My wife and I just returned from a week long stay at the Holiday Inn. Before we left we had lots of concerns after reading some bad reviews, but the trip was excellent and if you have any questions or concerns, ask them here and I will answer them for you in hopes to ease any concerns you may have.

Detroit Red Wings-2008 Stanley Cup Champions

Good trip report in the other section and I appreciate the opportunity to ask you a few questions about the Holiday Inn:

Are there any renovations going on at the Holiday Inn at the moment (It seems that they are always working on something there)? In particular, I am interested in knowing whether all of the hotel's bars/restaurants were open while you were there and if the Curacao tower has been renovated as of yet.

How much of a premium did you pay for an ocean view suite? Did you book an ocean front room before you went there or did they upgrade you when you arrived? Is the ocean room view worth it if you have to pay the extra $ for it?

I have read a few reports about excessive seaweed/cloudy water around the Holiday Inn's beach. Is this true or are people exaggerating about the state of the Holiday Inn's beach?

In your opinion, what is the best casino and bar in the high rise area?

P.S. The next time that you are in Aruba, I would suggest the Kini Kini all day ATV tour if you want to see the Natural Pool.

hello,
we'll be staying there the week of 7/22-7/29, I booked us a jr suite, because there is myself & husband and 16 yr old son. Have you ever seen one of these rooms? They say that their suppose to be a room and ahalf. Do you know if they are only in the curaco tower or if they also have them in the aruba and bonaire? With all of the baggage restrictions, I'd like to travel as light as possible, did you happen to see the self serve laundry facilities, and do you know if they have them on every floor in each of the towers, hate the thought of having to do laundry on vaca, but a couple loads half way thru the vaca won't be a big deal, just need to know if they are truly there.

any idea what the age for jet skiing is and what the cost is.

Do you know if the jolly pirates cruise during the day is the best one?

also we are going the all inclusive, are all the restaurants and bars open?

Do they have nightly shows that my son will be able to attend @ 16. I think thats all for now.

Glad you had a great time, and we're really looking forward to ours.

Thanks for all your help.

Graham Flanagan and Beachbum: I am going to try and answer all your questions here so bear with me for the long post. I hope it will answer all your questions and I will do my best.

There are a few renovations going on at the hotel. Nothing really big and not an inconvenience at all. I believe the Cafe Davinci Restaurant is closed for renovations and will be for a little while. They have also closed the mini-party store located inside the hotel for renovations as well. There is a sundries store across from the closed mini party store and they should have things you need. You can always venture across the street from the hotel and visit a really convenient mini mart as well.

All the hotel bars are open. The only restaurant I noticed that was closed was the Italian Restaurant. I believe it is the Cafe Davinci. I am not sure if the Curacao tower is undergoing renovations because I stayed in the Bonaire tower. However, from looking at the tower it doesn't look like any renovations were happening at the time.

I booked our Ocean Front Superior Room almost 6 months in advance. I don't think you need to book it that early, but I did to get a better rate. I think it only cost me a couple hundred dollars more to have the Ocean Front Superior room and it is 100% worth every penny. The view is incredible and you can watch the sunset from your private balcony and it is fantastic. You also get a great view of palm beach and you can see if it's really crowded or not.

I did not notice any large piles or clumps of seaweed anywhere. I saw a few little strands here and there, but nothing big or unbearable. Don't worry about the seaweed at all. It is not a problem. I did not really notice the water being cloudy. It has a perfect turquoise blue color to it and was wonderful. It might be a little cloudy, but nothing bad. I saw plenty of people snorkeling and they didn't seem to have any problems.

In my opinion, the best casino that we went to was the Excelsior in the Holiday Inn itself. We did not get to the Marriot's casino and supposedly that is a very large casino. You might want to check that one out, but the Excelsior is small, but quaint. The only problem we encountered here was the slot machines weren't able to print tickets when you cash out because they were either out of paper or getting fixed. So, the employees have to hand pay you everytime you want to cash out. That is kind of a pain and you sometimes have to wait awhile to get paid. Other than that, it was fine. My favorite bar was the Iguana bar located at the Holiday Inn. They have a great drink selection and it is very comfortable to sit at outside.

