Divi Dutch Village Beach Resort

Aruba family vacation

10.0

I was at the Tamarind 20 years ago...The accommodations pool beach and proximity to get around the island are outstanding...Staff are patient helpful and professional..

Down hill

4.0

This was our 5th year and our 8th time going to the Divi. We started out doing the all inclusive and staying at the Tamarinj but the food went down hill. Years ago it was amazing but now the food is almost inedible. Husband got really sick one year. We did not think it was worth almost $500 a day to eat terrible food. We were at a speciality restaurant and saw the workers take the food out of a large sealed plastic bag and re-heat it in a pan. Nothing is actually made there, just re-heated from frozen. We then started staying at the Village, Condo type room with a kitchen and buying groceries and cooking or going out to eat at restaurants on the island . You have to rent a car and drive around but really good grocery stores snd amazing restaurants on the island. We have been pretty unlucky with our rooms lately. This time around was the worst room on the whole resort. In the corner behind the pool side restaurant and also directly in front of the employee break area. All day long multiple staff hanging out hiding , eating, smoking , smoking weed. Loud talking and on their lunch and dinner breaks. We were hanging out a lot on the resort and just wanted to relax on the patio by the pool but instead we were literally sitting in the back of a restaurant, the grill sent smoke our way, grilling meat all day, with the staff break “ room “area directly in front of our room . Brought me back to my old waitressing days at the local seafood restaurant but definitely not what I want to experience while I'm a 6K vacation to celebrate my wedding anniversary! The front staff at first did not want to move us and after escalation to the manager we were moved to a better pool view room and left the staff back kitchen hiding spot view room ( room 101)! The rooms are run down and definitely not as nice. We had roaches in our room. It happens, we are in the Caribbean , but it was still gross to see them. Some staff were nice like the housekeeper was excellent, and some staff like front desk were just rude, passive aggressive and will straight up lie to your face. I tried to book some time at the spa but it was dirty, ants all over the floor, broken pedicure chairs, and inexperienced staff. If you are a couple I would suggest not going during summer months as there were lots of screaming kids in the pool and not relaxing at all. We ultimately spent every day off the resort and basically just came back to sleep and use the pool.. i think the pool areas and lounge area could be cleaner as there were always multiple cups, used plates and trash everywhere. I found a big half smoked cigar and another inconsiderate person smoking a big stinky cigar on the patio. Someone dumped a drink in the pool and I will never understand why people spray themselves with oily tan spray then immediately get into the pool and leave an oil slick! Also there was a Mom who had a baby with no diaper in the pool, definitely too small to be potty trained just in the pool for a long time maybe pee-ing or another surprise? I thought that was really inconsiderate of others as well. The clientele has definitely gone down hill as the quality of people are now extremely inconsiderate and not very clean. Just a few steps away are trash bins and places to put your cups. Unfortunately this will be our last time staying at the Divi for a while as we will try out other resorts and hotels. Another thing I want to mention is that I took a walk to the other side and I had complete permission to be there was I can walk on the property and I was followed by an older female security guard. I them went shopping and retuned to the area and she started pointing at my bracket and loudly and calling me out “green bracelet “ and repeated it a few times. I then asked her if there was a problem and she walked away and ignored me! I had every right to walk in the property and did not need to be called out like that! It was embarrassing and rude of her. I did bring my concerns to the management. When you complain they always ask if you are an “owner “. I do not want to sign up for a timeshare. And actually glad I need did as the place has really gotten worse every year.

First Time Guests at Divi Dutch Village

10.0

The Divi Dutch Village Beach Resort in Aruba is a very well maintained property. We were impressed with our large, spacious, and well appointed suite. Ours was a one bedroom suite and it was huge and beautiful! The kitchen had everything you could want/need, the bed was large and comfortable, the balcony was large enough for a table for 4 people to eat at as well as a lounge chair, the bathroom was spacious and clean, and housekeeping services were excellent! The grounds were beautiful with great pools, loungers, cabanas, pool floats one can use, nice beach towels, a variety of bars/restaurants, beach with palapas, a great helpful staff, and basically anything and everything anyone could want of need on vacation. I am sure I am leaving something out but we would definitely stay here again. We have travelled to Aruba for over 20 years and have stayed at a variety of places on different beaches. We would not hesitate to stay at the Divi Dutch Village in the future. The only drawback was that it was not located on the prettiest stretch of beach. But, we always rent a car and travel to different beaches so this is not a deal breaker for us. We still enjoyed the Divi Beach even if it wasn't as expansive as Eagle Beach nor as active as Palm Beach.

