BookIt.com Verified Traveler Kuna John from Erie, Pa

"may 1 was our first night,we got there at 10;00 p.m. The staff put us in room in1100 we were tired from being up all day . And the front desk put us near all the noise, so we didn't get much sleep. The next morning, we call the front desk and they had a room by 9:30a.m. after that we had a pretty good stay. The food was good .It does rain in aruba we had rain sat and sun, and the breeze does stop. Bar staff is slow at tam but go to the divi. If you want it a little quieter ask for 1300 block, it's close enough to walk to the bar and food . And not loud so you can sleep at night."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Dave from Burlington, ON

"The first impressions of the Tamarijn had us wondering if we picked a bad choice. There was a bit of confusion at check-in. Every request we had was the opposite. The visit to the room struck us with 2 things...the building though recently renovated was showing it's age, and the rooms are small. Two double beds make for tight quarters around for 2 adults and 2 kids. The first day at the pizza bar poolside had the slowest staff we'd ever seen. Mistakes on orders and just didn't care attitude. Booking attempts to the restaurants for that night were impossible. The remaining choice was the buffet. That said, the beach is right outside the room and there were chairs around the pool. As to the beach though, talk about waves...6-12 foot breaking on beach. Locals said very abnormal. Little dangerous for our kids (7 & 5). We went to bed saying things weren't what we expected but the kids were happy. We'd manage. Day two...same bar staff...same attitude and service. Avoided it. Retried reservations for dinner...booked the remainder of the week since we couldn't get that night again. Lesson learned...call ahead of your arrival if you want anything on that day, always book a day ahead. Pool great. Beach even better although water activities on beach suffered same fate as day before..waves impossible for kids to manage. Kids having a ball. Another bar...service much better. Day three and through...Palm Grill - not bad but not kid fare...Looking forward to the Red Parrot for the next night. New staff on bar. Night and day difference. Water calmer but the infamous Aruba winds prevail. Day 4...Red Parrot...everything promised and more. Get the Coconut Shrimp. Amazing. Cajan Mahi Mahi great too. Service rival any 5 star I've been too. Over the top attentive. Forecasted every request for service. Only confusion was the booking had us indoor although we had been offered outdoor. Hostess got us outside. As to the rest...games at the pool, kids activities, lots of other kids for our kids to play with. Everyone having the vacation we wanted. The remainder of our trip went the same way. Everything great. Kids, my wife and myself had an excellent time. With the few exceptions, service was fine. The facility is showing it's 20 odd years even though it's been most renovated, and the rooms a little small. Would I return. Absolutely. Would I recommend it to someone else, absolutely."

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"We stayed at the Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusive from September 22-26, 2011. We truly enjoyed the time at this resort. We have been to Aruba but not at this resort. We appreciated that we were also able to utilize the facilities at the Divi All Inclusive which is only a resort shuttle ride away about 3 minutes. The food was great at all the restaurants. Particularly at the Red Parrot, first time eating escargot and mussels, very tasty! We have never been to the same resort twice but would go to this resort again!"

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"Read about 100 reviews and we agree with most. The Tam is a great resort if you're looking to roll out of bed and be on the most beautiful beach with powdery sand and warm turquois waters with unlimited drinks and plenty of food. If you are looking for a rowdy party and gorgeous amenities-this is not the place. So here is what we learned:

Resort-a little old and outdated. grounds are nice with iguanas running around, and basically clean. There are golf carts that take you to the Divi(which is a little nicer, but none of the rooms are ON the beach). We were in the 1900s which was close to the Bunker Bar and the pool at the Dutch Village which was directly behind us. Perfect location-but really any room is on the beach-your'e just either on the first or second floor and both have their benefits.

Room-just as stated previously-older and outdated but clean. bathroom was small and old, but clean. beds were comfortable, slept great. we were never in the room-just to sleep.

Food-this is hard to say-but just not that good. we weren't even crazy about the Red Parrot that most others had liked(but watching the sunset while you ate was spectacular) It seems that they use the same basic ingredients-mahi mahi, chicken, beef and then switch the flavorings to suit each restaurant(The Ginger-Asian, Papparazzi-Italian, Palm Court-Cook your own and the Red Parrot(at Divi). Yes, you need to reserve in advance. We actually liked the made to order pizza at either the Tam or Divi-they have brick ovens behind the bar. Same with breakfast-not that great. Get the made to order items. The place that was awesome-but $35 per person extra-was Windows across the street. Really great atmosphere and excellent food. P.S.we did not have the bird problem at all. there were some around-but not obnoxious. we also did not have the chair problem. always plenty of chairs at beach and around pools.

Bar-does not open until 11am and closes at 1am. we were getting up early and liked to have bloody mary's at breakfast so we just made our own in the room(there is a grocery store across the street).

Surrounding areas-liked going to high rise section for some action, literally a few miles down the road. there's shopping and good restaurants. we also shopped and went to casinos downtown. Felt very safe exploring island on our own. we took our snorkeling gear from Tam and went a little past the high rise section and found there's a couple secret areas people go to snorkel. Baby beach was in the opposite direction(downtown) and was beautiful but not really worth the trip to us since there were so many gorgeous beaches close by. I kinda regret not going to the natural pools-but it was $95 per person.

The staff-very friendly. saw some people tipping and some did not. don't think it mattered too much. we did when we felt like like it.

Weather-hot, humid but with a breeze or even windy. we did get rain because everywhere else its hurricane season. It would rain at night or early morning but completely stop and sun would shine.

Fashion-very laid back, never wore long sleaves or pants. Comfortable.

Other tips-bring sunscreen, saw lots of people carrying travel mugs because there is no coffee in the room and for the balashi beer which gets really warm fast. also, no toiletries in room-dispensers with soap and shampoo. Another thing-not much entertainment. Rent a car-we got an economy for $40 per day. We did get the transportation to and from airport($20). Going thru Book It made the trip seamless and easy.

Bottom line-we really enjoyed our stay. Everyday we looked at each other and said 'heaven'.



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"The rooms were nice but the balconies were not very private. The scenery was beautiful but the food was not worth the all inclusive package. The weather was pleasant in the evenings but a little humid if you weren't in the water. The ocean was beautiful and clear as could be! The pools were nice also."

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