We stayed at the Playa Linda during the week of 9/23/07 and it was nice, but they were doing construction on the lobby and entrance way. We stayed in room 621 which is an one bedroom unit with an absolute beautiful view from the balcony and window. The kitchen was a saving grace for us as we went to Ling & Sons on Monday to stock up the fridge with snacks & beer and although we spent money on groceries, we saved money in the long run. Aruba is beautiful but expensive.
Playa Linda has the best happy hour on the beach (1-4) and the bartender really knows how to make drinks and does not skimp on the liquor. Also, make sure to check out Bugaloe (on the pier by the Westin hotel): awesome drinks, music and bartenders!

Playa Linda is an average place to stay. Definately not a five star. The pool is very nice, but small. Zero depth is great for little children. The rooms are average and fairly clean, but are outdated. One night when we came back after dinner, we noticed a foul smell by the kitchen area. We could not figure out what it was, and we knew it wasn't from us since we hadn't brought any food into the room. As the week went on the smell intensified. Three days later, when we arrived again after a late night dinner, we couldn't stand the smell. The front desk only sent a man up to hand my husband a bottle of pink spray and said "good luck". In addition, not all rooms have a view of the ocean. They claim that they are either ocean or garden view. There was no garden, just a parking lot and a driveway. The staff is nice, but not overly friendly. At times I felt as if I was bothing them with my few simple questions.
The location is great and the beach was very nice and clean, but narrow.
Overall, it was ok, but there are other hotels that seem much nicer.

We booked our 1-week stay through an owner. Not knowing what exactly to expect (stayed at the Westin during 1st visit)), we arrived with an open mind. Staff was very friendly and helpful. They keep a large "book" of menus from the better restaurants at the front desk and are willing to call restaurant for you to make reservations. Check-in and check-out was a breeze, For our Sunday departure, we checked out on Saturday night to avoid the Sunday lines. We also had dinner on that last night at Madame Jeanette's - do NOT skip this one. Unbelievably good food. Another good restaurant (Italian) is the newly opened Gianni's about 5 blocks away; great al fresco dining.

If your'e looking for a 5-star property, this is NOT it...but, it has charm and lots of amenities. Nice rooms (but furtniture needs an update), ice machines and washer//dryers on each floor. Each room has a balcony with table/chairs - great oceanfront views. A calendar full of daily activities including water aerobics, pilates, yoga, bingo. We usually started our day with the all-you-can-eat breakfast for $9.99 at the onsite oceanside restaurant. Get out to the beach EARLY (7-8am) to get a prime spot for your "chickee". The location is great (the heart of the Palm Beach area) with great ocean access. The bus into downtown Oranjestad stops practically in front of the hotel ($1.25 fare), and there are more stores & restaurants being built in that area.

Pluses:
1. Location - oceanfront property with semi-private beach.
2. French doors to bedroom provide privacy; tv in bedroom and living room. Full kitchens including microwaves
3. Onsite mini-mart for food staples and beverages (incl. wines and liquors). Onsite store that sells pre-paid phone cards.
4. The absolute BEST drinking water ever!!
5. Extremely friendly and hospitable Aruban folks. So charming!
6. Good (to great) food almost everywhere we went. Don't miss Jamaica Me Krazy.

Minor (but worth mentioning) annoyances/minuses:
1. Upon arrival, there were no bellmen to be found. On the way to the elevator, we found a luggage cart and took our bags to the rooms without help;
2.. Housekeeping staff does NOT change linens every day:;
3. Internet terminals in lobby area usually out of order (do yourself a favor; avoid the frustration and go to the internet cafe in the strip mall across the street).
4. The $25 fee for not turning in your beach towel prior to checkout.
5. My SPRINT cell phone did not work in Aruba (later confirmed that it was an error on Sprint's part). Pre-paid phone cards purchased in USA will NOT work with Aruban pay phones; you need to wait until you arrive and buy your phone cards. I purchased a cheap cell phone (with refillable DIGICELL phone card) at an electronics store in downtown Oranjested; it turned out to be much cheaper than renting a phone ($10/day and $0.10/minute). Plus, one of the onsite stores cells phone cards for reasonable amounts.

Would I go back to Playa Linda? Absolutely.

My wife and I along with another couple stayed in a two bedroom
at Playa Linda room 434, great room by the way 4th floor near the center of the resort, great over all view of the property as well as the beach. We stayed May 6th - 13th. Had a fantastic time especially
on monday evening with the welcome entertainment, and tuesday night at the BBQ on the beach. Bradley and the BMW Band were very entertaining, make sure you play follow the leada, leada, leada, follow the leada (a little dance routine envolving alot of tequila).
There are plenty of places to eat within walking distance directly across the street from the resort, take time to walk on the beach walk way to the Hyatt check out the black swans, and koi fish in the pond and food is good in their cafes too. Beware of driving on the Island, not because people are bad drivers but because there are very
few street signs to reference, but the island is so small you really can't get lost just use the water as a landmark follow it one way then back the other. For a good time go to Carlos and Charles good Mexican food served with loud music, and always something going on.
The weather can be hot but find a spot where you can catch the constant breeze it's like a natural air condition. One last thing the water out of taps is great the first day we made ice cubes and they came out clear they may not be a big deal to you but it was nice to drink fresh water out of the tap. (GREAT VACATION)