Renaissance Wedding/ Honeymoon?

[Marcia]

Hi all --

Yet another question. Has anyone gotten married (or been to a wedding) and/or had a honeymoon at the Renaissance? Looking on this forum briefly, some people seem to love it but I've also seen some pretty bad reviews online (musty rooms, too many bugs, etc.). I'd hate to end up at a bad resort for my honeymoon.

Also, is it very expensive to get married there? The private island sounds lovely, but I am concerned about the expense (and the mosquitoes). I'd really appreciate any advice. Thanks!

[christene]

Hi Marcia,

We visited in May as we were considering it for our wedding. We really disliked the rooms (both Marina and Ocean Suites sides). Even though they say 'newly renovated' we felt they were dated. We were also bothered that the Ocean Suites bedroom doesn't have a window! Some people will like that but in a tropical place I want to be woken by light streaming in the windows. Maybe other rooms are different. However the Ocean Suites pool is awesome! We thought it was one of the best pools we saw. And its walking distance from shopping and nightlife (we had great sushi). The Marina side I might have liked if I was still in my 20s... looked like good action for a younger crowd. (I'm only in my 30s.)

And of course the island has a lot of charm and privacy you won't get anywhere else. We also met their wedding planner and really liked him so you'd be in good hands. And we felt their catering was better priced than the other hotels we were looking at. When we were visiting there was a wedding getting started and it looked really nice. I had seen reviews complaining of noise from planes which we didn't feel would be an issue at all, as well as people not liking the idea of the boat ride which we thought was totally fine. Though we decided Ren Island isn't our thing we can see how some people really love it.

For a honeymoon though, I would check out Bucuti, Hyatt or Marriott. All much nicer and really newly renovated. Beautiful contemporary decor. If you want quiet quiet quiet then Bucuti, if you want an awesome pool Hyatt.

Anyway -- just my opinion and I'm sure you'll see plenty to the contrary. Good luck!

[Marcia]

Thanks Christene. I've not been to Aruba, so it's helpful to hear from people who have been. I should say that I don't care terribly about the decor... I hope not to spend a great deal of time in the room, so as long as the rooms are clean I'll be happy. I wanted to check here because I read some reviews saying that the rooms were rundown and there were too many bugs around -- that I would not like, but we don't need anything too fancy. I have looked at some of the places you named, and they do look beautiful, but are out of our price range, unfortunately.

[christene]

Well I will say we did feel the room was clean and the bed was super comfortable. We slept really well - we were given a room at the end. We had a balcony with an ocean view and below could see the garden. As far as 'mustiness'... we noticed that in the hallway (really old carpet) and in the lobby a bit but the room seemed fresh enough. We stayed at the Ocean Suites side and then saw three rooms on the Marina side. We felt they were a little dark but clean. Really it was mostly decor with us -- old style tvs, a run down sofa sleeper, and I seem to remember the rooms being blue (or green?) and yellow, but somehow they weren't at all cheery. Other than the sofa sleeper I think the rest of the furniture in our room was new. They did a nice job with that. And did I mention the beds? =) Gotta love those big beds with nice sheets and comforters. They're the same 'luxury' beds you'll find at the Marriott.

My favorite was the pool - free form and winding. You can either hang by the bar and listen to music or find peace and quiet. And we didn't mind that there wasn't what people consider a 'real beach' at the Ocean Suites... they have a 'lagoon area' that we thought wasn't bad at all. In fact we liked the idea of kids swimming in a more sheltered area. And of course for beach there is the private island. It even has a cute workout area and some dining.

I spent a ton of time reading reviews too and have to admit it was nicer than we had expected.

[A_J_Mitch]

Marcia, I've been checking out the Divi and the Ren to have my July 2010 wedding..The Divi if you stay ,is half the price of the Ren for the wedding, but Ren Island is just so beautiful!! We spent every day over at the Island and didn't see one bug...

I've stayed at the Ocean Suites and loved going over to the Island during the day. We didn't think the rooms had any odor. The one thing I did not like about the room was the view of the Parking lot from our "ocean view" room.. The pool on the other hand was awesome on the Ocean Suites side. They have a swim up pool bar and the bartenders are great!

We checked out the Marina side and found it would be great for people who like a lot of action. It was very load with lots going on in the pool area.

I got price quotes from both the Divi and Ren Island so let me know if you would like me to share.

Thanks
Andrea

[Marcia]

Originally Posted by A_J_Mitch

I got price quotes from both the Divi and Ren Island so let me know if you would like me to share.

Thanks
Andrea

Hi Andrea -- If you don't mind sharing, that would be great. My mother generally stays at the Divi and that was the other place I had my eyes on, but I have a friend that works at Marriott and could get us a great deal at the Ren. The private island sounds wonderful, I have to say. And the idea of getting married on it is great... all the pictures are so pretty.

[cindyo]

Well, we've been going to the Renn suites for 13 yrs now...hands down that is where both my daughters will get married...The staff is family, the rooms perfect for us, and I can't think of one complaint ! I did post some wedding set ups from the island.

FWIW...Timbaland got married on Renn island last year...If it was perfect for him, it SB for everyone :}

Just in case anyone doesn't know SB = Should Be

[Andrea J.]

fwiw i am not the andrea that is being asked the question.

but if it were i that was asked, i would chose the ren island no questions asked. i would probably not even inquire anywhere else.

and..........the open air restaurant is perfect relaxed, non pretentious, funm delicious, scenic.

andrea j.

Originally Posted by Marcia

Hi Andrea -- If you don't mind sharing, that would be great. My mother generally stays at the Divi and that was the other place I had my eyes on, but I have a friend that works at Marriott and could get us a great deal at the Ren. The private island sounds wonderful, I have to say. And the idea of getting married on it is great... all the pictures are so pretty.

[Liz - Aruba Lover]

I would have loved to be able to afford my daughters wedding last year at Ren Island. It's perfect.

[wnysnow]

Yikes My daughter's Wedding is only one week away. Would have loved the reception at the Renaissance Island, but the Pumpkin coaches just couldn't handle that much Ocean!!!

They will be spending a mini-moon in Niagara Falls, and then they will have their honeymoon at the Renaissance Aruba in October. My daughter has an affection for the Renaissance. Paradise found!!!

Susan