Rating
"We had a Great Time!!!!!!" We are timeshare owners and have not been back since 2004.....and after all the rennovations and different reviews we were anxious to get back and see for overselves how the property turned out! Well we are very very happy! We were there from Sept 16th to the 23rd, 2006 and we cant wait to go back! They have really made the resort so much nicer and better since it was the Allegro.....the rooms are great and the food was was very good! we enjoyed the breakfast buffet - although it did have a lot of the same foods each day, it was very good! each day you just eat something different!!! :) for lunch we ate at the restaurant next to the pool - great sandwiches, burgers, and fries! for dinner we the Italian, Mexican and Pan Asian were great! we never made it to Desire, but i hear the steaks were wonderful! there were nice added touches, like in the afternoon they passed out fresh fruit on a stick!! and had a waitress go around taking drink orders! They also have bingo, water aerobics and games, so it was lively there!!!! Check in and out went fine and even making our dinner reservations was fine too - in fact we changed one reservation one day and got a later one no problem! the lounge bar was spacious with nice furniture and big flat screen tv's.....and the bar stocked top shelf liquor! the frozen drinks were great as they made them to order, no more of that big frozen drink machine - so they were much more tasier! :) I really think the resort is great and we are so happy to be timeshare owners and cant wait to go back!!!! and everyone i spoke to while at the resort (timeshare owners and guests too) were all happy with the resort, food, service and everything in general! We traveled with our 21 month old son and he also enjoyed the beach, pool, ocean and the kids club!!! :)

Rating
"Great time at the Occidental" My boyfriend and I stayed at the Occidental Grand Aruba from Sept 12-18. We didn't know what to expect since the reviews online had been terrible. But, we figured we'd give it a shot since it was one of the few all-inclusives on the island. The hotel was great, but we did have a few problems in the beginning of the trip. The front desk management at the hotel was TERRIBLE! Our belongings got locked in our safe and we couldn't get them out because the code malfunctioned. After watching the maintenance crew for 3 hours try to open it, they were finally successful at opening it, using a DRILL! Not once did management ever apologzie for the inconvenience. Other than that, everything was great. Drinks and food were very good. The mixed drinks can be a little weak...you just need to tell the bartenders to make them stronger, or order a shot on the side and pour it in. The only restaurant we hated was L'Olio, the Italian restaurant, but we're from NJ where we're used to great Italian food so we're biased. The Japanese restaurant was so good we ate there 3 times...2 at the sushi part and once at hibachi. All waiters and staff members at the hotel were excellent! Just remember to tip...even though it's an all inclusive, you should still tip them as they work extra hard. The beach and pool area of course were beautiful and the weather couldn't have been more spectacular. If you go to this hotel with an open mind, it's well worth it. We were pleasantly surprised and I'm extremely picky. I've been to Aruba many times and never did the all inclusive. The amount of drinks alone made the AI worth it this time. Enjoy!

Rating
"Great Honeymoon!!" After reading some of the bad reviews I felt obliged to write about our wonderful experience. Everything from the minute we arrived to the time we left the resort was top notch! Check in was easy and quick and making dinner reservations went smoothly, without a wait. The room was fantastic with an amazing view of the pool and beach. The restaurants were all very good, even the buffet. The service was really great at the restaurants, getting service at the pool and beach bar was sometimes slow but hey - you're in Aruba so it's ok! The pool and beach were spectacular. We walked all up and down the beach in both directions and came to the conclusion that our beach was definitely the nicest of the resorts in that area. All in all, we were very happy with our stay and would stay at the Occidental again and recommend it to others. As far as the negative reviews go, pay them no mind. We've all seen the kind of people that go out of their way to be miserable and I'm sure they are the ones leaving the negative reviews. If you're easy going and looking for a fun, relaxing vacation this place is more than adequate.

Rating
"Worth every penny !" I have just returned from the occidental grand where i was on my honeymoon and must say i was a little nervous from all of the negative reviews. Do not listen to them. Here is my honest review. Upon check in, yes it does take a little time to get everything situated. However, the hour you spend when you get there setting up your reservations saves a lot of hassle later on in the week. I reccomend making your dinner reservations as soon as you get there to get the time that you would like to eat. I would not reccomend the mexican resteraunt. not that good. Desire, Zen, L'Olio, and the royal club restaraunt were wonderful, each with great 4 course options with amazing food. For the zen, make 2 reservations. one for the pan asian and one for the hibachi style. our hibachi chef was one of the most talented i had ever seen. was a little nervous about the quality and amount of the food but was very satisfied. Do reserve a night or two to go eat at some ot the amazing resteraunts not in the resort. We did not eat dinner at the buffet becuase of this, but think it was a good call. we did eat at the buffet for lunch and breakfast and was average food but a large selection. Very quick service so you can get back to the sun. The rooms were beautiful. had an amazing veiw of the sunsets from our room and had no trouble getting to our room on time. remember though, that check in is at four pm, so if getting there earlier like we did, go get some lunch and a drink and your room will be ready at four, just like we were promised. The mini bar in the room was not filled every night, but every other night. in the mini bar is 2 small cans of balashi(local pilsner beer) 4 bottles water and 6 cans soda. Not much, but considering the drinks that you can get anytime at the other bars, its ok. the bars and alchohol. the beach bar and the pool bar close at 7pm the lobby bar closes at 11pm. the lounge bar closes at 2am. the casino bar at 3am. so for those people that were looking for drinks and said they could not find an open bar, didnt know where to look. the casino bar is a cash bar, so when you can, go grab a drink from another bar and take it to the casino. when at the tables however, drinks are free. the casino is smaller, but the dealers are great, the slots not too tight as compared to the other casinos we went to, and just very conveinent. The drinks sometimes were a little weak and sometimes a little too strong, most of the time they were just right. depending on the bartender. as for selection, they have a nice one. all of the standard brands. bacardi, jose cuervo,stoli, absolut, dewars, johnny walker black, etc. etc. etc. the beer selection is limited (balashi and miller light) but that is ok by me. the balashi was very good. there is a really nice piano bar right across the street were we went to twice because we had so much fun. it is in the same complex as tango and salt and pepper, right around the corner is Sopranos piano bar, great time good drinks. try the Amstel Bright, like corona but better in my opinion. the beach absolutely wonderful. beautiful. dont forget that non motorized water sports are included as well. the rafts, snorkeling equipment, kayaks, etc. located in the de palm tours building on the beach. one of the best beaches on palm beach. service, great service in the dinner resteraunts. the buffet service for breakfast and lunch was hit or miss. i reccomend taking a bottle of water from your room to breakfast with you, they sometimes are not good on filling water for the buffet. service everywhere else was good. at first, upon check in, we were supposed to have champagne and fruit in our room wich was not there. we told guest services about it and it was fixed next day. the staff was very helpful and understanding, as were we. we understand that small things are going to come up, and it is how the resort handles it that makes the service great. and it was. one more point about resteraunts. keep in mind, most of the restaruants close at 430 from lunch and do not re open until 6 for dinner. there is no where to eat between these hours. if you get there around 4pm go eat right away. Overall we had an amazing time. some little setbacks were handled right away which made the setbacks ok. the best all inclusive on the island. I reccomend the all inclusive because those drinks and meals will add up quickly. we loved not having to worry about how much we wanted to drink or price on food when we ate at the resort. even though we went out a couple of times for dinner or drinks, while you are sitting in the sun enjoying a couple of margaritas or pina coladas, the AI is definately worth it.

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