Marriott Surf Club versus the Ocean Club

Has anyone stayed or visited both and have an opinion on which one would be best for 3 teenagers, 12, 14, 16. It appears that the Surf Club has more to do and more pools for the kids. It appears to be larger and has the Casino there as well. Is that the case? We are planning to go April 20 and had an issue with our timeshare at the Surf Club and they have offered us the Ocean Club. Please answer if you can as soon as you can. Thanks Cheryl

The Surf club has a great lazy river but the casino is at the hotel -- the 3 resorts (Ocean, Surf and hotel) are all in a row and you can walk between them in a few minutes. We liked the surf club as it was newer and had the lazy river.

PS -- we will be there that same week with our 10 year old; we were there back in October and Surf club was awesome.

marc340 wrote:

The Surf club has a great lazy river but the casino is at the hotel -- the 3 resorts (Ocean, Surf and hotel) are all in a row and you can walk between them in a few minutes. We liked the surf club as it was newer and had the lazy river.

thanks so much for your reply. It appears we may hav worked out the problem and will be at the Surf Club. I will know today. Thanks for your quick response.

marc340 wrote:

PS -- we will be there that same week with our 10 year old; we were there back in October and Surf club was awesome.

Thanks for your quick response. We may have worked out the problem and will be staying at the Surf Club. e will know today. Thank you

Of course you will need to verify the following with Marriott, but I have been visiting the Ocean Club for many years and watched the development of both properties. Here is a bit of insight...

OCEAN CLUB BENEFITS Generally Quieter Lower Rise Buildings Located Closer to Marriott Resort Larger Beach and more Palapas Generally less crowded pool area Rooms seem larger Better on-site access to Marriott restaurants More traditional island decor in units Access to larger/better health club shared with resort Spa/Massage/Facial on-site. More centrally located to all Marriott facilities. Use of Marriott Resort and Marriott Surf Club facilities (Surf Club has restricted access to Resort pool and beach, and Ocean Club beach, OC Pool is OK)

SURF CLUB BENEFITS Newer, richer furnishings Washer/Dryer in Rooms Fancier Pool and water park Slightly closer to off-site facilities, restaurants, and other hotels Better Kids Center

Many people complain that the Ocean Club pool looks dirty (it isn't, it is just older, the plaster color is white, and the tile is older).

Many Surf Club folks complain that the pool deck is too crowded and not enough breeze to keep cool, or the structures have created "wind tunnels" that blast you.

There are definately more kids at the Surf Club. If you are coming without kids, I would choose the Ocean Club. With kids, the Surf Club. If the Beach is your primary place to spend time, book the Ocean Club.

Beach priority and Kids? Choose the Beach and book the Ocean Club (the kids programs are still available and you can use the Surf Club facilites, but you won't have a washer/dryer in your unit).

Beware, both properties have some units with lousy views.

Ocean Club is entirely NON-SMOKING, inquire about Surf Club.

I own a two bedroom lock-off at the Surf Club. The Surf Club is awesome and a newer time share. Large building vs. low riser. Pool has Lazy L River which is spectacular fun in the sun. Make sure you get your lounges early. They go quickly. My opinion is Surf Club has great nautical decor in rooms which is upscale (Washer/Dryer & Jacuzzi in some) and is well maintained. Good friendly staff and service. Nice group of time share visitors. Family oriented.

The Ocean Club. OK decor nothing special at Ocean Club - except more stores for shopping, eating and much quieter surroundings (there is definitely less people and a quieter beach front). Rooms are older and may need some refurbishing.

Surf Club is further from the Marriott Hotel and is a small hike to Casino. A little more crowded but a total delightful vacation accomodation. LUXURY ALL THE WAY. Its your preference that counts.

Either time share is a Marriott delight and a vacation spot to remember on the island of Aruba.

We can's wait to go back every year!

If you plan on visiting Aruba Go FIRST CLASS WITH A MARRIOTT TIME SHARE and the ammenities are grand.

The Ocean Club Rooms were last remodeled two or three years ago with new upholstered goods. Last year the new "Marriott" Beds were installed (Duvet, all white...). The built-in goods are definately dated with Oak as opposed to the Cherrywood at the Surf Club. Surf Club also has granite baths vs. marble at Ocean Club.

