Reception makes an impact as you arrive with the swimming jellyfish. On entering the hotel, the lobby is fantastic, and the mall is full of designer shops. However, whilst Thomson Holidays (in the UK) bill this as a 5* hotel, it is a lot more like the 4* official rating, whilst I would consider our bathroom closer to a 2-3* rating. We really enjoyed the Marina hotel, for our first trip to Aruba. We ate at LG SMITH Restaurant in the R&C, and that is a wonderful restaurant and had a couples spa at the OKEANOS SPA also. We had a great week in Aruba, rented a car and saw lots of the island, and it was always nice to come back to 'home' after visiting restaurants, attractions, beaches, etc.
Access to the private Renaissance Island by the hotel's motor boats is just a hundred yards away, and the Island is a little get-away with Flamingos, Iguanas, and little Lizards (Geikos), restaurant, bar, shop it has an adult-side, and a family-side. For our needs, the Ocean Suites fit our desire, to have a bedroom, kitchen area, sitting area, balcony for a whole week at a very affordable price. We stayed at the OS and found it comfortable, a little dated and worn, but easy access to the hotel beach, pool, bar, and restaurant. The R&C is the Adult Hotel, and the OS is the Family Hotel. The Renaissance Resort in Oranjestad ARUBA is two separate properties the Resort and Casino, and the Ocean Suites.
