My wife and I had a good experience at Barcelo Aruba on our 10th anniversary. Overall, the resort is nice and has everything you need in an all inclusive. The location is excellent with a beautiful beach and close by to many other things that makes a quick walk to shops, restaurants, bars, and excursions. A few things that could be improved: The bed in our room was worn to the point of being uncomfortable to sleep on. Room cleanliness was average. The buffet food and drinks were average, but better than some other places we’ve visited. Our two favorite reservation restaurants were Italian and Mexican. Lina (server at Mexican), Ruthie (server at Palms buffet), June (server at Hibachi) all gave excellent service! Getting a good spot on the beach means you had to get up early, claim a beach chair with towel before everyone else snagged a spot- some extra cabanas would’ve been nice as there’s not many of them. We didn’t upgrade to the royal level which means you had one outside bar option at the pool- not a big deal but you are limited without access to the bar on the beach.
We’ve stayed at many Caribbean all inclusive resorts, overall the Barcelo Aruba rates about average among the rest.