Hyatt or Radisson?

[bwrigley11]

I was hoping that I could get some good feedback here on which hotel would be the best option for a honeymoon stay. My fiance and I had stayed at the Wyndham back in October of 2005 and thought it was very nice and we will be returning in August of 2008 for our honeymoon and are looking to stay in another hotel that would give us an even better experience than before. We have narrowed our options to the Hyatt and the Radisson as we understand these two hotels to be the best two options in the high rise area but with only the experience of the Wyndham to compare to we are unsure of which one to book and are looking for some helpful hints and reasons to sway our decision toward one over the other. So far from what I've read, both hotels offer many good features and options making this decision even harder. I'd appreciate any information you could provide.

[josi]

I stayed at the Radisson and it was very nice. The Hyatt is also nice, but it's more expensive than the Radisson. Either one is good. If you have the money stay at the Hyatt.




Josi

[bwrigley11]

Do they both offer complimentary breakfast? That is a big thing for us. We really enjoyed the daily buffet breakfast at the Wyndham when we stayed there. It's a great start to the day and is at a great price... Free! Do you know which rooms offer the best views? I like the view of the ocean but the grounds at the Radisson seem so nice that a view of both would also be great.

[Arubalisa]

We've been to the Westin 3 times when it was the Wyndham and 4 times to the Radisson. If you liked the Westin you will LOVE the Radisson.

The breakfast buffet as part of your package will vary by travel agent. I know our agent, MCM Tours http://www.aruba4u.com offers the breakfast buffet as part of their package at the Radisson. I do not believe they offer it with the Hyatt. You can just call them and ask to speak to Amy and she can help you and answer any questions in helping you decide on the perfect honeymoon spot.

As far as the view goes, pay for the best view that you can afford. You cannot depend on a free upgrade, although they are always nice. So do what your pocketbook can best handle. The Radisson has some lovely gardenviews and partial oceanviews are not too bad either. I have heard some complain of the partial oceanview looking out over a roof besides the view of the ocean. Heck, I just don't look down on it. BUT if you have to have solely beach, ocean and pool, go for the ocean/poolview and I am sure you will be extremely happy.

Big drawback for the Hyatt, is that unless you book a suite (big $$$), there are only "step out" balconies. The guest rooms at the Radisson all have balconies on which 2 people can comfortably sit.

[lindon]

I have stayed at the Radisson seven times and have always been pleased with everything. We get the breakfast buffet with our package which saves you a lot of money. Also, the staff is wonderful at the Radisson. They are all very pleasant and try to make your stay as pleasant as possible. The other thing I love about the Radisson is the grounds. They are just beautiful and put you in that laid back island mood. I have stayed in many different rooms at the hotel and they were all nice. I don't care much about the view because I spend my entire day on the beach looking at the water. So, I basically pay for a garden view. I rather spend the extra money at dining out. I have never stayed at the Hyatt. Although it looks nice, it always seems very crowded on the beach and in the pool area during the day. I am sure you will have a great time at either hotel once you make your decision.

[Mike]

Hyatt without a doubt

[pinik5]

We will be in Aruba in 2 weeks' time. We are staying at the Hyatt and wil definitely post a review. Both of these properties are excellent choices in my opinion and you cannot go wrong with either.

Niki

[talvino]

I would definetly pick the Radisson, much better layout, beautiful grounds, great breakfast buffet, one of the best restaurants (Sunset Grille). There is no construction going on like the Hyatt. We used to go the the Hyatt all the time to eat. But, over the past few years it has gone down hill, Extremely overpriced and the food isn't as good any more. Very dissapointing. The Hyatt in my opinion is a little too stuffy. Don't get me wrong it is very pretty but its all about money. The casino at the Hyatt is better than the Radisson's but you can walk to it. It's tough to chose where to stay but both hotels are on the same strip and you can walk to everything, that's the part about both.

[bwrigley11]

I thank you for your feedback as it looks like we will be settling on the Radisson based on it's reviews. It seems that people who stay there have no complaints whatsoever and go on and on about its beauty. Being our honeymoon, you want to make the best choice and I think the Radisson is the best option for our taste. Does anyone have a layout of the resort that shows where the 3 towers are located in relation to everything else? I would like to know which is the better tower to stay in and which rooms are the best. Even though time in the room is limited, it is still nice to look out your balcony and remind you that you are in a beautiful foreign land. It is nice to wake up to the view and it is nice to watch the sun go down over the water. We would be interested in a room with a pool/ocean facing room preferably at a height that just overlooks the palm trees on the property. Could anyone tell me which room numbers in which towers this might pertain to? Is a suite worth the money and where are these located?

[Arubalisa]

<<sigh>>> One of my favorite subjects! I think you made an excellent choice. I never posted it (or finished writing a trip report from our visit last September), but keeping in mind it was our 4th stay, the following is how the report began:
"The Radisson has gotten even better since we last stayed there in 2001. Amazing 'cause I thought they had set a pretty high bar for themselves then. Employees and customer service especially were excellent. Our room was 1717 and below was our view--
... Just gorgeous.

I have a layout of the resort at Radisson Aruba Resort Property Map

The Aruba Tower even numbered rooms basically have ocean/poolviews and face southwest. Aruba Tower Suites are beautiful but probably a lot more room than you need and a lot more money than you wish to spend. An ocean/poolview in the Aruba Tower gives you the same view.

The northside of the tower are odd numbered rooms which offer partial oceanviews, similar to the photo above (but this was the room closest to the ocean on that floor) and a view over the island. If the ocean/poolview ends up being more money than you wish to spend, these partial oceanview rooms, odd numbered rooms in the Aruba tower, imho are pretty darn nice.
These were both partial oceanview rooms:
Aruba Tower Room 1717 Roomview and Aruba Tower Room 1409

The Bonaire Suite in my mind is the absolute perfect accommodation for a honeymoon. For me at least, it felt like a repeat of our weddingmoon when we stayed at a 5 star hotel in the Bahamas and this suite is the same price. We did not use the huge living room, but the balcony and view and especially the bathroom were to die for. If you can get an upper floor you will still have a little bit of an oceanview and of course a view of all of the grounds. You do not want a Petite Bonaire Suite. There is a difference in price because of the different configuration of the bathroom and no balcony. Not worth spending the extra money for a suite not to have a balcony. If that were the case you may as well stay at the Hyatt.

Bonaire tower rooms are the smallest, but also the most centrally located to the rest of the resort. Bonaire tower room view
Aruba tower has the largest rooms and baths, but you will wait for the elevator and have a walk from the lobby on out to the pool and beach beyond.

Curacao tower rooms offer some nice views from the upper floors. Curacao tower room view

If you read our trip reports at
Our Radisson Trip Report September 2000
Our Radisson Trip Report March 2001
Our Radisson Trip June 2001

They may give you some "feel" for how we felt about the accommodations and the Radisson itself. No matter which accommodation you choose I am sure you will love the Radisson.

Feel free to PM or email if you have any questions.