Aruba Ocean Villas

My husband and I loved this place!! It’s like Tahiti meets Hawaii in the Caribbean! The staff is wonderful. Cookie, Brenda, Yvonne, Zangay Jeanne-Marie all took great care of our breakfast and at the bar. They always asked how our day was and we had a lot of good laughs - good people here. Yonge was always waiting at the gate for us at the end of the day with a smile and some conversation. And Antonio - our waiter - was the best - great knowledge of just about anything. Perfect environment to relax all day or go kayaking surrounded by people who felt like family after a few days.

Last week’s vacation didn’t start well. Every worker at the Aruba airport was rude and disrespectful, as we stood in line for an hour in Customs. After we arrived at our villa, we both fell, due to a one foot drop from the bath tub area to the refrigerator. We weren’t ready for the cold shower and rock formation on the floor of the shower area. I’m sure we’ve been pampered by our home’s conveniences. Our first breakfast the next morning was a breathe of fresh air. Cookie greeted us with a smile and her refreshing attitude toward every thing she did to serve us. Yvonne and Jean Marie did the same the next morning. We were blown away by their kindness, attention to detail and quality service. They weren’t very busy after our breakfast, so we talked. My wife and I weren’t that familiar with anyone who loved their jobs like Cookie, Yvonne and Jean Marie. My wife and I left for our villa, chatting about what we had just experienced and watched all three of the women behave in the same, positive manner while serving everyone, at every table. We couldn’t wait for breakfast the next morning. As we arrived, Cookie greeted us again, followed by Yvonne and Jean Marie. Their familiarity with us made breakfast even more special. Each morning we experienced the same upbeat greeting and service. Our stay got off to a challenging start, but Cookie, Yvonne and Jean Marie’s kindness made our vacation special.

GORGEOUS restaurant! And the food is also delicious. Every corner of this restaurant is beautiful, every detail well thought out. We stayed at the Hyatt and the cab ride was about 35-40 mins but worth the trip. You feel like you're in the middle of a rain forest.

A special place: i absolutely loved Aruba ocean villas. So much so that i extended my stay a night! It's blissfully quiet, and the staff is attentive and friendly. While the beach is small, the swimming is nice and there's kayaks and snorkeling equipment. The flowers and trees are gorgeous and at all times you hear the sounds of water, birds; and palm fronds rustling. Strongly recommend.

The most wonderful part of our experience was the staff who became part of our lives for the 18 days we were there. The 3 women whose job it was to serve breakfast and lunch by the ocean, and provide for the usual "needs" associated with relaxing all day in beautiful weather - Yvonne, Cookie, and JeanMarie - were among the most caring, loving, friendly, and sweet people we had ever met in all of our lives! There are not enough or adequate words to express how the "3 musketeers" literally made our vacation. We will not soon, if ever, forget them; it was so sad to say our goodbyes. Let us also not forget Carlos, who took the reins late in the day, and was always there to give my wife her daily hug. The grounds maintenance staff were on top of everything, as was our hut attendant, Gizel. The hut was pretty much as advertised: rustic and Bali-like. We quickly got used to the outdoor - though covered - bathroom and shower (in fact, the shower had strong water pressure and hot water that came quickly), with occasional local wildlife passing through. The mattress was very comfortable, the sheets were soft, and the towels were of high quality. WiFi in the hut and throughout the property was good enough to be able to work. Missing was any closet at all to hang clothing, and the shelf space was lacking as well; they brought in a coat rack, which was an accommodation, but not a great one. We lived out of our suitcases. No place that was lighted to put on make-up and no electric plugs in the bathroom for the hair dryer. The included breakfast was served next to or over the water, always brought with a smile and a lovely morning welcome by the "musketeers". It came as ordered (the night before), with enough options available to keep it varied over the many days. The lunch choices were limited, but the salads were good. The dinner restaurant is worth doing, once, for the view and setting, but the menu could use an upgrade and better preparation of food. Our biggest disappointment was the beach. Our main reason for choosing Aruba was to relax on the beach, of course with its trademark weather, in an environment that was quieter and less populated than the huge hotels on Eagle and Palm Beaches. The website photo of the beach at AOV is very misleading, as it shows a reasonably wide area of sand with adjustable chaise loungers and Adirondack chairs, next to both shaded and sun-drenched spots. But, as we learned upon arrival, the photo had been taken on the adjacent property, showing predominantly the beach geography of that adjacent property. The very small beach on AOV's property had a number of flat, not adjustable, queen-size beds under fixed hut structures, and a number of other flat twin-size chairs, also not adjustable, that were extremely difficult to move, due to their weight. What the website photo offered was not there. As an accommodation, they brought over 2 loungers from storage, and did a re-arrange of the furniture close to the

Very warm and welcoming service in an overly priced horrible location, with a joke for a beach it sits on. Sorry for being blunt. Here’s more about our stay: The entry door will hurt someone if over 5’11”. You need to step OVER the walkway while ducking UNDER the wood entry decor simultaneously (where my 6’ tall husband banged his head so hard it started to bleed). Needless to say, handicap accessible isn’t even close. The number of trip and stepping hazards is insane. Always watch where you’re going. Even on the drive in, the amount of major holes that need to be leveled is unreal. Resulting in enormous mud piles you need to drive and walk around. The shower doesn’t get hot. Ever. The so called private beach is a joke. No one would ever want to dip their toe in this murky mess. But now explains why there are so many mosquitoes!! The amount of mosquitoes!!!! From Tuesday night to Saturday morning, I have over 40 bites on me (including my face!) and I have lathered the bug spray on me constantly. I went through 2 tubes of anti itch gel - which doesn’t seem to work for these blood sucking creatures. The largest cock roaches I’ve ever seen in my entire life, came strolling through our “open air living” space - more than once. So gross!! They are definitely well fed here. Wifi sucks. Got better connection at random restaurants during our trip. This location is so far from anything and everything. We had to travel 14km to get anywhere. The sounds within the bedroom are non stop from leaves hitting the roof to what sounds like animals trying to get in while we are trying to sleep. Plus the bar location. The bar is located so close that we could hear all the music and conversations which made falling asleep difficult. When we tried to see if another room available (it wasn’t), we were told the live music stops at 10. It wasn’t the live music that was a problem. Have to request for housekeeping services and towels refreshed - they are pleasant when responding but was surprised so much had to be requested. Including pick up of our room service dishes from the night prior. For what they charge especially given their location, I’d expect much better amenities and food quality. Breakfasts tasted like premade microwaveable dishes. We won’t return but do hope they read these reviews and implement positive changes over time. So disappointed in our overall stay. The people who work here however, are incredibly nice.