voco Surfside Aruba

This hotel was previously known as "Talk of the Town" and a lot of tourist information and people only know it as that. It was recently bought by IHG under the name "Voco Surfside". Rooms are completely remodeled, restaurant redone and all staff restrained. It is beautiful! Service is excellent. Stuff knew me by name the 2nd day. Towels available at the desk, for pool and beach. Beach chairs available at the Renaissance Beach Club at Surfside Beach right across the street. The hotel is about 5 minutes from the airport and you can definitely hear planed but it's not bad at all. The pool has 2 small whirlpools but the water is not hot, it's the same temperature as the pool. My room opened to the pool area and the hall - very nice. I ate at the restaurant a couple of times and the food was very good, fresh and served promptly. Bar is reasonably priced (same prices as other places).

Me and my friend got locked out of our air bnb. Carol was very helpful when we showed up at 12 am and helped us get into a room! We had a wonderful stay in Voco Surfside Aruba! Definitely would recommend!

We had a great stay! Clean rooms and friendly staff. After all flights in/out of Aruba were cancelled we were able to get a last minute reservation and stay at the pool until our flight. The pool and lobby area were very clean and quiet to hang out in. Bar staff were exceptional as well!

I’ve traveled extensively and never raise concerns about accommodations as long as things are even slightly functional and safe. Unfortunately, this hotel felt like the Twilight Zone the entire time, and I cannot in good faith recommend staying here. I badly injured my toe and discovered there was no first aid kit on the premises. Bleeding and crying, I asked for help and was sent to the hotel’s gift shop, where overpriced basics (that literally $30-a-night hostels provide for free) barely included band-aids. At a hotel with a pool and children everywhere, this isn’t just strange—it’s dangerously irresponsible. For $300 a night: The hotel operates fundamentally on a “pay extra for everything” model. When I was injured, I tried to buy a bottle of water from the bar to clean the wound. I stepped 3 feet away for a second and was immediately barked at to "pay now!!!!" because the bar was “technically closed.” Just take my $6 while I bleed out on your patio, okay? This place is disorganized, creepy, unkind, and unsafe, and absolutely not worth $300 a night. Aruba is STUNNING—stay anywhere else.

The birthday lady Amirah and I ( in pink), took a taxi from the cruise port and asked that he take us to a few places on the island 🏝️. Note: most cabs only accept cash, not credit cards but, Alvin, seen here, does accept card payments. There is a 3pct fee charged as well. Alvin was a great guide and host driving us around. He dropped us at the beach and came back at the agreed time to continue seeing the signs and sites of Aruba. He is very knowledgeable and friendly. I recommend you can contact him on Whatsapp and arrange transportation. We asked him to take us to this Aruba sign and a few others seen here. Didn't stay at this hotel.

The hotel is very well located. Close to the airport, the surfside beach, the education centre. The hotel is large, has a pool. Located next to main road which is really noisy, although we knew that. Noise from the rooms is also very audible. Breakfast is good, although not varied. Even though I indicated my food sensitivities in advance, the reception did not pass them on to the kitchen. But it was sorted out when I did. We were during Carnival so the location was excellent. The city is a 15 minute walk, there are several car rental options within a 10 minute walk. Parking is available.

We booked a superior room with a balcony. There is a long area overlooking the pool, but no private balcony. The air was either freezing or off, nothing in between. The room phone did not work. They claim days before, workers cut the phone lines. The pool was not clean. You had to ask for wash clothes at the front desk every day. Sometimes they did not have them. There are no elevators, so have to carry luggage up and down the stairs. Hotel is doing some kind of construction. One night, up until around 1 am, they were right on top of our room drilling. Hotel needs a major overhaul. Would not recommend.

LOCATION: • Extremely close to the airport — you could easily walk the distance. • Taxis only accept cash (fixed rate of $21). • 25-minute walk to downtown, safe to walk alone during the day and night, even as a solo woman. • Besides a few bars, there’s nothing immediate around the hotel for use or necessities. • Taxi to the cruise port (inside the port) costs $25, cash only. GENERAL: • No carpet on the floors — just tiles — meaning they get very dirty with dust, sand, and humidity very quickly. • Towels are outdated, but clean. Decent prices for the food and drinks - I recommend ⸻ ✅ PROS: • Beautiful outdoor common areas. • Pleasant restaurant with very tasty food and a good variety of drinks. • Comfortable bed. • Pool area is very pleasant, with the water temperature being just perfect. A huge thanks to the reservation team and receptionists very pleasant and accommodating !! Great staff overall. ⸻ ❌ CONS: • There is no elevator, so carrying luggage up or down two flights of stairs (if staying on an upper floor) is highly inconvenient. • Internet connection in the room is extremely poor — at best two bars, often just one. • A “convenience store” is heavily advertised on the front of the hotel, listed as open daily from 8 AM to 8 PM. However, during the weekend I was there was a holiday - it was closed entirely. If the hotel promotes this store so prominently, they should either manage it properly or remove the huge advertisement from The front of the hotel. • The noise level is horrendous. Across the street is a large parking lot and a few bars — but the problem isn’t music. It’s the locals who rev their motorbikes and tuned cars at maximum volume for show. This continues from around 7–8 PM until 1 AM. It was genuinely the worst noise experience I’ve had at any hotel. • The daily lunch advertised in the restaurant menu is only available Monday to Friday — not on weekends — I was told only after trying to order Sunday noon. • The AC unit in the room has a very strong dusty smell, indicating it needs serious cleaning. And was either freezing or no air at all. • Pool rules are not enforced at all by the hotel staff. One family with a single child managed to disrupt the entire pool area: cannonballing into the water, screaming nonstop, jumping into the hot tub, spitting into the pool, and throwing fruit (grapes) around. While this behavior stems from a clear lack of parenting, it is also the hotel’s responsibility to ensure basic pool etiquette is maintained. Most other children were polite and respectful — this situation should have been addressed immediately. ⸻ OVERALL: The hotel has some beautiful elements and could be a relaxing stay — but the extreme noise, poor maintenance on basics like the AC and internet, and the lack of enforcement on facilities seriously diminish the experience. Management needs to step up attention to detail if they want to live up to the potential the property has.