Barceló Aruba - All Inclusive

Las instalaciones en general

En general todo bien

A huge thank-you to Joyce, George, Melvin, Lissette, Carolina, Maria, Katina, Orianis, and Mariana at the Royal Level — they are absolutely amazing. Every single time, they go above and beyond to make our requests happen. This team is what keeps us coming back!

This was horrible weekends had minimum staff this stay was disappointing for us. First family vacation we were not able to eat together and had to pay an additional fee. What a joke

Mary Jean was amazing as were the whole staff. Definitely recommend booking the hibachi experience at Kyoto if you’re at the Barcelo.

Captain Rodell, server Miloushka and bartender Sue Lady were amazing and very hospitable. The food was also delicious! Highly recommend!

Good experience and the service was great

Captain Rodel was wonderful And our server Andrew was great!!

Great service at mexico lindo. Captain Rodell and Lina and Sue made it a great night.

If you are looking for a family friendly and affordable all inclusive in Aruba, this is definitely your place. Price, facilities and staff friendliness overcome the mediocre food. At this price you can still afford to go out for dinner and spend less than other hotels.

First Time, Last Time I’ll start with the positives because there are a few things the resort gets right. The beach is easily the best spot on the whole strip with the best sun and shade setup. Big shoutout to Josh and Vlad who work on the sand moving loungers around, complete gentlemen and super hardworking guys. Over at the Royal Level beach bar, Francesco was incredible, truly one of the friendliest guys I met the entire trip. The landscaping is beautiful, especially the cool spindly cacti along the shaded walkway to the elevators, and it’s neat seeing all the iguanas, yellow canaries in the trees, and crabs on the beach. Housekeeping kept the room very clean, linens and towels were great, and friends in our group said the morning room service coffee was solid. That’s where the good stuff ends. I paid for the Royal Level and it was definitely not worth the upgrade. The closets are very outdated and my bed was sitting on a broken, creaky frame. The mattress was firm and fine, but the whole thing felt like a cheap beach motel bed, not a premium room. The premium drinks setup for Royal Level is basically a joke. You pay for upgraded liquor, but there’s nowhere to actually get it. Francesco’s beach bar has it, but that closes at 5:00 PM. After that, your only option is the Royal restaurant on the 9th floor which was a total ghost town with nobody in it. The main lobby bar has no premium liquor, and the pool bar doesn’t have a premium section either. You end up waiting in regular lines drinking standard well alcohol like everyone else. The food across the resort was another big letdown, mainly because every restaurant clearly gets their meat from the exact same low-grade supplier. We tried breakfast at the Royal restaurant on day one and never went back. They couldn't seat our group of eight together so we had to split into two tables. The buffet was stale and lacking, and the four people who ordered off the menu waited forever for lukewarm eggs that obviously got hauled up from a downstairs kitchen. We used the main buffet after that, which was fine for breakfast, but lunch was just recycled food and burgers cooked to death. Our first afternoon we had late lunch at the Beach Club (just leftovers from the main lunch) and it was so bad we immediately canceled our dinner reservation at the Steakhouse that uses the same room. For the other dinners, the Italian place was okay. I had chicken parm and spaghetti, small portion but tasted like Olive Garden which was fine with me. The teppanyaki night was easily the most fun because our chef was fantastic and put on a great show. The fried rice and vegetables were great, but the steak was tough as nails and the fried ice cream tasted completely freezer burned. By our last night we had a reservation for the Mexican restaurant, but we just gave up on resort food completely and went out to eat in town. Great beach and a couple of hardworking staff members, but between the tired rooms, the bottom-tier liquor access, and the subpar food, once was enough. Definitely our first and last time here.

frey was great!! very attentive :)

Mexico Lino was great! Service was good. Shout out to Captain Rodell and our waiter Andrew for exceptional service. Also our bar tender Suelady made a great margarita!!

The Royal level at the Barcelo Aruba is one of the best places to have your vacation the staff is amazing especially in the Royal level restaurant George Maria Joyce Melvin they were all amazing the concierge service at the Royal level is off the charts they will do whatever they can to accommodate you there is nothing better than a Barcelo Aruba Royal level The Mexico lindo is a very nice place the people are great Captain Rodell Waitress Milouska and bartender Suelady makes your evening special thank you

Property is dated, my room had clogged drains, broken sliding door, tv broke, furniture is dated. The royal level package is misleading to say the least.

