Aruba: Know anything about Aruba Beach Club on Eagle Beach?

[TNEngineer]

(Reposted from the general travel section since there have been zero responses since posting on Saturday. If I knew how to "move" a thread to a different forum, I'd do it. Thanks!)

We're spending a few days on Aruba after a week on Bonaire in June. One of the recommended accommodations was Aruba Beach Club. We like the location, but some things give us pause:

* They are currently "renovating" their facilities

* They want 100% deposit up front

* They have no cancellation options - once they have your money, they keep it regardless of circumstances

Obviously we don't anticipate any problems but "pay up front, no refunds" seems pretty draconian. We can stay at one of the many Marriott properties and cancel up to 24 hours before arrival with no penalty. I'd much rather support a local operation instead of a multinational corporation but that's a steep risk to incur.

Anyone here stayed at ABC? Good or bad? Worth the no-refund risk? Better alternatives to suggest?

Thanks!

Cert'd in 1976. Wife (the "turtle whisperer", they love her) cert'd two years ago. Now visiting the Caribbean as often as possible.

 

[tridacna]

I had friends who stayed there prior to Covid. They hated it. Old musty room with ye olde decor from the seventies. They swore that they would never return. Once you get there and you see how bad it is, you will find out why there is a no-refund policy. There are much better choices on Aruba.

I started diving in 1976 too...

 

[TNEngineer]

Thank you for your response! Oddly, I received no email notification despite checking all the boxes - I only found it because I came back to check.

We've discovered that a new Radisson property, the Radisson Blu Aruba, just opened last month. Literally a brand new facility on Palm Beach near Moomba Beach. There was an older Radisson Blu Aruba but it was sold back in ~2015 to Hyatt? Hilton? Apparently Radisson was planning to build this new facility and now it's done.

Granted it's another big multinational company, but how often do you get to stay in a brand new facility? By the time we get there in June they will have had a couple of months to sort out the new-opening glitches so hopefully things will be running smoothly.

Unless something better comes along this one is looking very promising. If we do stay there, I'll report back here for the benefit of others.

Thanks!