Photo: It's All Inclusive
Why choose it: Excellent Aruba beach setting.
Keep in mind: Some buildings rely on stairs.
More about this resort
Divi Aruba sits on Druif Beach on Aruba's leeward coast, where the water stays calm and sargassum is rare. The resort shares a mile and a half of white sand with Tamarijn Aruba next door, and that neighbour is most of the point: one all-inclusive band covers five freshwater pools, twelve restaurants and grills and eight bars across both properties. The buildings are low-rise rather than towers, which is what makes this stretch read quieter than the Palm Beach high-rises up the coast. The 265 rooms are nearly all the same size, around forty square metres, so the real choice is where you stand when you open the door. Beachside puts you in single-storey blocks steps from the sand, Poolview trades that for pool convenience, and the two-bedroom oceanfront suite runs to 109 square metres and sleeps five. Some buildings are stair access only, which is worth knowing before you pick a category. Families get the Sea Turtles Club for ages four to twelve, with babysitting charged separately. Tennis, fitness classes and the e-mountain bikes are included; the spa, the casino, golf and the water excursions are not. The rates we have sampled start around 608 dollars a night for two, and what that buys is breadth rather than polish: guests are consistent about the beach and the staff, less so about how quickly a problem gets solved. Transfers are not in the rate, though the taxi from Queen Beatrix takes about ten minutes. Book the a la carte dinners on your first day, because several venues need reservations and the dine-around is the reason to be here.