Palapas at the Aruba Marriott

[LaurenS228]

I've been seeing a lot of commentary regarding "palapas" at the Aruba Marriott. Since this is my first time to Aruba (leaving in about 2 weeks) - I'm clueless as to what a "palapa" is - and to what the issue is with them. Are these on the beach and by the pool or only on the beach? Are they huts, or certain kinds of chairs? Also - is end of August considered "off-season"? Appreciate the help!!

Lauren

[Arubalisa]

Palapas or Chickies or Huts or Sun shade or Parasols

and to what the issue is with them.

Due to the extreme sun, you will want shade.

The issue invariably is that for many resorts, there are never enough of them for each hotel guest.

The number of palapas permitted on the beach is limited by the government.

Poolside for shade you will find umbrellas. The Marriott's chaise lounges have little Bimini tops on them. Others can comment on exactly how much protection you would receive from the sun with one of them.

[jpsphr]

We were at the Marriott Ocean Club July 10 - 17. We found after our first day that we did NOT need to reserve a palapa in advance. Each day we could just go the the beach and one of the attendants would find us an unoccupied one. That was not the case in April, when you had to reserve to insure you'd get one.

I suspect that this time of year you will be OK without reserving one. There are, however, five to seven (I forget) ROWS of palapas, and row #1 (closest to the Caribbean) is usually spoken for first, then row #2, etc. If you don't care much about the proximity to the water (we didn't) you should be fine.

I agree with Lisa, you need protection from the sun and will want some shade.

[jdoll]

50% of the Palapas are for rent and 50% are available for free the day of use at the Ocean Club. They rent every other one in each row. To get a front row free you normally need to be in line at the towel hut by 6:15am or so (hut opens @ 7am) and the 2nd row by 7am. But on mornings I don't naturally wake up the unsold 2nd rows or even the 3rd row work just fine. Sometimes there are chairs lined up on the beach anyway so the 1st row palapas become less of a perk anyway.

[Randi]

[/IMG]



The Bimini's have little roofs on them as you can see in the picture. Although you are no longer allowed to put them by the water's edge, they provide plenty of shade and are really a great alternative to getting a hut.