Where to stay in Aruba
 

My boyfriend and I are planning in trip to Aruba for the end of April. I have been doing some research and the Bucuti and the Renaissance come up alot with great reviews. It is a romantic getaway but we are also looking for fun nightlife. Any opionins on either of these hotels or other reccomendations?

The renaissance is not on a beach. It is in the middle of orangestead on a busy street.

The bucuti would be a better choice...very nice beach.

As far as nightlife, you are never to far from night life in aruba. Rent a car, they are cheap, and you can party to your hearts content. There are tons of little bars and restaurants in the orangestead area and also around the highrise hotels.

Have fun. We loved Aruba!

Peace, Greenie

we stayed at the hyatt and like it a lot; nice beach, nice pool, good restaurant and within walking distance of a few other good spots.

BUCUTI! My boyfriend & I stayed in a deluxe oceanfront room there last September & it is paradise! Eagle Beach is the beast beach on the island, even one of the top beaches in the world. Bucuti is a smaller resort geared towards adults, the staff really goes out of their way to ensure you are having a good time. Renaissance is not even on the beach, you have to take a boat at certain times to get to the beach. You can go to downtown Oranjestad for nightlife- there was a sunset "party" boat & Kukukanuku party bus. We skipped all that b/c it was more of a relaxing vacation for us but plenty of people recommended both options and clubs as well. There is great restaraunt choices on the island so skip anything all inclusive b/c it really limits you. Bucuti's restaraunt is Pirate's Nest which is good but not great. Good, affordable lunches on the beach though. Have fun wherever you stay, we are going back next year to stay in Bucuti's Tara Suites.

You are going to have the best time ever! My boyfriend and I went last May and loved every minute. We stayed at the Wyndham Aruba because we got a great deal and it was amazing. The staff was great and the beach/pool area was killer. Check out www.mcmtours.com. It's not really tours, just hotels. Of all of the hotels that we visted, the Hyatt was by far the coolest. There were three amazing restaurants (make reservations early!), an open air bar with entertainment every night (good for kicking back and relaxing) and is very centrally located (as far as the beach goes.) The Renaissance was nice but like greenie said, is right downtown. We enjoyed staying a few miles from town away from crowds and traffic. The transportation in Aruba is really accomodating (buses were constant and cheap) and I would recommend staying on Palm Beach. We rented a jeep for two days to see the island and found that was plenty. Definitely visit El Gaucho downtown for a great steak and there is a great piano lounge across the street. We also had dinner up by the lighthouse at La Trattoria and had the best, most romantic dinner ever. There is a bar downtown called Iguana Joe's which has really good, inexpensive food and is all open air. The drinks are served in carafes and the atmosphere is really laid back and fun. Walking Palm Beach at night is your best bet. Lots of hotel bars and places to hang out. We also did a short day snorkel trip (booked in the downstairs lobby of the Wyndham) and had the best time. It was a great deal. If I remember, it was less than $30, included 3 snorkel spots, a great open bar, and appetizers. Highly recommended. We found the best way to find places to go was to just ask. The concierge in our hotel was super helpful as were the other people around our hotel. Just ask around. The people there are great! I hope you have the best time ever!!

Another option is the Aruba Grand, which is good if you pick the right room. It's on Palm Beach but it's much quieter and more romantic than the other high rises. We stayed at Bucuti once and loved the service and beautiful beach but did not like the rooms. That was before the Tara suites. We visited Bucuti last year and were disappointed in the look and feel of the Tara building, though we didn't see inside the rooms. Anyway, the Aruba Grand has nice one- and two-bedroom suites directly on the beach (and it happens to be the broadest and nicest part of Palm Beach). There's also a really beautiful corner suite up on the 7th floor that has magnificent ocean views from 2 directions. The Aruba Grand isn't as well known as the "big 3" (Hyatt, Radisson, Marriott) but we liked the fact that there were few kids and the beach was NOT crowded, which it was at all the other places. The atmosphere is quiet and romantic even though it's in the high-rise area. But as the other guys said, you're never far from night life no matter where you stay in Aruba.

I would be a little wary of the Aruba Grand. Just make sure you specify what type of room etc you want.

My brother went there for his honeymoon in Spetember and they stuck them in a room with no view and 2 twin beds. and they were very unhelpful about rectifying the situation.

I'd recommend the Radisson or Bucuti.

Another vote for the Radisson, Aruba's premier property (along with the Hyatt).

Just returned from a week at the Bucuti. If you want days laying on the best beach on the island stay here, we loved every minute of it. The Hyatt seemed the best in the high-rise area, but it depends on what you want from your hotel. 600 rooms or 60? Wide beaches or a smaller beach with a fun pool. Our priorities were relaxation, perfect beach, and wonderful service and I can't imagine a better place than the Bucuti on Aruba.

We stayed at the Marriott last year and had a great time. I would also recommend the Hyatt (this would be my first choice of hotels to stay at-it is very nice.) the Raddison or the Bucuti. Bucuti will not have the nightlife or all of the watersports. It is a quieter honeymoon type place. My husband likes all the watersports and they are on Palm beach in front of the other Hotels I mentioned. You really can't go wrong with any of these. The Renaissance would not be my choice because of it's location in the city.

Hi NurseLisa 513,
We chose the Wyndham a couple of years ago because they were offering a great deal. We loved the area and the hotel, and although it wasn't the Hyatt or Radisson, we had extra $$$ left over to spend on excursions, dinner and nightlife. We would definitely stay there again. Have a great time!
Jayne

If you have traveled the caribbean extensively, I would say pick another island..you may be disappointed in Aruba.If not, go for it.My fiance and I stayed at the Bucuti Tara suites this past March.The people are nice and helpful, the beach is wide , the pool is right outside the kitchen of the restaurant(not appealing to me), there werent alot of people swimming in the ocean,(wasnt that great for swimming for some reason,)its very quiet, and if you stay there be sure stay in the new tara suites.We ventured down to Palm beach where the Hyatt , Radison, etc. are located. I would pick the Hyatt....lots going on, cool landscaping, lighting, etc, overall good atmosphere.However, the beaches are more crowded and folks right next to you BUT cool pier bars , and tons of options.Overall, for the money, time of travel, ocean quality, quality of snorkeling, etc. I had much much rather be in Mexico, but if I went back to Aruba I would probably stay at the Hyatt... all things considered.

The Radisson! We stayed here for our honeymoon in October and loved it! The grounds are beautiful, nice beach, nice rooms and walking distance to a number of restaurants and shops. If we go back to Aruba, we will definitely stay here again.

I just wanted to thank everyone for thier input. We still haven't decided on where to stay but I have narrowed it down and now I am going to see where we can get the best deal.