We traveled to the Marriott Ocean Club with another couple in October, renting a 2 bedroom ocean view villa. We were on the 3rd floor overlooking the pool and it more than accommodated both couples. Each of us had our private bedrooms and we shared a fully furnished kitchen, living room and dining room. We took a cab to stock our kitchen with breakfast food, snacks and beverages at the island main grocery store. Their selection was much more diverse and the prices better than at the convenient stores. We loved spending our free time on the beach, though the pool was very refreshing as well. The beach and water are beautiful! The Marriott's location is perfect for accessing the many shops and restaurants within walking distance. The resort is very clean and well kept, with a very friendly staff. As a matter of fact, everywhere we went in Aruba we encountered the friendliest of people, both workers and vacationers. We did not rent a car on this trip, but would feel very comfortable doing so on a return trip. When we ventured out of walking distance, the cab rides were very reasonable. There are a number of casinos in the area but we thought the best one was the Stellaris, located on Marriott's property. We have traveled to many tropical locations and Aruba has risen to the top of our list due to the multitude of options you have for recreation, amazing restaurants and fun nightlife. My husband and I loved it so much, we have already booked a return trip for his birthday in February!

Just returned from a week stay at the Marriott Ocean Club in Aruba. I am an owner and very proud to be one. I noticed some nice enhancements from my last stay 18 months ago:

1. No more lugging towels back to the room at night. Now I was able to get my towels in the morning at the towel hut and return them that night. It was open past 6pm which was great.
2. Guests now have a place to leave their tubes, noodles, and kid beach toys for new guests arriving. This is very convenient.
3. More smiles on the towel hut workers. Friendly security guards. Though the workers in the tropical market store can use a smile. At times, they appear bothered to assist customers.
4. 10% discount on food at the pavillion for owners is nice since it is pricey to eat there.

The pool was very warm and clean. It seemed like the filter system had been upgraded so the water was very enjoyable.

I do wish they had more staff at the pool bar. 1-2 people making drinks there is not enough. I noticed others wrote the same comment in their review so I hope Corey is reading this and will do something about that. I could wait a while for someone to make my drinks at the pool bar. And I missed the bell they used to ring when Happy Hour started. But on a good note, it starts at 2pm! $5 bloody marys and screwdrivers till noon is a nice touch too!

The workers there are genuinely helpful and welcoming. The property was immaculate. I always feel safe everywhere on the property and on the beach.

I do wish they would remove some of the sharp shells upon entering the ocean. Some areas are worse than others. The water is gorgeous but it's not as clear as it used to be. I don't know if the Marriott can do anything about that, but maybe at least remove the shells?

I stay in hotels over 100 nights per yr. My overall rating is good. Somewhere between 4-5 stars but not a five. Clean rooms, friendly staff, pools and beach access is excellent, location to other activities is just ok. The dining choices were decent with exception to the sports bar called Champions. The rooms are competitively priced with other brand name hotels in Aruba. Would not hesitate to stay here again.

My husband and I just returned from 9 days at the Ocean Club (an exchange through Interval International). Our 1 bedroom unit was on the second floor facing the Marriott Hotel adult pool and the walkway to the hotel. It was very quiet and relaxing while in the unit. The unit was clean and spacious. The 1 bedroom unit does not have a washer/dryer, so I made use of the laundry room on our floor. Very convenient! The pool area was always crowded, so we went to the beach every day. The water was wonderful and we floated for hours in our tubes we brought from home. We had no problem securing a palapa near the water. There is a seaweed odor problem at times, but we made sure not to swim in that area. The Marriott properties do have the best beach (very deep). The Ritz Carlton is being built next door to the Marriott Hotel, so there will be 4 properties adjacent to each other. The Ocean Club is the smallest and seems to be the better choice for couples/adults, while the Surf Club seems to be geared towards families with children.

We used the convenience store on the property (we did not rent a car) and bought eggs, cereal, snacks, etc. We ate lunch and dinner out.

The grounds and beach are very well maintained and all who work there are extremely friendly and helpful.

We visited the hotel next door which has a casino and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. The first night we ate on the beach at Simply Fish and enjoyed our dinner.

We played golf at Tierra del Sol twice, the only 18 hole golf course on the island. Very windy and challenging!

Free WIFI was a great plus, since my husband brought his laptop.

We are already planning our next trip to Aruba!