Occidental Grand Aruba

Occidental Grand Aruba Photos

Occidental Grand Aruba Basic Information

Highlight:

Luxury

No of Rooms:

398

Occidental Grand Aruba Details

Features:

The Palm (buffet), L'Olio (Italian), El Olvido (Mexican), Zen (Asian), Desire (Caribbean), The Beach Club

Amenities:

Watersports, pool, casino, all inclusive, tennis, fitness room, wifi in room

Cr. Cards Accepted:

Contact Information

Locatoin:

J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 83, Palm Beach

Reviews on Occidental Grand Aruba

Lana

Last reviewed Apr 01, 2004

My boyfriend and I just got back from our all-inclusive stay at the Allegro. I read all the reviews, so my expectations weren't all that high. It's true that the check-in process is terrible. The people at the front desk weren't rude, but they weren't very polite either. Our room was in the second tower (on the right if you're facing the hotel from the beach). I was surprised to find that the room was nice and clean. The bathtub wasn't rusty, as some of the previous reviews mentioned. But in talking to some of the other couples we met at the resort, I realized that we may have gotten lucky. They complained that their bathtubs were pretty nasty. One thing that we were disappointed with was the bar service. Our first day, we were tipping the bartenders a dollar a drink, but they were not at appreciative of it at all. So we stopped tipping them, and then the service got even worse. The alcohol that they served was terrible. The rum gave both, my boyfriend and I, the worst heartburn we've ever experienced. The food was alright for an all-inclusive resort. The breakfast and lunch buffets were decent. Papayas had terrible service and food. My boyfriend ordered prime rib, and what he got was basically a dry piece of fat. Caruso, the Italian restaurant, had decent service. However, the food was very mediocre. I would say it was comparable to the Olive Garden. We ended up getting lucky at the casino, so we ate dinner out the last four nights of our vacation. The restaurants on the island are amazing! I would definitely recommend going out to eat at least once during your stay. If you like seafood, check out Driftwood. For steak, El Gaucho is the place. For Italian, Valentino's is the best. For a real classy, great French restaurant try Chez Mathilde. Anyway, back to Allegro, the resort is about 20 years old, so some parts of it are a little outdated. But the pool area is very nice and so is the beach. However, I have to say that even though the other hotels on the island might be prettier to look at, this one was the most happening. Most people who stayed at the hotel were young and fun. When we walked through some of the other hotels in the evening, they felt dead. Allegro was always busting at the seams. I would definitely recommend Allegro to those looking for a good time. But you have to go in with realistic expectations. Aruba is an expensive island, with Allegro being one the cheaper resorts on the island. Therefore, expect to get what you pay for--a fun atmosphere with below average service and food. If you have any more questions, please feel free to email me at lana_goldstein@yahoo.com.

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Nicci Hyatt

Last reviewed Feb 16, 2004

After reading reviews online, I was a little worried. But we went with an open mind, and were thrilled for the all-inclusive rate. We were rewarded with happy suprises. Terrific facility, very good food (although we avoided the dinner show buffet, which looked less appetizing). Take advantage of the steak restaurant poolside for dinner -- we weren't limited to the number of times we could go, and it was awesome. We walked through a number of other palm beach hotels and (well, except for the hyatt) we felt we had a very good location, a nice hotel and great restaurants and bars. Our rooms were so-so, but clean and sizable. The showers, eh, but hey, that's the least of my concerns. People here were terrific, the staff was very pleasant and less slow than we experience elsewhere in the caribbean. We'd go back to this hotel (unless we win the lottery, and then we'll do the Hyatt!)

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