My partner and I stayed Oct 19th through 26th in the Marina hotel with a King Bed/City View. The room was nice, with a safe, fridge, etc. The staff was nice, especially the maids. I liked the location. I know that some people prefer staying right on the beach but it was also nice being near a lot of restaurants and activity. It rained (a lot) our first full day in the morning/early afternoon so all we did was go to the small beach at the Ocean Suites for an hour (nice, but really small). Second day we went to the private island which is really nice--the flamingos are really pretty, with just enough iguanas and lizards--and it rained for a few hours in the middle of the day. (I say this for all the people in the forums who say that it only rains once in a while for a few minutes tops.) Anyway during subsequent days we went snorkleing in Baby Beach, Arashi, and Malmok. They were all really good for snorkleing straight from the beach. We rented a car from Caribbean Car Rental ($130 for a small car for the entire week) to get to other beaches for snorkling and to other restaurants and casinos.

We ate at Marandi, Pinchos, Salt-N-Pepper, Madame Janette's, Gasparito, Le Fondue d'Aruba, and El Gaucho. All were really good. El Gaucho's Argentine steaks were great. We had no bad meals. However, we had breakfast at Captain Cook's one morning at the Ocean Suites and the iguanas and lizards were everywhere waiting for us to drop some crumbs on the ground. One iguana even jumped into the lap of another patron. (Don't worry, they don't bite :).

We also went to the Bon Bini Festival on Tuesday night (held every Tuesday night). It was $3 a person and there were three types of local performers: a "typical" music band, a soloist and two dance troupes plus some local food. It was the closest we came to experiencing local culture.

For those who've never been to Aruba (it was our first trip): its not a big place. From the Renaissance in downtown to Oranjested to Palm/Eagle Beaches is maybe 5-7 miles and a 15-20 minute drive--tops. Don't stress too much. If you can, rent a car, even if you can't, take the bus. If you stay at the Ren, there are a lot of good restaurants in walking distance. Enjoy!

My wife and I stayed at the Ocean Suites for 6 days. The property is beautiful and Renaissance Island is fantastic. We played tennis, worked out, snorkeled, floated on a raft, ate lunch and just relaxed while on the island. We fed flamingos and iguanas. I had read about biting flies and plane noise but experienced neither.

The rooms were not great but not bad. Our room was humid, but other people we met did not have this problem. The bed was very comfortable, the couch was just okay. The bathroom was plenty big enough. We were happy to have a safe in our room, too.

The staff at the Renaissance was just fantastic. Everyone said "good morning" and greeted us with smiles. The pool bar staff knew our names after just one trip there. The conceirge booked us great restaurants and there was even a tour desk in the lobby where we booked an awesoms safari with DePalm Tours. The bellmen went out of their way to assist us with luggage, cabs, shuttles and even grocery bags (although we declined that invitation).

The Renaissance Marina is just a short golf cart ride away. That was a very classy place that reminded of a MIami Beach hotel. We saw the excellent Latin Show there and took it on the chin at the casino. We walked through the Renaissance Mall but found those prices a bit much more for us.

In sort, the Renaissance was not perfect, but it was very, very close!

