The Aruba Grand will be closing for 2 yrs. No closing date has been given. They will be adding 2 new buildings, 3 pools and 5 restaurants. No reopening date has been given. Club Members(timeshare) can add weeks on to the membership or go to one of 3 resorts in Puerto Plata.

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LynnS

Has anyone heard what the official closing date is for the Aruba Grand. I heard that is was May 1, 2006. Is that correct??

I've heard April 30th and May 1st. I'm assuming April 30, 2006 will be the last day that they'll be open.

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~Amy~®

21st trip to Aruba: May 2010
Paris, France: Aug. 3-19, 2010

I just spoke to someone I know and they just got their letter from Aruba Grand...they didn't know about it till now. I actually didn't remember which place they owned so I never thought to tell them (oops). Well they are now on the phone with the airlines trying to do something else. They used frequent flyer miles for their tickets. They refuse to go to the DR!!! Sorry but I don't blame them!

__________________
"These are a few of my favorite things"
...Elisa
defecting to St. Thomas/St. John Oct. 10-17, '09, St. Thomas/St. John 2/23-3/3, 2010

They could do what we are trying to do- 1. put pressure on Riu to put us up at a resort in Aruba-2. Try to get Riu to offer other locations 3. Contact Aruba Tourism Authority and 4. rent another place in Aruba with the return of the yearly fees we have paid.
We have also used FF miles and will change our tickets when we see what we work out. Most case we loose the tax money and the miles get redeposited- but I am thinking positive- I WILL find a place to go!!!!!!!!!!

elizabeth- PLEASE ask your friends to contact the A.G. and voice their displeasure with our options. We all need to work together on this. Thanks

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LynnS

I will do just that...Are you saying they returned your maintenance fee for 2006? Is that what you are referring to as "with the return of the yearly fees we have paid"? If so that's great and I can let them know to expect it back!

__________________
"These are a few of my favorite things"
...Elisa
defecting to St. Thomas/St. John Oct. 10-17, '09, St. Thomas/St. John 2/23-3/3, 2010

elisabeth- NO- we have Not received our maintenance fee back we plan on requesting that. It is not part of the letter but I made a call to the Aruba Grand and was told we could request our money be returned. Many rumors going around and different information with each person you talk to. We will try to get our money back- hope we succeed.

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LynnS

I am an owner at Aruba Grand and will be there in 2 weeks. Maybe I will get an update. The rules on the back of our sales contract state that an owner must pay their fees regardless of whether they use the unit or not and if dues are not paid the Club can forclose and take the unit back without any refunds to the owner. It does not refer to an owner not being allowed to use their unit because of Club or Hotel actions. I fear that we will be forced to pay now and be forced to pay again when we use our weeks. Riu would not allow us to switch to another, more acceptable Riu property.
OCdebb

Please post a report on the property and any new info when you return. Have a great time, it may be awhile til you are able to return.
You paid for 2006 and are able to go- we paid but the hotel will be closed for our weeks so we can request a refund, I hope, waiting for a reply from the hotel.

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LynnS

I just received an email from the Aruba Grand- we can request to have our maintenance fee returned since the hotel will be closed during our time.

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LynnS

I received a new letter from Royal Palm Club, with a Closure form, that states all current fees must be paid in order to save the week(s) to the end, accelerate at reopening or stay at Riu. I just have a bad feeling that if we don't keep paying while they are closed they will try to take the weeks back due to default. We have heard so many different things that we don't know what to believe. I know that Riu is not interested in time shares, so they might just have a plan to get rid of us. The form also expects us to sign a waiver stating that we will not try to sue them. It's a little scarey!
OCdebb

I would take that form and your original signed contract to your attorney!

