Divi Aruba All Inclusive

My wife and I decide, at the last minute, to spend five nights in Aruba. We live in NYC so its not a bad flight from JFK (4 hours). We wanted all inclusive as we did not plan on doing much else other than spending time on the beach. We chose the Divi Aruba All inclusive because of the great prices and location. We flew down on a very rainy day (they say it was the most rain they have had in a 24 hour period in the past five years) and had to circle the airport for about 45 minutes. The cab took us to the hotel, normally a 15 minute drive, in 35 minutes (everything was flooded). We had booked a beachfront room (important, book beach front, not beach view!) and when we got there I kept asking for a room closest to the water. Finally the supervisor / manager, Carolina, came out and said because it was our wedding anniversary (Oct 22nd) she was upgrading us to a beachfront suite. It took a bit of time to clean it but we waited at the bar (it was still a mini hurricane outside) and had some drinks and mini pizza. When we finally were brought to our room we were blown away! We were maybe 25 feet from the water. Our patio and even the bed felt the crash of the waves. This is an area of Aruba that has waves; if you want more peaceful water you need to go down the coast a little bit. The suite was amazing, two bedrooms and two full bathrooms and the most incredible view ever. My wife and I have been all over the world but I don't think we ever had a room location this good. Many thanks to Carolina for making our mini vacation with this upgrade! The beach is wonderful and the hotel was only about 30% full so we always had space and coverings, etc The buffet was redone as a live cooking area and it was very nice. The fresh smoothie station was amazing, but order two of whatever you want as the glasses are small. The restaurants are good, and we had a $200 activities credit that we used for a sunset cruise and towards one of the pay restaurants. It is a great place, very relaxed, I wish we could go back today!

The Divi was more than we could have imagined for our honeymoon. Everyone there was so nice and personable. A huge shoutout to all of the bar staff and Seth and Brenda with the late night entertainment. We cannot thank them enough for making our nights so much fun. We cannot wait to visit Aruba again and stay at the Divi.

This will be very detailed to hopefully help folks who are wary about traveling make their decision. We booked this trip on Cyber Monday 2019 and were crossing our fingers we would travel due to COVID. It paid off! Divi opened in July 2019 and we received an email saying our Tamarijn (sister hotel next door) reservation would automatically be transferred to Divi with an oceanview room because Tam would not be open until October 2020. We also received a $200 amenities credit for our inconvenience. Pre-Trip: Being from NY or a 'good' state at the time, we had to get a COVID test 72 hours prior to take-off from JFK and upload our negative results as part of our pre-board check. Tip: BRING your negative covid print out with you - it will help you cut the line in Aruba. We flew Jetblue. Masks/hand sanitizer/gloves throughout the flight process. Upon landing in Aruba, you are sent through health screening lines. Once we showed our negative results, we were sent along to the exit. (If you do not upload results ahead of time, you must wait and get a test at the Aruba airport). Arrival: The airport is easy, clean and bright. We caught a cab outside to Divi. The cab prices are regulated by the government and are a flat $26 USD rate to Divi. FYI most folks speak English, Spanish and Papamiento (native language). It is a 15 min cab ride to the hotel. Once at Divi, we were led immediately to a hand sanitizer station and temp check station. Check in was quick and easy, with social-distancing stickers on the floor and plexi-glass in place at counters. We were then led by a bellman to our room, where he was required to break the 'clean' sticker seal on our room door, showing the room had been sanitized and no one else had been inside since. Room: The room was impeccably clean and bright and nice and COLD. A/c worked great. We were in the 600s and opened our back sliding door to a small table/chairs and 20 feet of grass to the beach. The room includes a mini fridge (empty), safe, ironing board and iron, shampoo, body wash, soap, candle, matches and a double sink. (No conditioner). The room had a king bed, tv (20 or so channels, mostly American), couch, coffee table and chair. Only 1 usable outlet was found behind the couch. The room is just what you need to shower, sleep and get ready for the night. Dining: Upon arrival, we received 2 reusable water bottles. There are filling stations throughout the property. The water in Aruba is filtered and delicious. Whenever you walk into any restaurant, you must use the hand sanitizer station they provide and wear your mask. What used to be a buffet and is now 'live cooking' stations. It is much more sanitary, appetizing and spacious. For breakfast, for example, you order eggs, meat, french toast, smoothies, etc and they take your order, give you a pager and you sit down and enjoy your coffee until your pager buzzes. Then you re-approach the counters and take your food that has just been prepared. It helps maintain social distancing and everything is fresh. I highly recommend the new smoothie station, although the cups are small so ask for 2! Also, sandpiper bar near the 600 building was perfect. They make an incredible, juicy burger with dutch gouda. They also make a yummy pasta carbonara and grilled cheese with ham and pineapple. Sandwiches/burgers come with chips. For dinner, you must visit the concierge to reserve a sit-down restaurant and can do 2 days at a time. We love Red Parrot which specializes in continental favs like fish, veal, pork etc. They also have an amazing lobster bisque and rich caramel cheesecake. To use our $200 amenities credit, we ate at Fusion, which is part of Divi property next to the Alahmbra casino.They had a dinner for two special for $95 that includes a 22oz steak (which the gentleman cooked right in front of us in a smoker!), 2 tiny lobster tails, 2 sides and a bottle of wine. Everything was delicious and we enjoyed live piano and singing. Reserve ahead of time though, as their kitchen closes at 8pm and the entire island has a 10pm curfew. (This does not count ON hotel property.) Overall, we enjoyed free-flowing strong cocktails. There are no paper napkins or straws at Divi/Tam as part of their 'green' initiative, so bring your own reusable straws, if you want. The local beer is an easy light lager called Balashi. The wine is basic table wine but the bubbles are good. On Sundays only they do mimosas in the buffett. We mostly stuck to mixed drinks. Entertainment: If you are looking for a rager, this is not your place. Try the high rise section of the island. The shows are limited because of covid, but we still enjoyed acoustic sets during sunset, reggae by the pool and even outdoor movie night with headphones! We were never bored, just very relaxed (which was the point of the trip!). Essentials: There is an on-site store with everything you might need that you forgot plus booze, snacks, drinks and souveneirs. Beach: THIS IS WHY YOU COME HERE. The beach is always perfect. Aruba enjoys consistent year-round weather outside of the hurricane belt that is 90 degrees F, with sun and a constant trade wind that keeps you cool and keeps bugs away. Since the hotel was only at 25% capacity, we never had a problem 'claiming' a palapa with our towels. (Even when full, there is always room). The sand is soft and white and the water is crystal clear blue and refreshing. You can grab floaties and snorkel gear for free from the hut or bring your own. There are also two pools - a regular and a wade and they close around 7pm. Hospitality: We have never encountered a rude employee at Divi, even when we have encountered rude tourists. Everyone who works here is friendly and great at their jobs. By the 2nd day, they know your name and are happy to see you! Employees always wore masks. We wore masks as well, except when on the beach, but not everyone did because it is not required in Aruba. Departure: Give yourself 2 hours for customs. They complete it there, so you don't have to go through it in the states. Yes, you will have to pass through several security stations, so don't put your passport and boarding pass away until you are finally at the gates. Once through, you can grab drinks and paninis at the gate. It is the perfect way to end your trip! We love Divi All Inclusive and cannot wait to return every year!