joaniejd

What are the top resorts on Aruba if $ is not an issue? Thanks so much!

girlonthego

I think every decent hotel in Aruba will have some crowds.
The nicest hotels are the Hyatt, Marriott and Radisson for families.

The Marriott has time share units with separate bedrooms which may give you more space than the standard hotel room. Also, you have a little kitchen which can make breakfast easier with kids.

We stayed at the marriott about 4 years ago at the hotel, and enjoyed our stay there very much. It is a large complex, but it can have crowds. It wasn't bad when we went, but they have added another time share to the property.
The Hyatt was a nice property and we walked around the grounds and had a drink. I thought it looked very nice.

Aruba is a beach with hotels. The water is aqua green and the sand is white. There are hotels that line Palm Beach with lots of watersports available. Many restaurant choices from cheap to excellent and expensive. There are casinos, but you don't have to enter them. We went once at the marriott. It wasn't very large and we lost about 200 dollars in 20 minutes. No thanks. We are not gamblers and I really thought we would play for a little while before we lost!
Every island is what you make of it. Aruba has action, but is also a relaxing beach vacation. We enjoyed ourselves.
You can go to aruba-bb.com for lots of posts on people that go to aruba all the time. They were a wealth of info when we went as to the best dining and water sports people.
Enjoy!

girlonthego

Oh and I just want to mention we went with our family and friends of ours. Our kids were 10 and 11 when we went and they loved it! Kids are very accepted at all the restaurants we went to and we dined very nice every night. Everything was casual as well.

girlonthego

I read your other post. We did not go to the Westin. It was a Wyndam when we were there. So, not sure what it is like. The area by the Westin is known to be windier. Aruba is windy period.

I think the Grand Cayman Westin would be better for you because the Caymans are more laid back and quieter vacations. We went last year with our friends again and the teens loved it. We stayed at the Marriott here as well too because we used points too. The Cayman Westin is supposedly very nice. Caymans had good food, was quieter and we found it very safe. Aruba was safe as well!
Also, there is a Westin on St.John.

eileen

Hi, we are "laid back luxury" people too (recent trips we loved were Galley Bay in Antigua and Nisbet Plantation in Nevis) and I have been to Aruba twice -- I think it's very difficult to find this type of resort in Aruba. As mentioned previously most of Aruba is large, high-rise hotels lining Palm Beach, so we found it to be very crowded compared to our other destinations. Eagle Beach and hotels such as Bucuti, Costa Linda is much less crowded and the beach there is wider, but doesn't sound like that's an option if you are trying to go on points. However, the weather is great, it's a great place for families and there are lots of wonderful dining options. Golf is great too. The last time we went, we traded timeshare points into Marriott Ocean Club, a very nice resort. Was it our favorite vacation? No, but the price was right for a nice vacation in the sun for our family of four! I personally love the look of the Radisson (seems to have more property/landscaping than others) and the Hyatt is upscale but compact. Just remember, if you are going "free" you will be easier to please than if you are paying lots of $$. That's certainly been my experience and we have been to some pretty wonderful places.