Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino Vacations

We've stayed at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stella's Casino before many times and have generally been happy with our experience. However, the hotel has definitely gone downhill and needs updating, so the experience was not great this time. The room needs some renovation, as the beds were rock hard and hurt my back, the walls need some fresh paint, the bathroom looks like one in a cheap motel, with towel bars falling out of the walls, toilet paper holder broken, etc. The breakfast restaurant was a total madhouse with long lines to be seated and very slow service. The beach wasn't much better with palapas on top of each other and almost a complete impossibility to actually reserve one. Service was also much less friendly than usual. I don't think we'll stay here again. Definitely a disappointing experience this time.

Too bad there is no more music in the spacious lobby where you can sit and have a drink or eat an ice cream.

This was my second visit. The location is at the end of the strip next to the Ritz so it isn't as crowded as area by the Hilton and Hyatt - easy walk to those places though. The service was just okay. We're Marriott platinum members and still had to wait almost three hours for our room and we had upgraded to the Tradewinds. The room was clean, but twice during our stay they didn't do turndown service to collect towels, etc. and on another occasion they didn't bother to clean our room at all until I complained. When we arrived I asked for a vanity kit and was told they don't offer q-tips or cotton balls, so note this if you use a toner. The hotel was very crowded and if you wanted a palapa (umbrella) chair you had to stand in line before 6am (that meant at least an hour since that's when the pool staff arrived) for the adult pool because it was first come first serve. I can't imagine how bad it would be by the regular pools. If you didn't want to do that your other alternative was to scan the code and try to call to reserve one at exactly 4pm or 7am - they were gone before you even got through. This was also true for the palapas at the beach (again we had upgraded to the Tradewinds and they offered these to their guests at no cost but it again was first come first serve). The alternative was purchasing at the beach for I believe it was $30 a day. The food at the Tradewinds was decent. It offers breakfast, lunch and dinnerish items. Their "top shelf" liquors, though, for the cocktail hour were bottom shelf at any other hotel or bar.

We spent 6 beautiful nights at this resort. We upgraded to the Tradewinds Adult only floor with access to the adults only pool and beach. I have really no complaints except to say the hotel gym smells like a locker room. The staff were super friendly, they had excellent choices of restaurants from formal to chill. Surprisingly the Tradewinds/Concierge had excellent food for breakfast and lunch as well as a fantastic coffee machine. The beach is gorgeous, the adult pool is quiet and the other pool has a more vibrant party scene with a swim up bar and DJ. The hotel has a path along the beach which is about a 15 min walk to town. We'll be back to this property for sure. Highly recommend both Aruba and this property.

Great hotel on the beach - awesome pool & it has a casino

Would have been nice to get the welcome drink but no such was given. Room had mold around slider and toilet was continuously filling/slow to drain. Location wise great resort about 20 minute walk to shops. Biggest complaints were the cabanas, when booking online during free for all map is flipped and they don't mention it anywhere so the top of the map is actually the bottom so moving along it appears near the water but is not. Next complaint was the beach, they pack you in like sardines where you are stepping over eachother. Perhaps aruba just isn't for me but at 700+ a night just ridiculous.

We came here on our honeymoon and it was wonderful! Even though it’s not all inclusive, we enjoyed the meals at the hotel and on our own! There are two pool depending on the environment you are looking for. The staff were so kind and helpful!

This hotel is located in the "mid-rise" section of the beach, on Palm Beach between the Ritz-Carlton and the Marriott Ocean Club. It's a beautiful hotel - nice entrance to a spacious atrium-style lobby with some stores, the Lobby Bar (sushi), and Starbucks.

There are some negatives, to be sure, starting with what seems to be a common theme among hotels here: the thing you likely came for, the pool and beach, are oversubscribed. The hotel will tell you that your US$65/night resort fee includes a complimentary reservation of a beach chair and umbrella (Palapas), but you can't reserve until you're on-property, checked in, and on the hotel's WiFi. "Complimentary" Palapas are released at 4pm and 7am, but getting one is like getting Taylor Swift tickets. Refresh! Refresh! Refresh! Okay! There's one way in the back! Grab it! Too late! Unavailable! Try again tomorrow! Guess we're not going to the beach. The hotel uses a third-party system to manage those reservations, and it's mostly bait to get you to spring for a $30/day palapas reservation - which there are plenty of (and then you can reserve 3 days in a row if you wish.)

