We stayed for a week in April and had an amazing time. Our studio was not ready till about 4pm on the day of our arrival but that was not unexpected, and the hotel was happy to store our luggage for us. We explored the grounds and walked the beach while we waited for our room. Their bell service is very responsive. There were only two of us in the studio and the space was more than adequate for us. Everything was very clean and well maintained. Room/Bathroom was clean and staff was very friendly. We never waited long for an elevator and getting from our room to the pool or beach is very easy from anywhere on the property. We had friends staying in other buildings at the surf club but we never felt far away from each other. On the grounds, there are several bathrooms not far from the pool which were always clean. The pool and lazy river were very fun to hang around. If you want lots of activity and people, sit closer to the pool bar. There's plenty of pool volleyball to join in and everyone had a great time. We also stayed on the quieter end closer to the back side of the property, and we sat by the waterfall which was also wonderful and more peaceful. There is an adult only pool which we did not use that was adjacent to the bigger pool on the beach end, and it was not fully occupied, more lounges available there. There were 2 or 3 hot tubs in the pool area as well that we did not use but looked inviting. If you want to be on the beach and use one of the palapas, the first 8 rows of palapas can be occupied on first come first served basis. After those rows, the next few in the back could be rented for $10/day. During our stay we found that the ones for rent were not fully occupied. We wanted to be closest to the water so we opted to get up and out there very early to get one. You have to be sitting at your palapa by 7am to tag your chairs and wait for staff to come by and note your hotel room number and give you chaises. You can leave for up to 2 hours at a time without losing your palapa. Servers come around by late morning to take drink and lunch orders if interested. There are multiple restaurants available by the water and we recommend making reservations for your entire stay to avoid missing out. We loved Hadicurari's which was right next to the hotel on the water. We enjoyed the sunset views from the beach restaurants. Walking into town was very easy to enjoy more restaurants, several had room to walk in without reservations. There was also plenty of shopping in town. We rented a Jeep and loved exploring the island without needing to stay with a tour or a fixed schedule. But we know there are multiple tours available with options to rent ATVs. We were able to take a catamaran tour for an afternoon of snorkeling that was amazing. There are so many excursions and options available. We spent some time at Eagle Beach which was gorgeous. We also had dinner one night at the Lighthouse which had great food, great service and lovely views. As for sun exposure, bring reef safe (required) sunblock and plenty of it so you will not need to purchase it there. I have fair skin but never burned by simply wearing enough and using a cover up as needed. We also recommend a hat. There are always trade winds in Aruba, and this was our first visit there. We were told there would be a steady breeze, but it was very often quite windy! The breeze by the beach seemed lighter, and it gets more breezy in different parts of the pool area. But outside the main lobby of Compass building and along Spyglass tower it is very very windy! Always! So plan for a beach-hair-don't-care time and enjoy! We would go back in a minute and would use Vacation Candy again, thanks for a great trip!