I had high expectations and they were met superbly. A couple of minor issues were quickly resolved and followed up promptly. Dining staff were attentive and helpful. They all had a cheery attitude, I especially remember a waiter named Fry, who was always meeting our needs before we knew we had them.

Great experience at the seafood restaurant with Jonathan Gillaed as our server. The food was great, the view was beautiful, and the service was wonderful. I would highly recommend the restaurant.

Royal level dining and bar options were great and a significant improvement over regular dining and bar options. Pool and beach are great. Loud band music continued to 2am and 3am which prevented sleeping as windows did not block sound. Overall property is not maintained up to standards as windows leaked in the hall when it rained causing a fall hazard. Restaurant roof leaked. Bathroom soap and shampoo dispensers didn’t work and parts would fall off if touched. However, service is very good by all staff we encountered.

Beach club was amazing. Josef & Jaime need a raise ! Excellent serbict

The Chorizo and the tres leches cake were the stars of this show. But we enjoyed the ceviche and the enchiladas also.

This was our seventh time staying at the Barcelo and I have to say overall our day was not as good as it has been in the past. Upon check-in, the staff is not very friendly nor are they accommodating. They gave us a room and when we went there, it was notFirst of all the hotel was overpacked with many families of young kids and big groups, so it did not feel quiet. My husband hadto get up every morning at 4 AM to hold a spot on the beach under a Palapa. The service was not as good as in the past especially housekeeping was awful three days in a row, our room was not cleaned by 5 PM. We complained and by the fourth day they were cleaning our room a little bit earlier, but still not enough towels no washcloths. Thank God I bought disposable washcloths with me. The specialty restaurants were great. The food is always great there and the service is impeccable as we always tip the waiters the buffet in the morning and at lunch always fresh and delicious. The hotel itself needs major upgrades as the rooms are not trendy and smell of mold overall our experience was a threeout of five due to the fact that the island was very crowded in July, and we are thinking that our resort was crowded due to the that the Rui was getting renovated, and all of those families could not go there. cleaned so we went back to the front desk and it took over an hour to get a new room. By the end of the trip, I spoke to the supervisor of guest services who was a listener to my complaints, but did not do much to remedy the situation especially since we are Barcello members and have been going to this resort so many times. We heard from some staff that there is rumors of renovations happening soon, so we’re hoping that that happens because we really do enjoy the location and convenience of the Barcello resort, especially the beautiful beach area filled with Palapas.

This hotel was the worst experience I’ve ever had on vacation. Horrible food. Horrible staff. Dirty rooms. House keeping was horrible. Reservations for the restaurants were limited. The alcohol was disgusting. There is nothing good about this place. Still waiting on the manager to contact me about the horrible stay.

Great service - thank you Carmen Chavez

Went to celebrate my first wedding anniversary and regretted being there as soon as we entered our room. We had to have a room change and decided to make the best of the stay since it was a last minute trip. Never again! The workers are all friendly and kind but the hotel doesn’t give them much to work with as far as stained linens, sheets, pillow cases, and table napkins. The food is subpar but there are quite a few restaurants to choose from right outside the hotel. You might be better off staying somewhere that is not all inclusive rather than here. Great location for the beach though with watersports available. This is more of a family friendly resort so there isn’t much for romantic couples. If you are celebrating something the hotel doesn’t do anything for you but tell you congratulations. I’d compare this to staying at an inn with free drinks and edible food. Nothing to rave about here.

Captain Rodell, Trevor, Misael, and Jairo at the Royal Restaurant were excellent. They made all of the dietary accommodations needed for our family and made everyone’s experience special. For the kids they added adorable chocolate syrup drawings to their dessert plates. Thank you for making our last night at the Barcelo special.

My husband and I first stayed at this resort 19 years ago for our honeymoon when it was the Occidental Grande Aruba. Returning all these years later, we were blown away by the upgrades and renovations. The Barcelo Aruba is absolutely beautiful! They did a wonderful job modernizing the property while keeping the charm we remembered. We brought our 12 year old daughter and we all had a wonderful experience from start to finish and highly recommend it to anyone visiting Aruba!

We had an amazing time. All the staff very friendly Mary Jean always accommodating for our group size

We had amazing service at the Mexican restaurant by Rodell, Emile & Mika. The food and atmosphere was very good.

i have been to Aruba before and the all inclusive resort was much better run and management was much mare attentive to their guest and services

Rodel and Linna took great care of us. The food was very good, margaritas and service were top notch. Make sure to make a reservation as soon as you get to Aruba, you won’t be disappointed.

