Expectation: We were expecting to really like but not fall in love with this property but it sounds like they will work really hard to make us happy.

In our initial research we had ruled out the Aruba Marriott. We had exchanged some emails with them, received their wedding packet and then wanted to schedule and appointment for a Saturday site visit. We were shocked when we were told their office is closed on the weekend! That there wouldn’t be anyone that could meet with us. We figured how can they be effective at running our weekend wedding when they can’t even arrange to have someone show us the place on the weekend?

Well along the way, though an acquaintance, we were referred to a destination wedding planner. This is an organization that specializes in helping you select a resort and arranging your travel. I was skeptical at first but the woman we met through the phone and via email was outstanding! She was eager to help and never applied any pressure. I told her our plan and she insisted that we reconsider the Marriott. She promised the property is gorgeous and everyone she has worked with has been wonderful. After making a call for us, she helped set up an appointment with a manager that was glad to come in and meet with us on her day off. We were really encouraged, enough so that we arranged to spend the second night of our visit on their property.

The Aruba Marriott has just finished a $50 million renovation that is fabulous! Our first impress was that we loved it – the lobby was large and open and very contemporary with a nice bar. The check-in staff was helpful and friendly. We were impressed with our room – theirs are the biggest on the island and ALL rooms have large 100sq ft balconies. They have nice beds, beautiful modern decor, flat panel TVs and brand new bathrooms with double sinks. The biggest downside to the room was that the door to the balcony is a heavy solid glass door that swings out. There isn’t a slider so that you can keep the door open letting fresh air in. On the other hand, the lack of the screen door is probably the reason their room seemed to be the brightest of any of the rooms that we saw.

We were a little early so we decided to go have lunch by the pool which was quite nice. The resort is “U” shaped with the pool nestled in the middle courtyard. While the pool isn’t terribly large, the pool area is lush with palms and tropical plants providing shade an a real tropical feel that you come to a resort for! And I was pleased to see a swim-up bar. We ordered a grouper sandwich that was great and a couple of fruity cocktails. We really enjoyed being there and had fun watching the iguanas. The only downside I saw to their pool area is that they put WAY TOO MANY lounge chairs around it. The pool wasn’t at all crowded with people and it seems they could have done just as well with half the chairs.

The woman we met with was right on time and didn’t rush us at all as we were still finishing our lunch. She pulled up a seat and told us to take our time. Then she showed us around the property. The beach was nice and didn’t seem overly crowded. (The fact that the Marriott is the northernmost hotel probably helps.) All in all, we LOVED the resort.

Unfortunately we didn’t love the reception options. You can have the reception on the beach, on the lawn, on a new outdoor ‘patio / terrace’, by the pool or in a ballroom. While the outdoor areas were nice, when we saw photos of how they are typically done up for a reception, we weren’t impressed. They looked so bland. We liked the lawn area but not the way they just stick tables on the lawn and call it good. We wanted something more intimate vs feeling like we’re having an expensive picnic on the lawn. Not only that, but for the back-up location there are ballrooms. Sounds good but we REALLY didn’t like them. They’re pretty ordinary… no windows, no terrace / balcony in front… So now the challenge is how do we personalize the space if we want to be at this resort? Of course they say they can ‘do anything’ but it will cost and the pressure is on us to be creative or hire a good decorator. (They do allow outside vendors for most things other than food and beverage.) And I cringe at that ballroom as my back-up location.

This is going to be an extremely difficult decision. We love the Westin for the wedding but aren’t feeling like we want to stay there. We love the Hyatt for the wedding but they don’t have our preferred date and may be prohibitively expensive for some of our guests. We love the Marriott as a resort but aren’t excited about their reception options…

Conclusion: We really liked the hotel! We like the lobby, pool area and love the rooms. It’s priced in between the Westin and the Hyatt. Unfortunately we are not excited about the reception site options. We especially dislike having only ballrooms as our back-up location in the case of rain. Our last appointment is back at the Renaissance to see their private island – maybe after that visit this will all be more clear.