I did not stay in a Jr. Suite and did not see what they look like. However, they do look quite nice and I'm sure you will be happy with it. I believe there are Jr. Suites in all 3 towers. If that is the case, try and get into the Aruba or Bonaire Towers because they have been fully renovated and updated. They are nice.

I did happen to notice the laundry facilities and they are in a separate building between the Curacao tower and Bonaire tower. I believe they are next to or right near the Fitness center. I am not 100% sure about that, but I think that is where they are.

I don't know the age limit for Jet Skiing, but they are pretty liberal about age. If I had to guess, I would say 18 to ride alone because of liability risks, but I am not sure on that. He may be able to ride alone at 16. Most places seem to be different so ask around. I believe the cost is about $60 for 1/2 hour.

We did not go on the Jolly Pirates sailing cruise, but you can see the ships docked near the hotel and they look like a lot of fun. I have read some good things about the Jolly Pirates, so I'm sure you will enjoy yourselves.

I was hoping there were nightly shows around, but my wife and I couldn't locate any. We were pretty booked for the week so we didn't really look around too hard. Just ask around and you will probably find a show or two. Everyone at the hotel is very friendly and helpful, so don't hesitate to ask a question.

The hotel was wonderful and we loved out stay. I would recommend getting an Ocean Front Superior room because the room was updated, clean, comfortable, and the view was incredible. Any type of superior room will put you in the updated aruba or bonaire towers. Have fun and enjoy the trip.

Detroit Red Wings-2008 Stanley Cup Champions

thanks so much for the info. 20 days till beach bliss!!!!

Regarding laundry facilities, you do not have to go outside. They are in each tower. I don't remember if they are on each floor, but last July I was on the 5th floor in the Aruba Tower and the laundry room was on that floor. You'll need quarters for the machines.

The shows that they may have are around the pool on theme nights. The shows are not every night. Anyone can see the show. They also have movie night by the Iguana bar (pool/beach bar) that is viewable by everyone. Across from the HI is Paseo Herencia mall with a large movie cinema.

3 1/2 weeks in Aruba Dec. 16, '08 - Jan. 9, '09
Aruba since 1985

Thanks for the information Digger0713...just to add to Liz's comments, there were theme shows on many of the nights that I was at the Holiday Inn last June. The shows themselves take place by the pool area and are about a half hour to 45 minutes long (they had a limbo show and latin dancers on two of the nights that I was there). The movie night also takes place on an outdoor movie screen around the pool area (they had Fantastic Four playing while I was at the hotel). Your 16-year old son would have no problem going to the shows, however, he may find them a bit boring.

As for the Jolly Pirates...I went on the afternoon snorkel trip a few years ago. Jolly Pirates is definitely one of the most reasonable priced snorkeling trips offered on the island and the proximity of the boat/pick up point to the Holiday Inn is great. I would recommend using them if you were in Aruba, however, I should also point out that there are many other cruises that you may also want to look into before booking with Jolly Pirates (depending on what type of cruise you are looking for).

Just received my final itinerary from Travelocity re: my upcoming trip to Aruba next week. Just to let everyone know, they now charge for parking at the Holiday Inn.....$5.00 per day for self-park and $8.00 per day for valet parking.

Do you know if the Holiday Inn is in walking Distance to the Westin -- and if so, how far? It looks like there is a National rental car at the Holiday Inn and we will be staying at the Westin so thought we might stroll on over there if the walk wasn't too long. Please advise.

Thanks!
Coqui

The Holiday Inn is northward up the beach from the Westin. Works out to be about .60 mile. http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=12.5752769&lon=-70.0450087&z=15&l=0&m=a&v=2

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