Great dinner by Captain rodell and Andrew

Todo muy bonito

Gente muy amable

Not great! This hotel was crowded and expensive. The food was awful. The staff never left towels in our room, not even a wash cloth and it took 2 calls to get them . The pool regularly ran out of towels. You would thing that such a large hotel could invest in more towels. There were only 2 bars that served drinks. It took over 2 hours for me to get a frozen lemonade. The bean was a disaster. Getting a chair was difficult and the whole beach was packed. We made the best of everything, but the whole trip was very disappointing. I would not recommend this hotel!

Had a great time! Wonderful food and hotel. Special shoutout to Liza, a fantastic waitress!!

Seafood restaurant. We have a wonderful experience, food was amazing, servers were great and very attentive. Our waitress Jonathan Gillard was amazing, gives details our the menu and was on top checking our stay in the restaurant. Totally recommend it 👌

Unfortunately, this stay fell FAR below what I would expect from what is claimed to be a five-star resort, especially considering the price we paid. The problems started at check-in and continued throughout the entire stay. We had paid top dollar for an oceanfront "royal level" room, but instead our view overlooked an alleyway and dumpsters. When we raised the issue, the staff were not accommodating or helpful. The Royal experience is a scam to get more money from you because half the resort is considered royal and you receive nothing more than the regular booking. Our room was also poorly maintained. The mini fridge had clearly not been cleaned after the previous guest. There was When I called for assistance, someone came to the room, looked inside the fridge, said they would return, and never came back. It remained dirty for our entire stay. There were no washcloths, no lotion, and the soap dispenser was broken. These may sound like small details, but they are basic expectations at any hotel, especially one advertising itself as five-star. The property itself felt extremely outdated. Much of the furniture was stained, worn, and had an unpleasant smell. There was little to no air conditioning outside of the guest rooms, and the lobby area frequently smelled strongly of sewage. The service was equally disappointing. The staff at the towel hut were rude, unhelpful, and seemed poorly trained. I also booked a massage that was easily one of the worst I have ever received. The therapist appeared inexperienced, communication was extremely difficult, and the treatment was nowhere near the quality expected for the price. The food was also consistently poor and, in many cases, inedible. To make matters worse, the fire alarm went off at approximately 5:30 a.m. several of the nights we were there, adding yet another disruption to an already disappointing experience. The spa experience was especially disappointing. I booked a massage expecting a relaxing, high-quality treatment, but it ended up being one of the worst massages I have ever received. The massage therapist appeared poorly trained, communication was extremely difficult because she did not speak any English, and the treatment felt rushed, uncomfortable, and completely unprofessional. For the amount charged, it felt like a complete rip-off. We were sold a scam by the woman at the front desk of the spa. She told us we were getting a luxurious spa package deal but we just ended up sitting in a electric massage chair for 45 minutes before our masseuses were ready, wasting our time. We were promised add-ons we were never given. The all-inclusive package was absolutely not worth the cost. Between the poor service, dirty and outdated accommodations, bad food, disappointing amenities, and lack of care from the staff, I left feeling that both my time and money had been wasted. Save your money and stay somewhere else. It would be worth paying a little more for a property where you can actually relax and enjoy your vacation.

Very good service! Good food great desert!

great food it was delicious mhmmmm

Had an unforgettable experience with our waiter Edmundo and then our chef Edmund. So so so so so much fun and food was great. We were five with three teenagers. We had an absolute blast from start to finish and they blow the other restaurants out of the park.

This was a nice resort, that need more entertainment. I could not find an itinerary or map of the resort. An alarm when off a few nights in the am waking me up I had to ask for wash cloths for my room a few times

Todo el edificio funcional

El aire acondicionado de la habitación muy fuerte.

The Palm is a really good buffet, amazing staff especially Mary Jean, our hostess for evening dinners. The food here is really good and also includes several options, even some for picky eaters. Lots of seating too and close to the pool.

Excellent week! The food was amazing!!

