We stayed for one wk. & found it to be what we expected. Lovely beach & most meals were very good. We were on an all inclusive plan thru Sunquest tours. Check-in was very long & disorganized. Waiting in line for a beach hut in the early morning was ridiculous (there has to be a better way to allocate huts or get more of them or perhaps umbrellas as the sun is very intense). Also, having to wait in line to make a dinner reservation was also not to our liking (again in the morning). And, having to sign chits for everything we ordered was extremely annoying. This is a great resort for families (lots of activities by the pool area). However, because we were just a couple, we would probably not return only because of the kids in the pool & the associated noise that goes with it. BUT, if you are a couple looking not to spend a ton of money, this is a good place to stay.

my friends and I stayed here and loved it. it was amazing and totally more than we expected. the breakfast @ corals was filling and the service was great. the only issue was waking up early to line up for a "chickie" hut in the am. it did not rain once so the weather was amazing. The hotel was @ full capacity and we had a blast. I recommend the lamb and escargot @ da vinches. A hint.....try killing me slowly or the ariba aruba beverages!!!! they are a must :-)

Our room was beautiful, overlooking the pool area and with a great view of the beach & sunset. Staff were professional and friendly. Location was excellent, too. Highly recommended for couples and/or families...I hope to be able to return someday!

We just got back from staying in the Curacao Tower at the Holiday Inn Sunspree in Aruba. I was very nervous about the quality of our room based on some of the reviews on TA, but we were pleasantly surprised.

We picked up a last minute package deal that included direct r/t air from Chicago, transfers, and 3 nts at the Holiday in for $500 pp. We could not turn it down since airfare alone is usually around $600+.

We arrived at the hotel slightly before 4pm, which is check-in time, and yes, the check-in line was long, slow, and not well organized, but we expected this. It took us about 20 - 25 minutes before we were able to check in.

We were given a room in the Curacao tower (7604), and I figured we would take a look at it before asking to move to the Bonaire tower. Yes, the tower is a short walk away from the main building and pool area, but it takes less than 5 minutes to get there if you don't have any physical limitations.

Yes, the elevator was small and slow, but we never waited more than a couple of minutes for it, and there is another elevator towards the back of the Curacao tower if you don't feel like waiting.

We opened the door to our room, and I was expecting visible mold, stained walls/carpets, discolored bedding, etc, but there was nothing of the sort. The room did not smell (or look) moldy, the carpet and bedding was clean, and the room was a decent size (although the beds were small). All of the lights and amenities worked just fine, and housekeeping came everyday and cleaned the room nicely while we were at the pool. We did not have to call housekeeping or maintenance for anything.

On top of that, our room was on the top floor, and even though there was a parking lot next door, we had a great view of the beach, water, and the Moomba Beach bar next door. We could even hear the tropical island music they would play each night, but it was not so loud that it was disturbing to us.

We contacted Guest services to make a same-day dinner reservation for us, which they did with no problem, and called back immediately to confirm it for us. We also had no problems getting a taxi to or from the downtown area.

The beach right in front of the hotel was great. There were no clean-up trucks making noise all day, and barely any seaweed (although we did see some - we just avoided it). There were plenty of people in the water, and we did go in for a bit, but forgot our water shoes. The floor was a little bit rocky, but nothing that was too uncomfortable - we just didn't want to take a chance since the water was a little murky right at the shore.

The pool was very crowded, but we came down everyday after lunch, and didn't have problems finding chairs to lay on (but there weren't many available since most had towels on them). We did not try and get a beach hut, but they were all reserved so I'm guessing people did get up early to wait to reserve them. We chose to sleep in.

There were alot of kids at the pool (in both the Adult pool and Kids pool), and there did not seem to be any enforcement of keeping the kids out of the Adult pool, which was a little annoying. Definitely more of a family resort than a couples getaway, but for the price we paid, we couldn't complain.

We didn't eat at any of the restaurants, but we did have snacks at the pool bar a couple of times. Nachos were okay (maybe $3.00?), and the hot wings were pretty tasty. We were not on the AI plan, so we paid for our own drinks. They tended to range around $6.00 a mixed drink, and happy hour was 2-for-1 everyday from 3:30 - 5:30. The margaritas seemed to be stronger than the rum drinks, and we never had too long of a wait to get service, unless the bar was crowded.

We brought a laptop with us, and in-room wi-fi was $10 for 24 hrs, which was reasonable compared to some other places we have stayed. However, Moomba Beach next door had free wi-fi, so you could just hang out at the bar and surf there if you brought a laptop.

Check-out was pretty quick as we checked out before the noon check-out time, so there wasn't much of a wait - less than 5 minutes.

Overall, we had a great time for a very reasonable price. Maybe we got lucky with our room, as I'm sure there are some that are not up to standards. If you're not happy with your room, ask to be moved. The worst they could say is there is no availability.

I would recommend this hotel to anyone who wants to get to Aruba and not pay Resort type prices, who can deal with kids running around, and who isn't expecting the Four Seasons. We've stayed next door at the Marriott Ocean/Surf club, which was definitely more upscale (and more to my liking), but again, for the price, I can't complain.

If you go, you MUST have dinner at El Gaucho - the best steaks we've ever had, at pretty reasonable prices for a steakhouse ($31 for a 16 oz end cut tenderloin filet with 3 sides, and $27 for a 12 oz center cut tenderloin with 3 sides). The cigar bar across the street from El Gaucho (Garufu?), was also a blast, if you like live music and don't mind the smell of cigars. Also try Cuba's Cookin' if you like Cuba food (downtown), and Casa Tua for pasta/pizza (walking distance, across from the Radisson). Tomato Charlies had good thin pizza as well.