Stephanie82

Would you recommend the Radisson or Renaissance for my husband and I with our girls 16 and 14. It will be our first time in Aruba in July.



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christiegr

We stayed at the Renaissance in April 04.I would highly recommend it!We stayed in the marina towers which is in the middle of a nice shopping mall.It is also a good location to the bus station,butterfly farm,movie theatres,restaurants,casinos.

The private island is very relaxing and has everything you need to spend the whole day there if you chose.Also Flamingoes roam around the beaches on the island!Very neat!

Christie

girlonthego

My thought was the Radisson. You are on Palm Beach with a million activities if you want them. It is a nice resort. Palm beach is where the action is. Perfect for teenagers.
The other one is in the city and you need to take a boat to the beach. (It is a private island.) I would think your kids are old enough and yet young enough that going back and forth to the private island would be a pain. Besides, being in the city is not the best place to be in Aruba. We stayed at the Marriott which is up Palm Beach a ways. The three nicest hotels in Aruba are the Radisson, Hyatt and Marriott.
At the ages of your kids, they could go down to the pool alone at the Radisson, but to send them off to an island? I know Christie liked the Ren(so no offense Christie) I am sure it is nice, but I think it is better for couples.

karameli

Keep in mind the Renaissance is NOT on the beach. It's on a street in downtown Oranjestad. You're in the city, across the street from a harbor. As the above poster said, you have to take a boat from the harbor to a private beach.

I stayed at the Radisson and LOVED it. I would recommend it to anyone. There are huge pools, and it's right on the water. The water is extrememly calm there -- you can fall asleep on a raft and wake up in the same spot. (Which I did, daily.) You'll feel safe letting your girls walk around there together.

Knowing

Yes, it is true that the Radisson is on Palm Beach, and the Renaissance is downtown, however that just means it is not your ordinary vacation. Everything is just a short walk and they have their own tropical island. We were not impressed with the staff at the Radisson. Nor were we impressed with the beds every morning when we woke up sore. A complaint shared by the people next to us and across the hall. We would never make the mistake of staying at the Radisson again!

karameli

I'm surprised -- we found the staff super-helpful at the Radisson. They booked dinner reservations for us every night, even last-minute. (They also recommended Humphrey's after I got attacked by mosquitoes -- a miracle product!) I thought the beds were comfortable -- I like 'em supportive. But if you're a poofy featherbed person, you probably wouldn't enjoy it as much.

So like the previous poster said, it's all in what you're looking for -- a downtown scene or a beachfront hotel.