Hello there,
I am hoping to get some advice for anyone who has been to both Aruba and Maui. I am planning a trip for early September of this year- looking for a wonderful place to relax. Which has the better beaches? better and/or less expensive food? Am looking into the Radisson in Aruba and similar in Maui.
Thank you!!!

Kate,

I've been to Maui but not to Aruba, sorry. HOWEVER, I've done a lot of reading on Aruba as I was considering going there. From what I've read, Maui and Aruba are very different. Here's what I've gathered:

Maui: Very relaxing, nice beaches, natural, no high rises, not concrete clad, lush, green.

Aruba: (What I've read) More developed, high rises (think Ft Lauderdale), drier climate (very dry), not known for great beaches.

One pro for Aruba is that there's probably a little more to do -- night life, casinos, etc, if you like that sort of thing. I think they're probably both nice, but very different. Maui was relatively expensive but I've read Aruba is too. Depends what you're looking for.

Aruba - wind blows all the time ... desert-like conditions ... hotels and gambling ... everything imported. Not exactly the best place for beaches, by far. So, look at others, the Caymans, for example. Maui, well hard to beat. It just depends on what you're looking for.

never been to Hawaii...but have been to Aruba..Sonesta Hotel...own their own isand...it was vey nice..but there are inclusive packages you can get...and very nice hotels...I loved it ...it is very diverse..yes the wind does blow...it won`t blow you over...call your tavel agent for info on packages..I know one is TNT tours....

Been to Aruba for the day ( OK it was a cruise ! Cannot remember what port it was ( Willemstaadt ? Oranjestaadt ?? Or was that Curacao ? ). Reminded us of Florida - we heard that it's popular with US people for this reason. Also had the best French Fries we've ever tasted - of course I cannot remember where !

Maui - no contest. It's tropical and lush, Aruba is desert-y. Lots more to see/do on Maui, more variety in places to eat (inexpensive and expensive!). It is most people's idea of a tropical island, espiecally if you have a chance to visit Hana (rain forests, waterfalls, beautiful beaches), the Iao Needle, Mt.Haleakala - it's all wonderful.

I've been to both and have answered this same question in years past.
Basically, go to Maui.
Aruba is great and I enjoyed it (spent a day driving all over the island to out of the way places). Weather is wonderful, virtually never rains. Wind is nearly constant on beaches, which are white, flat and pretty, but sand-pelting can be annoying. It is a desert island with cacti and virtually no greenness.
Whoever said there's more to do on Aruba than Maui is WAAAY off. There's much more to do on Maui. Much more (except there's no casino activity on Maui, if that's a big factor).
Maui, of course, has been written about exhaustively here. Much prettier, more to do, great beaches, better food choices. Yes, it's more expensive on average.
But between the two, you're comparing one of the top vacation destinations in the world to a good, but not spectacular, place to unwind.
To this I would add: any trip is what you choose to make of it. Can you have a dull, 'bad' time in Maui? Sure. Stay at a dumpy condo and eat grocery store food and don't venture out much.
But everything is at hand in Maui for a world class vacation, whatever your goals.

Have been to both and Hawaii has more to offer in the way of beauty, beaches, restaurants, hiking, etc., however, have you considered that September is prime hurricane season. I guess if I had choices, I would choose another month for islands. I think Aruba is a great place if you have only a week, however, it is not a beautiful island by any means. As others have said, it is very dry, desert like, very windy and extremely hot. We were there in January and it was 90+ every day. Hawaii is much more tropical and you can island hop if you have the time, but I usually caution people not to do Hawaii unless you have more than a week - even if you live on the West coast, it is still quite a trip - timewise, and moneywise. However, it doesn't get much better IMHO. Good choices to have to make, Kate. Good luck.

Keep in mind (regarding hurricanes and Aruba) that hurricanes virtually NEVER hit Aruba. Can't remember the statistic exactly, but it's impressive. Aruba's way out of the hurricane belt.
Not that this should cause you to change your plans!
If Hawaii is your choice I would not even hesitate to book it and go. The hurricane risk, while not zero, is too small to warrant a change in plan.
The risk is actually much greater for the Caribbean islands east.

Agree with all of the above, EXCEPT, that to be fair, and unlike what most people are saying, Aruba's beaches are SUPERIOR to Maui's in every way: Beautiful WHITE sand (not coarse brown) and more colorful, WARM and CALM water! Quite frankly, I wish Maui DID have beaches like this, especially in Wailea -- then it would be 100% perfect!! Because of that reason, it is NOT, in MY opinion! But Maui is still the SUPERIOR location by miles and miles, no question about that!!!

Thank you everybody for all of your help- I really appreciate the time you took with your responses and have saved all of them for reference.
Thanks again!
Kate