This is truly a mixed review… Location - 5 stars, great proximity to shops and food. Excursions are easy to get to and the beach was gorgeous. Amenities - 4 stars. Towels, food, and drinks were easily accessible. Hard to get a chair by the pool if you don’t get up early and put a towel down. (Some guests are also pretty sassy about this) Rooms - 3 or 4 stars. Really depends on what room you get. Some are either super humid or super dry (to the point where we were coughing because of dry air). The front desk was accommodating with the changes needed, but honestly the whole place could probably do with some updates. Noise - 3 stars. Again, depends on where you are and your preferences. We could hear the party music most of the night and the pool music was pretty loud. Didn’t disrupt us much, but definitely not a quiet place if that’s what you are looking for. Cleanliness - 4 stars. Pretty clean, but pool gets a tad dirtier (floating trash on the edges) towards the afternoon. They do a good job keeping up with it all though. Food - we got really tired of the buffet by day 3… the seaside buffet was slightly better, but it was all the same food. Nothing really felt fresh, but that wasn’t incredibly surprising for all inclusive. Ex: OJ from a plastic jug (think Tropicana) and French fries poured out of a store brand freezer bag right in front of us. - 3 stars. There were 5 restaurants with limited reservations allowed (depending on length of stay and royal status). The two that were exceptional were Mexico Lindo and Kyoto. The service at both were incredible and Kyoto’s food was phenomenal! Huge shout outs to Lina, Jazon (our new favorite person), Manuel, and Edmundo. They would be the reasons we’d return. So really it’s up to your preferences. It’s definitely a family friendly and safe resort if that’s what you are looking for. If you are a foodie and want a quiet stay with updated amenities… maybe not so much.

I do not usually write reviews and definitely not while actively on a trip. But this warrants that. We take an annual family vacation with 20-35 people consistently. We have traveled to the Bahamas, various places in Mexico, DR, Jamaica etc. We actually we excited about Aruba. A family member did an entire presentation and research on this place. When we arrived--shuttle was great De Palma Tours--no wait, nice driver, very helpful. Resort is 20 minutes from the airport. As soon as we arrived, there were issues with the rooms we reserved with their partner AAA. There were not enough accommodations for the rooms we reserved. But more importantly, the customer service around this was subpar. The staff is very unhelpful and their disposition is as if we are getting on their nerves for requesting what we paid for. Patiently we waited--two rooms were to be rectified the following day and a 3rd possibly by day 3. Again, I need to emphasize, we are patronizing this resort having paid and purchased for over 10 rooms. At the time of arrival and after a non seamless check in, it was about 5:00pm and no food as a part of the all inclusive package was available--except for snack in the Beach Club. Snacks included random finger sandwhiches, salads, hot dogs, and melted ice cream. The room was basically empty and the staff seemed annoyed by the entrance for the only food available from 5-6pm. Rooms-small, plumbing out dated. Any pros to the room--good temperature and they don't have a dank smell. But nothing special--for this price --no way. Buffet--almost nothing good. An international buffet is almost always hit or miss--this is just a miss. The 6 restaurants on site: not always open and you have to make reservations between 9:00am and 5:00pm in the lobby. On day two, we tried to do this and was met with "there is nothing available." After several circular conversations we were able to get two days of dinner sporadically reserved. The Birthday dinner we paid an additional 350 dollars for them to accommodate us even though the request was days ahead. But again, the service--terrible. Lisa was annoyed --she did not want to make our reservations. She clearly had disdain for us and our requests. Her manager, Richard Director of Guest Services, tried to tell us that the only way we could have a reservation for our family was to do an special event for the amount of 1-2,000 dollars. *Remember, these are the restaurants included in our individual prices for all inclusive--32 people at 400 dollars or so a night :) He remedied by only charging 400 additional dollars and giving us a fixed menu. Gee, Thank you. We had to eat out several nights so the all inclusive was not worth it. Rooms had to be changed twice--plumbing backed up. I had to request bath towels after day one--literally not extra--just regular amount of towels--room was cleaned and none was left (how do you shower after a long day at the beach and pool?) Had to call concierge--no towels after an hour. Walked down to just get them myself--would not give them to us. Had to wait more time. Again, terrible service. Entertainment=2/10--saxophonist is talented --the rest? nothing even remotely good. They offer on the QR code menu that hamburgers and hot dogs are served late night at the lobby bar from 11:2:30am. There were hotdogs, sandwiches, and bananas left out on the side of the bar- semi buffet style. And it was all gone by 12:30am and when asked if staff was going to replenish the answer was no. So, what about room service then? The line stayed busy the whole night and it is not included in the all inclusive package. This place is awful. But again, the worst part is the staff is completely unbothered. Safe your money and your time, go to a Marriott or something. I really regret not booking the Hilton next door. This place is 1000% not worth it. We learned the very most unfortunate hard way. Only has one pool. And it was not that clean. The activities are the most boring of any resort I have ever been on. The best staff member, kindest, and just doing his job was the young man who I rented the bed floatie form in the souvenier shop. DO NOT COME HERE.

