mnatella

Hello

I am planning a girls trip to Aruba and I am thinking of booking the Radisson because it is almost $200 per night cheaper than the Hyatt and Marriott. Do you get what you pay for or is the Radisson a really nice hotel.

ksunshine91

I've been to Aruba x2 with family. We stayed at the Holiday Inn but checked out most of the hotels. The Radisson looked great and would actually be my first choice when I return.
I'm working on planning ona girls' vacation as well. Just out of curiosity, why did you choose Aruba? We are in our mid-late 20s and in the process of choosing an island with some nightlife. Only reason we haven't decided on Aruba is b/c I've been there before.

Samara

I was at the Radisson this past March....
visited the Hyatt....

The pool is not as crowded at the Hyatt...
and my room was fine. I just enjoyed the ambience and energy of the Hyatt. We always went over there for Happy hour and lunch a couple of times....it is within walking distance.....so you could do the same....
I have never seen the rooms at the Hyatt....
It is beautiful in the common areas.....

mnatella

We usually go to the Atlantis in Bahamas but have decided to try somewhere else. During the day we usually like to hang out at the beach or pool and read, chat and have some cocktails. At night, we like go out for a nice dinner and then to a casino. But we want to go to somewhere lively. Is the casino life there lively? Last year, we went to Puerto Rico to the El Conquistador which was nice but night time was very low key. Even though they had a casino.

evcmllc

Hi mnatella:
We've stayed at the Hyatt Aruba 5 times. The last of which was November 2004 for 8 nights and we are returning November 2005. We did try the Marriott once in November 2000 and hated it. Overall the Hyatt is a wonderful property with excellent service and lovely restaurants. Highly recommend. Enjoy!

Kristen1206

We stayed at the Radisson and I would definitely return there. I did not see the Hyatt's rooms but the radisson had recently undergone a 55 mil renovation and the rooms were great...marble bathrooms, british caribbean decor...not your typical hotel room.

Plus the I think the grounds were nicer than the Hyatt...zero entry pool, gardens, waterfalls, parrots.

and you are very close to Kokoa's beach bar on the end of the DePlam Pier...great happy hours and sunsets.

Have fun!!

Wefferman

My wife and I just returned from eight nights at the Radisson and had a wonderful time. We had a nicely appointed suite in the Bonaire Tower. The rooms and grounds were spotless which is very important to us. Smiling staff that greeted you each time they passed. The grounds are a lush tropical vegetation with streams running through them. Zero entry free form pools were premiere. The beach was very nice and attendants very helpful there. Housekeeping staff were very attentive and courteous. Parrots and iguanas entertain you as you stroll and you can have thier handler give you a show and place them on you. Super location to just stroll and check other hotels in the "High Rise" area. The pool was up and away from the beach so people were not walking through the area like the other hotels.

Areas of improvement would definitely start with the concierge staff. The women there seemed put out to help you and offered little "local advice", which is what they are there for. They seemed like they preferred giggling amongst themselves as people waited in line for them to get off their private cell phones. One woman made a joke at "typical stupid American". Well we may be; but they should keep those comments to themselves. I think it was more immaturity of the young women. No initiave either. They did what you asked...nothing extra.

The staff at Gilligan's Restaurant were super, as were the ones at Laguana. First class food. The Martini bar had poor service, long waits to be noticed.

Luxury does come with a price. Strategically there are no water coolers so one would need to get the $3.50 bottled water. No pay phones on the grounds to force the patron to call from their room with an absurd connection fee. The casino was a typical Caribbean casino whose staff was very sober.

We also incurred a hassle getting a charge made by someone else off our account. The woman kept pointing out that it was our room number on the charge slip and that was true. The printed last name and signature were not even close to ours! They needed to "send it to accounting for an investigation". Also, the charge was for beer and neither my wife nor I like beer! A wonderful woman named Germaine from customer relations cleared up the problem and we were credited.

All in all the Radisson Aruba was a wonderful resort and my wife and I believe a cut above the others. We had a wonderful time and would go back in a heartbeat.

Wefferman

BTW. We thought the Hyatt was beautiful inside and out but found the pool to be crowded and not as lush grounds (we watch the basil cell carcinoma and love the shade) and LOTS of kids. Maybe you have kids but we go away to be "kidless" for one of our vacations.

Jeangail

I have been to Aruba three times. First time I stayed at the Marriott, then the Hyatt and last time at the Radisson. The Marriott had the nicest rooms - we had a corner room that was huge with a very large, private balcony. Other than that, I would rank it at the bottom of the group. Between the Hyatt and Radisson, I would have to give the edge to the Radisson, especially if you factor in the price difference. The beach was larger, the pool was much less crowded and the rooms and balconies were nicer. The Hyatt rooms were very ordinary and even then (at least 5 years ago) needed a makeover. The Radisson rooms are brand new and the bathrooms are nicer and larger too. I would definitely recommend upgrading to the main tower which has the nicer, larger rooms. I also preferred the restaurant at the Radisson to the Hyatt's, which was very pretty, but I found the food overpriced and mediocre. I wouldn't view the Radisson as a compromise.