[Arubalisa]

Ralph I told understand where you are coming from. My dh and I were once in your same position and thought a stay at a low rise resort instead of Palm Beach, would be our worst experience on the island. At first we were horrified that our suspicions were correct. HOWEVER, read on... Below is what I wrote your wife:

http://www.aruba.com/forum/f7/booked-next-years-trip-39179/#post140820
"Katherine, you suspicions are correct ..."foodies", former New Jerseyians, dh working and "dined" in the city. . . guilty to all of the above.

From 1995 to 2007 we had stayed seemingly everywhere on Palm Beach-- Divi Phoenix, Playa Linda, Westin when it was the Wyndham, Occidental when it was Allegro (non all inclusive), Radisson and Hyatt. Throw in a stay at the Caribbean Palm Village for variety. We were hooked on Palm Beach and never needed to look elsewhere.

A trip over Christmas, including extended family, including teenagers who are also "foodies", made an all inclusive mandatory. Only the Holiday Inn or Tamarijn were affordable. Kids 17 and under stay free so with 3 kids in that age range, it was a "no brainer".

Switching to the Tamarijn in 2007 was honestly culture shock. For the first three days at the Tamarijn dh and I looked at one another and shrugged our shoulders. We felt like fish out of water thinking, "this is not us".

Admittedly there was doubt in our minds. I cannot speak for the rooms at the Divi, but the rooms at the Tamarijn are small and the bathrooms are outdated. I have someone close to me who would never stay there and I would never dream of suggesting it. The place is clean but to her it would just never seem that way because it is not new, glitzy and sparkling. No marble baths and no fancy toiletries. Just your basic all in one shampoo conditioner.

Others complain the rooms are way too small. These are people who have never been on cruise. Spend 16 days in a 179 sq. ft box with 3 people, a bathroom smaller than your linen closet and the Tam's rooms are NOT small. The rooms are basic AND a great value.

There were a few more waves after the calmness of Palm Beach, it was not as "plush" as the Radisson or Hyatt, and there were no activities within walking distance outside of the resort (with the exception of the Alhambra Casino). Heck this was like one of those Jamaican vacations where you never even need to leave the compound!

Then about the fourth day it dawned on us. Hey, this place we wake up in the a.m. and throw on our bathing suits and walk out our slider onto the beach. No elevator no long walk across the lobby. We are already there.


Run back in the room, throw a cover up on over the suit and a pair of flip flops and we were good to go to breakfast.

Later we'd come back and sit on a chaise outside our room. Oops, finished the book you were reading, just slip into the room only steps away to get something fresh to read. Same thing for "potty breaks". This was vacationing in a much more relaxed atmosphere. VERY laid back. The beach was our living room from nearly sunrise to sundown. We have stayed there so far a total of 24 nights and never once touched the TV. The ocean outside our door is our entertainment and our "picture".

Our family usually ate dinner late 7:45 p.m. at the earliest and 9 p.m. at the latest. Finally I guess on one of the earlier nights we noticed that this resort had LIVE entertainment! Sure enough the next night when we went to dinner at the Red Parrot at the Divi, they had LIVE entertainment as well. And both resorts did this every night! Wow.

I am presently writing a blog entry about the Tamarijn/Divi food options and hope to get it posted tomorrow. I have read many descriptions for the food at these resorts. One even included a comparison to Olive Garden. I don't know, dh is Italian and does not care for O.G. but he has no trouble with the Italian restaruant at the Divi/Tamarijn. Sure it is not true Italian, it is Aruban Italian. I have yet to find a true "gravy" on the island.

True to say that we have always found the food to be very good and delicious. You will not walk away hungry and portions are generous. The Red Parrot for dinner at the Divi is the most popular and imo, a lovely spot, dining beachside or indoor if one prefers. There is a wide variety of choices on the menu and imo, something to please everyone.

There is a lot more I could say. I hope you have read my review of our first stay at the Tamarijn. It is as detailed as possible and would hopefully give you a good idea of what to expect out of the resorts.

I will be the first to admit that the Divi/Tam is definitely not for everyone. If you want Katherine, send me an email about your specific questions, such as the Scotch and I will keep it in my inbox as a reminder to ask the question(s) while we are there.

P.S. Did I mention the kids club is FREE! Our dd loves the staff. "

Here is my blog post mentioned above:

" When eating at the Tamarijn, we try to rotate restaurants each night so it does not become boring. We consider ourselves "foodies" and though the food at these resorts is not gourment, you will by no means starve to death. Our family has never eaten dinner at the buffets. It is key that you make your reservations as early in the day as possible, or to be really flexible as to restaurant and time. Overall we have been extremely happy with not only the quality, but the portion sizes.

We have eaten twice at Ginger and twice at the Palm Court Grill and multiple times at the Red Parrot and Paparazzi. My personal favorites were the Caesar Salad at Paparazzi and the Red Parrot, the Dutch Onion Soup at the Red Parrot and the Churasco a Moda at the Red Parrot. This steak was served with a delicious, hint of garlic, creamy "almost" mashed potato as well as tomato vegetable relish and orange soy barbeque sauce. These were spicy, which I have a hard time with, so I ask for them on the side. Special requests like that are never a problem.

