Marriott's Aruba Ocean Club

I’d like to preface this review by saying that I’ve been staying at the Marriott Ocean Club for over 20 years. I absolutely love the location, the spacious rooms, the relaxed atmosphere, and the consistently friendly and helpful staff—especially those on the operations and activities teams. However, my most recent stay was deeply disappointing, which is why I’m leaving a two-star review. We were aware before our arrival that the resort was undergoing renovations. Over the past several years, the property has been working on much-needed upgrades, and we understand that progress takes time. In the most recent newsletter, the resort briefly mentioned structural renovations, but offered little detail about how these might impact in-unit experiences. Upon check-in, we were informed that the two-bedroom unit we had been assigned was directly affected by exterior renovation work. Specifically, both balconies would be unusable from a Saturday checkin until the following Wednesday morning—this was a major disappointment for my family, as we regularly enjoy meals and downtime on the balcony. We were told that work would be completed by Tuesday Afternoon and the furniture would be returned Wednesday morning, making the space usable again. As a goodwill gesture, we were offered a beach palapa in the 4th, 5th, or 6th row for the impacted days—a roughly $30/day value. When we arrived at the room, there was a fresh coat of paint on the balcony floor. Over the next several days, however, we saw little additional work being done aside from some window cleaning. Concerned about delays, I checked in with the front desk multiple times. Each time, I was reassured that the balcony would be ready Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning at the latest. But Wednesday came and went—our unit remained the only one in our column without balcony furniture. I followed up again and was told it would be resolved that day. Thursday morning arrived and still nothing. With less than two days left in our stay, I returned to the front desk to request additional compensation—again, not a refund, but simply another palapa to make up for the ongoing inconvenience. While the first two staff members I spoke to were helpful and understanding, the property manager was abrupt and dismissive. She claimed it was out of the resort’s hands because the contractors were behind schedule, and that this wasn’t a "full-service hotel." I explained that their own team had consistently told us the issue would be resolved on time, and we were now the only unit still affected, even though work had moved on elsewhere. Yet, there was zero accountability on her end. Interestingly, after I left the resort for a few hours that day, I returned to find the furniture magically back and the balcony accessible—suggesting it could have been resolved sooner. It was also obvious that they had simply overlooked our unit the day before but had no interest in owning it. I’ve worked in the hospitality industry for many

We enjoyed our stay at the Ocean. It was a very nice room with all new appliances. We were on first floor so the view was nonexistent, but the walk to beach was short and easy. A suggestion would be to fill the property with flowers which would be nicer. I also wanted to mention the shower pressure was awesome! The beach was nice and a short walk and pool was even closer. I also liked the Stellaris was close by. I did not deal with many people at Ocean although the bellman were great. Also the security by the pool Christian, and some others helped me get in the bathroom the day we checked out, but still had access to the property. I did want to call out some great people at Stellaris. I took a chair yoga class with Emma which was great. I also met Dala who helped me get to the class. Beverly & Ludwig are also 2 of the best! They understand customer service and are always kind, nice, & helpful. I would have no issue staying at the ocean again. Great location and well kept property.

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.