However, I was just there this week and watched the check-in process at the Surf Club...be prepared for a line of 10 to 15 rooms being assigned as opposed two the three or four at the Ocean Club.

Again...Surf Club is best for kids, laundry and being new; Ocean Club is best for beach, quiet, and closeness to Marriott restaurants & casino. You choose...both are very nice.

Tip...the hotel is undergoing remodeling. The airlines often charge extra to arrive or leave on Fri/Sat/Sun. Consider getting a hotel room for an extra day or two. You may be able to pay for the hotel room with what you save on airfare.

We love Aruba. However we don’t like the Surf Club. June 23-July 9, 2007 If you have young children and love the Disney pool atmosphere you will enjoy the Surf Club. If you have manners, love the beach, enjoy swimming in the ocean without touching the slimy bottom, paying $5 -$10 per day on a hut and would like to read with rude children constantly screaming while their parents drink beer from their coolers you will not have an enjoyable vacation unless you lock yourself in your room. We have been vacationing in Aruba for many years. We bought a timeshare in the Ocean Club five years ago and love it there, then got talked into buying another at the Surf Club preconstruction 3 years ago which we strongly regret. I wished we had bought another at the Ocean Club. The salespeople mislead you by telling you how wonderful it will be. The rooms are wonderful I have to give them that but… It is so overcrowded now and it will be a nightmare when the two other buildings are completed. The staff is not so friendly probably because they have to deal with people complaining all day, the beach is horrible even if you are willing to pay for a hut they are so close together there is no breeze, its hot as hell, the ocean floor is so slimy,yuk, it smells so fishy because the fishing/boating pier is a few yards away, there are no bathrooms on the beach you have to walk all the way back to the Surf to pee, the beach attendants watch you from a shaded hut while you drag chairs to the waters edge. No one is enforcing the no smoking policy, there is supposed to be a smoking section but its empty because people are smoking wherever they want and when I approached a staff member about this issue they said they didn’t want guests to get angry at them. The only plus to the Surf Club vs. the Ocean Club is having a washer and dryer in your room. Be careful if you are interested in buying a timeshare at the Surf Club from Marriott unless you want points or want to trade your property. If you love Aruba and enjoy the Surf Club and plan on vacationing there every year you can save up to $10,000 by buying one privately, resale’s. Just look in the local newspaper or timeshare resale’s on the net. The only drawback is you can’t trade for other properties and you don’t get the points. The points that is another joke people are so impressed by the points big deal it gets you some airline tickets and 7 nights at a hotel. You can save so thousands of dollars buying one privately. The salespeople tell you can trade for all these exotic places but the reality is, it is so hard unless you are retired and can vacation anytime to get the week you want. I tried to trade one year in advance for Hawaii and lost 2 weeks in Aruba because it never came through. All in all like I said we love Aruba but hate the Surf Club. Book a few days at the Ocean Club then the Surf Club then you decide.

Well said reginas39. If I am not mistaken, they took part of the fishing pier and converted it to beach which the ocean hasn't had time to adapt to a normal beach. In any event, you are correct, the Surf Club beach is near the fishing boat dock.

howardh37

i heard that the salespeople are now telling everyone interested in a timeshare that they plan on moving the pier. who knows if thats going to happen or not. there are a lot of people upset about the beach and ocean in front of the surf club. beaches are very important to us. i have a pool at home.

you have to go to sunset grill at the raddison if you plan on going to aruba. they have the best food and service.

We stayed at the Ocean Club last year and loved it so much that we bought an Ocean View at the Surf Club. They assured us that the pier would be moved and there would be a nice beach there. I am getting nervous now after reading about a slimy beach at the Surf Club. Has anyone been there recently and is the beach any better? We are going again in November. Also, I thought we were allowed to use all of the Marriott facilites, regardless of where we owned.

CHECK OUT WWW.ARUBAOCEANCLUB.COM A JOINT WEB SITE BY THE BOARDS OF DIRECTORS OF THE OCEAN AND SURF CLUB. This is not a Marriott site rather owner to owner.

