Hyatt Regency Aruba Quick Thoughts
By Lana Vu
Aruba's picturesque white-sand beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters, perfect temperatures and an ideal location just outside of the hurricane belt have made the Dutch-Caribbean island a prime destination for decades. US dollars are widely accepted, and there are numerous daily flights from the US—so many, in fact, that you can go through US customs conveniently at AUA for a seamless return back to the US. Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Casino and Spa is one of the most popular properties for award travelers and for good reason. As my family and I just got home from a stay on the island, here are my Hyatt Regency Aruba quick thoughts.
What Was The Cost Of Booking Hyatt Regency Aruba & Is There Is Value In The Price?
Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Casino and Spa is now a Category 8 on the World of Hyatt award chart. The most recent Hyatt devaluation hit this property hard. If you can capture a stay at the lowest tier, grab it. But as with many Hyatt properties post-deval, it's difficult to justify stays at the top-tier 75,000-point/night pricing. Current award night costs are as follows:
| Room Type | Lowest | Low | Moderate | Upper | Top |
| Standard Room | 35,000 | 45,000 | 55,000 | 65,000 | 75,000 |
| Standard Suite | 56,000 | 66,000 | 76,000 | 86,000 | 96,000 |
Quick Thoughts On The Rooms At Hyatt Regency Aruba
The property has 364 guest rooms, including 16 standard suites and 31 premium suites. The hotel also offers connecting rooms, providing several multi-bedroom arrangements. Standard rooms available on points are 380-square-foot rooms with either a king bed (and a maximum occupancy of 2) or two queens (offering an age-independent occupancy of 4).
Standard suite offerings include a 849-square-foot Family Suite (including a king room, 2-twin bunk room, wet bar with mini fridge and a living room with sofa bed) and the 819-square-foot Cayena Suite (king bed, two balconies with lounge sofa in living room). Both represent exceptional value for a Suite Upgrade Award. The rooms are spacious and filled with natural light. A/C and fans keep the rooms airy and at an ideal temperature. All of us found the beds extremely comfortable. The policy on property is to enter the room at least once every 24 hours, with housekeeping coming by during the day for cleaning and in the evening for turn down service. The rooms were kept very clean and well stocked with water and a varied assortment of Nespresso coffee pods.
Quick Thoughts On The Amenities Hyatt Regency Aruba Offers
Here are some of the better amenities at Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Casino and Spa.
Dining
The property boasts a number of dining options, from the moderately priced cafe/market/gelato shop, Shoco Coffee, to the flagship seafood restaurant Ruinas Del Mar. Globalist breakfast was served in the poolside Palms Beachside Grill and Bar, which offered a buffet option with coffee and juice. Alternatively, you could order menu items up to the cost of the buffet ($31 for adults, $15.50 for children, with drinks à la carte and counting against the total). The buffet offerings were excellent, with made-to-order egg, crepe and waffle stations plus extensive hot and cold items.
Ruinas Del Mar is the flagship restaurant, with beautiful sunset views. Pro tip: Ask for a table outside by the koi pond. Servers give fish food, and my kids loved feeding the koi and Francisco, the beautiful resident black swan. ShinSen is the on-site sushi restaurant, while Piccolo is a kosher-certified steakhouse. Alfresco Bar serves cocktails and small bites. Balashi Bar and Grill provides poolside dining, and Pizzaliolo brings pool and beachside pizzas to order. Finally, Kadushi Juice Bar serves refreshing juices, smoothies and acai bowls.
Beach and Pools
There was an activity pool with a winding slide (42” minimum height), game net and pool bar; a family pool; multiple hot tubs; and several waterfalls and cascading water stairs. For adults traveling without children, the Trankilo adult pools are located on an entire building side away, where adults can relax in peace and quiet, far from the noise and bustle of children. The adult pool includes an infinity pool overlooking the beach, separate pool showers, and a number of options to rent pool chairs, day beds and cabanas.