__________________
~Amy~®

21st trip to Aruba: May 2010
Paris, France: Aug. 3-19, 2010

I don't understand why we are all not receiving the same info.OCdebb-when did you receive your letter? I was told by the timeshare office that we could request the moneybe returned- I asked for it in writing and to state that it would not void my contract- did NOT get that. Why should we pay for a unit that is not available for us to use?????????? I guess the next call is directly to Richard- maybe I can get something in writing from him- NOT holding my breath- This has all been handled VERY POORLYby Riu and the Aruba Grand.!!!!!

I just found the email I received it says"If you choose to carry over at the end you need to fill out the Closure form and put a note on the same form, that you request your maintenance to be returned.And we are more than willing to refund your fees that you paid."
I took that to mean we would NOT default or void our contract. Does anyone read that differently? I quoted as it was sent to me.

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LynnS

Hello everyone! Mywife and i just got back from Aruba last week for the 6th time. We keep renting weeks from http://www.sellmytimesharenow.com and we are getting them for so cheep its so easy and quick. Befor we started to get them from Sellmytimesharenow we were getting them from another site called http://www.timeshare-resale-rental.com
They were great too Sellmytimesharenow just has a greater selection on the weeks you can rent and the amount of timeshares there are. I suggest you guys that are looking to go soon or even in the future check them out they also have a blog thingy http://timeshareownersblog.sellmytimesharenow.com that will help you out with whatever questions you have! They are so Nice there thats why wekeep commin bvack and will come back for a 7th time at the end of the year!

On Feb 23rd, I returned from a month at the Aruba Grand. It will be closing as of May 1st. At this time they are advertising room packages for vacations up until that time. Closing is scheduled for 2 years, but on Aruba time that should take 3 years. Most of the employees are finding other jobs and none believe that they will be back. It was very sad leaving old friends and everyone shed a few tears on check-out days. Riu (rio) is trying to accomodate the timeshare owners by allowing you to pay your maintenance fees when they reopen and you can use your weeks. They are also opening up more of their resorts to the owners to use in place of their time in Aruba, if they don't want to bank them. How easy it will be to book rooms at those resorts......no one knows. Plans for the new buildings appear attractive, but the character of the hotel will be gone forever. Many local workers have had bad experiences with "all inclusive vactioners" and are not looking forward to more on the island. Some owners are researching other timeshares for sale and some are planning to rent their units. It is a wait and see situation.

Rumor is that Richard will stay on and handle the timeshare office during the construction, but the other ladies in the office will be gone.

OCdebb- did they say what other Riu resorts we could go to? Specific ones or just request any Riu and hope they had availability.

Wish we could have gone before they close to say good-bye to "old friends" I am sure some will retire-we will miss them.

Thanks for the update.

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LynnS

Hi was reading your post I have a request, can you find out if a certain gentleman is still managing the hotel his name is Richard Valasco . I sure would appreciate it I'll watch for your posting when you return. Thanks

debbie- this is who you asked about- seems he will be staying on during renovations

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LynnS

Hi all,
We own a timeshare at the Occidental Grand Aruba (formally Allegro).
They closed our resort in April of 2005. We did not find out about the closing until Feb and then it was on the internet. We never received a letter until much later. I called in Feb when I found out and all the units had been already rented until closing, so had no choice but to book the week for this year. We had already paid our fees for 2005. My husband took ill this last year and had to retire. He now only receives social security. The resort was suppose to open in Jan then March now they are saying May. We have not been able to pay our 2006 fees as we cannot rent it out. So now they are charging us $63 a month late fees until the fee is paid.
We are going to sell the Suite ($21,900 ). If they find a buyer for us we have to give them 10%! It is a beautiful Ocean Front 1 bedroom AI, Platinum Plus membership, deeded.
Anyway, it has been a nightmare. They would not answer anyone's questions, or answer calls for months. Now that it is close to reopening they have started giving us information again, thank goodness.
I hope that your experience is better then ours was. In any case get all your questions answered before they close as it may be hard to get in touch with them after. (If interested in buying contact me at dgray623@yahoo.com)
Good Luck

Hi - I think you may have posted on the wrong thread.

