Aruba

The Hyatt Regency Aruba is home to one of the best pool areas on the island, with both an adults-only pool on the beach and a family pool with a two-story waterslide and swim-up bar—one of the few on the island. The hotel’s open-air lobby is complemented by the island’s signature, constant breeze and overlooks the entire 12-acre beachfront property. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more manicured area, with bridges crossing a freshwater lagoon filled with koi, cascading waterfalls, and tropical birds. The hotel allows guests to reserve their palapa the night before, avoiding the pre-dawn wake-up call required at some neighboring resorts. If lounging by the water gets boring, the Hyatt also offers a wide range of complimentary guest classes, from aerial yoga to aloe scrubs. Rooms are clean and bright, with most featuring Caribbean-inspired decor and floor-to-ceiling windows.

The resort is located on the southern tip of Palm Beach in the island’s High Rise area, a 20-minute drive from the airport and 12 km from the capital, Oranjestad. It’s on the main drag (JE Irasquin Boulevard), so you can walk to shops and restaurants, as well as the Aruba Butterfly Farm. The California Lighthouse is 5 km away.

Built in 1959, it was the island’s first true resort. Designed by Morris Lapidus, the architect behind the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc in Miami, the hotel’s decor pays homage to its heyday, with retro-modern furnishings and large vintage photographs of famous guests (Liberace stayed here) displayed in the open lobby, hallways, elevators and guest rooms. Guest rooms are in three eight-story towers overlooking the ocean, surrounding landscaped lawns and a pair of serpentine pools.

Amenities include two swimming pools (labeled “quiet” and “active”); a kids’ club; three restaurants; and two bars. But Palm Beach is Aruba’s highlight, with a mile of white sand to the north dotted with reed palapas (which guests can reserve in advance, either in person at the Watersports Hut or through the resort’s app).

The resort deserves credit for incorporating island touches into the property — in a nod to the ubiquitous succulents, for example, guests are offered glasses of aloe juice upon arrival. Treatments at the Eforea Spa include the local Aruba Aloe line; sports facilities include beach tennis (a hybrid of tennis and volleyball unique to the Caribbean and Aruba); and complimentary daily encounters with the resident flock of macaws and parrots, led by the resort’s bird whisperer, are distinctly Aruban highlights. The casino, with slot machines and table games, is open from midday until the early hours of the morning. Service from the mostly multilingual staff is friendly and efficient.

The hotel’s 357 rooms are spread across three high-rise blocks. They are categorized by size and view (garden, full or partial ocean view), but even the entry-level standard rooms are spacious, with balconies or terraces and amenities including tea and coffee makers, walk-in showers, mini-fridges, hair dryers and safes. The eighth floor of the Aruba Tower is home to the Palm Beach Club, with 17 premium rooms, a private lounge serving breakfast, afternoon tea and cocktails, and a dedicated concierge.

The Laguna Restaurant, with indoor dining and a terrace overlooking a koi pond, is open for breakfast only and offers an à la carte or buffet menu. Beachfront Gilligan’s Seafood Shack offers burgers, fish tacos, and other casual fare from lunch, while Sunset Grille is a chic evening steakhouse. Castaway’s Bar is a daytime spot for drinks, and Mira Solo Bar is open from happy hour to midnight.

Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba is the only property in downtown Oranjestad, surrounded by colorful Dutch colonial-style buildings. The resort consists of two buildings: the adults-only Marina building and the Ocean Suites, located across the street. Each building has its own pool, including an adults-only infinity pool that overlooks the city center and cruise port.

The resort’s rooms are clean and full of character, with splashes of tropical color and texture, like rattan chairs and lamps, and dark wood tones.

If you’re looking for souvenirs, the Marina building also shares space with several high-end retailers, like Louis Vuitton, Prada, and more.

The location allows you to easily walk to some of the city’s top restaurants, and also offers delicious on-site options, like a tableside carvery experience at LG Smith’s Steak & Chop House.

Whether you want to lounge poolside, enjoy a casual lunch al fresco on the terrace, or indulge in a fine dining experience at the award-winning restaurant, you’ll find tranquility and privacy away from the crowds in the sophisticated, casual setting of Tierra del Sol Resort & Golf.

This is Aruba’s premier lifestyle community. Just minutes from the shopping, dining, and nightlife of Palm Beach, Tierra del Sol features an 18-hole championship golf course masterfully designed by famed architect Robert Trent Jones II. Described by Golf Digest as playing Scotland, Arizona, and the Caribbean in one round, this desert golf course combines elements of wind, sea, and land to provide a truly exhilarating experience for golfers of all levels.

For business meetings – whether an intimate gathering or an event with several hundred guests, Tierra del Sol offers the most versatile outdoor and air-conditioned spaces. All this, combined with personalised service and a friendly team, sets the stage for an event unlike any other.