Pool chairs aren't "reserved" through that system at all. Here, it's first-come-first-served, starting at 7am. That means people line up starting before 6 - while it's still dark out! That's not much of a "vacation". A chair left unused for more than 2 hours is released for other guests. Both pools have a poolside bar (a swim-up bar in the main pool) and you can also order any drink or food via any waiter or Marriott's app.

There are two pools. The "main" pool is shallow (3 feet, except for a small section near the waterfall net/volleyball), with a DJ most afternoon (fun but loud) and the swim-up bar (usually crowded). It's not a pool you're going to really swim in. It was fun, sort of, once, and cools you off.

The H2Oasis ("adult") pool is amazing. Far larger than it looks in pictures. Serene, with towering palms over it; seating all around the edges, just wonderful and refreshing and perfect to float and look up at the sky.

You need your room key to get into, or out of, it. Which is a small gripe: you have to carry this card around all the time. Why is it not a wristband??

The same system that lets you reserve palapas lets you reserve any of 9 cabanas at H2Oasis, for $250. You get a small refrigerator and a small selection of water/juice/fresh fruit. It's definitely not worth it. Despite a "ceiling fan" you can't feel, the cabana blocks the breeze more than it does the sun. It's hot, and you get one small uncomfortable sofa and a chair, plus the lounge chairs you could have had anyway. Basically, you're paying that much to have poolside seats without having to get up at 5am to wait in line for them.

The beach is beautiful and the water temperatures there is perfect. The bottom feels like soft sand, and then - suddenly - clay, which is actually created via decomposing seaweed so it's more "mud"; not a factor really, but weird to step in. The water was blue but cloudy - can't see the bottom near the beach.

There are no locations (other than Starbucks) for a quick, lighter bite. Like a typical resort, everything's engineered to steer you towards rather expensive choices for every meal. In the morning, the Starbucks will have a 15-30 minute line, and it doesn't allow online ordering but does have room delivery (for a fee).

Speaking of expensive, the Stellaris Casino was a huge disappointment. Mostly run-of-the-mill slot machines (which in Aruba are notoriously very "tight"), and $25 minimum bets on everything else except roulette ($5). Banish any thoughts of a pleasant yet fairly inexpensive evening here. Fortunately, it the rest of the hotel is non-smoking.

Overall: It's an amazing experience - and the attention to detail is impressive for any Marriott.

Very nice! Casino is super! Staff extra friendly and helpful.

Super place to stay. Room service burgers were good. Beautiful beach in front of the hotel. Suki & Sylvia take good care of you in the cabana area. Easy walk to Playa Linda shopping center. 2nd stay here-- stayed in adult-only Tradewinds section of the hotel.

Having a great vacation at the Surf Club

Excellent place to stay in Aruba. Beautiful resort with both a larger all purpose pool and an adult pool. Excellent service along with staff to plan your excursions. A big shout-out to Joe Wayne. Restaurants on the premises for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and when our travels bring us back to Aruba, will stay here again.

Very nice, fun casino

Beautiful place. They treated us like princesses, it is very beautiful and comfortable.

Didnt stay here, but went here for dinner on the beach..it was fabulous! Service was top notch and the food and drinks were excellent. Great experience

A 5 star experience like no other! Amazing service at the Tradewinds portion of the resort. Great views, beach and amazing hospitality and staff! There are many reasons we found guests who visited this resort time and time again, year after year. Looking forward to coming back to this one! Marriott brand at its finest.

The Marriot is idéal for enjoying Aruba beaches and all this One happy Island offers. BON Bini..🙂

Fun spot - Live music in the Casino - Bar service was suitable for the large crowds there were serving - Great spot to gamble.

Food service takes over an hour after initial order.

Great location and amenities but the walls are very thin and you can easily hear neighbors. There aren’t any vegan options in the property’s restaurants, but you can make several alterations to 1-2 dishes.