Holiday Inn Resort Aruba All Inclusive, Palm Beach

We had a wonderful time at this hotel and would go back again. After reading some of the reviews I was a bit concerned. I honestly can not complain about anything! The staff went well beyond our expectations. They were friendly, helpful and eager to make your vacation a true vacation. The hotel is in a perfect location to the shopping, restaurants and activities. Most importantly the location and beauty of the beach. Reserving a hut is now done at 4pm the day before and not waking up early. This was wonderful compared to getting up early to get one as stated before in other reviews. We came with a group ages 21 to 14 for children and adults too this was perfect for all. We had superior ocean front room and it was perfect. There may be negative media hype in the future about safety this is something we all get concerned with when traveling with children. We ALWAYS FELT VERY SAFE there, We toured the island and walked all over and NEVER were we nervous. This is a beautiful island filled with islanders that want to please you and are just plain nice.

The hotel staff is very nice, the food is great, the rooms are well kept and most of all the beach is AMAZING. By far the BEST beach in Aruba. We've been going to Aruba for the past 15 years and we've stayed at the Westin, Occidental but we've been returning to the Holiday Inn because of it's affordability and to be quite honest, they have the BEST beach. Don't let the name Holiday Inn deter you from this hotel. While the Westin and Occidental have gorgeous rooms, they lack in beach and food at the Westin and Occidental stink. So really, you are paying for the room, which you don't end up staying in anyway. My recommendation, Holiday Inn Sunspree is the way to go!!!

This is our second time staying at the Holiday Inn. Last Sept. we stayed only for one week. Like it so much that this May we stayed for two weeks and could have stayed another week, but money ran out. The resort is a wonderful place to stay. we had no complaints. Can't wait until next year. Thinking about going back in Feb. for a month. Just loved loved the Holiday Inn. The service was great, the value was perfect very clean and the location was perfect.

Well…where to start.. The Pros.. This was my 4th trip to Aruba and the first time I stayed at one of the Hi rises. I chose this resort because of the all inclusive price. This was the first time my kids, ages 5-7, have been to Aruba and I wanted a “kid friendly” resort. The Sun Spree is as it says, “Kid Friendly” and that’s about it! The location is perfect and the beach was well maintained. The food was not too bad. READ THE CONS WELL… Make sure you save every piece of correspondence between you and this resort, you will need it as proof. If you pay for and upgrade like “ocean view or garden view” beware. They will try to stiff you. The staff is rude and will argue with you if you attempt to correct any issues you may be facing while at the resort. Beware of the “room service charge” when you check out. This is a $30 DAILY fee for house keeping! They actually have the audacity to charge you extra to clean your room. In all my years of traveling I have never come across anything like this. On the subject of housekeeping, TAKE ALL VALUABLES WITH YOU EVERY DAY!! I spoke with 3 random guests who all complained that they had items stolen from their rooms. My wife had a CZ ring stolen out of here make-up bag. You will need to wake up at 5am and stand in line until 7am when the towel pavilion opens if you want to reserve a “beach hut” The line is usually 45 people deep by 5:30. They claim the Bonaire Tower was recently renovated. They simply put some perfume-on-a-pig. They changed some fixtures and painted the walls. That is the extent of the renovations. We moved 3 times during our stay in Bonaire tower. The first time we moved was because they didn’t book us in my upgraded room. The 2nd time was because the moldy musty smell was intolerable and the third time was because the room adjacent to us was leaking something from the ceiling. The other 2 towers look like a college dorm. . At 12pm everyday the staff wheels out a giant loudspeaker and broadcasts to the entire island, family bingo. Then on the same loudspeaker its water aerobics from 1-2. Then it’s a bocce ball contest, then a tattoo contest and finally a beer drinking contest. Bring your ibuprofen. The speaker comes out for the fourth time for loud pulsating Latin club music from 7 to midnight at the pool. If your lucky enough to get a room facing the pool area or beach it will surly be regretted if your kids are trying to sleep. This club music can be heard all the way down to the Hyatt. I could go on and on. I really know my kids had a ball here, but you should seriously consider paying a little extra next time to stay at a more reputable establishment. This Hi-rise was the best for years, however, it is slowly swirling down the toilet. Because of the low rates it does attract some unsavory clientele.

had a great time at holiday inn aruba and have booked for december 2010. all inclusive was good, drinks were good, people were friendly. i get a real kick out of some of the people that write a review and whine about the slow service, crowded beach etc. try getting served quickly at a bar in toronto on a friday night. relax, its a holiday and make the best of it.

lines for a spot on the beach. lines for dinner reserrvations. People practicly on top of each other on beach. Been to Aruba 15 Times this was my first dissapointng accomadations. Divi,Tamarin , anything low rise is better. I love Aruba and will continue to go every year just not to the Holiday Inn.

My husband and I have stayed at the Holiday Inn every year for the last 12 yrs. We have never had a problem with room or service. Have naturally gotten to know many of the staff so that may help. We also go all inclusive and do not worry about being a bit generous with tips as we are on vacation and you get what you pay for, same as anywhere else. Have always found the people of the island to be gracious and friendly no matter where we go and we have covered a lot of the island during our trips. We have traveled to many islands and on cruises and this is by far out favorite destination and we will continue to go yearly for as long as we possible can.

I enjoyed my stay in Aruba and would have enjoyed the Holiday Inn were it not for the perceived racism I repeatedly encountered. On several occassions, at the hotel's tiki bar on the sand behind the hotel, I was over-looked for service. The bartenders would go directly to non-blacks even though I had been standing there for a while and made eye-contact with the bar tender several times. I received service when the non-blacks told the bartender to wait on me first. The front desk person(s) did the same thing. They waited on walk-ups who were non-black and disregarded the people in line. A latin woman behind me complained and the front desk manager told her to come on up front. She refused to go before me, since I had been waiting longer than her. As I walked to the front desk, the deskperson asked the latin lady if she was sure. I told the deskperson I WAS SURE! I will not return to the Holiday Inn when I return to Aruba.

Seven of us went to the Holiday Inn on my recommendation, we had stayed there 4 years ago and it was wonderful, this time not so much. First of all, check in took forever. The Lobby was not clean. The rooms were very basic and run down. Poolside, finding a chair that wasn't covered in bird poop was nearly impossible. Secondly, we went all inclusive, the hotel has 3 restaurants but only the buffet was open and you couldn't get into the other restaurant unless you stood in line for over an hour to make a reservation. The Bar had long lines too and the drinks were weak and in little 6-7 oz. plastic cups. The Holiday Inn offered locals the use of their facilities on the Sunday we were there. Over 400 locals used the beach, pool and facilities making it impossible to use the pool or get to the bar. The staff seemed very overworked and impatient when confronted with concerns over the quality of the service seemingly unconcerned about rectifying and one issue. We had to call security when woken up at 11:30 pm to screaming and out of control guests were fighting in the halls. We had so many other issues with this hotel but don't want to ramble. All 7 of us made our own fun off site doing other things anyway from Holiday Inn like we rented 4 wheelers ( that was great) went to del palm beach, and night life . Holiday Inn also had not night life and the pools closed at 7:00 pm. If you're thinking about staying at the Holiday Inn Sun Spree I DO NOT recommend it at all. We will go back to Aruba, but will look for a better Hotel.

Isnt this the hotel natalee Holloway stayed at? I think that would make me stay away