At Ginger, the Asian restaurant, some of the items we have enjoyed included: Appetizers: Spring Rolls, Sushi, Green Curry Mussels, Tempura Mix (included fish besides the Vegetables), Miso Soup, Won Ton Soup and Entrees: Tokyo Beef Noodles, Spicy Chicken, Spicy Green Curry Chicken and Mango Chicken.

The Palm Court Grill Restaurant is a different concept. The table is your cook top here and you cook your own food. You grill your own two choices of Shrimp, Pork, Chicken or Beef. Some in our family have doubled up and ordered two beef or two shrimp and it was never a problem. Before bringing out your entree for cooking, there was a choice of two salads and two soups as well. Along with your selections for the entree, each table was also served a fresh vegetable mix for grilling, French fries or fried rice, and three yummy sauces: Chimichurri, teriyaki and garlic mayonnaise. Besides the ice cream, the best dessert was found here, what they referred to as cream puffs! In actuality, even better, Profiteroles! Only downside is that it is warm sitting around a hot cooking table. We skipped this restaurant last June and will more than likely skip it again this June.

What would an all inclusive resort be without an Italian restaurant? At the Tamarijn it is Paparazzi Restaurant. I would label the food here more Aruban Italian, than true Italian but we make out just fine. With that said, I was never daring enough to try the Lasagna al Forno with cottage cheese. In the 12 years we have been traveling to Aruba, never have we found a true Italian meal. No matter where we have been it has always had that blend of Aruba mixed in. Imo, it would only be the real Italians looking for some of Mom's "homemade gravy" who would have a tough time at Paparazzi since again, like all the restaurants, there was something for everyone.

At Paparazzi we have sampled just about everything. Appetizers: Bruschetta, Prosciutto E Sopressata, Carpaccio Di Pesce, Caesar Salad, Beef consommé with ravioli and Entrees: Ravioli Al Formaggio (Cheese ravioli in a creamy mushroom sauce served with basil and parmesan), Pasta Di Penne (Mediterranean ratatouille with penne pasta and tomato), Frutti Di Mare (Spaghetti with shrimp, mussels and squid in a creamy crustacean sauce), one of our favorites: Rinforzare E Salsa Delia Senape- Grilled beef tenderloin with cheese ravioli and grain mustard butter sauce and Dessert here: try the Torta Di Formaggio Di Amaretto- Amaretto cheesecake with marinated raisins and rum raisin ice cream. No need to go out drinking when you get a taste of their rum raisin ice cream. With the amount of rum in that ice cream the spoon stands up all by itself.

The most popular ala carte restaurant is the Red Parrot Restaurant located at the Divi Resort. Items we sample here included: Appetizers: Nicoise Salad, Caesar Salad, BBQ Chicken Wrap, Island Seafood Gazpacho, Bonito Carpaccio (tuna loin), French Delight (Baked Brie cheese on toast served over poached apples finished with honey and red wine drizzle), Chorizo Delight (dh's most disappointing item in all the restaurants), Dutch Onion Soup and Entrees: Creole Snapper, Coconut Shrimp, Lomito Famoso (grilled medallions of beef tenderloin accompanied by a garnish of potatoes, onions, bacon and carrots served with a creamy pepper sauce) and Churasco a Moda (Marinated and grilled sirloin steak served with creamy garlic potatoes, tomato vegetable relish and orange soy barbeque sauce).

Restaurants at the Tamarijn Aruba
Menus
Paparazzi Restaurant
Ginger Restaurant
Palm Grill
Pizza Per Tutti
Cunucu Terrace Buffet Restaurant

Bars at the Tamarijn
The Bunker Bar (open 'til sunset)
Coconuts (open 11 am - 1 am)
Pizza per Tutti (open 11 am - 1 am for snacks as well as drinks)
The lounge at Paparazzi Restaurant

Restaurants at the Divi Aruba
Menus
Red Parrot Restaurant
Coco Grill & Bar
Sandpiper Bar
Pelican Terrace Buffet Restaurant

Bars at Divi
The Pelican beachfront/poolside Bar (open 11 am - 1 am)
CoCo Grill and Bar (open 11 am - 1 am for snacks as well as drinks)
Sandpiper Bar (open 11 am - 1 am for snacks as well as drinks)"

I'm nervous that the accomodations will not meet my expectations and the AI will isolate me (ie no need to leave the facility) from the Island.

The Divi/Tamarijn are NOT a 4 star Hyatt. Far from it. BUT there are many positives which outweight marble/granite baths and brand new furnishings. You will know what to expect.

The AI WILL isolate you, but only if you allow it. We still follow our 17 year tradition of renting a vehicle for at least one day to tour the end and see the changes. With the money we save, NOT staying at the Radisson, we eat some great dinners at the Divi/Tam, BUT we also have extra money leftoever to eat dinner off the property. This year for a 12 night stay we'll be off the property for dinners 4 nights.

Hopefully the thing you will like the least about the Divi is the long stretch of beach walking down to the water from your palapa. You may also miss that there are less people on the beach at the Divi.