Mill Resort & Suites Oranjestad

We stayed at The Mill due a very cheap last minute rate and pre-purchased a mid-grade room as there would be three on the trip.

When we arrived The Mill was "sold out" and we were placed in a studio (cheapest and smallest room type) without apology. The "reservation manager," when presented with documentation showing we purchased a mid-grade room, did nothing. The onsite "manager" did nothing and refused to talk to us during the stay. We have now been told from The Mill's corporate office that no rooms were available and they could not "upgrade" us to the mid-grade room. How can you call it an upgrade if you paid for the room? No apology, no refund, no credit. Stay away from The Mill!!

My husband and I booked a short (5 day) trip at the last minute and found The Mill on line. The first review I read gave glowing reports about the staff's friendliness and, especially after reading about "Dahlia" the waitress--that unusual name belonged to my mother and that alone convinced us this was the place for us!

We had a very relaxing time, and found everyone to be extremely helpful and friendly. When I met Dahlia, and told her how we chose The Mill, we got a big hug and kiss and consistently good service. John, "the best pool man in Aruba," went out of his way too--serving up a complimentary coconut water cocktail, complete w/tropical flowers and straw! Ria, the manager at The Spa facility there, was gracious and accommodating. She was very sweet and pleasant, as well as her friend and technician, Patricia. Randall, the DJ, goes above and beyond every night, entertaining the guests in a humorous and friendly manner.

I don't know about the complaints registered by the other guests, but we found all of the people at The Mill to be exceptional and the facilities were more than adequate--they were clean and comfortable.

Although the room walls were thin and the baby in the next door unit was noisy on occasion, it wasn't intolerable--they were on vacation too with the whole family, and babies cry.

All in all, I would recommend The Mill for a relaxing, enjoyable vacation if you are looking for a safe, family atmosphere, away from the hustle-bustle of the high rises. There are a number of reasons most of the guest have been returning year-after-year.

Please don't stay at the Mill. I just retuned from a stay 3/3-9. On first glance, the room seemed fine. I later discovered blood stained sheets, double sized mattress pad for king sized bed, no change of sheets over six night stay, no hot h20, broken room safe, paper thin walls, low-class clientele, locals dancing in hallways, beach next to construction. I complained about none of this, until on the last night of my stay I discovered that the housekeeper had rummaged through my suitcase and stole 2 rings and 2 necklaces. As if this wasn't bad enough, the security manager Mario's response was "Well, thats how we make our living here, off of tourists." I was mortified.

I would recommend staying at Amsterdam Manor or Aruba Beach Club on Eagle Beach, or the Renassaince (their private island is lovely). Palm beach has a sharp drop off and you must walk over a few feet of sharp shells to get into the water. People are on top of each other with their resort charis. The sand is much finer and the beach is way less crowded on Eagle.

Overall, I found Aruba to be quite overrated, but it depends on what you are looking for. I would prefer Martha's Vineyard any day. Good luck!

Second trip to Aruba and was quite disappointed with The Mill. We stayed there in February 2004 because it was inexpensive and about the only place available for a last minute visit. We paid for the Junior Suite but were put in a Studio when we arrived. The error occurred at their corporate office, yet they refused to move us or refund the difference. Management was quite rude and indifferent to the problem.

The beach is a walk around the Wyndham parking lot and trash dumpsters.

Don't expect any type of service when you get there except a towel. If you want refreshments, you'll need to go to the Wyndham. Had the management tried to resolve their error while we were there, we would have had a much more pleasant stay. Back to the high-rise area for us next time! It's worth the extra money and highly recommend staying somewhere other than The Mill.

First visit to Aruba was excellent!

The Mill Resort still had rooms available at the last minute and we wondered why and what it would be like. Having no other choice we hoped for the best.

The first thing that I have tro say about the Mill is how friendly everybody is. I have never been to a hotel that is as friendly.

The breakfast was excellent. $10 Full Buffet Hot and Cold. If you didn't want the buffet no problem, there was a menu with Omletes ranging from $5-$7. Dalhia our waitress could not have been more friendly, a big smile and a good morning welcome everyday.

The pool was busy the chairs go fast but they open up again as people get tired of the sun. The pool is clean and chairs and towels are available as well as drink and snack service. There were a lot of kids but they do have a shallow area for them to enjoy. One word of caution is that the surface around the pool is slipery.

The beach is a short walk. They have towels and chairs at the beach and Mark (another friendly employee) is there to service you.

The room was clean, and the bed was firm. The bathroom was small but had everything. The unit we had had a full kitchen, would have been great if we planned on cooking. The only negative thing about the room was that the sound proofing is not very good. Our room was in the middle and the people on our left never made a noise and the right side made a lot of noise. Bottom line the room is very good (not fantastic) but you don't spend a lot of time in the room. If you get a noisy neighbor ask them to be quiet.

So in closing I enjoyed my week at the Mill.

Side note: The cab fare from the airport to the hotel is $20. not bad considering the distance and time thru the downtown area.

Madam Jeanette's is the place to eat. Be sure to make a reservation early it may take a couple of days to get in but it worth it. The food is outstanding and the prices are reasonable. $20-25. Duck is great, Shrimp Speciality Dinner is also great. A lot of food go hungry leave full.

