This hotel (Marina) is great for anyone traveling without children. While families have the option to stay at the suites, the Marina provides a quiet, calm and chic atmosphere where you can unwind. The pool has comfy lounges and is a great place to relax. The adults only beach is phenomenal with no screaming kids throwing sand and you can also feed he pink Flamingos which was really pretty cool. Bring beach shoes because there are small rocks when you first enter the water and we recommend lounges up on one of the jetties for the best breeze. Rooms are pretty good, not as nice as some of the large all-inclusive resorts we've stayed at in other locations but, considering the amount of time you're actually in the room, they will fit the bill. Location was such a key part of this hotel - walk to the best restaurants, shops and casinos on the island! We will be back and will definitely stay at the Renaissance Marina.

I am an avid reader of Trip Advisor and should have known better than to stay here after reading numerous reviews about the Renaissance. I won't go into every single detail....There is not enough room for me to write a book. This place is just gros. There is no better word! To start...There is no real beach..even at the Island. There is sand and a lagoon.. The rooms are filthy at best. I had to call housekeeping into my "clean" room after check in to get the poop off of the toilet. This was the "$99" upgraded room because I complained to the front desk that the first overlooked housekeeping(who come and go all day and night). The toilet seat in this upgraded room was so scratched and dented I guarantee it was the original one put here when this resort was built. Nasty! I am not sure what they did when they "renovated" a few years ago. Linens are old. Mattresses are old. Furniture is torn up. Bathroom is very out of date and ceiling is falling in. The vacuam never saw my room. Everything was filthy. The front desk was the worst. If you don't speak spanish you are in deep trouble. The front desk was outright rude to anyone..including me. If you have kids.. there is a subway, an Sbaggo and a Burger King within walking distance. You are downtown. All watersports are located in the hotel highrise area. Stay there. Much more to do. More water sports and fun outdoor restaurants. Most chartered water sports leave from this location anyway. The pool is fine. Don't get the all inclusive though. You never see a waiter. We had to hunt someone down everyday in order to purchase drinks and/or food. Go at your own risk.

i just spent 6 days at the Renaissance Marina resort and Casino in Aruba. This is a Marriott property located 10 minutes from the airport where the cruise ships dock. This is my 3rd time staying here in 3 years. I really enjoy the location of this hotel. It is NOT directly on the beach, but what is great about it is the ability to travel by boat to a remote private island. The boat arrives at the 1st level of the hotel so it is very easy to get to. This takes about a 15 minute boat ride which is lovely and no extra charge, all you have to do is show your room key and you can board. The private island has two large beaches with calm, beautiful aqua water. The beach on the left is for families from the Marriott Suites. The beach on the right is strictly for adults. I recommend finding a chair along one the sides where the tradewinds blow and you will never get hot. There are several flamingos on the beach that come right near you and their antics are comical. It 's very secluded and quiet and the boats run every 10-15 minutes back to the hotels.
Our room was nice. The beds were comfortable. It was clean and the maid service was adequate. There is a fridge and coffee maker. The shower head didnt provide a very strong spray. The bathroom provisions were nice. We didnt spend too much time there and it was quiet at night. There is sliding glass doors you can open with a tiny balcony you can only stand on. It would be nice if you could sit outside but we spent time sitting at the pool which overlooks the harbor.
There is a ton of shopping within walking distance. Look for the jewelery stores on the back streets for better deals. The shops on the main street will rip you off. Buy perfume here. it is almost 50% less than in America. There are also many nice restaurants close by and in the hotel. LG Steak House is pricey but is excellent. Que pasa and Yemanja are down the street and serve Dutch/Caribbean entrees that are ALWAYS guaranteed good. We took a short ride this year to Pincho's on the beach and watched an amazing sunset while we drank margaritas and martinis and had an unbelievable meal. Then we walked back along the beach. Breakfast in the hotel is very expensive. There is a cute outdoor cafe behind the hotel called Rumba. You can get a great meal for 6$. The waiter/waitresses are so nice, freindly and talkative. They deserve a tip.
We took the timeshare tour of the Marriott Surf Club down where the high rise hotels are. They are beautiful inside but it is like an amusement park outside with kids of all ages EVERYWHERE. I dont have kids so this was definitely not for me, but if you have a family it would be perfect. The beach was full of seaweed and the wind blows the sand in your face and it hurts! I was glad to get back to our hotel for peace and serenity.
The only complaint I have about the Renaissance is the coffee shop in the bottom of the hotel called Piazza. I was treated very rudely twice by their staff. They acted like they could not be bothered. They ignored you completely and had no sense of urgency. This is right next to the boat pick-up area so many people try to get something to drink or eat before the boat comes. I had to walk away twice to get the boat because I was ignored.
Overall I would recommend this property without hesitation.

Made my first trip to the Carribean and it was amazing, the one thing to keep in mind about the Renaissance is that it isn't on the beach strip, we stayed in the Marina Hotel which was lovely, we arrived a bit early and our room wasn't quite ready so we were given complimentary drinks at the bar.

Room was small but we didn't need anything large, nice and air conditioned. Unless you want to get out and tour the Island a car really isn't necessary, cab fares are cheap even to the golf course.

The one problem with the hotel was the elevators were constantly broken sometimes both of them at the same time. Other than that the service was good, when ordering drinks poolside at happy hour order a few at a time because it is busy and not enough wait staff. For a nice meal out the LG Smith Steakhouse in the hotel is great.

The private island speaks for itself, if only it didn't close so early.

Would definitely visit again.