We went to the Mexican restaurant tonight with my entire family. We did not have a reservation but they were able to get us in for dinner. Captain Rodell and Karina were taking care of us. They were very friendly and accommodated our dietary restrictions very well. The service and food were fantastic. I would highly recommend coming here.

Where do I begin…. such a grand time here with my family. Walking distance to the beach. Food at different restaurants at resort was phenomenal. Casino was near lobby! Loved it!!! Room was spacious. We added rwo rollaway beds for our kids. Ground floor suite so we walked right out to the pool. Entertainment was great! Walking distance to the shops outside the resort. The hospitality and service was beyond excellent. Way to go, Barcelo!

Edmundo, Johnathan, and Ryan were the best at the Hibachi restaurant. The service is top notch by Johnathan and Edmundo! Then Ryan was the frosting in the cake with his great cooking for all of us!

This is a great family resort. Beware, there is not a separate kids pool from the adults. But overall, it was a great stay.

If I could give zero stars, I would. Our family of seven booked this "all-inclusive" vacation months in advance through American Airlines Vacations. Two days into our trip, after we were fully unpacked, Barcelo management slipped a note under our door demanding $665.55 due to an AA booking glitch regarding my 12-year-old son's age. Instead of resolving this business-to-business, management (Victor Wever and Gislaine Croes) held my family hostage. They threatened to lock us out of our rooms—separating us from our passports, money, and laptops—if we didn't pay immediately. I was forced to pay under duress and have since filed a formal extortion and coercion complaint with the Aruban Police. Beyond the criminal management practices, the resort is incredibly mediocre for the price. Here is my breakdown: Service & Bars (2/5): They force everyone into a single crowded bar at night with long waits and small glasses. Buffet servers take your first drink order and vanish, so you have to double-order just to get through a meal. Pool & Beach (3/5): The beach has calm water but my son and I were eaten alive by bugs. The pool lacks shade and allows smoking right next to where kids play. The activities are basic (cornhole, aerobics). Entertainment (1.5/5): Family entertainment is non-existent unless you want to pay out of pocket. Only one pool table worked ($5 for 2 games) and the arcade was overpriced. Note: There is a hidden escape room in the arcade that was surprisingly good (4.5/5), but poorly advertised. Specialty Restaurants (4/5): The one bright spot. The Japanese restaurant was fantastic, specifically our server Jazon Manuel (5/5 service). Italian and Mexican were also decent. Room/Gym: Gym is decent for cardio (4/5) but lacks leg equipment. Room cleaning was awful—tiny towels that don't fit an adult, and they repeatedly forgot to restock the fridge with water for the coffee maker. Aruba is a desert island, vastly inferior to lush tropical islands like St. Lucia (which also offers free amenities). Between the extortion and the nickel-and-diming, we will never return to Barcelo, use AA Vacations, or visit Aruba again.

Our family had an amazing time. The location is perfect. The beach was beautiful. Pool was exactly what the kids wanted wanted. The service was exceptional. The only thing that could be improved is the building/rooms could use an update. They are a little dated. But since we didn’t spend a lot of time in them it didn’t affect our experience.

We had an amazing experience! The food was delicious, but what truly made our visit unforgettable was our server, Nathan. He was attentive, friendly, and provided outstanding service from start to finish. He was the best server we’ve had in a long time. A special thank you as well to Captain Rodell for making sure everything was perfect. We highly recommend this restaurant and will definitely be back!

The beach club was amazing, views were amazing! Ling at the burger station! she was amazing and had me dreaming about them! Jaime was very helpful & amazing!

We had an amazing stay! Everything was perfect from the moment we arrived until the day we left. The hotel was beautiful, clean, and very well maintained. The staff throughout the resort were friendly, welcoming, and always willing to help. All of the restaurants were excellent, with delicious food, great variety, and outstanding service. Every meal was enjoyable. The Kids Club (Yurianne and Alisha) was fantastic! The staff were caring, energetic, and made our children feel welcome and happy every day. They had so many fun activities, and our kids looked forward to going there.

