Costa Linda 2br question?

[billymach4]

Costa Linda Question?

A friend of mine got a trade in II to Costa Linda. He read this review below on Trip Advisor and is very concerned.

I can't convince him otherwise. My question is How are the 3 bedroom units configured at CLBR? Is this possible?


"If Interval has promised you a 2-bedroom unit with one king, 2 twins, a living room with sofabed, and full kitchen -- be warned that NO SUCH UNITS EXIST at the resort.

You will instead be put in a unit that does have 2 bedrooms with one king and 2 twins -- but there is NO LIVING ROOM and only a bare-bones kitchenette. DO NOT BELIEVE ANYONE WHO TELLS YOU OTHERWISE!! I don't care who they are, whether they're Interval supervisors or the President of Interval or the CEO of the resort. I HAVE PHYSICALLY SEEN IT with my own TWO eyes. Feel free to contact the on-site reservations manager Swienda (pronounced "SWEE-na") for confirmation, WHO IS THE *ONLY* PERSON WHO WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH.

The "2-bedrooms" available to Interval members, are just lockoff units carved out of the resort's 3-bedroom units, which are on the beach-most ends of the U-shaped resort. They are extremely convenient to the beach, pool and main dining area (Turtle's Nest), but not to the elevator and lobby/front desk. (It's not that far, but I mention it for the benefit of those with mobility issues). "

 

[JanT]

Billymach,

I'm not sure what this person is talking about. I was at the Costa Linda a couple of years ago and stayed in a 2 BR unit and I can tell you, it does have a livingroom (not huge but decent sized) and a kitchen (complete with stove and dishwasher). Is it an elaborate place? Not as far as I'm concerned and I wasn't impressed. The unit was in need of some minor repairs and some updating, and I personally wouldn't qualify it as a 5-star resort. HOWEVER, other people beg to differ with me and I suppose it's because I have fairly high standards. Costa Linda didn't meet those but if it was my only choice to stay in Aruba I would definitely stay there agian. It's not a dive by any means - a nice, quiet, run-of-the-mill resort in good condition. Your friend should not worry. They got a nice trade.

 

[billymach4]

This is review # 11 from the Tug Review?

There must be something of substance here. This is a Tugger in 2005. Maybe some of these oddball units do exist. I am going to advise my buddy to call directly to the resort with this II confirmation. Let him speak to someone directly at the resort with his confirmation and the resort should (hopefully) let him know the configuration of the room. I don't think he should speak to II about this, II indicates E, 1br, 2br, 3br .


Date Of Visit - Jul 29, 2005
Date Of Review - Aug 11, 2005

Overview impression of Costa Linda was very disappointing considering all the great reviews!!! We had reserved an one-bedroom at the Costa Linda. I called RCI numerous times to confirm the configuration of the room - bdrm w/king bed, separate sitting area with partial kitchen. I assumed that we would be getting a one bedrom suite located on the first floor. We were very disappointed to find ourselves with a lock-out - separate back bedroom had 2 twin beds. What was supposed to be the sitting room was a bedroom with a king bed and kitchenette - not partial kitchen. We complained to CL management and RCI and received NO compensation or consideration. We had other problems with our room - the sheets were old (they had the little pellets like you would see on an old sweater). All the blankets were dirty. Finally after the 4th day - we received a clean blanket after rotating thru the king and twin blankets trying to locate a clean one. The sheets were never replaced during our entire stay.

The kitchen was totally inadequate. There were only 2 sets of utensils - only one spoon. During our entire stay, we were not able to make local calls without the assistance of the hotel operator. The room did not have a resort directory. Also we had to let the water run about 3 - 5 minutes to get hot water from either the shower in the back bathroom or the bath/shower in the "main" room. (No exaggeration!!)

"The resort grounds were nice - nothing impressive. They seemed to have a full schedule of activities for both adults and kids. We spent most of our time at the beach - which was fabulous. Had no problems reserving a papala at the water's edge on most days. The pool was smaller than we had envisioned and usually very crowded with kids and it was difficult to find seating with shade.

We enjoyed our lunches at the restaurant onsite, Turtle's Nest. Great fish sandwiches! Unfortunately, they only had a pizza place for informal dinners which was OK and it was inconveniently located down the street.

Staff was friendly and courteous but did not provide first rate customer service, i.e. did not go out of their way to provide an exceptional experience.

We really like Aruba and plan to go back but will NOT stay at the Costa Linda."

 

[JanT]

I can only attest to what we had which was a full 2 BR but it sounds like there must be some units that have lock-off capability. Ours did not. Did your friend confirm a 1 BR or 2 BR?

 

[sun&fun]

"If Interval has promised you a 2-bedroom unit with one king, 2 twins, a living room with sofabed, and full kitchen -- be warned that NO SUCH UNITS EXIST at the resort.

They do indeed exist. Costa Linda is comprised of mostly 2-bdrm units with full kitchen, etc., and about 15 3-bdrm units. I don't know what II offers and I suppose it is possible to be placed in a 2-bdrm lock-off portion of a 3-bdrm which wouldn't be nearly as satisfactory.

If you know the unit number, it is easy to verify on the site map of the resort http://www.costalinda-aruba.com/site-plans.asp

I believe the lock-offs of 3-bdrms are suffixed with an "A" as in XXXX-A

 

[sun&fun]

And Costa Linda is a wonderful resort

I should have added to my last post that Costa Linda is my favorite resort on Aruba. It has, hands-down, the best beach of any resort on the island. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who is looking for a quiet resort with fabulous beach front.

 

[lvhmbh]

The website for costa linda is www.costalinda-aruba.com and they have layouts on that site. I used to own a 2 BR and now have multiple weeks in a 3 bedroom. The 2 BR does indeed have a living room, dining area and full kitchen. There are Cayena Suites - I think 4 - which are not full 2 bedrooms but we don't advertise them as such. They are primarily for owners who need a day or so on either end of their trip.