHwaii(we're an hour from Toronto), the weather was much more predictable (although we've had some great weather in Hawaii, we've had some pretty heavy duty bad weather on multiple occasions, and we've only experienced more than passing showers on Aruba once), and we find Aruba a bit more relaxing simply because when we're in Hawaii there is more to see and do and therefore we dont lounge chair potato as much . No doubt the Hawaiian islands are more beautiful than Aruba.

We love both places and will continue to include both in our travels. Where you want to go would depend on what your looking for. Since you havent yet been to Aruba I would suggest giving it a try, variety is after all the spice of life !

In terms of the 3 properties, just me but I wouldnt do the renaissance simply because I dont like the downtown location, and the fact that you have to take the boat to get to a decent beach. In terms of the other 2 ,again for me its very simple , with kids Surf C, without kids Ocean C. While correct that the Ocean C doesnt have the laundry in each unit they are on ea floor which takes less thatn a minute to walk to , throw your stuff in and go back for later. Besides the OC has the wonderful 2 person jacuzzis and I wouldnt trade those for laundry facilites and the SC just has small tubs in the units.

Good luck with your decisions.

 

[Luckybee]

While we have never stayed at either of the high rise Marriotts, we did do the tour our first time in Aruba when we stayed at the Ren. We really loved the Ren and ended up buying there. Everyone sees things differently, and this is just our opinion (and you know what people say about opinions):

The high rise resorts are built perpendicular to the beach. That means that all those people share the same beach. On one of our trips to Aruba, we met a family picking playing cards to see who would get up early to reserve the chairs. We also have heard of (not witnessed) fights over beach chairs at those resorts.

On another trip to Aruba, we went down to the high rise area for dinner. While walking around after dinner, we felt like we were walking down the streets in Philly; it was very crowded. We were bumping elbows a good portion of the time.

Actually the dont share the same beach. Those staying at the Surf can't use the palapas, or chairs at the OC , nor can they bring the SC chairs over to the OC beach. The OC beach is much much much less crowded than the SC, which is the main reason we're still going there.
I have witnessed disagreements over chairs, but only to the extent that someone who wasnt a guest at the oc was using a chair or palapa and security was removing them. As an example dh and I often do the palapa rentals so we dont have to get into the whole rush to the beach thing. We've often arrived on the beach to find our reserved palapa occupied and some people get downright nasty when you explain to them that you reserved and paid for that palapa. Last time we went they had been locking chairs/palapas so the problem was alleviated.

So true about opinions though, I would find staying downtown more like being in Philly where staying on Palm Beach is more like the resort atmosphere I'm looking for

 

[ilene13]

Actually the dont share the same beach. Those staying at the Surf can't use the palapas, or chairs at the OC , nor can they bring the SC chairs over to the OC beach. The OC beach is much much much less crowded than the SC, which is the main reason we're still going there.
I have witnessed disagreements over chairs, but only to the extent that someone who wasnt a guest at the oc was using a chair or palapa and security was removing them. As an example dh and I often do the palapa rentals so we dont have to get into the whole rush to the beach thing. We've often arrived on the beach to find our reserved palapa occupied and some people get downright nasty when you explain to them that you reserved and paid for that palapa. Last time we went they had been locking chairs/palapas so the problem was alleviated.

So true about opinions though, I would find staying downtown more like being in Philly where staying on Palm Beach is more like the resort atmosphere I'm looking for

I totally agree with you!!!!!! I love doing the rental thing--unfortunately when we go I am only able to get the rental palapas for 3 of our 14 days.

 

[classiclincoln]

It's like a 5 minute ride from the Ren to their beach. If you stay at the Ren Hotel (adult only) it's longer since the boat starts at the hotel, stops at the Ren and ends up at the beach.