Poor food choices, multiple leaks in room, water damage to personal property, inadequate management

2.0

Overall experience was rather appalling. We stayed at Divi Dutch Village 7 years ago and we had an amazing time, this time round? It’ll be our last in any Divi resort to be honest. We had two leaks in our hotel room, the last one leading to damage to newly bought souvenirs. Only the last night after 4 days of going back and forth with the front desk an alternative room was offered. The complete lack of personal contact and involvement of management with the wellbeing of the guests, hiding behind the front desk employees. Promises of being called back, no solutions offered at all. It was anything but acceptable. I lost so much time on something that should’ve been managed Divi from the first place. Food wise the offering on the resort is extremely monotonous. Compared to 7 years ago it has dramatically declined. It feels like a food desert with only greasy food available at Divi Dutch Village. As Europeans, the portion sizes are absolutely ridiculously (insanely) large. You can’t ask for half or reduced portion sizes, we tried they will not do it. In this day and age, such food spillage is so completely unnecessary. Even some of the kids meals could feed a family of 4. Be aware when booking all-inclusive through a travel agent!! If you only have the Signature package you can’t eat at Tamarijn. So basically if you want anything other than burgers, fries, or quesadillas; you have to take the shuttle or make a reservation. The information from Divi on restaurants, menus, opening times are so poorly available that I spend 3 hours making my own roster where we could eat and what restaurants had healthy meal options.

Divi Dutch Aruba Resort (Not Divi Aruba)

4.0

This was our first time staying at a Divi resort. We originally purchased the all-inclusive package. I spoke with someone on the phone ahead of our arrival and they advise that this would work at all of the resorts. When we arrived, we had to pay $125 a day additional to be able to go to the other resorts. The Mega package was supposed to include all of the amenities at the other resorts however we were not able to use the restroom, get towels or use the outside shower to rinse sand off without a room key in which our room keys for Divi Dutch did not work there. When we arrived we tried to book dinner reservations for our stay. The front desk person was not very knowledgeable about the reservations and told us that the concierge had already left for the day at 4pm (check in time). This left us having to walk to all of the restaurants to see if we could get reservations and were unsuccessful. It took us over 30 minutes to check in. This was a birthday trip and I called ahead of time before our stay and asked if they did anything special for birthdays and was advised no this resort did not. When we arrived, we found out that there were in fact things to do for birthdays, at an additional cost on top of the two all-inclusive packages that we had already purchased. We ordered a bottle of wine that was supposed to be delivered that night. The wine was never delivered. I asked again at the front desk the next morning and they said they would deliver it at 5pm the second day. The wine never came. The room was clean but that is about all we can say about the resort unfortunately. The total of this hotel stay with all of the additional fees was more than we would have paid at another resort. I was very disappointed with the Mega package as we were not even able to make dinner reservations the first night so we wasted $250. The experience was not great to say the least. If you are looking for an all-inclusive resort, this is not it. This is more of a very quiet place for time shares.

It really depends on what you’re wanting in a vacation….

6.0

I have very mixed feelings about this resort. Your satisfaction will depend heavily on what you’re looking for in a vacation. I was not impressed and actually checked out three days early and moved to a different resort on Palm Beach. To elaborate.. - If you’re looking for a relaxing, quiet and not crowded place to relax in a cabana by the pool, this is the place for you. Rooms are nice. A/C is very efficient. Food is above average for an all inclusive, although there are limited options at the Dutch. You’ll have to take a golf cart ride across the street for variety or to eat or get drinks after 7pm. However, the front desk closes at 9pm and if you want a ride after that, you have to call the operator whom may or may not answer. The location is quite secluded from anything fun on the island and you will need a car or to pay for a taxi if you want to do anything other than the activities listed above. Other disappointments include: The resort is fully self service - no feelings of being catered to. Room has a fridge with literally nothing in it. Not even a water bottle. There is a coffee maker but no coffee. Also, our room was not cleaned on the second day and when we asked for room service (which we prepaid for) someone brought towels in and left them, but touched nothing else. Customer service is ok… no one going above or beyond, but all of them were kind. The door to our room was also wide open when we got there after checking in. A little sketchy. Still not terrible if you’re just there to relax. On the other hand, if you’re headed to Aruba for the beach, like we were - DO NOT book this resort. The beach is NOTHING like what is pictured. The water is clear and beautiful, but the beach is extremely rocky and the scenery is ruined by 50+ sandbags lining the beach shoreline, as far as you can see. I understand erosion, but it was so unsightly and really made the experience disappointing. 100% do not recommend if the beach is high on your to do list. Overall, I wouldn’t stay here again. Our trip improved drastically after moving to Palm Beach. I’d recommend that area. So much more to do and the beach there is so beautiful.