We just booked our second trip to Aruba for our 1 year anniversary in November. After reading the recent reviews it was nice to see that most people had a great time and thought the same thing we did on your honeymoon. Last year we stayed at the Ocean Suites but this time we are staying at the Marina. Which will be adult only as of 12/24/06. The bathrooms are not big at the Ocean Suites but they aren't small either. We are not too picky but I wouldn't say this hotel is a 4 star by American standards. Our room had a musty smell after a few days. We didn't complain since we experience this also in the Dominican. There are no screens on the sliders so letting the fresh air come in isn't an option. But, we like the hotel. It rained one day in the eight days we stayed there. November is considered their rainy season. Like everyone else has stated, the private island is the best feature of this hotel. You never have a problem getting a chair. It was never crowded on the adult side. The only time we spent on the kids side was to eat. Food was average, lots of flies. The boat ride over is nice and we never waited more than five minutes. Renissnance Island is only for people staying at the hotel. Make sure you have a room key for each person. Some people may complain about the planes taking off but it doesn't happen that often so it didn't bother us at all. You have a good view of them on the kids side of the island taking off. For us, the hotel is prefectly situation in downtown. You are within walking distance to all the shopping and some great restaurants. I definitely wouldn't recommend the all inclusive plan. There are sooo many great restaurants to check out. Our favorite was El Gaucho's. The best steak we ever had. Expensive yes, well worth the money. My husband loved Driftwood's. I don't eat seafood but the chickend was good. Both are in walking distance from the hotel. We also ate a few times at the Waterfront Cafe (next to the ocean suites). We liked it and the prices were reasonable. We ate at Madame Jennette's based on the reviews posted here. We didn't find anything to rave about. It was expensive and waiting for your food seemed like forever, more so than any other restaurant. We also went to the Amazonia. If you like meat, you will love this place. They will keep bringing out different types of meat to your table and it keeps coming until you turn a little wooden gadget over to red, which tells them you had enough. It's a little pricey if you don't eat that much. There is not much of a night life in Aruba, we went to Carlos and Charlies and had a blast. There are people of all ages there. We had fun just the same. The casino's are very smokey so we didn't spend much time in any. We went to the Let's Go Latin show and I had a great time but I think my husband would say save your money. Drinks are expensive every where. Hit happy hour whenver you can, it is usually two for one for most drinks.

We rented a car for 3 days, more than enough time to see all you need to see. We spend the day at baby beach. Great beach, lots of locals go there. Perfect beach for small kids. You can walk out 1/4 of a mile and it's not above your head. Very shallow and has some good snorkling. Not much shade but you can rent umbrella's.

We did the ATV tour and had a great time. We went to the Natural Bridge (which was no longer there, it collapsed in Sept), the gold mines and the natural pool. I didn't go in the natural pool because I didn't want to be wet on the ATV. They only give you 20 minutes. But, my husband did and I think that was his favorite place on the island. He brought his google's and he said the fish in the pool were incredible. We booked the DePalm Island snorkling excursion. That was the day it rained but we had fun. The underwater pictures didn't come out that great because there wasn't any sun. My husband fed the fish french fries (wish your not suppose to do) and they take them right out of your hand.

We spent one day just driving around and found that high rise beach area beautiful but very crowded. There were no empty chairs. We also drove to the other side of the island in our little car and although, uninhabited, it is beautiful, quiet and you will appreciate it. Just overlook all the trash that gets washed up on shore.

Aruba is expensive but you expect it since everything is imported, nothing grows native in that country. It is VERY Americanized. You have Dunkin Donuts, Burger King, Sbarro's, McDonalds, Wendy's all within walking distance of the hotel. You will also see all the cruise ships coming in and going out. There are one to three ships always in port. The water is safe to drink. We loved the hotel and recommend it to everyone. You really won't be dissapointed. As long as you rememeber you're not staying at a 5 star hotel and you get what you pay for.

We just returned from our honeymoon after staying for a week at the Renaissance Ocean Suites. The Private Island is amazing. You are right by town, but feel 1000 miles away. The food in Aruba is excellant. We'd recommend LG Smith Steakhouse, The Driftwood and Aquarius. The island is the place to go if you want seafood. The Main hotel is just a short walk from the suites section.

Our room wasn't ready when we checked in, so we had to go spend some time at the bar. The hotel could use a little sprussing up on a few items. The pool being one. The Buffet being the other. My husband loves buffets, but even he didn't like the BBQ one they had. The food at the private island and at the pool bar were excellant. They make the best french fries.

If you go to Aruba, take the helicopter tour. Christian is an amazing pilot. It's about $ 110 a person, but you get to see the whole island. There were things we thought we wanted to do, but after the helicopter tour, we decided not to. The Atlantis Sub is also great.

Shopping is pretty much what you'd expect from a vacation spot. we found quite a few deals. The hotel shops at the Renaissance were great.