The beach has powder-white sand and crystal-clear water, with so many activities offered beachside. We watched stunning sunsets and enjoyed golden hour photo ops from the west-facing beach. Chairs and palapas poolside or beachside can be reserved online about 4 months in advance via the beach services website. Premium locations were an additional cost, but we found the complimentary options perfectly acceptable. Families with young children/non-swimmers may find it worth paying for front-row palapas or pool chairs to have line of sight to the water. All reservations required a check-in by 9 a.m., so another option was to show up just after 9 a.m. to snag a spot that was released. We tested this out twice with success to get better locations.
Activities and Camp Hyatt
Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Casino and Spa offers a number of complimentary onsite activities for all ages, from poolside bingo to yoga to wine tastings. Please note that some activities have limited space and require registration. The property also offers many premium paid activities and services through the concierge, and through its partners. Bicycle rentals, water sports, tours, activities and car rentals are conveniently available from the property at the concierge in the lobby, or on the beach through Red Sail Aruba. Childcare and entertainment are offered for ages 4-12 on property at Camp Hyatt by reservation. The space is a bit small, but includes an arcade machine, foosball table, air hockey table, basketball, toys, games, crafts, and friendly staff.
Fitness Center
The fitness center encompasses two rooms, offering clean and cool spaces to use a broad assortment of exercise equipment, weights, exercise balls and more. The rooms included multiple TVs for entertainment, clean towels and hydration. Tennis and pickleball courts across the street are also available to guests.
Quick Thoughts On The Hyatt Regency Aruba's Location
The resort sits on beautiful Palm Beach on the west side of the island. The stretch of resorts along the beach and the accompanying businesses across the street offer endless options for dining, entertainment, shopping and activities. Oranjestad and popular Eagle Beach are a $16 cab ride away, the airport is a $41 ride, with flat rates regulated by the government. As long as drivers are comfortable with traffic circles, driving is also very easy to navigate.
Where Else Hyatt Regency Aruba Shines
Service was friendly and attentive from the moment we arrived onsite. Staff opened car doors, warmly welcomed us and took our bags. They then led us through the open, airy lobby to the front desk for check-in, where there was no line. The front desk agent thanked us for our loyalty, confirmed our stay details and room upgrade to a family suite, and took our passports. As we waited, we were treated to welcome drinks and macarons as we were told about the pools, restaurants, activities and services offered on property. As Globalists, we were given two premium drink tickets, $20 in casino credit, daily complimentary breakfast for two adults and two children, complimentary parking and late checkout. As we had arrived over an hour before check-in time during a holiday weekend with two weddings, our room was not quite ready. We were invited to utilize changing rooms so we could go enjoy the pools immediately, or to go have lunch and they would text us promptly when the room was ready.
I woke early every morning to see groundskeepers working to keep the property immaculate. Gardeners trimmed and maintained the plants, pools were skimmed, chairs and pool areas power washed meticulously. All staff members were so kind. One of the gardeners gave my kids pistachios and showed them how to feed the talking parrots, Rocky and ChiChi.
Would I Stay At Hyatt Regency Aruba Again?
I'm already contemplating trying to make it back sometime, though I'll admit I almost choked when I looked at the award chart to check the new pricing for this property. As mentioned above, the devaluation really hurt here. This property moved from a Category 7 to a Category 8 on the World of Hyatt award chart. Coupled with the new five-tiered pricing, this means that while standard-tier rates could once be had for 30,000 points a night, new “moderate” pricing now is now 55,000 points a night. If you're considering a stay, search the calendar for those now highly coveted 35,000-point nights at the new lowest pricing level.
Inside the Hyatt Regency Aruba: ToP Thoughts
Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Casino and Spa ranks as one of our favorite properties to date. It had been on my radar for a long time, so it was fantastic for us to score availability for the standard suite during the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend. Once there we enjoyed the turquoise waters, amazing weather, white-powder sand on the beaches, sailing, snorkeling with turtles and UTVing along the coastline. Have you been to Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Casino and Spa? Let us know your thoughts in the ToP Facebook group.
