I am a Divi timeshare owner and this was my second time returning to the Phoenix as an owner. My sister and I purchased a timeshare last year as we fell in love with Aruba and the Divi Phoenix. For the most part we enjoyed our 10 days at the Phoenix and loved the beach and pool area. Where we ran into some problems was upon check in as I had added a day on at the front end and two days on the back end of our timeshare. I also rented a second room for a portion of the 10 days as I had extra family members that were joining us. I knew that given the uniqueness of our check in situation would be difficult for the staff to understand. For that reason, I called the Divi main office twice prior to my trip so that they understood our unique situation. I was told that we would be placed in a room that we could stay in for all 10 days and that our family members would be placed near us. Well, this wasn't the case at all. The first night we were placed in the old tower and was told that "nothing is guarenteed", without a smile, without an apologetic tone, and without an "I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Oh, and by the way, I was speaking to the front desk manager who is in deep need of more customer service training. We had to go through the long process of checking out the next day to move into our timeshare which took up valuable time. Our other family's room was also not ready until about 4pm and we had to wait around for their room to be ready before heading out to enjoy the day. Once again, I was told by the manager that "nothing is guarenteed" and that they would get to cleaning our timeshare room by 4pm. (not that they would rush as we were already there and were inconvenienced the first night of our stay by staying in the old tower and having to check in and out and move suitcases to different buildings). More customer service training please for the front desk manager!!! She does not smile, has no personality and does not know the words "I'm sorry or I aplogize for the inconvenince." Magical words that can turn around a difficult situation around and make a customer feel appreciated.
Other than that, the rest of our stay was good. We love the newness of our timeshare 1 bedroom unit on the 3rd floor. It is an end unit and we have two large bathrooms with showers and a very comfy king size bed. The pullout couch is also quite comfortable. The full kitchen is also awesome so one can buy food at the grocery store to save money. We did tend to eat out every night at local restuarants. Bar drinks are overpriced. $10 for a little plastic cup full of what they consider a margarita. Also no personality from the bar staff. Not even a smile. Go to the grocery store and buy your wine and beer. There is also a blender in the units to make mixed drinks.
Further more, I have to comment on the older units in the tower and how vastly different they are from my timeshare unit in the new buildings. The older units have very large balconies however, have 1 very small bathroom and old appliances that looked gross. The bedroom was huge however but a little unnecessary as the living room area was super small. With so many complaints about the old tower, why don't they update the rooms there?
All in all the Divi Phoenix is way better than a traditional hotel. The extra room and full kitchen and nice beach facing balconies are so worth it. Consider buying in the new buildings if you are looking to buy.
Room Tip: If you can, chose a unit in the newer buildings preferably above the 3rd floor for excellent views!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.