Ocean Club Report/August 2008

We are spending our use time now in Aruba. When we arrived this year, we were surprised to see the new shopping mall across from the Holiday Inn and Playa Linda resort. The shopping center is called Paseo Herencia and is easy to walk to from the Marriott. There are now movie theaters in the Palm Beach area (Hi Rise Hotel District). The center also contains a water fountain show staged to music and lights that is pretty neat to see. The center also contains a new TGIFridays Restaurant. There are also several other restaurants in the mall from cafe's to the more upscale Mr. Jazz Restaurant.

Also, the new Hadicurari Fishermens Hut adjacent to the Marriott Surf Club is now a pretty good restaurant. Also, we discovered that Red Sail Sports now offers Snuba up in the Malmok/Arashi/Antilla Wreck areas. For those of you who had to go to DePalm Island before, this is a lot more convenient.

On the property, the Marriott Hotel is still undergoing extensive rennovations, however, the South Tower which created most of the noise at the Ocean Club, is now complete so the noise is virutally gone. I went to take a look at the hotel rooms. They have been nicely redone, but are still small by timeshare standards and and ordinary size by Marriott/Hilton/Sheraton type standards. Nothing special. However, the rennovations to the lobby areas look great! Hopefully the health club will follow. There is now a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in the Marriott Resort (Tuscany is now gone). La Vista (casual dining) is closed for major rennovations at this time. For gamblers, the Stellaris Casino is now testing out Texas Hold'em Bonus Poker (you play at a table similar to a Blackjack or Caribbean Stud table against the Dealer's Hand). It's finally a new game in Aruba.

As for the Ocean Club, there is a new General Manager devoted exclusively to the Ocean Club. This should be a big improvement. There continues to be occasional "competition" for laundry facilities, but the Ocean Club now offers same day/next day laundry service for $15.00 for 10lbs (about a normal 18" x 30" laundry bag).

Also, I heard the Board is experimenting with temporarily suspending "service swapping" with the Surf Club during Gold Season (mid-May to mid-Dec). This has allowed the Ocean Club to retain its quiet character and make getting spots by the pool a lot easier. I do not know how long this will ban will stay in place, but it seems to be pretty well received by Ocean Club guests. The Ocean Club pool cannot handle the volume of kids out of school during summer, in addition to its own guests. For anyone who has been to the Surf Club, while the facility is beautiful and new, it can be incredibly crowded when fully occupied.

If you are seeking high-speed internet access, don't expect USA standards. The villas include internet access, but it is much, much, much slower than DSL or Cable Internet (but better than a 56K modem). Plan on checking email, but bring a lot of patience if you will be downloading any documents or opening attachments.

The Ocean Club is due for a major rennovation in 2010. The facilities still seem in reasonable shape, but they are showing wear (the mismatched furniture in the lobby is a clue). Those trading in from a "newer" Marriott property may want to lower their expectations. I suspect this will be a "signature" remodel for Marriott's Vacation Club (at least I hope it will be). I think this is their first international luxury resort timeshare to undergo a major rennovation.

For those seeking healthy cuisine, good luck. Your best bet is probably the self serve Ocean Cafe in the Ocean Club for Non-fat Ice Cream (or Yogurt, there is debate about which it really is, ice cream or yogurt). Also the sandwiches are made without a lot of extra goop.

Cab rides are readily available to Ling and Son's grocery store for about $10 each way. There are usually cabs waiting at the store when you come out, or the grocery store customer service counter will call a taxi for you.

As for downtown, the rennovations are pretty complete for the Renaissance Mall. Headlining are Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Ferragamo, Furla, Dufry, LaCoste, L'Occitane, Ralph Lauren, etc. Many of the stores have relocated within the mall and are larger and remodeled. Hopefully some of these will expand into the new malls near the High Rise Hotels.