Worst hotel I have ever stayed at in the Caribbean. It is far too noisy for families, there are very limited restaurant options, and the rooms are awful. Even getting a simple glass of water at the restaurant takes an unreasonable amount of time. The kids’ club was closed during our stay, and both the beach and pool facilities were practically unavailable unless you woke up at 6 a.m. to reserve a spot. Overall, a very disappointing experience, and definitely not a place I would recommend for families with children.

We had an amazing dinner . Edwin was awesome

Well taken care of by Belinda, Marolyn, Ivette, and Angela in the first club. Had room with a spectacular view thanks to Belinda! Angela was always ready to fill our cups and chat with us, she made us feel like family. We can't wait to return to our home away from home!

Where do u start with this place!! Well workers u cant say enough about! They bust their butts to make ur vacation memorable! Management that’s a different story! Always the run around or stall tactics. As a member of the owners group it’s just pass u off to someone else, but if u book thru trip advisor or barcelo.com well u get treated like royalty! Go complain about something o wait will give u another room or even free amenity’s. [witness this a couple years ago]! Barcelo u have got to get with the times. Especially with ur menu, gluten a celiac is serious! It falls on deaf ears! U have area in the palm buffet that is gluten but is not marked, seen a gentleman put an English muffin in the gluten free toaster. That’s serious!! There shouldn’t b no cross contamination whatsoever but it just continues! Thank god we met Clarence when we were there an he worked with us on gluten free meals. Thank you Clarence. Serving last nights food for breakfast just isn’t very bright either. Cmon meatballs for breakfast! Room smelled like mold entire stay, artwork on walls was even broke🤷🏻‍♂️! The most serious tho is food a drinks for gluten free and celiac ppl, an no one wants to sit a drink water, soda or ice tea on vacation! Get some gluten free alcohol on the premises. A don’t say u r then stall about getting bc it not in the budget! Overall barcelo u got to step it up an fix a lot if its good or the building, but mostly quit treating owners like crap bc u want them out! We r loyal an keep coming back bc of all the friendships over the years. Step it up Barcelo !!!

All the reservations restaurants were great food and service! We had Gerald at the Arubian Seafood as our server and he was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu!

This is my 3rd time to Aruba and my 2nd time staying at Barcelo Aruba resort. I cannot rave enough about this resort. It has become my second home. I ate at the seafood restaurant tonight and our server Jonathan Gillard was AMAZING. The service received was top notch and he gave us a good surprise….so patient and accommodating. I will be back soon!!!

The convenience to everything

No complaints

This review is for Frey at the buffet: he was very attentive and sweet!

Overall I enjoyed my stay. The hotel is located on a strip that gets very lively at night. If you are a nightclub fan I recommend to check out gusto. I also recommend that you book royal level. The food and drinks are worth it once you go to the royal level bar and restaurant.

Jesus and Family Great location, excellent beach. A lot of options for diining and shopping just across the street. Old hotel, but they are trying hard to keep up with the new ones in the area.

Food and drinks are okay, but the service is a massive disappointment. The restaurant reservation system is precarious due to a total lack of information. The front desk never explained the proper process nor directed us to the concierge for assistance. Large resorts nowadays use an intranet system or an app where guests can easily book by themselves, like the RIU chain (we went to RIU Cancun and absolutely loved it). We deeply regret giving Barceló a chance instead of choosing RIU in Aruba as well. Never again, and we do not recommend it. The customer service is hostile. The front desk staff was extremely rude when we inquired about a room upgrade the day before check-in. Upon arrival, they didn't provide a map or the resort schedule. The staff is mostly apathetic and won't even say "good morning." We invited a couple of friends for a Day Pass ($123 per person), and due to the hotel's slowness and bureaucracy, they could only enter at 9:30 AM. Around 6:00 PM, I politely asked at the reception if we could just sit in the lobby to talk for a bit before they left. The shift manager intervened with extreme arrogance and rudeness, stating that "it didn't matter what time they arrived" and that the hotel "had already made a huge sacrifice" by letting them buy the Day Pass there. Total lack of manners and respect for paying guests. The resort's operation is flawed. We took our friends for an afternoon snack at the Seafood restaurant, and it was pathetic: only hot dog buns with sausages left (the burgers were already sold out), and the staff treated us with a terrible attitude. To make matters worse, the pool opens at 8:00 AM, but the main pool bar only opens at 10:00 AM. Right at opening time, I went to order a beer, and the extremely rude bartender told me they had no beer, didn't know what time it would arrive, or IF it would arrive at all. Even the staff at the Seafood restaurant thought it was absurd for the main pool bar to run out of beer at opening. How can an All-Inclusive resort run out of beer at its main bar? In our opinion, an All-Inclusive hotel should mean EVERYTHING is included, rather than charging extra for games and basic entertainment. The arcade room is full of cool machines (pinball, basketball, simulators), but they charge for everything. To mask this, they leave just ONE single machine free (a ball-drop game), which acts as a psychological trap to make you enter, think the space is nice, and then force you to pay for everything else. Even the pool/billiards table in the lobby requires extra payment to play, just like the snack/whey protein vending machines in the gym. Aruba is a paradise, but Barceló completely fails in hospitality, guest treatment, and All-Inclusive execution. Save your money and book elsewhere along Palm Beach.

