Hotel Review: Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino

Aruba is called One Happy Island and now I know why. So many people I met in Aruba come back year after year, and many return to the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino year after year. And now I also know why!

Let me preface by saying that the Hyatt Regency Aruba caters to both travel by families with children and to travel by adults only. There are separate pools for families and for adults. There is a Hyatt Camp for kids. I did not travel with children, so I can’t speak to how it is to travel as a family with kids, except to say that everyone – both parents and children – always looked happy.

On arrival at the airport, we took a taxi to the hotel at a price of $30 – $35 US dollars (There are no Ubers in Aruba). At the hotel, we were greeted warmly and checked in.

The room keys at this hotel are bracelets. Most of these bracelets are orange. However, because we had access to the Regency Club, we had special bracelets that looked like this:

Way in advance of the stay, I used a suite upgrade certificate to upgrade our accommodations to a suite. We were happy to get the Cayena Suite because it has a full balcony rather than a Juliette balcony.  The suite is spacious, with a living room, a kitchen area and a separate bedroom.

This is a video I created of the suite. Please enjoy.

Here are some photos of the suite as well. There is plenty of storage space and it is very comfortable. We spent four nights here, and frankly would have liked an extra night or two.

I booked the hotel using points. At that time it was a category 6 hotel. It is now a category 7 (with an award booking for a standard room ranging from 25,0000 to 35,000 points per night). Be warned that if you choose a cash rate, there is a 15% resort charge added to the rate for all guests (note: I have heard conflicting reports on whether this is charged to Globalist members).

We received a lovely note and welcome gift of a plate of cheese and crackers as well as two bottles of wine! We also received a gift of various fabulous Aruba Aloe products. The aloe lotion came in handy for Dave’s sunburn! (Reminder, don’t just bring sunscreen with you to Aruba – APPLY IT!).

The suite has a separate kitchen area, with a sink, refrigerator (stocked with complimentary soft drinks), a coffee machine and a microwave oven (we didn’t use the oven, but it was nice to know it was there). There was plenty of water for us on the countertop!

The bedroom is nicely designed and the bed is very comfortable.

The bathroom is large and has three closets with plenty of drawers and hangers.

There was one set of Aruba Aloe toiletries in the bathroom. (Unfortunately, when housekeeping replenished the toiletries, we received only Pharmacopia products).

The balcony is the length of the entire suite – with sliding doors from both the living room and the bedroom.

The views of the property from the balcony were breathtaking whether in the morning or in the evening.

As a World of Hyatt globalist, we had access to the Regency Club where breakfast in the morning, hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine in the early evening, and snacks in the afternoon, were served. The outdoor seating area was being renovated when we were there, but I’m sure it is open now.

I heard one couple say that they bought access to the club for $75 for 24 hours (I’m guessing that price was per person, but I’m not sure).

The club staff was incredible. I can’t remember all of the names, but they were always helpful and friendly. Some of the many include Fany, Jackie, Jerelaine and Jacqueline.

Regency Club breakfast included a nice selection of deli cheeses and meats, lox, cereals, yogurts, fruits, breads and pastries. However, the only egg selection were egg patties and hard boiled eggs. You might be disappointed if you are expecting an omelette at breakfast. I tend to prefer a green salad rather than traditional breakfast products and this was not available either. Having said this the breakfast was still quite nice.

We enjoyed the appetizers at the Regency Club each evening from 5pm to 7pm. There were generally two hot items served each night, including items such as empanadas, fish tacos, meatballs and coconut shrimp. Cold items included crudite, vegetables, deli and desserts. There was also complimentary wine and beer.

The hotel has a small casino.

The outdoor grounds of the hotel are exquisite and beautifully landscaped. Everything points to the pools and beach.

If you want to reserve an umbrella, cabana or palapa in advance, you can do so HERE. Here are some photos of the main pools at the hotel.

We spent most of our days at the adult only Trankilo pool. It was perfect.

The cabanas look really nice, but they are rather pricey ($450 per day).

You could also reserve palapas and sit on lounge chairs at the beach.

We did not eat at the hotel restaurants. We did have a drink or two at hotel bars.

Fitness center and hotel activities will be covered in separate post.

Now I understand why people return to Aruba year after year.  I definitely want to be one of those people!