THEY ALSO HAVE RESALES AND RENTALS DIRECTLY FROM OWNERS WHICH WILL SAVE YOU GREATLY.

Thank you very much for that information. The site was very helpful.

thanks for this site it is great Is there a site like this for ocean point and surf club

The Surf Club is included in the Ocean Club website. They are a combined effort.

I read some of the above posts with interest and felt I had to reply to give perhaps a different perspective than some of what was posted above. OMHO, the Surf Club is an ideal vacation spot; the Ocean Club is beautiful too, but I prefer the SC a little more. This is the only place I have ever been to that I am content just to relax for the week; my family was amazed, because they usually quip that they need a vacation from one of my vacations.

I found the beach to be so comfortable- island warmth but with a cooling breeze, making it comfortable to lay out, read a book, and enjoy the view all day. They have recently expanded the beach and are in the process of adding more palapas. The sea wall was just moved (completed a month or two ago) and that is why some may have recently found the ocean floor slimy. Now that the sea wall (remnants from the pier which had been moved last year) has been moved, the swimmable area has been enlarged and the ocean floor will clear up since currents are freely circulating.

The Lazy River at the SC is a great pool facility. Owners/guests at the OC may use it after 10AM at the present time. That relationship may or may not persist in the future, so if you are considering purchasing that is something to consider. The OC pool is much smaller, albeit quieter. Likewise, SC guests can use the OC pool if they so desire.

All guests can use the hotel casino, restaurants and it is a short walk from the SC to the hotel. The OC is between the hotel and the SC.

As for amenities, the SC is newer, the units a bit larger and nicer and they have the washer/dryer in the 1 BR unit (or 2BR of the 3 BR units). The OC master BR has a jacuzzi tub and the SC a large soaking tub. As posted above, the OC has been recently refurbished, so it has been somewhat updated.

The SC is a high rise and the OC a low rise. Some prefer the low rise but the views from the upper floors of the SC are spectacular. There is greater availability of palapas at the OC but that has been at the trade-off of view; the Aruban government allowed the palapas at the OC to block the line of sight from the OC rooms, but the SC was restricted from building palapas that would block the ocean view from any room at the SC.

As far as purchasing a unit- the only difference between purchasing from Marriott directly or buying resale is the ability to trade for points. You can trade to other destinations if you buy resale (the post above was incorrect, btw); all units trade through Interval International (II), and they can be traded on other sites as well (such as here and elsewhere). Marriott's Aruba properties are the second most requested Marriott trades (second to Hawaii) and both Platinum and Gold weeks have secured fabulous trades by many. Visit Tug2.net if you want more information on buying or trading a unit; there are wonderful discussions there about the pros and cons of buying from the developer versus resale and also other discussions on the two Marriott Aruba timeshares.

At either destination you will have a fabulous vacation. There is a reason why so many people come back annually. Many of the purchasers at the SC had been staying at the Marriott Hotel for many years before purchasing.

cherylp94 wrote:

Has anyone stayed or visited both and have an opinion on which one would be best for 3 teenagers, 12, 14, 16. It appears that the Surf Club has more to do and more pools for the kids. It appears to be larger and has the Casino there as well. Is that the case? We are planning to go April 20 and had an issue with our timeshare at the Surf Club and they have offered us the Ocean Club. Please answer if you can as soon as you can. Thanks Cheryl

cherylp94 wrote:

Has anyone stayed or visited both and have an opinion on which one would be best for 3 teenagers, 12, 14, 16. It appears that the Surf Club has more to do and more pools for the kids. It appears to be larger and has the Casino there as well. Is that the case? We are planning to go April 20 and had an issue with our timeshare at the Surf Club and they have offered us the Ocean Club. Please answer if you can as soon as you can. Thanks Cheryl

Cheryl, I have stayed t both however i like the surf club much better the service is better its newer and the spa is to die for,there are more pools at the ocean club however the kids will be able to go there even if they are not staying there and its right next door, They will find lots to do . They is one thing that we did that we liked and that was we went to the butterfly farm. You must go early in the morning while the due is still on the ground . The butterflys have a hard time flying there wings are not totatly dried out . Make sure u put somekind of skin cream on that has the sent of bannans or oranges. The butterflys will land on the kids they love it no matter how old.