Having read all of the reviews prior to going down there, I had mixed feelings. Typically when we travel, we stay at 4 and 5 star resorts. This one was booked by a friend, so I wasn't going to complain or be insulting when I learned where we were staying.

Overall, it was a pleasant experience, and certainly a good value. No doubt about it, the facility is older and definitely needs updated/remodeled. Our room (a studio with kitchenette) wasn't modern or visually overwhelming, but it was functional. Bed and pillows were very comfortable. Kitchen was nice to have (although we really didn't use much aside from the refrigerator). Bathroom was a very nice size. Tub/Shower combination had a jacuzzi (didn't use it, but I thought it was a nice addition). They had toiletries on the wall in pumps. I was a little sketched out by this, but everything had Aruba Aloe products in them. This is the same stuff they charge $6-$10 a bottle for downtown. Really smells nice and we ended up purchasing some to bring back.

We did have out issues with maintenance, but everything was addressed immediately. The first day, our phone was acting up and we couldn't place local calls. No problem, we just called the front desk and they connected us. The next day they had a phone tech out there to fix the problem. At no fault of the resort, our "next door neighbors" seemed to be on a spring break of sorts. They were up at 4am every night, yelling and screaming. Hey, i've been there (well close anyway), but when you are trying to relax on vacation there is only so much you can take. We called security on the second night of this and they were on the spot in moments. The neighbors took their party to the beach and all was good again. We were pleasantly surprised the next day when we woke up and found a "buffer board" out our door. This is a cushioned board you place up against the adjacent door in the hotel room to drown out the noise next door. It worked great and we didn't have any more problems.

As far as the rest of the facility, the food is definitely marginal. They have an italian restaurant on site that is pretty good. Also have a Cinnabon, which, well, is a Cinnabon. The restaurant out by the pool was pretty lousy, although they did have a pretty decent hamburger. Pool area is very nice with a waterslide. They also have shuffleboard out there if you can stand the heat. Stop by the activity center and they will hook you up with all the necessary equipment. Stay out of the convenience store if you can help it. The prices are outrageous for basic food, drinks, and toiletries.

The beach in front of the LaCabana (just across the road, 1 minute from the pool) is outstanding. The cabana boy is quick to help you out and get you set up (free of charge). There is a little mixed drinks stand within a couple of steps. Good tropical drinks, and even buy-one-get-one deals in the afternoon. If you feel like trying watersports, there is a stand right there for that too. Very convenient! Beware, their are timeshare people by the beach that will try and have a word with you. Just keep walking. They are generally pleasant.

Bellstaff and taxi stand are both very cordial and react immediately to their guests.

This place isn't the Ritz, but overall it is a great deal. If you want to go to Aruba, don't plan on spending a lot of time in the room, and would rather spend you money on dining out, shopping, and gambling, this place is hard to beat. It's dated, but they really try hard with their service, and that is just as important.

When I see a glowing review of this place, I say to myself, "Were we at the same place? Maybe we caught them on a bad week or something. We had an ant infestation in our room, a grand view of the dumpsters and relaxed in outdated decor. We tried to hang in there but when we got attitude from security for asking to open our room because the door knob was not working properly and we learned that the locals are invited to the place for the weekend for $50 or something like that, we packed up and split for upgraded accommodations and no TIMESHARE pitches. Nothing against locals, but I don't vacation with my family to be over run by a group of 50 -100 people that are there to party hard, into the wee hours. NYC and Vegas are for that.
La Cabana is half outdated timeshare resort, half brand new resort. There is a great side of the Resort, near the ocean and an old antiquated side that was so horrible, I was shocked to find it was a Blue Green Timeshare Resort, which is usually pretty decent. . We ended up at the Radisson, which was simply superb. Too many better options in Aruba to end up here..

We ended up at La Cabana purely by chance, having come across a timeshare rental website. The rate for the week sounded too good to be true (which means it usually is), but I decided it couldn't hurt to do some research. I must admit, I was a bit torn after reading the reviews because some people had good things to say and some had bad things to say -- and you're never quite sure who to believe. However, after seeing some pictures and doing more research, I figured "How bad could it be? Plus we're not going to Aruba to stay in our hotel room... so as long as we have a decent place to crash, we'll be ok."

Well, we were MORE than ok. We had a 1BR suite on 2nd floor looking out to the pool/beach area, and our accommodations were great! Sure some things were a little old... but everything was clean and it worked. If there were cracks in the tile in the bathroom, i didn't get all bent out of shape... I was there to take a shower, brush my teeth, put on/take off makeup, etc. and then get out and see the island, not do a home inspection.

The kitchen was small but the fridge was roomy -- which was great because one of the first things we did upon arrival was rent a Jeep and drive to Super Food to get a bunch of things (we did our own breakfast and lunch so we could splurge on dinner). The microwave came in very handy for the instant oatmeal and reheating of leftovers from the restaurants when we had them. The living room area was great although we didn't really use it much... and there was lots of closet space. We had a nice little terrace, and that was pretty much our breakfast & lunch dining room for the week (we even made friends with a bird who would come by to eat our leftover toast crumbs from the floor).

It's true that the front door opened to the bedroom, and I wouldn't have preferred that, but I was expecting it because I had looked at the floorplan layout (it definitely helps to do as much research as possible so you'll know what to expect). I guess if we had been there with another couple it would have been a problem, but for just the two of us it wasn't that big of a deal. I also had found out in the course of my research that they were doing renovations, but I also knew from the posted renovation schedule that where we were wouldn't be affected.

