I almost hate to say how beautiful this part of Aruba is for fear that the secret will be out. But this resort ranks with some of the best places my wife and I have stayed at. The oceanfront here is so beautiful, that the only comparison I have is Maui. We just came back from 8 nights the last week of November, and probably were in the ocean at least 5 hours a day. We brought our own air mattress to lie on in the calm warm waters. The biggest decisions of the day were deciding which one, of three bars to walk up to for the drink of the day. All-inclusive really means everything, including bicycles for a short ride into town. The rooms were modern with nice tiled walls in the bathroom. The view from our second floor room was better than when expected, and on some days at the break of dawn, the ocean liners passed close to shore making an impressive sight on their way to the nearby port. Our room was no further than 100 feet from the ocean. For those who want to do nothing but play in the water, eat, drink and be merry, this is the place. We visited the high-rise section where all the hotels are bunched together, and were happy we stayed at the Tamarijn. The beach was so crowded and disturbing with the cluster of people, that the high-rise area reminded me of assisted-living on a beach. The food was diverse at the Tamarijn, ranging from fresh omelets for breakfast, to shrimp and steak stir-fry for dinner. The bartenders made the best drinks, were attentive and funny. And if you really needed an afternoon break from floating in the ocean, the 3 o'clock bingo games on certain days earned winners points to get free hats and t-shirts, played at one of the bars that has a great pizza oven. Go to the Tamarijin because there are no rules, plenty of beach chairs, peace and tranquility, great staff, and plenty of space to be alone.

We stayed and loved the Tamarijn in Nov/Dec 2012. Quite possibly the best value I've ever experienced at a resort. I agree with many of the other reviews, but will add a few things not covered in the other reviews:

Pros: Great value. The food is good. The Red Parrot is awesome. We ate there 4 times; there's no limit on the number of times you can attend any one restaurant. The beach is great - IMO, better than any other beach we saw. There are tons of things to do - kayaking, more swimming pools than you can find, lots of beach time, borrowing bikes. The food in the buffets is good, but not awesome. A little too "Americanized" for my taste (hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, waffles, pancakes, etc.) Every room is on the beach, and the views are amazing.

Cons: The rooms are very small. If you have two queen beds, you have about 2 feet on three sides of each bed, and that's it. It didn't matter too much, though, because you're there to be outside! I also wish they had a non-smoking section of the restaurants, and I wish they served more local dishes.

Tips:
* If you stay at the Tam, you can eat at the Tam or the Divi, but you can use facilities at the Divi Dutch Village as well. You can walk to all of it, but there are (electric) shuttles to take you there as well. If you like pools, check out the infinity pool at Divi Village. It's awesome for adults as well as kids - on the opposite end of an enormous pool is a zero-depth beach-like setup. They also have a small water slide.
* Look at the map posted at every shuttle station. You'll see pools all over the place on the property. Most of them have something unique about them - a stone waterfall in the center, an elevated sitting area, a hot tub, etc. If you get sick of the main pool area, try out one of the other pools!
* It's about a 1.5 mile walk to downtown, and it's basically a straight shot. You can see all the shopping and carts associated with the cruise ships; good for an afternoon away.
* If you do a timeshare tour, you get a credit toward other restaurants, a 2 day car rental, or a 4X4 rental. The tour is fairly short and not too high pressure, and the timeshare prices aren't too bad. We did not purchase one, but did enjoy a car rental.
* The best snorkeling is in front of Bunker's Bar. Most of the rest of the resort is white sand bottom.
* The bikes come in adult and kid sizes. They also have adult bikes with baby seats. One day they lead a tour where they lead a bike ride 6 miles up to coast to a snorkeling area. They haul the equipment for you, you snorkel, and you're back home for lunch. Need to be 14 years old to go.
* If you walk to the end of the property nearest to downtown (or take a shuttle), the grocery store is practically across the street.
* If you have small kids, you might want to bring along sand toys. They are $8-10 for a small pack of toys in the gift stores.
* Some activities (like bike tour above, sunfish rental, rock climbing, etc.) are only offered on certain days. If there's something you want to do, then check early on in the week to see when it's offered.
* The tips are pooled, not given to an individual. While I do think this shows in the fact the service isn't as friendly as other resorts we've stayed, you also don't have that awkward last day when every service person you've encountered is trying to talk to you to get a tip. I like the more laid-back approach, but I can see how others might not appreciate that.
* Some people complained about being too far away. It's true; if you're in the 2000+ block of rooms, you have a long hike. However, I did meet some people that were able to request room changes, so if your room location really bothers you, ask to change!

Overall, we loved it. It's the perfect mix of relaxation, yet still having stuff to do. The value is great, especially when you see how expensive food is in Aruba. Our family generally likes to try other places with each vacation, but we were certainly return to the Tam. We met some people that have come every year for 15 years!

I was a little skeptical, but the beach the resort was everything I was looking for. The beach is the best part, less commercialized and more space to relax. The staff was really great and friendly. Even though the rooms are on the smaller side, you walk out your back sliding door to a beach. Cant get better then that. I even bought a timeshare with the Divi properties! If you go here you will def not regret it. The food was ok, but not complaining. Even meet some great couples who me and my boyfriend partied with!

My husband and I spent our 6 day honeymoon at the Tamarijn and loved it. We stayed in the last building on the property, but we enjoyed the walks to the restaurants and shops from there. The room was modest in size, but had everything we needed since we didn't spend much time in the room. I liked the walk-in shower, but water does indeed pool on the floor. It was relaxing to wake up every morning looking at the ocean, or spending the early evening on the balcony.

As for the on-site restaurants, we particularly liked our honeymoon meal at Windows, Paparazzi, and surprisingly, the Palm Grill. It was a fun, first-night meal to cook up our own stir-fry on the table cooktop! The buffet was the best at breakfast at both resorts, but you can find enough to tide you over until dinner at the lunch buffet. I liked the atmosphere at both buffets, especially the iguanas trying to wriggle their way into through the nets!

The proximity to the beach is what really made the Tamarijn great for us. It was easy to find an umbrella near our room all but one part of one day. Towel exchange and float rentals were easy, and the people in the shops were very friendly and proud of their beautiful island. The service at the front desk was warm, but the activities desk staff (where you book restaurants reservations, etc) were pretty chilly across the board.

We thought the Tamarijn provided a nice honeymoon package for the value, and we would definitely return for a future anniversary trip!