Which hotel should we stay at in Aruba?
 

My Mom and I decided that Aruba is the place for our trip.

We need to pick a hotel. We would like to be on the beach and have an ocean view. A casino would be nice, but not necessary (for my Mom!). We are not doing AI.

All of the following are in our budget. We would like some input from those of you that have been there before.

What would you pick?

1. Westin Resort and Casino - Ocean View or Prem Ocean View
2. Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino - Prem Ocean View

Any others that you recommend?

Neither. The Westin is located at the start of Palm Beach and the Marriott is at the end. The Westin's beach gets consistant remarks of being too windy. The Marriott is out of the way and will have lots of children.

The most recommended hotels on Palm Beach are the Radisson and the Hyatt. Both are right in the middle of everything.

Look on Radisson's web-page under dining and specials. They usually offer specials that included food/beverage credits in their restaurants/bars.

We've heard that The Westin is in the process of being sold. There are many online complaints about the property needing a top to bottom renovation, particularly for its slow-moving elevators. The hotel has one of the windiest beaches on the strip.

The Marriott is located all the way down Palm Beach, and its beachfront is wall to wall people, especially during busy vacation periods.

We're going back to The Radisson in the fall for the fifth time. We find that the location is excellent- close to many restaurants,etc.- and the beachfront is one of the widest and most uncrowded on the strip. The only downside is that the hotel seems to rent the far end of its beach to cruise day trippers, and they sometimes set up on the beach right in front of the palapas.

Check out MCM tours if you want a decent packager for Aruba. Otherwise, you can check online for hotel specials. Right now, The Radisson is offering 40% off its rates for the fall. I assume other hotels may have the same deal.

Lastly... we've stayed at The Hyatt, too. Not worth it for the money, I think. Smallish rooms, overcrowded pool and beach.

We've stayed at the Hyatt but we'll stay at the Radisson the next time we go to Aruba.

Be aware that there's a Ritz Carlton being built next to the Marriott. I don't know if you can hear the construction noise but it's something to keep in mind. The Marriott attracts lots of families since they have a time-share resort so there are a lot of children around. I know from your other thread that for this trip you were looking for more adult surroundings.

We did look at the Radission... lots to think about.

If we stayed at the Radission should we pick this option:

Aruba Tower - Ocean View

The Plaza Club level price is pushing the budget...

Is the Radission a non-smoking hotel?

I meant to ask should we pick Aruba or Bonaire tower.

We've stayed in both the Aruba and Bonaire Towers. As I remember, Aruba Tower Plaza Club gives you access to your own check-in desk, plus round the clock concierge, refreshments, snacks private breakfast, etc.

But unless you're a big drinker/ snacker, you can easily pick up stuff to eat and drink for reasonable prices both on and off the beach. For instance, there's a Dunkin' Donuts about half a block from the hotel right on the beach.

Also some of the "ocean view" rooms in the Aruba Tower have views that are partially obscured by the tops of palm trees, or even another room's balcony. I think it's only in the top categories, that you really have straight on ocean front.

When we last visited three years ago, the hotel still allowed smoking on certain floors. I don't know if that has changed since.

Both Aruba and Bonaire Towers are closer to the beach than Curacao.

Check with the Divi Reesorts, too. They are not as well known, a little more rustic than the big resorts and I have clients go back and back again and take friends. There are all-inclusive and not all-inclusive options and really excellent rates.

Aruba is the cutest island...love the sideways divi divi trees....

We spent a couple of nights at the Radisson last December. I was pleased with the room itself, the location, wasn't the greatest. We did have a bit of an ocean view, but, we were right over the vent fans from the kitchen. Couldn't sit out on our balcony because of the noise.

I would have asked to be moved, if we were going to be there any length of time. However, it was just a two night stay on our way to Bonaire.

I'm not a big hotel/resort person at all. We did enjoy our short stay at the Radisson. It's a much more visually appealing property than the Westin, which was the other one we were considering.

