We had a pleasant vacation at the Divi Aruba, but the room was very disappointing. We stayed in Vista II, Room 409, which is on the first floor and was just average. The bed was comfortable, but 2 of the pillows were pretty flat. Although the location was ideal, as we could walk right out our patio door onto the beach, the room smelled very musty and everything in the room always felt damp, including the sheets at night. Our friends had a similar room in Vista I and had the same dampness problem. This is not acceptable at a resort that describes their accommodations as luxurious. Another couple with us had an end room in Vista I, which had an extra window, not covered by a deck above, and they did not have dampness in their room.
It was actually drier outside than in our room. I believe this is either because the room is shaded from the deck for the rooms above, so the room does not get direct sunlight. Or the dampness in the room is due to an insufficient HVAC system. Everyday we put our swimwear on a chair in the sun to dry, but as soon as we brought the clothing inside, everything felt wet again. And out of curiosity, I opened packages of sugar and creamer provided with the coffee maker, and they were both caked from the moisture.
The bathroom had some nice features, like a double sink and
walk-in shower, but is in need of some repairs. Our toilet leaked, and after notifying housekeeping, maintenance did come and add more caulking. But the toilet continued to leak. The hot/cold control on the shower was reversed, but once we realized that, we dealt with it. I did notify the reception desk of those issues when we checked out. The towels are just fair, and not “plush linens” as described in their room amenities.
Food - The descriptive words on the Divi website like “Five-Star Flavors”, “Exceptional dining”, “Fine cuisine”, are a bit misleading. Overall we were satisfied with the food, but it certainly didn’t live up to those descriptions.
The resort itself was lovely and well-maintained. All the staff with whom we interacted were friendly. We especially appreciated Jennifer, the concierge. And our server at Paparazzi, Juliette, was a gem.
If we were to return, I would definitely want to try a room in a different location.