Tamarijn Beach Resort Hotel

Spent 7 nights at the Resort and loved every minute of it. Next year we have plans to go for 10 nights!!!!

Wow! What an awesome trip to Aruba and the Tam was great! I must admit that I was a little skeptacle after many of the reviews I read about the Tamirijn, so I wanted to write in case anyone was debating about going to this resort. I traveled with my husband, parents (this was their 3rd trip to the Tam) and my two small children. We had requested adjoining rooms, first floor near the pool and restaurants (Bldg. 14) and they met all of our requests without any problem. We were very pleased when we arrived. Next time I would ask for Building 16 because it is a little quieter, but still close to the pool. The rooms are your typical hotel room. But they are literally steps from the Carribean Sea, you are right on your very own beach. We checked out several of the larger hotels, they are nice, but you are a ways away from the beach and there were just too many people. The Tam was wonderful. The staff were friendly and the food was plentiful. Breakfast was great, anything that you wanted they had. Lunch had a variety of selections along with the snack bar at the pool where you could get pizza, sandwiches, popcorn etc. The dinners were great too! The buffet was good, but we ate at the Papparazzi 3 times and the Red Parrot twice. We also tried the Palm Grill which was good too. I gained 5 lbs. between the great food and yummy frozen drinks! We had the Mega package so you could go between both resorts, the Divi was nicer but the rooms weren't on the ocean. The shows at night gave the kids something to enjoy and the parrots at the Divi were fun to see. I would definitley get the mega so you can go between both places. It was a great family vacation, my kids played with other children from the Netherlands and other states that they had met. They had a great time in the pool and riding the waves. Make sure to bring alot of sunscreen if you are traveling with little ones. We can't wait to go back! They say it never rains in Aruba - well it does! We got washed out on Thursday and it rained the last 3 nights we were there. I was a little disappointed, but it was sunny most of the days! And very warm! If your plannig a trip to Aruba you'll love it and the Tam is awesome! I highly recommend it and we are already planning to return next year. :-)

I've read reviews before going to the Tam and I've found the truth somewhere in the middle. Some people had complaints that were valid and some just expected to much. the resort is average. It's 30 plus years old and it shows but they are making efforts to improve it. The rooms are nice and they're clean. Best of all you're 5 steps from the sand and 20 steps from the water. You won't find that anywhere else at any price. Food is ok, not great but like any buffet. Drinks are of coarse free and easy to get from the bunker bar on the beach or the bars by the pool. Get the mega package and get use of the Divi next door. They have the same food but it's a little nicer there. The Red Parrot Resturant at the Divi was very good. We rented a car and you can get anywhere on the island in 30 minutes. We went on a snorkle trip, The Jolly Pirate, which was lots of fun. One place they stopped was near a beach so the next day we just drove there and snorkled right off the beach for free. We also went to Baby Beach and the Natural Bridge. About a mile from the Tam is Eagle Beach. an excellent beach, nice soft sand even in the water, no rocks at all. You can get bicycles from the Tam and ride down there. By the way Aruba is a very safe Island, you can go anywhere. We went to town to ElGaucho resturant, Excellant, a must. Most everyone speaks atleast some English and American money is accepted anywhere. I rate The Tamarijn 3 stars but add a star if you want the beach and ocean outside your door. Or add a star if you want the safety traveling on your own around Aruba. Or add a star if you want a great vacation at a bargin price. The timeshares may be more luxurious but the price dosen't come close to the Tam and they don't come close to the water. I liked all of those so I gave the Tam 4 stars and I'll go back.

I have been using trip advisor for a while now to get an idea of what to expect on upcoming vacations. So i feel I should participate in some reviews. I stayed at the Tamarijn last july for 9 days with my fiance. We are a low 20's couple and had a blast. I was shocked to see how many people dont know how to have fun and find anything to complain about. This island is small but it is not boring. The hotel staff was very polite and helpful. The people: everyone at the resort let alone the whole island is polite and they all go out of their way to say hello to you. The food: food was good, not gourmet but you are not paying the money for it. The beakfast was probaly the best part. The paparazzi was the best for me. It is italian foods and you can order more than one platter for your dinner, they dont mind. The water: water is calm and clear. Kinda feels like bath water and is refreshing. Snorkling from the resort is not great but thats why they have tours. We went to De Palm island and had a great Snuba and snorking session. Room: All the rooms are direct ocean front. everyone gets a spectacular view. The rooms were decent size and nice. I didnt find anything wrong with them. Every room also has a balcony, which is a plus. This resort is a family resort but I being young had no problem with that. There were no kids running around really and it was just a nice quiet resort. There are not alot of things to do but you have the whole island to entertain you. The staff does have themed nights everynight from dancers to caribbean bashes that were alot of fun. Go off the beaten path to see the natural bridge. Also to those young people going, there is a restaurant/ bar in town called carlos and charlies. You can walk 15 minutes to get there. That is the most happening place and alot of fun. I hope I helped some people make a decision with this place. I will definatly go back thins summer. Any questions or to see some pics email me.