This thread is for the Riu Aruba Grand which is closing May 1, 2006 for renovations. The Riu Aruba Grand is located on Palm Beach between the Radisson and the Wyndham.

The resort you're referring to is the Allegro/Occidental which also has the word "Grand" in its name but is not the same resort.

Sorry to hear about all of your troubles with the Allegro/Occidental timeshare.

__________________
~Amy~®

21st trip to Aruba: May 2010
Paris, France: Aug. 3-19, 2010

LynnS
The Aruba Grand timeshare office let us review their only copy of the Riu Caribbean brochure and they stated thay we could use any of those resorts. It seemed to me that we could also go to any of their worldwide resorts, most of which are in Spain. They have several different levels of resorts and at some locations they offer 3 levels (pricing & building) in different complexes, at the same site. In Punta Cana there are 3 separate resorts in one very large area with a shared casino. The Palace level is the highest level generally available, but a few resorts offer something a little higher. Puerto Plata (DR) only offers the lower levels of resorts. You can go to Riu's website and view everthing, but requests must be made to the Aruba Grand. They are offering one hotel room with all inclusive for a 1 bedroom timeshare and 2 rooms for a 2 bedroom (they must be used at the same time). Hope this helps.
debb

Thanks OCdebb- interesting that they offered us Puerto Plata which you said is a lower level. I don't feel that 2 hotel rooms comes close to compensating me for my 2 bed- 3 bath timeshare. JMHO!!!!!!!!!!but then they do include all the food and beverage so that has to count for something.
Guess we better make a decision and sign the closure form.
Thanks for the info.

__________________
LynnS

Richard has been bombarded by countless unhappy(myself included) persons outraged by the handling of this entire fiasco. The last thing he wants to do is be the "timeshare guy" during the "closed phase" I spent a total of 5 weeks on the Island during 2006, returning on March 9th. During my stay I spoke with Erna and Raquel and Richard

Here is what I was told. Maintenance fees paid by Royal Palm Club members( we are not timeshare owners- don't believe me- Ask Richard)
for weeks that fall beyond the closing date of May 1, 2006 are refundable. I got mine back via a credit card "credit)

As a response to the many "members" unhappy with the original option of going only to the Dominican Republic, Riu informed the Aruba Grand that we can now go to any of their resorts in the Caribbean. Our timeshare(oops) sorry---- our membership office tells me that it is our responsibility to find out where they all are by surfing the Rui.com page.

Erna tells me that she will remain on duty during the closed phase to handle all business connected to member services. Richard tells me he will stay on to supervise the construction and renovation project, and has been assured by Rui that he will be the manager of the new Riu Palace Aruba Grand or Grand Aruba or whatever.

Erna is annoyed with me now because I bump into fellow timeshare people on the beach who are now getting shafted the way I have been shafted over the past two years with respect to the acceleration program which died a sudden death for we poor souls who were naive( ask Richard about this too) enough to believe the salespeople who told us that the availability clause pertained only to apartments and that we would always be guarenteed a hotel room. Yes I was in Aruba for 3 weeks covering the timeshare week periods 7, 8, and 9, The hotel part of the business, which claims it has nothing to do with timeshare operations, has in fact, during the past two February's given zero room allocation to we acceleration folks- So my 3 weeks was spent away from the Aruba Grand and I paid big bucks compared to what the usual acceleration fee would have cost me. Back to the beach bump- I meet a lady who is paying $2100 to stay for one week at the Grand- week 9 mind you. I tell her that when I got on the island I made an anonomous call to the front desk inquiring about vacancies-"Oh yes- we have plenty of rooms, yes tomorrow we have 10 rooms and on Wed we will have 14." And then by chance I observe one day a timeshare worker talking with a hotel timeshare guest during week 8 and signing her up on the spot for a week 9 stay at the acceleleration rate.Erna confirms this, stating that a lot of people canceled their reservations.This lady on the beach( a timeshare owner- sorry again)( royal palm club member) checks out the vacancy situation- finds the same thing I had discovered, and then raises hell with Erna.