Excellent food and service with Captain Rodell and Michael!!

Barcelo's is s beautiful all inclusive resort in Aruba. We were just a bit disappointed in the quality of the restaurants.

Very friendly and cordial. Love the food and desdert with the best view

This is day 2 and we are at the Arubian Seafood restaurant on the property. We were served by Capt. Rodell and Michael!! They did an excellent job accommodating the 12 of us for dinner!! Make sure you pay them a visit when you visit Barcelo Aruba!!

Location was great, food was great, staff were the BEST!

The beds were not good, one bed sloped down to the side and my husband struggled to not fall off it every night.

Everyone was so lovely and attentive. The shows in the ballroom were so entertaining and the staff were very kind. Evelyn and Alexei at the pool bar were so fun and full of laughter!

This was our second trip in 2 years. All in all it’s a decent vacation location. The price has increased but everything is the same.

We went as a family, but part of a large group. Hotel is nice. Every staff member we met here is helpful and very friendly-from the front desk to the security guards-they are really the reason I pushed up my rating—the Barcelo staff made such a warm and welcoming impression. Room is nice and I appreciate the working AC! Kept our room dehumidified and cool. Our oceanfront room is like typical oceanfront rooms, you have a little bit of view of the ocean and then a little bit of view of a parking lot or something else. I thought our room was nice as was the deck. Cleaning services occurred every day, they seem to work around our schedules and were very non-intrusive. Nice to have turned down service at night with a cute little chocolate on the bed. Pool is very nice. Pool bar is very nice. Unfortunately the royal level bar is not very convenient… its not in the main area. It is actually on the end of the hotel beach and away from everything else -so it’s kind of a pain to get to. Also, they give you tiny paper cups, which is also less than convenient. Bring your own cup-it’s way more convenient for you and more environmentally friendly anyways. Also, the Royal level bar closes at five, which was definitely a bummer. But on the upside, the beach is gorgeous and you can rent blue floating mats for free from the hotel and float in the ocean. Also, even though it gets busy, we were always able to find some chairs to group together for our group and the hotel individuals on the beach were friendly and helpful. Gym is also very nice… a lot of treadmills, a few bikes and a few stairmasters. Ample weights in the weight room, but strangely no mirrors for working on form etc. But the gym wasn’t crowded despite the fact that the hotel seemed very busy, which was nice. And Veronica in the Royal level concierge office helped us many times during the day, very-patient and amazing! With regard to dining, to be truthful…the food is not the best. Ninth floor Royal level restaurant is good for breakfast. Mexico Lindo restaurant: Service was slow but friendly. Restaurant environment is OK. Food came out at different times which is hard in a large group so by the time everybody started eating, it had been a while. The quality of the dishes was marginal at best. Most of us did not finish our meals. Cocktails also not good. This is the only restaurant that we did not enjoy any of the cocktails that they made. We all switched over to beer. Hibachi restaurant for the entertainment was AMAZING. It’s a must do. Book early at the hibachi table. Ask for this waitstaff: Chef Edmund-kept us entertained and a good meal. Sharine and Amy were amazing servers. We also really enjoyed our server Simeon at the Italian restaurant L’olio -he was a fantastic server! And good meal and drinks there as well. Our final meal was at the steak and seafood restaurant. I would definitely recommend not getting steak there. I ordered medium rare and I got a well done steak-I did not eat. The meals were all mixed up, waitress did not check on any of us beyond delivering the meals (to the wrong people), and we ate what we could and quickly left to go elsewhere. If you do end up at the restaurant, I would simply recommend not ordering steak, perhaps the rest of the items are good?? Finally, the lunch buffets are certainly not anything gourmet but more like cafeteria style, which we found fine for lunch. With regard to the lobby bar… Definitely need a NEW DJ or NEW PLAYLIST for the lobby bar and dance floor. Seriously— what a missed opportunity!! We were a large group and would gather there before going out for the night. Some nights we’d have up to 75 people in the lobby bar area and night after night no one danced as the lighting (a large fluorescent square light in the middle of the lobby lounge ceiling) and music was absolutely terrible. That being said, the bartenders were incredibly gracious and attentive, and the drinks were good. All in all, Aruba was fun and i would rate stay in Barcelo as good. Staff really helped to create a positive impression about the hotel!