Another thing I didn't prefer -- but this seems to be the case in alot of Caribbean hotels -- was that there weren't any rugs. I'm a rug person by nature, so I always prefer rugs over bare floors -- be they tile, hardwood, or otherwise. The floors in our room were tile (although I'm not sure if that will change with the renovations because we didn't go to the presentation), and I think they could have at least included some small bath rugs in strategic places -- such as perhaps on the sides of the bed where you throw your feet when you first get out, in the kitchenette area in front of the stove, and perhaps also in the living room area. But this wasn't a huge deal... I've learned from experience to always bring bedroom slippers with me wherever I go so I just used those.

Just a comment, in response to a review I saw on here -- I'm not sure why anyone would leave the patio door to their unit open...next thing you know they'll be complaining if something were to get -- *gasp* -- STOLEN from their room. Locks are in place for a reason, people... yes, even in Aruba. The cleaning lady did exactly what she should've done, which is locking the door each time. The hotel givs you room keys. Carry them with you, and use them.

The pool was great... slide was fun, and it seemed that there were plenty of activities going on there during the day (although we didn't join in... we did our own thing while we were there - exploring the island in the jeep, finding places to snorkel, horseback riding, pool/beach, etc.). Yes, you do need to cross a very small street to get to the beach, but the beach is actually a shorter walk from the hotel pool than it is for some of the high rise hotels (I know; i've stayed in a couple of them)!

We used the gym a couple of times, and I was very impressed at the facilities for the value (although the elliptical machines were a little old, the stationery bikes were awesome and I also couldn't believe there were 3 racquetball courts!).

We didn't eat at any of the on-site restaurants... except we did go to that Le Petit cafe for breakfast our last day. I've been to LPC during my first visit to aruba in 1998, but it was the one downtown. I'd suggest definitely staying away from the one at La Cabana... it just doesn't seem to get as much business as the one that's now located in the high rise district (near the Hyatt/Playa Linda) or downtown. It's worth going to for dinner if it's still like i remember it, and maybe the brunch is good too, but it wasn't all that hot (in more ways than one) at the one by LC.

Yes, the mini mart food is overpriced... but it's a mini mart! Think of it as a 7 eleven or WaWa -- same thing. Definitely go to SuperFood or another actual grocery store for your food if you can, so you can get better prices.

Some recommendations - Go to Amazonia (between Sopranos and McDonalds, near the Hyatt) instead of Texas De Brazil for that a great all-you-can-eat meat experience . Not that anything's wrong with TDB or their food, but the overall experience at Amazonia just seems to be a little better. Definitely get to El Gaucho (downtown) if you like steak. Cuba's Cookin (downtown) is also recommended. Book outdoor massages at Manchebo Beach's Spa Del Sol (enter the resort near La Ahlambra Casino)... completely romantic and relaxing -- or just relaxing if you're not going with a sig. other. Try to avoid renting a car right from the airport... they charge you an extra tax that you can avoid by renting at your hotel (an airport car rental place actually told us that when we walked in, and it saved us some bucks). You can't beat the price for a jeep at Value Rental, which was $375 for the week (compared to $550-$600+ elsewhere). Plus, they give you a ride from the hotel to their rental shop and will drop you off at the airport when you return the car.

All in all, our visit to Aruba was perfect (as always). See some of my photos posted. This was my fourth time and my boyfriend's second, and each time I've stayed in different places. However, I think we've found a keeper... we're definitely planning to rent a timeshare at La Cabana again next time we go. If you want rose petals in your bathwater (metaphorically) or plan to be on house arrest in Aruba, go to the Hyatt and spend lots of ridiculous money on a place to stay. If you're looking for decent accommodations and a comfortable place to lay your head at night with great service and friendly staff, La Cabana is for you!

Spent 8 days in an "ocean view" 1 bedroom. It was decent, clean, nice view of the pool area and beach beyond that. Decor was a bit dated, but from what I understand, they are going through a major overhaul renovation and the new rooms will look nice. As for the restaurants, we did NOT do all inclusive. To many restaurants in Aruba to try to be limited. We did have lunch one day at the Islander Grille and the service was awful. The staff basically never greeted us and ignored us after we ordered. Tried Pizza Amore and were very disappointed. The beach (Eagle Beach) on the other hand was probably one of the best on the island. It was never crowded, we always found a palpla no matter what time of day we showed up. Having a car rental (Optima) on site was a plus. Made it easy to rent a car for a day to grocery shop, visit Baby Beach, tour the island and have dinner at Flying Fishbone. The Pelican tours desk on site was very handy as well. We booked a few scuba dives and a sunset cruise through them and they even provided transportation for us. Plenty of beach towels and plenty of pool chairs available around the pool. Didn't like how the entire resort shut down after 8pm. It was VERY quiet, catering to families and to an older crowd. When we read the reviews and forums on Aruba, we had originally decided that the quiet low rise area of Aruba would be a better fit for us. After all we were going on vacation to relax. That lasted about two days. We needed something to keep us from getting bored. Thankfully the bus system right on the beach was clean, safe, and easy to use. We spent most nights up in the high rise area. Much more stimulation, choices, activities, and restaurants to keep us interested. If we had to do it over, we would of stayed in the high rise area and taken the bus to the low rise area for the beach only. I will say that Aruba was one of the most expensive islands I have been to and not sure if I would return. It was very much like the USA and I prefer a much more "cultural" experience if I am going to be traveling out of the country.