I have been coming to the Tamarijn for 10 years now, always staying in the same block of rooms. Aruba & the Tamarijn have consistently been WONDERFUL. I'm upset about some of the other reviews. While the beaches last year were long & sandy, & the water clear & easy to access, mother nature has not been kind to them this year. In no way is this reason not to come to Tamarijn. For all the wonderful years they have given visitors, one should have patience & confidence in their valiant efforts to repair natures damage. They are doing their best to be better than ever shortly. I (& my friends) will be back again this year. To relax, kick back, do a little horse back riding, 4 wheeling & enjoyable nightlife, there is NO BETTER PLACE TO BE IN THE WORLD, THAN ARUBA TAMARIJN.

This resort was rundown,food was the worst and to top it off management let the kids run wild. We have toured most of the islands and enjoyed all except Aruba and this resort.

my wife and i went on our honeymoon dec. 13-20. this was the most uncrowded week of the year (week before christmas) according to the arubians. the island is nice and very pretty. the arubians are very nice also. they prefer u.s. money it seemed which was nice to avoid constantly converting from usd to florin. the island has pretty small waves along the southern coast and no waves at all along the west coast (i.e. palm beach where most the action happens). the time is 1 hour ahead of e.s.t. people: we are a younger 20s couple and from our perspective there were a lot of families and older couples. not too many couples our age. most couples seemed to be in their 40s. food: the meals definately got better throughout the day (i.e. dinner was better than lunch and lunch was better than breakfast). dinners there are incredible. VERY good food at the restraunts. our favorite was at the divi ("red parrot") but the "paparazzi" at the tamarijn was also very good. the resorts' cooks definately pride themselves on dinner. beach: very nice beach (inbetween the divi and the tamarijn). clear water (when they were not doing beach repair from erosion) and very few rocks. the tamarijn's beach is very rocky and shallow (not good for swimming). they give you a towel card so you don't need to bring your own. rooms: the rooms at tamarijn were good. nothing spectacular but they are less than 50 feet from the ocean and every room's balcony faces directly at the ocean. nice sound of waves at night if you keep your door cracked. we never went inside a room at the divi, but most of their rooms seemed to face the beach at an angle. some of the rooms are pretty far from the lobby (ours was roughly 1/8 mile) so it gets to be a pain. safety: we both felt very safe. there are plenty of security guards riding bikes around the property and we only heard two sirens along the road during the week we were there. the busses are also very safe and never felt uncomfortable riding them, even at 11:00 p.m. cost of the busses is $1.25/person/way. watersports package: nice equipment. i was hoping to learn windsurfing but the rip-tide was strong two of the days so wouldn't let people take the equipment out. there are no views for snorkeling around the resort but up at the NW corner of the island (north of palm beach and south of the lighthouse) there is good snorkeling. we also went of a snorkeling cruise called the jolly pirates. VERY good tour. the wrecked "antilla" is a cool ship to see. if you are still reading this, thanks. i hope it was helpful. you will enjoy aruba; we had a blast!

We spent Thanksgiving week in Aruba. It was our first time there. The island was wonderful. The weather great.(Although it did rain a few times for an hour or so.) The tamarijn is a great all inclusive family resort. My children ages 7 & 9 enjoyed the activities at the kids club. The resort is clean and all rooms right on the beach. (Literally about 15 feet from beach) The food was average. Some dishes better than others, but there was always something to eat. I know ALOT of people will tell you to stay away from all inclusives in Aruba because there are so many good restaurants. While this may be true, we prefer the ease of all inclusives, especially with children who are always hungry or thirsty! We would recommend this resort and I am already thinking about how to afford a return trip!!

Boring family resort. Nothing special. Avoid if looking for fun. Spent 11 days there in June/July 2003. Beach was the only thing going for this place. Room decent & clean. Food SUCKS. Badly prepared, poorly presented & very repetitive. Same dishes were served daily under different names!!!! (especially the beef). Dinning room service very poor. Wait staff showed no motivation. Food was same at Divi, even though it's supposed to be more upscale. This is mainly a family resort so nightlife & entertainment great if you're <15, otherwise forget it. Liquor very poor quality & cheap. Aruba way too americanized, a tourist trap & a rip-off & nothing to see. The only things to do down there are water sports (scuba good), but water very choppy due to high winds. Tamarijn wouldn't be so bad if all-inclusive was optional. It's also the only resort w/ rooms right on the water. Overall both Aruba & this resort, way too expensive & overrated. AVOID ARUBA!!

I was somewhat disturbed to read some of the other reviews and it prompted me to wrtie my own review. My Wife and I have been to Aruba 4 times in Total and we've enjoyed it thoroughly every time. We have stayed at the Tamarijn the last three times and found the people and the location of he resort to be exquisite. It is close to the Plane, Restaurants and Pubs (Go to Maambo Jambo on a Friday or Saturday Night and watch in amazment the quality of local dance partners) . The Tamarijn is not at all modern , although they are improving the facilities every year. We don't go there because we are wowed by the architecture ...we go there because the rooms are clean and comfortable , the two storey low rise rooms are only 50 feet from the ocean for the most part, the food is above average to very good, the beaches are amazing,(the best we've seen in the Carribean)and the people are so friendly efficient aned uncomplicated. This country is very unique and multicultural and it's people seem to co-exist in harmony and are among the happiest we've seen anywhere. (we have visited 9 other carribean locations) If you want to be catered to hand and foot and made to feel important...don't go there! If you just want to relax in total comfort and safety in an ideal climate...It's one of the best places in the world! It truly is...One Happy Island! Armin & Annemarie Grigaitis Honey Harbour , Ontario Canada