The Old Man and the Sea restaurant — Restaurant in Aruba

First let me just say overall this was an experience that my husband and I will never forget! Now, let me dive into some details...

We stayed at the Orquidea villa for 6 days/5 nights. It was absolutely beautiful, the pictures do not do it any justice. If your looking for a secluded spot where you and your significant other will be able to just be alone for some quality one on one time, then this place is for you, but be warned there are a few draw backs.

The biggest issue we had at this location was the mosquitoes. At night we were bitten a lot. The villa itself is very open and not bug proof so we took some of our own measures to limit the bugs getting inside the villa. Primarly we bought some strong bug spray for inside and that worked pretty good.

We didn't have a Bose music speaker, which the description of the room said would have. However, the second day in I had asked the manager Leroy about it, and later the same day we received a brand new in the box Bluetooth speaker he handed to us to use for our stay which I never expected.

The Wi-Fi there is a little misleading. I thought there would be Wi-Fi in the villas which is not the case. You can only access Wi-Fi in the main lobby area. If you need that access make sure your phone has the option for international roaming data.

The description of the villas say there is A.C. Which isn't wrong, but the Ac was basically only right over our beds pumping down on you. So it is only really cool when your sitting in bed, not anywhere else in the villa. We managed okay but would have been nice to know before hand.

Now, in most of the more popular hotel spaces you can probably swim in the water with little to no vegetation in the water, but this is not really the case here. I will say, I thought this was a draw back at first, but on our 2nd day in we recieved snorkling gear to use for the duration of our stay and I realized just how great it is that there was vegetation in the water. The fish we were able to see completely amazed me. I quickly realized if they removed the plants then we would be missing out on the beautiful sea life you are able to experience here. We actually wound up snorkling every day that we stayed here which was probably one of the best experiences of our vacation.

The place was also equipped one person kayak that we could use at anytime. I was a little put off at first that there was only one kayak and that it was.only for 1 person. However, we talked to a few other couples that had already used it and said they went on it already together so we had decided to try it too and it turned out to be an adventure I'll never forget. It was so much fun trying to balance on it with my husband while he paddled and we were able to share in the goofyness of trying to kayak in the water together. Overall it would have been nice to have another kayak so we could both go out together safely, but we made the best out of it and we loved it.

There were 2 awesome restaurants in walking distance of the villas, Flying fishbone and Zeroovers. Flying fish was a bit expensive but it was by far one of the best restaurants we ate at during our stay. Zeroovers was a more reasonable priced restaurant but only served 2 main types of food, either the fish of the day with fries or shrimp and fries. But let me tell you they cooked it perfectly so they must be on to something with the limited selection.

The staff at the villas were excellent. Anything we asked for or asked about they tried their best to accommodate us. They even let us use their kitchen to warm up leftovers and did everything they could to help make the stay enjoyable.

Overall this was one of the best experiences we could ever walk away with. Hopefully, they can do something to stop the mosquitoes, but I wouldn't let that stop you from booking just be prepared and pick up some bug spray at a local...

I don't know how you could give this place less than 5 stars. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could!

My husband and I stayed here for a week in the midst of the pandemic. We were looking for an over-water hut to stay in (like in Bora Bora) to escape the stress of everyday life. We found it here. There is no other place like it in Aruba or the Caribbean. The pictures online are beautiful and the resort in person is utterly surreal from the second you walk in. It is in a local area of Aruba away from the high rises, which gives you an authentic island experience.

Our trip began at the airport where a driver had a sign with our names on it. When we arrived at the resort, we were given a tour of the breathtaking grounds and offered drinks. Our luggage was brought to our room for us. We stayed in one of the over-water bungalows, directly on the ocean. The room and private, expansive outdoor deck were sparkling clean with well-kept furniture, an island vibe and breeze, plenty of sun and shade, and artistic touches everywhere. There is WIFI available all over the resort, AC in your room, bug spray if you need it, sunscreen, a mini-bar, and a speaker to play music. The restaurant on-site is the best in the area, and provided a variety of delicious food for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. The staff is kind, welcoming, and extremely hard working. They go above and beyond to give you a personalized 5-star experience (i.e., attentive, detail-oriented service, excursion planning if you wish, arranging COVID testing). It is professionally managed and responsible in precautions taken regarding the pandemic. The resort is perfect for enjoying the private beach, snorkeling as it is in a protected cove (we brought water shoes and the resort provides masks and flippers), and the open ocean is beyond the breakwater within perfect view. You can use the resort's multiple kayaks (single and double), and explore the area at your leisure. We went to sea glass island across the water and found sea glass, shells, and driftwood. We saw turtles, crabs, birds, and tons of different fish everyday too.

This place is a dream and is worth every penny. We have stayed at several other places in Aruba and in the Caribbean (including the Ritz-Carlton), but this offers a completely unique opportunity to slow down and quietly enjoy island life.

It was the best vacation of our lives. We are so pleased with our unforgettable experience that we won't be vacationing anywhere else from now on. This is the place to go for people who want to take a break from their daily life, relax, and...

Do not recommend their service. My girlfriends and I booked the private cabana 3 months in advance for a special event. The private cabana is only available to guests that stay at the villas. We communicated with Joy who confirmed via email that the reservation was booked for 6 at the private cabana.

When we got there the manager told us they never received that confirmation for the private cabana and that it was Joys fault for not telling them. At first they told us it wasn’t possible because we had 7 people. We only had 6 and joys email said the cabana accommodated up to 8 people so I’m not sure why they are telling us it’s not possible cause they thought we were a party of 7. Even if that is the case they should of contacted us in advance to let us know.

Then the manager proceeded to tell us that Joy never mentioned we booked the private cabana when clearly she said the private cabana in her email attached with pictures of where we would be eating. Manager confirmed those emails however still unable to accommodate us for dinner. We asked if they can accommodate us the following night and they said they are not sure. What does that even mean? It’s either you can or cannot because there is another reservation. Extremely disorganized.

The wAitstaff also kept coming to us with the menu and asking if we were going to dine here. This was all happening while the manager was looking into our reservation. We had to keep telling the waiter that we are waiting on the manager to figure our reservation out. Poor communication overall.

We spent over $1300 a night at the villa and therefore we had high standards for their service. We were celebrating a once in a lifetime special event and are extremely disappointed in their service. We ended up leaving due to poor service. Decided to just get dinner at zeerover for a fraction of the price with much better service. Highly recommend zeerover next door! We will be returning to zeerover during our stay.

Do not recommend and if booking please confirm multiple times with them. This was an extremely frustrating experience with a manager that kept blaming the person who made the reservation. She works for the villa therefore represents the company. Please take more responsibility for your employees. It’s not just her but your team as a whole that should be held responsible. I run an organization myself therefore understand the...