enjoy the pool and beach area. Be prepared to drink and eat a lot. Also make time to explore the rest of the island.

Joyce, the hostess, Miseal and Trevor, or servers, and Dannison the Chef, from Royal Restaurant were PhEnOmEnAl!!! Everything from the warm rolls, the filets and desert..yum! From the moment we walked in to the moment we walked out, or party of 6 were treated above and beyond! We would come back in a heartbeat!

Gerald was an excellent server at the Mexican restaurant on the Barcelo property. He made the experience very enjoyable!

Jonathan Gillard was attentive and kind while we enjoyed our meal. We highly recommend his services!

Captain Rodell and server Stephanie were great.

Johnathan C. Was the BEST. Food was exceptional.

The staff wasnt very friendly. We had to get our own beach chairs because the guy would not help us. The big group of high schoolers that came ruined our vacation. They caused chaos and the staff did nothinf to contain the situation

Ubicaciòn perfecta. Playa espectacular y cerca sitios de entretenimiento.

Todo estuvo muy bien.

El persona fue muy amable

La ducha estaba atorada con pelos, la cortina de la habitación estaba malograda y rota. Habían algunos detalles por mejorar

Hermoso todo muy buena atención. Espero con ansias volver pronto. Muy recomendable

El personal muy atento y resolviendo cualquier cosa que necesites tanto en la conserjería como en los restaurantes. Excelente sobre todo las mujeres y el servicio del chico que te trae bebidas en la playa

Lo que no me gustó es que el piso de pileta quema, no se puede andar sin ojotas. Otro tema muy mal manejado es las tumbonas de la playa, si no das propina no te acomodan las reposeras en la sombra que hay muy poca

Our first 4 hours at the BARCELÓ today has been HORRIBLE!! Booked what we thought would be a deluxe ocean view room with 2 double beds. We specified on booking occupancy would be 3 adults so was hoping Barcelo staff would know that 3 adults wouldn’t want to share 1 King size bed and we’d be provided 2 doubles at check in. Not the case. After waiting 4 hours for our room, walked in to 1 king size bed. Our daughter had to sleep on a cot. We were told by management that booking does not guarantee bed configuration type. Read the room descriptions carefully and when they say 1 King OR 2 doubles, if you have more than 2 people staying in a room, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!!! The room you think you book online could not be the room you end up with at check-in. We have never had that experience at a $500+/night hotel. Lunch at buffet was a 5/10 and room quality 6/10. For the $$ there are far better options on Palm Beach!!! Also attaching “Ocean View” photo. Would hate to see what their non- Ocean View rooms look like.

Ubicación

Wifi

Staff was super amazing and accommodating. Veronica went out of her way to get us hibachi reservations and Melvin was hilarious and fun!

Barcelo Aruba First Club service is amazing! Ivette, Belinda, & Marilyn addressed our concerns immediately (room temperature) & remembered our Anniversary! Angela & Daniel were delightful!

The Palm . Great service and good food. Kenny is the best !

Excellent time! Victoria and Captain Rodell were very attentive and pleasant. The food at Arubian Seafood was spectacular!

Arubian sea food was very very good and the stuff excellent Captain Rodel and Jonathan .. The best !!

Amazing time! Lina at the Mexico Lino restaurant was amazing! Best service ever!

Hotel is just the right size not too big. Location is excellent, rooms are clean and well stocked

How a first time staying at this property in Aruba, but not a trip to Aruba. The property is well maintained even though it’s very o.

Rodell and Jonathan was extremely professional. Very nice personality.

The food was amazing. We went to Mexico Lindo and the server Lina and the manager Smile were absolutely fantastic. They were so nice and friendly. Would definitely recommend

Food was great with a nice selection and the service was exceptional. Very attentive and friendly staff!