Message for the 'Tam Expert' ArubaLisa...

[hollilol]

Hi Lisa and all..

We've been to Aruba 4 times with our 5 yr old and always stayed on Palm Beach, cause we love the buzz and being close to everything.. However, next year (Feb) we will be bringing our yet-to-be-born daughter who will be about 7 months old. I'm thinking that maybe the Tam would be a good place for us as we can be on the beach and close to room, for feeding, naps etc

So, a few questions:

Which rooms are best for beach, ie not too many rocks, and closeness from room door to palapas?

How is the kids club? Our daughter loves mixing with kids of all ages.. Any personal opinions welcome..

What time does everything close down at night? How late can we get a snack/drink?

Is it a lively place? I like a bit of activity going on, and some atmosphere..

Question from daughter, is there ice-cream available during the day?

And lastly, are there fridges in the room? If not, can you request one?

Sorry for all the questions.

Thank you

Laura

[Arubalisa]

Originally Posted by hollilol

Hi Lisa and all..

We've been to Aruba 4 times with our 5 yr old and always stayed on Palm Beach, cause we love the buzz and being close to everything.. However, next year (Feb) we will be bringing our yet-to-be-born daughter who will be about 7 months old. I'm thinking that maybe the Tam would be a good place for us as we can be on the beach and close to room, for feeding, naps etc

Dh and I had stayed on Palm Beach over a dozen times before our first stay at a low rise resort, specifically, the Tamarijn. It was also our first all inclusive in Aruba. Hearing a lot of good and bad, truthfully we were not sure what to expect.

Honestly it took us a good 4 or 5 days to adjust from the high rise resorts we had stayed in, mainly the Westin and Radisson, to a "plainer" low rise resort.

It finally dawned on us, that everything was a tradeoff, and the positives at the Tamarijn far outweighed any negatives. Mainly the oceanfront rooms and a nice family friendly resort with very good (not gourmeet though) food. The rooms are plain, people complain they are small, but we also take cruise vacations so are used to small cruise ship cabins. Bathrooms are outdated, but clean.

I think the Tamarijn is a great idea for traveling with an infant. Not only is it easy to run in and out of the room with a first floor room, but you can sit under a palapa with a baby monitor and be only steps away.

Below is from room 1313 in the 1300 building
click on thumbnail to enlarge

Which rooms are best for beach, ie not too many rocks, and closeness from room door to palapas?

Rocks are at the whim of Mother Nature. Right now, there are no rocks with the exception of in front of about 1500 to 1800. Do be aware though conditions can change drastically between now and February.

Beach Conditions Buildings 1100 - 1800 March 2009
Beach Conditions Buildings 1900 - 2500 March 2009
You can take a look at the resort map and some of the photos on my website, there are photos of the beach side of each building starting here. We like 1100 to 1300 for it's proximity to the swimming pool and Pizza per Tutti (bar, snacks & lunch). The pool, though not fancy, is a kid magnet so our dd spends a lot of time in it.

How is the kids club? Our daughter loves mixing with kids of all ages.. Any personal opinions welcome..

The kids club is interesting. They offer a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities which do not include movies or TV. I am of the philosophy that with the strong sun in Aruba it is a good thing for the kids to get out of the pool and sun for a while.

Considering the kids club is free and the hours offered pretty extensive, to sum it up, below is from my trip report from last June, our second visit to the Tamarijn.
"...Igmar from the activities staff remembered, or at least said he did dd. Just a mention that the activities/kids club staff were all the same individuals as were there at Christmas time. I like to think that is a good sign of not only happy employees, but ones who are doing their job satisfactorily. Definitely the conclusion we had come to in December!"

Here is a video clip from Simon Says, a little different for sure, above and beyond, absoulutely!

What time does everything close down at night? How late can we get a snack/drink?

Bars close at 1 a.m. Pizza per Tutti serves food/snacks until then as well.
Menu for Pizza per Tutti at the Tamarijn.

Is it a lively place? I like a bit of activity going on, and some atmosphere..

After the night time entertainment ends, it gets pretty quiet, but the Pizza per Tutti bar and Coconuts Bar are both still open and places to congregate. You also have use of the facilities/amenities at the Divi, so twice the activities/entertainment.
Tamarijn Aruba Daily Activities & Theme Nights
Divi Aruba Daily Activities & Theme Nights

Question from daughter, is there ice-cream available during the day?

Gosh what an excellent and extremely important topic.
YES, ice cream opens about 11 a.m. when Pizza per Tutti opens. There has been more than one time during our stays though that the machine has broken down. To the Tam's credit, they are always pretty quick in getting such an important piece of equipment repaired.

If all else fails, there is popcorn, chicken nuggets, onion rings, french fries and Pizza among other offerings!

I think our dd gained about 7 pounds in 13 days last year, but then again those Virgin Frozen concotions, really pack on the calories.

If your dd can reach the soda gun , there is self serve soda at Coconuts as well.

And lastly, are there fridges in the room? If not, can you request one?

Yes, there are mini-fridges in the armoire. We use it to store a few Amstel Brights (not available at the Tam) and bring along a one quart plastic pitcher to store chilled ice water. Another tip is to bring along some clothes pins to attach your towel to your chaise lounge. With the style of chaise the Tam has, there is no way to wrap the towel around so that it does not blow away, this works well.

Sorry for all the questions. Thank you

No problem whatsoever talking about one of my favorite subjects. If you have any other questions please let us know.

[Randi]

I have never stayed at the Playa Linda but the ground floor units look like they would be fantastic for the same reasons Arubalisa described at the Tam. Each ground floor unit has its own little courtyard and some of them are right on the beach. The courtyards have lounge chairs on them.

I believe you can rent direct from the owners so you can pick which unit you want as that timeshare you do by week and unit.

[Arubalisa]

Yes, the Lanai units at Playa Linda have two beachfront units, one on the Holiday Inn side


and the other on the other facing the "inside" of resort.


There is also the Oceanfront Royal Lanai


We always enjoyed staying at the Playa Linda until they started packing in the palapas one on top of the other. Nothing like a view of a wall of chaise lounges.

[hollilol]

Thank you very much Lisa.. your knowledge of Aruba/Tam astounds me!!

Randi: Playa Linda is actually our first choice as then we are still on Palm Beach and close to restaurants, Radisson casino (which is our favourite), the bars etc.. But it's not so easy to rent a lanai for 2 weeks when we want it!! Whenever we used to walk past the lanais we used to say that it'd be a great place to stay!

Thanks again
Laura

[Arubalisa]

Originally Posted by hollilol

Thank you very much Lisa.. your knowledge of Aruba/Tam astounds me!!

Thanks again
Laura

You are very welcome!