Erna finds me and politely scolds me for causing trouble.

We Royal Club members, especially and ironically the ones who paid the higher prices for their units during high season, lost out on the one thing that was the main feature in our decision to purchase at the Aruba Grand to begin with----- ACCELERATION. This is what I said to Erna after her scolding and advised her that I would keep telling my friends and associates the truth.

I have yet to sign the closure form as I am just so upset over this. I received another e-mail from Erna today and she said our options are the same as they were in December. We can either go to the DR, accelerate when they re-open or carry over at the end. She did say that if we choose to carry over they will refund our 2006 fees. I e-mailed her back asking why some people are being told any Riu resort but it took me three weeks and a reminder e-mail to get this one so I am not optimistic about getting an answer from her. I am not sure why I am pushing her on this because I am not sure I want to go to any of there resorts but I do feel we should all be treated the same.

Has everyone signed the closure form? Do you know what will happen if we don't?

Thanks for any guidance anyone can give me.

We signed ours about 2 weeks ago. Just kept going back and forth on what we wanted to do. Finally decided to leave our money and freeze our weeks. We tried to get someone to say that if we requested the $$$ be returned that this was in NO WAY defaulting on our contract and no one would address that. Just received an email that we could have the money credited to our credit card but did not address my question about voiding the contract. Certainly hope this is handled better in 07' surely they don't think we will pay again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

__________________
LynnS

2 years in Aruba really is 3 years. Remember the construction of the Radisson? It took, like, forever. That being said, my family is not too pleased with our options either. We own multiple units in the most expensive weeks of the year, weeks 51 and 52. Through many emails and phone calls to Erna and Richard, we were able to book at any RIU resort we wanted. We are now going to the brand new Riu Palace Riviera Maya in Mexico. Richard and Erna may not have as much power as we think to actually do anything we ask for. The real owner of the Royal Palm Club is a woman named Lisa Boyle who lives in Florida. She has quite a reputation as being far from a nice person. That opinion is shared by many owners who have had the displeasure of speaking with her, when they were actually able to get ahold of her.

One year at a Riu resort will be alright. Two is really pushing it. If it stretches to three, well, I don't know what we'll do.

One other note. As the timeshare units are not officially part of the hotel, will they be renovated as well? We never got a straight answer from anyone. We own along the beach, and our units were in dire need of renovation about 3 years ago. They are dirty, musty, and moldy, and need major work, from new furniture to new paint, flooring, and especially new ventilation systems.

You guys are getting the shaft and that lady in Florida is getting the gold mine. The maintenance fees(membership) are supposed to be used in part to do renovations as needed. The units should be kept in good repair. Dont be surprised if your units are all completely renovated after reconstruction. Then dont be surprised if you get a notice of a "one time" assessment fee on your units. This will be due to additional renovation costs not accounted for under your prior payments or some such wording.
This assessment is legal if it is in your contract. If you dont pay, your weeks will be reposessed and you will have to pay those fees as well.
I am not saying this will happen, but be prepared. Read your contract carefully and forget what the salesman told you. Our units in Las Vegas were taken over by a new management company 2 years ago and the first thing we got from them was a letter like I just described. They are about to complete almost 2 years of renovations there and I hope I dont get another one of those assessments.

Doesn't sound good to me, I'm glad I own elsewhere but feel for the others who do own there.

__________________

Was in Aruba this past week (6-14 May 06). Low-rise building at Aruba Grand has been torn down. Fencing all around property (beach side and road side). Quite frankly, the place has always looked like a "dump" from the beach, at least on my trips to Aruba in '05. Feal sorry for you "owners'" (oops, members). If Marriott tried to do that, the publicity would be soooo bad. When I was at the Surf Club last year, the AC went out for most of the week. Marriott gave me a free exchange week--I got a week at the Kauai Beach Club in Feb!

