O Condominium Beachfront Residences, by Bocobay Aruba

Don’t rent O Condominium, unit #22 - This is a review that never had to happen…certainly not with this family vacation that was taken taken advantage of by the management company and the owner. We were excited to book our 7 person family vacation with Bocobay Rentals and the condo complex, O Condominiums at Eagle Beach. We stayed in Unit #22, advertised as a *Brand new luxury 4 bedroom penthouse. Our length of stay was 8 nights/9 days at a cost of almost $11,000. As travelers, we all have basic needs that should be a given, especially in a climate like Aruba. The less than a year old hot water heater went out on our second full day. No hot showers for 7 people, no sanitary dishes and no clean wash. This issue also effected the unit’s air conditioning for two days, by tripping the circuits. We were understanding and tried to go with the flow, even though our on-site staff member acknowledged that this has happened before. We own rental property ourselves in Florida and have ”been there” and certainly know how we handle issues when they come up - and they do. Every day we were told something else, most of which was blaming the owner and their lack of ability to reach them and resolve the problem. By the third day we put in writing an email to Bocobay with a request to also forward to the owner, who appeared to be at issue. After this, we were told a part had to be flown in, but not to worry because they were going to give us an adjustment and “take care of us” because they knew our party of 7 was put out. This issue was finally fixed two days later at 5:00 PM the night before our departure. The unacceptable part of this, we had no hot water for the vast majority of our stay and had to pay rack rate for sub-par, certainly not a luxury experience, oh, and the ice maker was broken the entire time too. This management company has failed in the guest experience and if we take them at their words, the owners have too. Either way, I would never rent from Bocobay Rentals or a at this “Luxury” condominium complex.

The condo itself was lovely and clean. 4th floor terrace is nice but with no shade or water you can’t really spend a lot of time up there when the sun is out and the hot tubs close at 8pm. Our condo slept 6 but it didn’t provide enough supplies for 6. We ran out of shampoo, conditioner, tissues, and garbage bags and more aren’t provided with the rental. They also only provide 2 beach chairs and one umbrella. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal but we were unaware that the umbrella and lounge rentals on Eagle Beach shut down sporadically so we couldn’t do the beach the last 3 days of our trip. The pool was the only option and it was full of children so not exactly relaxing. It’s not a bad stay but we will do a resort directly on the water in Eagle Beach next time.

Excellent location, excellent service, excellent condominium. Ruby, Quinnie, Chelsea and Jaea. All were so helpful. Bocobay manage the site and do an excellent job. Contemporary design and furnishings. We stayed in two different condos and it gave us a good sense of the spaciousness and views on offer. The sunsets on the 4th floor terrace were magnificent. Thoroughly recommend it.

Exactly as pictured and better than expected!! If you are traveling with a family and especially with little ones that need nap time, I HIGHLY recommend this place. Honestly, the owners and managers of the Caribbean Shades of Blue have thought of everything from luxurious bath towels to insulated mugs to carry to the beach! They even provide beach chairs and towels and some beach toys. The attention to detail they provide is amazing. I asked for a play yard for our grandson to use and they even brought us in a high chair that I completely forgot to ask about. Don’t hesitate, just book it! By the way, the short walk to the beach takes less time than walking out of your hotel room and weaving through courtyards, we never had a single problem getting a prime spot on Eagle Beach.