Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort, Noord

We stayed here the week before Christmas. We booked an ocean view to start off with, then upgraded to a "beachside." However, we ended up in a 5th floor suite with a pool view. You could see the ocean, but not the beach. From our booking we were were were supposed to have a bottle of wine and VIP check in/out. Pros - Very friendly staff; everyone was very pleasant - Nicely appointed room with large bathrooms; kitchen and furniture were new - Easy access to pools - 3 eating establishments on site that were never crowded with food ranging from "tasty" (deli and purebeach) to "very good" (pureocean); I hesitate from giving the latter an "excellent" rating since other restaurants we ate offsite were better and bar issues (see below) - Right next to the public area of Palm Beach, which was nearly always empty Cons - "Beachside" not really "beachside", but it was close by - Small and cramped beach area - Beach palapas fill up early; if you want next to shore, you need to save your space by 7 am; rest fills up by 8 am - No pool or beach side service - Drinks from bar were mediocre and overpriced ($11 buys you a small drink of a plastic cafeteria style cup) and bartenders were inexperienced (they had to look at the menu to check ingredients even on their specialty drinks) - get the daily drink special instead or just go elsewhere for better cocktail options 5 mins. away - No VIP check in/out; it is all the same. - Free bottle of wine was a $10 mediocre chard

Great

Beautiful resort, nice pool, great beach but no beach waiters from the bar, TERRIBLE bed- stayed 10 nights and after the 3rd night we could not even walk in the mornings! Time to replace mattresses! Food was descent, I would definitely not do the all inclusive plan as there are so many other places to eat nearby and a grocery store close also. Loved the BBQ area to cook your own meals- great touch! I'll pass on staying here again only because of the bed.