__________________
Lynda (aka Weed)

I was there on May 4th and none of that was done. I guess they are moving right along.

I was very upset when I was there because there was no construction going on but they refused to let us go up to the office to discuss this face to face. As I was discussing this with the security guard a couple did walk right by us and refused to stop. I wish I had the nerve to do that as well but we meekly left. I will say that I have absolutely no respect for any of them and if we ever do go back I won't be so meek.

Any updates on the property over the next two years (we hope it won't take longer) will be appreciated.

Can anyone provide a current update on this matter? What is happening to the apartments that face the beach? I can't imagine that the beachfront is not being used? Have the sports and beach vendors moved in to claim the beachfront in front of Aruba Grand? Is the Wyndam (oops...now Westin) using it? Are the chickies being maintained? Is Unique Sports still operating? And what is Aurelio doing and where?

Has anyone got an answer from management as to how our timeshare contracts will be honored and what the new procedures will be? I have a gazillion questions and there really is no one that can (or will) answer difinitively while we sit at home and wonder.

I did receive a return of my maintenance fee for 2006. My wife and I contracted for Apartment 201 (and have 31 years remaining) and we can't imagine the apartments being left for 2 years (maybe 3) without maintenance, renovation, or even use!

I will be in Aruba in July for 2 weeks (staying and paying at Casa Del Mar) and I shall try to see what is happening and get some reasonable answers. But the more info we all have, the better. So if anyone has any fresh information to share, please post it.

Thanks from a curious member,

John L.

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John L

We were just there for one day the first week they closed. They would not let us in to ask any questions. No one was using the beach that day but we did see someone cleaning the beachfront apartments.

I hope that you will be able to get some answers when you are there. Please let us know what you are able to find out.

I do not have any new info ( just a lot of frustration) just a few suggestions- call or email and make an appointment with Erna and/or Richard for when you are in Aruba. Call Lisa Boyle in Florida, her father was the owner- it is my understanding (could be wrong) that Riu did not take over the timeshares they are still under Silvermoon. I know many have had problems with Lisa but she has always returned my calls and answered my questions- not always with the answer I wanted but still an answer.
Please keep us updated on what you find out.

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LynnS

Hi Lynn:

What is your understanding of the relationship of Silvermoon and the property owners (whoever they are)? Does Lisa Boyle own Silvermoon? Do you have her contact information?

I'll do the best I can to check it out while I am there and hopefully get some answers and updates that I can post to the thread.

Thank you,

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John L

JohnL- It is my understanding that Riu bought the hotel but not the timeshares. I could be very wrong on this- just putting together different things I was told when in Aruba in July. Lisa Boyle's father, Jack Ottinger, was the owner- Lisa has worked in various dept. not sure what her title is now. The only number I have for her is-954-427-5488- that was on an old form. Hope this helps. I reall don't think you will get in the hotel to talk to anyone without an appointment- they will have security guards at the doors.

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LynnS

Friends just returned from Aruba and walked by the AG. The only building still standing is the hotel tower. Lanai's, pool, restaurant and casino are gone.(sad) Seems things are moving along. Could they finish ahead of time???I know wishful thinking.

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LynnS

Good afternoon/evening:

I've just returned from Aruba with the latest and greatest update on the Aruba Grand/RIU construction. I have about 20 pictures of the progress, and if someone would like to let me know how to upload them, I will.

Spent 2 weeks at Casa Del Mar (it was great because the beach has returned- WOW!). At about midweek of the first week I decided to do some reconnaissance and investigation (which is what I do best).

First, there is no office open for appointments at the Aruba Grand.

Second, the last posting on this thread was correct; the only pre-existing structure left is the main 6 floor hotel and the 2 floors of condo's that abut the beach. The condos are untouched and look exactly as you last saw them when you left.

