A little torn

[lillion]

My husband and I have booked the Tam mostly in part to the great reviews and oceanfront rooms! However, I am on this and tripadvisor's forums a lot and have heard more and more people say to others with children to book the Tam as it is more kid friendly. We are not traveling with kids and originally was looking at booking the Riu (which people have said is more lively than the Tam). If anyone has stayed at both hotels and can either re-assure me that the Tam is the way to go for a young couple without kids or if I should look at maybe changing to the Riu.

I appreciate any feedback you can give! Thanks!!!

[Andrea J.]

i have stayed at the tamarijn and loved it.
that being said, when we have stayed there we had our son with us.
we chose the tam because it was kid friendly.

its sister property the divi ai, seems to be more couple friendly.
were u given the option of divi all inclusive?
divi ai and the tam have shared restaurants and activities.......wander back and forth between properties.

re: the riu
never stayed there as the riu (stayed there when it was the grand)
yup lots more action in that area of the hi rise/palm beach.
more expensive though
and more upscale....a bit more formal on the dining from what i have heard.

check and see if you can move over to the DIVI AI.

Tamarijn and DIVI AI are flip flops and bathing suit cover ups in the lobby appropriate. RIU is not.

Even if you stay at the TAM, i suspect you will like it lots!!!
I would stay at the Tam or Divi any time without giving it a 2nd thought.

Originally Posted by lillion

My husband and I have booked the Tam mostly in part to the great reviews and oceanfront rooms! However, I am on this and tripadvisor's forums a lot and have heard more and more people say to others with children to book the Tam as it is more kid friendly. We are not traveling with kids and originally was looking at booking the Riu (which people have said is more lively than the Tam). If anyone has stayed at both hotels and can either re-assure me that the Tam is the way to go for a young couple without kids or if I should look at maybe changing to the Riu.

I appreciate any feedback you can give! Thanks!!!

[corona]

Originally Posted by Andrea J.

i have stayed at the tamarijn and loved it.
that being said, when we have stayed there we had our son with us.
we chose the tam because it was kid friendly.

its sister property the divi ai, seems to be more couple friendly.
were u given the option of divi all inclusive?
divi ai and the tam have shared restaurants and activities.......wander back and forth between properties.

re: the riu
never stayed there as the riu (stayed there when it was the grand)
yup lots more action in that area of the hi rise/palm beach.
more expensive though
and more upscale....a bit more formal on the dining from what i have heard.

check and see if you can move over to the DIVI AI.

Tamarijn and DIVI AI are flip flops and bathing suit cover ups in the lobby appropriate. RIU is not.

Even if you stay at the TAM, i suspect you will like it lots!!!
I would stay at the Tam or Divi any time without giving it a 2nd thought.

Andrea, do you think the time of year makes a significant difference for the number of kids at the Tam? We've never stayed at the Tam or Riu, but for the past several years, we traveled to Aruba during common school breaks because our kids were school age (summer and Easter break). Last year, my youngest was off to college, so we were able to visit Aruba in February, and there were fewer children. It also sounds like the Divi might be a great alternative.

[Andrea J.]

absolutely!! if the poster is not asking about a school break period, the children at the Tam would be minimal (maybe toddlers and preschoolers)

i think the divi would be a good alternative too
i am partial to the tamarijn rooms though as they are all waterfront!

wasn't it weird going to aruba for the first time w/out a child/children.
our first time was in 2004 when our son went off to college.
paul and i were free to stay out LATE (past 11)
and sit back and complain about other folks' not so well mannered children
hahahahahahahaha

Originally Posted by corona

Andrea, do you think the time of year makes a significant difference for the number of kids at the Tam? We've never stayed at the Tam or Riu, but for the past several years, we traveled to Aruba during common school breaks because our kids were school age (summer and Easter break). Last year, my youngest was off to college, so we were able to visit Aruba in February, and there were fewer children. It also sounds like the Divi might be a great alternative.

[Andrea J.]

i just looked at lillion's post where she said she will be on island APR 22.
that could be a "kid time" at Tamarijn.

i am unsure of dates for NE "april school vacation", but typically it is the 3rd or 4th week of april i think ???

[corona]

Originally Posted by Andrea J.

absolutely!! if the poster is not asking about a school break period, the children at the Tam would be minimal (maybe toddlers and preschoolers)

i think the divi would be a good alternative too
i am partial to the tamarijn rooms though as they are all waterfront!

wasn't it weird going to aruba for the first time w/out a child/children.
our first time was in 2004 when our son went off to college.
paul and i were free to stay out LATE (past 11)
and sit back and complain about other folks' not so well mannered children
hahahahahahahaha

HAHAHA...boy, Andrea, are you every right, it's a whole other kind of fun. I miss my boys, but I sure love not being the parent who has to worry about a nap time or finding a child friendly dinner on vacation. I wouldn't trade those days for anything, but I sure love our couple time now, *especially* in Aruba. It doesn't get better than that!! If only those other people's children were as well behaved as I *remember* ours being...

Once my husband isn't traveling so often with his job, and we don't have free hotel stays, I want to try the low rise area for a change. You all make it sound so nice, and I'm always up for something new. My husband, not so much, but he can be persuaded.

[lillion]

That was another reason why we chose Tam was because we could use the Divi as well. I also am partial to staying at the Tam because of the oceanfront rooms but wouldn't mond maybe hanging around the Divi during the day IF the Tam is kid crazy! HAHA!

[corona]

Originally Posted by Andrea J.

i just looked at lillion's post where she said she will be on island APR 22.
that could be a "kid time" at Tamarijn.

i am unsure of dates for NE "april school vacation", but typically it is the 3rd or 4th week of april i think ???

I think you're right, that could run into some school breaks. Our school system always was before or after Easter Sunday (which is 4/8 this year), but that's not always the case with every school district.

[Arubalisa]

The pool at the Tamarijn is a kids magnet and it is nothing special to write home about. If you are beach people and not going to be spending time at the pool, kids at the Tamarijn really should not be a huge factor.

If you are going to spend all of your time at the pool, the Tamarijn's pool is a plain old rectangular thing which pales in comparison to the Riu. The Riu will have kids, but imo, overall at 4 stars is like comparing apples to oranges with the 3 star Divi/Tamarijn.

It "sounds" like the Divi would best fit what you are looking for. If you are worried about it being quiet at night, both the Divi and Tamarijn offer a show or live music. Otherwise you can easily hop the bus to Palm beach. The Divi has oceanfront rooms, though they will be much more expensive than those at the Tamarijn.

[lillion]

Originally Posted by Arubalisa

The pool at the Tamarijn is a kids magnet and it is nothing special to write home about. If you are beach people and not going to be spending time at the pool, kids at the Tamarijn really should not be a huge factor.

If you are going to spend all of your time at the pool, the Tamarijn's pool is a plain old rectangular thing which pales in comparison to the Riu. The Riu will have kids, but imo, overall at 4 stars is like comparing apples to oranges with the 3 star Divi/Tamarijn.

It "sounds" like the Divi would best fit what you are looking for. If you are worried about it being quiet at night, both the Divi and Tamarijn offer a show or live music. Otherwise you can easily hop the bus to Palm beach. The Divi has oceanfront rooms, though they will be much more expensive than those at the Tamarijn.

Arubalisa,

Is the pool at the Divi less of a kid magnet?