This was our fifth trip to the island and first stay at the Ocean Club. We previously have stayed at the Surf Club, Paradise Beach Villas, Renaissance Hotel, RIU and Occidental. Our party consisted of my wife and I, our seven month old and my parents.

Pre-arrival, we exchanged two units through Interval for a one bedroom and a lock out and I requested the units be connected, on an upper floor in the north building. The staff honored our request with the units being connected to create a 2 bedroom and we were placed in the north tower. However, we were placed on the first floor. There are a total of six floors and after talking to some folks it sounds like Owners were given floors 3 - 6 and all others were on floors 1 - 2. Floors 5-6 appear to have the best views. Being on the first floor did benefit us as we did not have to deal with the elevator (except trash and laundry were on floors 2 - 6) and we were steps away from the pool which was great with the baby. I should note my parents started to receive calls 3 days prior to arriving to sign up for a timeshare presentation and continued to call multiple times even after they told them they were not interested.

Unit Description: The unit itself was real nice with granite counter tops, flat screen tvs, and newer furniture. The beds were very uncomfortable and are in desperate need of replacement. They also do a midweek tidy clean up midweek which was nice (included basic cleaning, towel replacement, but did NOT include linen replacement). The air conditioner was very sensitive too. We received a crib and high chair and both worked out fine. Be careful with the crib as our son got his leg stuck one night in the railings. We also brought a pack n play from home and used it in the room, pool and beach and it was a life saver.

Facilities: The facility is real nice. Both the pool and beach felt a lot more spacious then the Surf club. We never had a problem getting a papala (just don't expect first or second row), but it was difficult getting chairs around the pool after 7:30 AM. The pool was real nice and is open til 10 PM, but the pool bar closes at 6:00 PM (meaning they start shutting down at 5:30 PM). I would like to see them keep the pool bar open til 7:00 PM. As a perk, guest at the Ocean club can use the Marriott's Hotel pool. The Adult Only pool at the hotel and the pools at the Surf clubs are off limits. You can also charge your meals between the three resorts to your room. I did notice the Surf Club pool bar was under construction and when I inquired about it was advise it was closed for two weeks.

Restaurants: We ate breakfast at La Vista (ala carte), dinner at Champions a couple of times, did the pizza special at the surf club (you get more for your money there than at champions). All were decent but pricey. We ate at the following offsite: Tango Argentine Grill (great food but poor service), Sole Mare (above average italian, service was good but the waiter spilled what he stated was water and went to clean it up. Not until we got home did we discover some of it spilled on my son who was sleeping in his stroller and it definitely was not water but some sauce. Probably won't go back there due to this reason), Linda's Pancake House for breakfast (great as always), Rum Reef Bar & Grill at Baby Beach for lunch (limited menu... food was OK but great drinks), Iguana Joes for drinks (a tradition of ours), Iguana Catina (food was decent), and the breakfast buffet at the Radisson (decent but very hot inside and out).

Other: The weather was great overall and tourism is booming in Aruba. We rented a car from Top Drive for the week and service was great. It was the 2nd time we used them and will use them again in the future. The road in front of the airport is a bit funky with the construction of the new round-a-bout but it should be completed by early next year and the same can be said with the new trolly being installed in Oranjestad - just a bit more difficult to drive with the construction.

Final Thoughts: Overall we enjoyed our stay and would consider staying the Ocean club in the future. It is very laid back and quiet, but still close to the action.

Just returned from a week at the Ocean Club and we were very happy with our accommodations. The staff was friendly especially at the pool and beach and they had plenty of fun activities.
I think they could of done a better job communicating the activities because we missed things especially those shared with the surf club. I was also confused about the beach set up. You Do Not have to pay unless you want a hut right up front. My suggestion is take a hut in the back and bring your beach chair up to the surf if you want to.
The Marriott hotel that was next store was the only place for a nice cocktail lounge but that needs some help. Very slow service and music stops at 9:30

Great location, be sure to ask a few people before you take a taxi. A lot of places you can really walk too.

My family of 8 spent 6 wonderful days in aruba. we were greeted and bell hops took our belongings,Upon checking in I thought the front desk was great they got me the room i requested without any hassel, and the room was clean and the view...forget it. GEORGEOUS...we ran around enjoying ourselves so much the staff know who we were. They made share with us the activites for my kids, places to eat, and where the sites were. The ocean club was always on their feet ready to get us a cab or bring up our shopping bags. Their staff is like no other....quality work and they serve with joy= quality customer service...we booked again 2 days before we left.

I am just coming home from a 4 day trip to Aruba where my family and I (a group of 10) stayed at the Ocean Club and at the Surf Club.
When I made the reservation, I was concerned about the difference between the Surf and Ocean Clubs, the Ocean being more expensive by $800. We decided on the more expensive, the Ocean, expecting a higher quality of service.
Upon arrival, we dropped off half of our group at the Surf Club where they were immediately met by 5-6 valets. When we went to Ocean, there were no valets, we had to carry our luggage and when we went to the front desk, the very unfriendly receptionist was annoyed when we asked her if she could call the valet to bring our luggage up. No valet showed up and we had to carry our own bags!
When we opened our room, the ocean view was no where to be seen and the extra pillows we asked for never arrived.
The beach is very pretty but wake up at 530 am so you can make the line to reserve a hut or else you are stuck with sitting behind the water sports.
There is a pier and a lot of small boats and jet skis so stay within the roped areas. Enjoy the murky water since the boats come in and out and move the sand underneath.
Everyone is on island time which is expected but seriously, in a hotel? The only alert people Are the constant time share vendors with their phone calls and "free gift" incentives (a lotion of aloe and $400 if you attend their 2 hr demo). For the 400$ we went to the supposed 1 hr demo and at 2 hrs they didnt want to let us go. Then the harrassing began.
Overall, the property is great but if you are expecting service, you will not get it.