Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club – Villa Update Complete

Marriott Aruba Surf Club View From Beach

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Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club has a special place in our hearts – it was the resort at which we purchased our first timeshare villas way back before the resort was even complete. It was our introduction into the world of Marriott timeshares and, while the two ocean view units we bought were by no means our best purchases (we should have done more research and purchased on the resale market further down the line), we still love going back to visit nearly every year.

Our love of the resort aside, over recent years we’ve become increasingly aware of how some of the decor and fittings at the Surf Club were a bit out of date. The upscale appliances and furniture at some of Marriott’s other premium timeshare resorts (like the Maui Ocean Club Sequel units) just highlighted the point even further.

The original kitchen:

The original living area furniture:

The original bedroom & bedding:

Fortunately, the standard policy at Marriott’s timeshare resorts is to carry out a small refresh every five years and a major overhaul every ten years – and 2014 was Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club’s tenth birthday.

Throughout most of 2014 the resort resort worked its way through all 450 villas, gradually changing out the furniture and appliances to give the villas a more modern feel. And when we visited in December the work was just about complete.

The new kitchen:

The new living area furniture:

The new bedroom:

The changes may not be to everyone’s taste but we really love what this timeshare resort has done – the darker wood used in the furniture and cabinetry looks a bit more expensive and the stainless steel appliances in the kitchens are a big step up from the white appliances the resort was originally fitted with.

Even the new bedside lamps are an upgrade – they come with built-in sockets for charging your electronics (no more hunting behind the cabinets to see if you can plug in your iPhone over night).

During our stay the final upgrade touches were being put in place with the replacement of the smaller kitchen appliances. New toasters, coffee makers and blenders were all added to the kitchens and they rounded off a job well done.

For units that Marriott happily rents to visitors at well over $500/night (if you’re reading this blog you probably know better than to pay that!) this upgrade has been long overdue so it’s nice to see it finished.

We own both Marriott and Starwood timeshares and, while we tend to visit our Marriott timeshares more, we’ve often felt that the finish in Starwood’s villas was a little more upscale than the finish in some of Marriott’s timeshare resorts (there are exceptions). With this upgrade the Surf Club just turned itself into one of the resorts whose villas can compare to anything Starwood can offer….at least in our opinion.

3 COMMENTS

  1. […] just as well that the villas at Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club (one of our home resorts) have recently undergone a make-over or Lakeshore Reserve would have put them to […]

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