What JeanH describes is a problem at The Radisson, but unless they are fully booked, they're usually pretty good at changing your room if you request it. I still think the hotel is the best of any we've stayed at in Aruba, including Marriot ( Ocean Club), Hyatt, and Westin.

I would also recommend skipping the Westin just because of the wind factor alone. We have gone three times and stayed at the Marriott on points. It is a large hotel property with timeshares attached, nice casino and property. It is at the end and can, depending on the time of year, have lots of families.
I like the Marriott, but I have heard great things about the Radisson and it is a short walk to many restaurants. I have been on the Hyatt property and it looked nice in the main areas. Have not stayed there, but they don't have balconies off the rooms like the Marriott and Radisson do.

Have you thought about the Phoenix? It is part of Divi--nice location--Be sure and get a new room all have ocean views and a gorgeous pool view.

Hello, Europe & Mom!

The first time we went to Aruba we stayed in an oceanfront room @ the Marriott hotel. Then we discovered the Marriott timeshare property next door (The Ocean Club). That is where we have stayed for all subsequent visits.
Go to www.redweek.com
www.tug2.net

There is a casino @ the Marriott hotel.

When are you & your Mom going to Aruba?

OB1

OB1:
We are going in August. Which place did you prefer (Marriott hotel or timeshare)?

Any other tips about casino atmospheres or restaurant ideas? Any helpful advice would be appreciated.

I have read some books, looked at forums to gather some info. My Mom is a 'young' 66 yr old and I am 35. We will both enjoy sitting pool and beach side, snorkeling and swimming. We are renting a car to explore, too. We will arrive on a Wed at 2:30pm and leave on Monday at 3pm.

How was the casino scene? My Mom goes to the casinos quite a bit. We live in KC. She also goes to Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City and more... a few times a year. Of course, we are not going because of the casinos, it is just nice for her to have the option to go a time or two during our stay. Honestly, I don't care about casinos and I just go to keep her company! ha!

You cannot compare the resort casinos in Aruba to Atlantic City. It will be a good diversion for your mom, but nothing on as grand of a scale as AC. The upside, there are lots of casinos along Palm Beach.

From north to south, resorts with casinos:
Marriott Stellaris
Holiday Inn
Hyatt
Occidental
Radisson
Riu
Westin

All are within walking distance via the concrete beach side "boardwalk" with the exception of the Marriott. The "boardwalk" ends at the Holiday Inn at the north end. Your mom can safely walk alone during the daytime. Though it is fairly well lit, I do not recommend walking alone at night. I live in a rural area here in the states and would not walk alone at night here either, so it is not Aruba, just common sense ;)

The oceanfront room @ The Marriott Hotel was very nice. However, we prefer the timeshare property ( Marriott Ocean Club) because it is much roomier. We always get the 2BR oceanside @ Marriott Ocean Club. Once we rented a 2BR ocanfront but it was very noisy. You cld hear the live music( often until 1:00AM-2:00AM) from the beach bar located south of the timeshare property. You cld also hear the music from the Ocean Club pool aerobics class in the morning. Too much loud music for us!

See if you can get a 2BR for you & your Mom @ Marriott Ocean Club. www.redweek.com
www.tug2.net

OB1

Just out of curiosity, I checked Redweek for Marriott Ocean Club in Aruba. There is very good availabilty for August.

OB1

Ocean breeze don't you have to pay some membership fees to have access to Redweek? I signed up and receive there listings but I have never acquired a property. This was prior to my own timeshare rental.

We stayed at the Marriott and went to their casino and the Radisson Casino. The Marriott casino had higher minimums at the tables. I am not sure if this matters to you or not. The atmosphere was lively and there seem to be many tables and machines to play. Now, the liveliness may have been the night we were in there.
We visited the Radisson's casino and it was much quieter and smaller and the table minimums were much lower.
I was in AC once many years ago and this is much different than the large hotel casinos there. The casinos in Aruba are smaller scale, but still fun. I am not a big gambler, but enjoyed playing roulette at both casinos.