Third, Richard and the Erna are nowhere to be found. However, I did learn and corroborate that some construction managers are living on-site in our condos. All the condos appear to be inhabited. According to my sources (which were both on-site and off) some of their families are also living in them. I observed lights on inside the condos and people moving about. There are a few housekeeping and maintenance people for the condo's. As far as I'm told, no one is living in the hotel. Makes sense because the entire lower and first floor of the hotel is gutted and there would be no way to access the upper floors easily.

Fourth, the property (more like a compound) is surrounded by a 10 foot, chain link fence, topped with 2 feet of angled barbwire. There are 3 security checkpoints that I observed (2 in front near the road and one in the rear where Unique Sports used to be). I wondered why but quickly concluded that there is so much construction going on in Aruba, theft must be a problem. Who the heck is going to purchase all the stuff people are building here? I think it'll be a problem down the road for developers. Bottom line is the property is buttoned up like a prison camp.

Fifth, there are no identification boards, billboards, postings, drawings, etc... out for public view. RIU's name appears nowhere. I did determine the general contractor for the job of building this new resort is a company named "OTIS." The construction is moving FAST as far as I can tell. The foundations appear to be poured and the wire work and forms are starting to go up. The local Arubans are pissed off because OTIS is bringing in cheap labor from Santo Domingo and paying them $1800 per month plus giving them food, and housing most of them at Blue Village near Madame Janette restaurant. As far as I can determine, these folks are working their tails off and things are going nicely. I'm actually excited.

Sixth, it is said by more than one source that there are 2 lawsuits filed against the construction co for sand and dust blowing as a result of the construction into the old Wyndham (now Westin) property and the water sports place on the beach. Apparently they want to make the construction company do something about it (yeah right!). It is dusty to say the least, but that is what happens in constant 30 MPH wind.

Seventh, it is sad to see the beach in front of the Grand EMPTY, but all the chickies are still standing. The sports vendors (vultures) are using this situation to charge the cruise line people and other unsuspecting gullible tourists $15 per day for parking their butts under a chickie; then they charge for chairs (yep, the ones we used to lie in). That's right, the vultures have attacked the beach. One of the vultures, oops.. vendor's, even said he had permission from the owner of the Aruba Grand to do it. We humored him with a good laugh and he charged us nothing to sit under the chickie...he even gave us chairs because he knows me as a timeshare owner of one of the condo weeks. Aurelio's towel shack is history and no one has seen him since the closing....sad. I heard Sandro was working at the Tamarjin. All employees let go.

Eighth, DePalm Pier has had a makeover that is for the better (although the new thatch on the roof gives it a hippy type appearance...it actually looks like it needs a haircut). Kukoa Bar is no longer and the lease has been given to a couple of smart Dutch guys who did a complete renovation. The place is called "Bugaloe" and it's great. One of the owners filled me in on the RIU saying he has seen the drawings and they are truly magnificent. He's excited and said it was one of the reasons he bid the contract and he says he believes the construction will be complete in early 2008.

Ninth, I believe him because these Santo Dominicans are working in shifts...can you believe it??!! 2 shifts....day and night. I've observed work going on at 11 PM and as early as 6 AM (remember, we are in Aruba now). Even on the final day of the World Cup (and this was on a Sunday mind you), there was a shift of workers who worked until 1 PM. AMAZING.

Last, you've got to see this place to believe it. It seems like they are using every square inch of the property. I believe it will be done in 2008 and maybe late 2007 (someone from the Radisson told a travel agent booking a wedding at the Rad that construction would be done in 2007). Hey, it makes good sense that RIU would want to get this resort making funds instead of swallowing them. By the look and sound of things, it appears as though RIU knows exactly what it is doing and they are moving fast. I was told by a reliable on-site source that all hotel rooms and condo rooms will be renovated. I certainly hope so since they are using our rooms and suites for their housing.

