Traveled to the Occidental with a group of women friends (18) celebrating the 50th birthdays for four of them. Although a little "dated" the hotel is pretty nice. Need more than one concierge for such a large hotel; restaurant managers were wonderful in accommodating our large groups to dinner at the different restaurants. Our room was kept tidy and fridge items replenished daily. Extra towels provided on request. The pool bar provided relaxation and libations! Pool aerobics daily; tiki huts on the beach a welcome relief from the blazing sun! Food was plentiful in the buffet restaurant, albeit much the same each day. Try L'Olio which served great lamb chops (Francisco); Zen for sushi. Look for the iguanas running around the rock formations! I would return, as Occidental is one of only two hotels which are all-inclusive in the area. Be sure to sign up for the free wind pontoon sailing which will take you out by the lighthouse and back within an hour.

What a wonderful way to relax and have fun at the same time. The beautiful white sand beach and the great pool with a pleasant pool bar staff. The food was great and the wait service is outstanding and so friendly. The island is so safe and shopping can be a lot of fun. The sun is hot so bring the sunscreen and wear a hat and you will be fine. The rooms are clean and up to date, but the employees there are what makes the place great. We will be returning again!

My wife and I were looking forward to our second trip to Aruba, not least of all because we were leaving a house with now heating or power behind (following hurricane Sandy).

We had stayed in an Occidental hotel once before in Mexico and loved it. Once again we upgraded to the Royal Club for our most recent trip.

I think it would be unfair to say we didn't have a good experience, but we were left wondering what we had gained by staying in the royal club, compared to the regular rooms. The service was good, the food was above average, the rooms were tidy and the weather was great.I just think it lacked that certain 'something'. Perhaps it just seemed a little less private than before.

The buffet in both the main hotel and the royal was as expected and the Italian and Chinese restraints were very good. The pool was nice and the location was right off the beach.

We did spend many an enjoyable morning people watching by the pool (and playing 'guess what part of Long Island they are from'). However, I have to say that the highlight of the entire trip was the snorkeling excursion on the Palm Pleasure catamaran - something we did 5 years ago on our first trip, when we stayed in a much cheaper hotel

My husband and I just returned from a week at the Occidental. Had a wonderful time. We read mixed reviews before leaving so were a little concerned.
I had emailed two weeks before arriving, requesting an ocean or pool view room. Upon arrival we were a little disappointed to discover we were given a room with two double beds. (pool view) After requesting a king size bed, they offered a new room if we could wait until the next day. We then had a nice room on the third floor with a view of both the pool and the ocean. Did not have to pay to upgrade.

We did reserve dining options right away as reviews had suggested and had no problem getting the restaurants or times we wanted. We really enjoyed the Italian, Azian and the Mexican. Buffet was remarkably good for breakfast and lunches. The shows were quite good and the music in the lobby bar was excellent.

The beach was wonderful. Did have to claim our beach chairs and cover with towels by 9:00 am if we wanted better seats. Generally did this just before our breakfast and morning beach walk.

One thing to note: At night you could hear the music from the nearby clubs on the strip. Our first night on the second floor you could really hear it until 3:00 am. After we were moved to the third floor, more in the middle of the resort, you could barely hear it.

All in all, staff were friendly and helpful which made for a wonderful time.
Great trip, great value. Would definitely go back.