When I go back to Aruba I will definetly eat at Madam Jeanette's but may not stay at the Mill. The only reaon I may not stay at the Mill is too try a new hotel. I am thinking of the Phoenix, on the beach and not a very busy place.

Hope this helps.

The mill is a casual, friendly resort with practical clean rooms that have colorful caribbean flair decor. If your looking for a posh hotel with fancy furnishings and an ocean view this hotel is probably not for you.

We stayed at The Mill for 10 days a studio room with a kitchenette.

This was great, as dining out in Aruba can be a little pricey especially when your considering 3 meals a day. Grocery store prices are comparible to Hawaii, as it's an island and everything has to be shipped in. Because of the Dutch influence you can buy some wonderful cheeses and other items in the local grocery stores.

Our maid service was spectacular. For $1.00 U.S. tip a day our room was always VERY CLEAN with extra towels, etc. and all our dirty dishes were washed and dried for us everyday. No other hotel we ever stayed at with a kitchenette ever did our dishes for us in all our travels and we travel a lot.

If you want to pack light, they offer a washer and dryer for $2.00 U.S.

a load for guests to do their laundry.

Overall we would recommend this hotel for value, cleanliness and location. Book a kitchenette and save yourself a bundle eating out all the time. We would highly recommend Frommer's Aruba guide book for dining out, etc. it's worth it to buy yourself a copy before you go.

October 2003 : The hotel is okay. We had the worst view from our room but most of the rooms are situated better. The swimmingpools were nice and clean ! The food was average, the bar was okay. But ... the staff wasn't very friendly at the reception and at the bar. Wake them up !

Make them smile ! "one happy island" !?

In February of 2001 my husband and I went to Aruba, it was my first experience traveling out of the U.S.A.,except for Canada. We had a wonderful time. We rented a car, call ahead and get a jeep, it will be more fun. We stayed at the Mill, when I got there and saw my room I nearly cryed because it was the most casual hotel I'd ever stayed. By the next day I had changed my mind. Our room had a kitchenette and we could make anything we wanted after the town shut down at night. I loved having an in room blender and refrigerater and stove. We were so busy snorkeling , horse back riding and hopping all over the island that we hardly had time to care about the room itself. The bed was comfortable and the lighting good. The people at the Mill were so kind to us and went out of their way to open a coconut so I could taste fresh coconut milk, harder than one might think to do, my friend. The pool is small but completely charming. The place is clean. We learned the dollar dance one evening as we hung out at the mill bar with the locals. I felt safe there, and truly had the time of my life. There is fabulous swimming at Baby Beach. The Natural Pool on the island is a must see, you'll never experience anything like it, you arrive by horseback or jeep your choice, DON'T attempt to walk, it is too far, and take your own snorkeling equipment because you can snorkel at any number of places and you don't have to pay parking fees or fees to snorkel. To get to De Palm Island you have to take a ferry, and pay a small fee, but it is entirely worth it. At De Palm you can swim with Parrot fish and barracuda and all kinds of wonderfully colored big and little fish, and you can feed them. Also, we never had a bad meal anywhere we ate, we liked to go to the hangouts where the locals ate to get a good feel for the people and their culture. We never felt threatened or unsafe. I think they got a big kick out of us, and everyone would tell us what to order for drinks and food. It was great.

The shopping was fun. It's a little hard to get around because there are few road signs, but I managed even being a woman by myself I was not afraid. My husband went scuba diving one day, and I went shopping downtown. There ARE places in Aruba where the peole are very poverty stricken, and they allow their dogs, chickens, and goats to run free, but you just have to be careful not to run over the animals. Don't drive like a maniac and be respectful of how others live , that's their home, and they live as they can. Other places are beautiful and that may or may not be the norm, we were too busy to notice. No matter where we went we were treated with kindness and the same respect we showed them. It was wonderful, and I would return to The Mill. Some mornings I still crave a cup of the Mill coffee with that wonderful dutch cream.

The little sugar birds would come and inspect neighboring tables for sweet scraps of food, as the restauraunt is outdoors. The Mill has no beach, but that is good because the tradewinds on the beaches can cause the sand to pick up and get rough, no good for laying in the sun at some of the hotels, but with The Mill that was not an issue, it is secluded and comfortable. The weather was gorgeous, windy, but warm, and the water is like bath water in the ocean. This review comes from a picky perfectionist, just ask my husband. Have a wonderful trip and just be in the moment of where you are, and be grateful for all you see, and all you have.

We stayed at the Mill Resort for just one night after being bumped by the Wyndham. It was terrible. The first room they put us in was dirty, and at the back of the hotel, facing garbage etc. The rooms are like small studio apartments, with a complete, but small kitchen. They have one restaurant and one bar, which were not cheap! It seemed like a hangout for the locals. There was a decent pool, however it had hair floating all over, and a little boy standing on the side of the pool urinating into the pool. Needless to say we did not swim! All in all I'd have to say I would never reccommend this place.

My family and I went to Aruba on the 9th of Aug. untill the 15th. We live in St.Thomas and had heard about Aruba and it was a dream come true! We stayed at the Mill Resort and I would highly give you the best place to stay. I have a 10 and 12 year old children boy and girl they had the time of there life. If you go to Aruba and you have children stay at the Mill Resort! The people are so nice and the food is Great! We will be back! Evelyn from St. Thomas U.S.Vi