Well that's it for now. I'm going back to Aruba in January and will continue investigation at that time, reporting upon my return.

For those of you who are owners at Aruba Grand and want to see pictures of the place, email me at Lajoie@PrivateInvestigator.com or someone please go over the step by step directions on how to upload so we all can see them.

Thanks for your reading patience,

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John L

John,
Thank you for the very thorough report. I have been checking every day for your return. Glad to hear things are moving along but sad that it will never be the Aruba Grand again- quiet, small, GREAT UNCROWDED BEACH!
Hope they follow thru with timeshare renovations and afraid what are maint. fee will be.
I will send you an email- would love to see pictures.
Thanks again

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LynnS

Hi all:

Let's keep this thread hot. All you members/owners or those who care about the Aruba Grand should comment or share information. I've already heard from a number of owners and have shared the great pictures via KodakGallery.com (thanks Sherry) with a number of people. People are generally excited about the new construction, but are sad about the end of an era wuth the Grand. The price we pay for progress! Oh Well!

Thank you all,

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John L

John,

Agree with you in keeping this thread hot. It's been great exchanging notes with you. I noticed that this board now has an owners corner.
I sent a note to the webmaster asking if the Aruba Grand could be listed.
With our own section maybe we can expand the circle of information we all get.

Linda

Good idea Lynn! Sherry, is this something that can be done? Owners corner for Aruba Grand members/owners sounds fantastic.

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John L

Aruba Grand/Riu has been created on the owners corner.

Have fun!

- Castor

Graet idea Linda- Thank you Linda and Castor- I think the site will be especially useful when the Grand reopens.

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LynnS

I will be there in November and will make a full report as John has. In the mean time, if anyone else visits prior to that please provide report.

John, Thank you so much for your report. We to are anxiously awaiting
gettong back to the Grand, even though we know it wouldn't be the same. It was a quiet jewel. Please keep us posted. Gayle

Grand a long way from ready!!!! I have photos for anyone ineterested, reply to robert.m.spagna@wellsfargo.com
Phoenix under construction as well for another 140 units...there will be very little beach left. 4x4 has gone back to Equator

Hi Folks:

I haven't been here in like 2 months and send everyone my best regards. I've been trying to make money to finance my trip to Aruba in January, and then in July. Hi Sherry!

In any event, I have viewed Robert's photos as he was nice enough to send them to me. Sure doesn't look like Grand will be ready by July of 2007! But stranger things have happened. It does look to me that the dust became an issue so they have covered the chain link/barbed fence surrounding the property with a plastic covering. I heard the vendors and the (old) Wyndham were complaining and had actually filed some litigation regarding the dust and noise.

The existing hotel looks like it will have some character. I like the crowned architecture on the ridge of the roof....it will have a GRAND look.
For sure- the old Grand is gone! I'll miss it but am looking forward to the new Grand.

Does anyone have any additional information to share on the construction, completion date, and any other info we need to know about?

Thank you all,

JL

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John L

Good Morning:

Got some new photos from my friends who are keeping me posted via email. The new Grand (RIU Palace) is going up FAST! But unlikely it will be complete before the end of the summer of 2007. I think it'll be done in October or November of 2007. We need people who are members of the Royal Palm Club (timeshare owners of the Grand) and others who have information to post any new information, thoughts, concerns, suggestions and any thing relating to the RIU Palace to this thread. We need to keep the information flowing.

I'll be in Aruba in January and will certainly have a complete report to post. And you can bet I'll have the latest and greatest photos. Time to go now. Happy Holidays.

Best,

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John L

this is a note from one of our members who is visiting aruba at the moment. he accidently sent the information to our offices and i am posting for him...

I am now in Aruba, can't believe the work that has been done. I was told they are taking reservations for July 2007. I was also told that all timeshare units will be completely redone. Even the outside of original building is being worked on.
Will revisit site tomorrow, and have a contact name and number.

__________________
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