My husband and I spent a week here in a one-bedroom corner unit. The balcony, because it was a corner unit, was spacious and private. The unit we were in could use some updating and some serious re-grouting in the bedroom and bathroom. The unit was kept very clean, however, and had daily towel and trash service--something not offered at many condo resorts. On Wednesday, a full cleaning service was offered with a change of bed linens--again, something not always customary at other condo resorts. The grounds were kept very well groomed and the pool and hot tub were maintained each day. The staff was consistently friendly and always willing to help. The check-in for this resort is located in the Divi Golf Resort on the other side of the road. There was no signage to indicate this so we ended up needing to consult a security worker on the premises. Our frustration at finding the check-in was tempered when we were offered a glass of rum punch in the lobby. We also experienced some confusion during our stay since some of the resorts are all-inclusive and some, like the Divi Dutch, are not. It is not at all clear which restaurants are part of the all-inclusive plan and which are open to anyone. We discovered, by trial and error, which restaurants were available to us. In typical Caribbean fashion, there were many rules to follow but nowhere were the rules indicated. We ended up having many good laughs over these rules throughout the week and just learned to roll with the punches. The next time around, we will know how to navigate ourselves through the system--if the rules don't change! The beaches are beautiful here and well worth the minor inconveniences that we experienced.

This review is actually for the Divi Dutch Village, not any of the sister resorts, as some other reviews have mistakenly posted here instead.

Travelled here the last week of November 2012, with 4 adults.

ROOMS
Rooms are tired and dated, but are kept very clean by staff. Compared to the other Divi properties on Aruba, this one is the oldest and least “pretty”. We stayed in a two bedroom unit, which has the two bedrooms each with ensuite bathrooms upstairs, and the living room, kitchen, and third bathroom downstairs on the main floor. A town-house style of accommodation, which was a really nice layout. The balcony door was broken and hard to slide, but it still worked. The fact that the 12 ft+ balcony door slid all the way open was awesome, it opened up the entire room. It rained quite a bit while we were in Aruba, but not to ruin our vacation. Due to the rain, we had a leak in the ceiling, right beside a light fixture. The water was literally dripping out of the fixture itself. All they did was fold a towel and put it on the floor underneath the drip. Overall, the rooms are nothing to get excited about, but they did the trick.

GROUNDS
Very well kept grounds. Pools are nice. There are a ton of iguanas and other lizards around the pools. Some of them are quite friendly and will let you scratch their heads. They love lettuce and cabbage.

LOCATION
Good location, with an amazing beach. You can walk for miles on the white sand beach, from one hotel to another. Never a shortage of chairs while we were there. No need to “save” your chair with a towel at 7am. OK snorkeling off the beach, but nothing spectacular. The hotel is within walking distance to a grocery store, or a short drive to the bigger brand new grocery store which makes it easier for stocking up for the week. The bus stop is right outside the hotel too, so if you don’t rent a car, this is an easy way to get around the island.

Aruba is very “Americanized”. Not as quaint and unique as other islands we’ve been to, but it’s still a lovely island.

FOOD / DRINK
Since we stayed here as a time share, we were not All Inclusive. We ate at the buffet restaurant at the Divi Tamarijn next door one evening (paying $30 per person), and it was a severe disappointment. We specifically picked the night to go based on the pre-determined menu, and when we arrived to eat, half the things that were supposed to be on the menu were not. The host blamed it on the chef calling in sick. It was a really gross dinner. The pizza / snack bar also at the Tamarijn was nothing special either. I wouldn’t recommend the food at the Divi properties, based on what we tried while we were here. 

The absolute best meal of the week was at Aqua Grill seafood restaurant. It was amazing. We’re still talking about it. Highly recommended. http://www.aqua-grill.com/

Busters Garage Sports Bar was a good spot for watching sports, and the casino inside was small but we actually won big here.

Casa Tua - A little Italian place in Palm Beach and Oranjestad had amazing pizzas, risotta, pasta, you name it. It’s a chain with restaurants around the island. Also highly recommended.

STAFF
Friendly, but not overtly so. No one went above and beyond, but really no complaints either.

ACTIVITIES
Absolutely no night entertainment, or daily activities. It's a fairly quiet resort, which was just fine with us. Next door at the Tamarijn was a little more lively, but not huge either. Down the beach a ways more was the Divi Aruba, and they had a nice live band and what seemed to be some really nice restaurants.

Rent a car; you won't be disappointed. This island has so much to offer.

Arikok National Park; make sure you wear good footwear. There’s tons of little cacti which are like razor blades in the park. There are some amazing caves on the far side of the park. Either rent a Jeep or get ATV/4x4 vehicles for this trip. Not for small vehicles. Oh, and there are no bathrooms.
Arashi Beach (north west tip); a great snorkeling spot
Palm Beach; shopping, restaurants, casinos
Oranjestad; shopping, restaurants

OTHER HOTELS
The Riu was amazing. Go check it out, even just to look around or check out their casino.

The Divi Aruba Phoenix was also really nice with amazing pools. We tried to book here in the first place, but it was completely booked up.

OVERALL
I wouldn’t stay at the Divi Dutch Village again, but I would definitely go back to Aruba. An amazing island.

We stayed 12 days at Dutch Village. The studio room was near the end, 2nd floor. Clean, with small kitchen, balcony. Not new, but still in good shape. Room service was good but sometimes late. Great beach, and yes, if you want one of the huts you should reserve before 8 AM.

I would recommend a car, if you want to see more than the beach and the resort restaurants. Traffic can be terrible, though. Grocery shopping is possible without car with a 5 min walk.

We got a deal on one of these rooms and they upgraded us to a larger room when we got there for free! The beach is beautiful. The room was very nice. The shuttle system worked great for us to get around the large resort.

We didn't do all-inclusive, but there was a grocery story right across from the Dutch Village, which we got all our beer and lunch food from. We ate dinner at the Promenade across the street as well. Very good. W

We also enjoyed the Tamarijn entertainment, which is right beside the Dutch Village.