Bucuti is the Caribbean’s most eco-certified and first carbon-neutral resort. It was also the first hotel in the world to receive the prestigious Global United Nations 2020 Climate Neutral Now Award, previously reserved for large international companies. But this boutique hotel, with just 104 rooms, is a pioneer in sustainability. You’ll feel good about yourself in every way.

• Wellness. Experts can help you achieve your health and fitness goals through diet, exercise, spa treatments, and more. And the Purun Spa offers indoor and outdoor treatments to heal your mind and body. Choose from detox wraps, hydrating facials, and decadent 80-minute massages.
• The Aruba resort’s eco-friendly measures include providing guests with their own reusable water bottles; outfitting its gyms with exercise equipment that generates energy for the resort’s electrical grid; using sustainable refrigeration systems; and using smart portions to reduce food waste.
• Each guest is provided with a personal concierge. They will greet you upon arrival with a glass of champagne, then take you straight to your room for check-in via tablet.
• A fun way to spend time on the beach: the hotel hosts free movies on the sand twice a week.
• For the more adventurous, a wide range of water sports and land-based activities can be arranged for an additional fee. Ride underwater scooters, snorkel on coral reefs, rent a boat or go on a 4×4 adventure.

Features:

During a romantic dinner, a waiter will serve you a sumptuous three-course meal with drinks in a beach cabana while you admire the sunset or the lunar beauty of the Caribbean Sea.

Each guest has access to comfortable sun loungers and shade on the beach.

A full buffet breakfast is included in the price of your stay at this luxury hotel.

Join in free daily wellness activities like Pilates, Tai Chi and Yoga.

The hotel offers dry cleaning and laundry services, as well as a complimentary launderette.

All rooms are equipped with air purifiers and dehumidifiers.

Each room has a garden or ocean view, while all suites and deluxe rooms have a beach view.

All rooms are equipped with Smart TVs, iPads, microwaves and a balcony or terrace.

In the bathroom, find Aruba Aloe toiletries. Made on the island, the aloe will soothe any sunburn.

Elements is the resort’s elegant beachfront restaurant. It serves balanced meals of sustainable, natural seafood and meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Senses is Chef Bucuti’s fine dining restaurant. It serves brunch or five- to eight-course dinners for a small group.

SandBar offers tropical cocktails and refreshing smoothies, as well as snacks exclusively for guests at the open-air beach bar.

The hotel’s exterior tries to fit in with the island’s Dutch-colonial design style; however, once you step inside the impressively large lobby, you’ll see the typical Ritz-Carlton glamour. There are two floors of window walls overlooking the Caribbean Sea and corridors of high-end shops.

• This beachfront hotel boasts the largest conference facilities in all of Aruba.
• The private mangrove-lined pier is the perfect setting for an overseas wedding.
• As for nightlife, the luxurious 1,400-square-metre casino, with gaming tables, state-of-the-art slots and sports betting, invites gamblers to enjoy the fun.
• The hotel’s spa is the largest on the island, covering approximately 1,400 square metres, with 13 treatment rooms and its own indoor water circuit – it never feels impersonal, thanks to its inviting design and friendly, attentive staff. A large, modern fitness center with daily fitness classes (yoga, zumba, tai chi) rounds out the health and wellness offerings.

Highlights:
When the kids tire of the pool and beach, families can send them to the Ritz Kids Club, many of whose fun and interactive activities are inspired directly by Jean-Michel Cousteau’s “Future of the Ocean” program.

A private romantic dinner on the beach can be arranged upon request 48 hours in advance.

The resort has two swimming pools, one of which is an adults-only pool. Cabanas with food and beverage service are available both poolside and on the beach.

Don’t be surprised to see staff riding Segways – the resort’s beach area is so extensive that transportation is sometimes required.

Accommodations range from standard rooms with limited sea views to spacious one-bedroom oceanfront units with outdoor showers and private terraces. If you can, book a room on the Club Level, where all the rooms are suites. This elite level occupies the entire seventh floor and includes a vast lounge offering an eclectic selection of quality food and beverages five times a day, a dedicated concierge, a business center, and stunning sea views from the dining areas. All rooms come with Ritz-Carlton-branded amenities (signature linens, 46-inch flat-screen TVs, marble baths, Asprey toiletries), and are decorated with bright accents in tropical tones like aqua and lemon yellow. You won’t have to worry about outdoor space—each room has a private balcony with sea views (some better than others).

Breakfast and dinner can be ordered in the main Solanio lounge. This Italian-style indoor/outdoor mall has an open kitchen so you can keep an eye on the action. Madero Latin Grill is a poolside bar that serves light fare and cocktails to match. For well-prepared meats or traditional cuisine, head to BLT Steak for dinner. It’s an elegant yet casual spot and also has a bar that serves amazing cocktails. The Divi Lobby Lounge has a surprisingly good sushi bar and an outdoor terrace that has become a favorite sunset spot for locals and visitors alike.