Hyatt or Radisson?

[bwrigley11]

Arubalisa,

Do you happen to know what the room number is of the uppermost Bonaire Suite is? Can you see both the sunset and the pool area from the balcony? Are there two balconies? It looks as though all of the Aruba Tower Suites have a great view. I could not get any pricing from MCM Tours because they cannot book flights this far in advance which is understandable but I'd like to book this honeymoon and have one less thing to worry about in our planning. We went through MCM back in 2005 and had the daily breakfast buffet and a $100 voucher for food/drink which was great. I will try to book through them. They do not list suites on their website however so I am not so sure that they offer these rooms in their packages. Do you know anything about this? I have to thank you for all of your help. The photos are extremely helpful - I just can't remember what other resorts looked like when we were there. From what I can see so far, it looks as though we will decide between the Bonaire Suite or an even numbered Aruba Tower Room. How expensive is an Aruba Tower Suite? Again, thank you, you have been a big help to us.

[Arubalisa]

Click on any of the thumbnails below for a full size image.

Arubalisa, Do you happen to know what the room number is of the uppermost Bonaire Suite is?

Don't remember the exact room number, but the building is only 4 floors so there is only one Bonaire Suite on that floor.

Can you see both the sunset and the pool area from the balcony?

There is only one balcony and it is off of the bedroom. Again, there is a "Petite" Bonaire suite, but you DO NOT want that. My in-laws stayed in one. No balcony for starters, need I say more. See below for more on sunsets and balconies.

Views from the Bonaire suite are going to depend on the floor due to the height of the trees. I know the suite we had the view pictured here but that was also 6 years ago so I don't know how much the trees how grown to block the view.

Are there two balconies?

Only the Curacao suite has 2 balconies (see explanation below) and the Penthouse has a huge deck area.

It looks as though all of the Aruba Tower Suites have a great view. I could not get any pricing from MCM Tours because they cannot book flights this far in advance which is understandable but I'd like to book this honeymoon and have one less thing to worry about in our planning. We went through MCM back in 2005 and had the daily breakfast buffet and a $100 voucher for food/drink which was great. I will try to book through them. They do not list suites on their website however so I am not so sure that they offer these rooms in their packages. Do you know anything about this?

Call Amy at MCM and talk to her about booking the hotel now and then booking the airfare when it becomes available. It is possible that they do not have their rates just yet for the timeframe that you are talking about. Though they only list the Curacao Suite on their web pricing, you really need to call them directly to get "the scoop". I'm giving you some options but Amy can help you narrow down your choice based upon your budget and priorities in accommodations.

I have to thank you for all of your help.

You are very welcome.

How expensive is an Aruba Tower Suite?

Not sure how their pricing is going to come out on the suites, but looking at the rack rates for low season next year, from the Radisson's website $550 Bonaire suite or $650 Curacao suite.

The Curacao Suites are a step up for sure. The bedroom is a little bigger, but I did not like the bath quite as much as the Bonaire Sute. There are 2 of these suites on each floor. A little tough to see in this photo
but this is the side of the building facing the ocean and is shaped in a triangle with a large balcony off of the living room and then a smaller "standard" size balcony off of the bedroom. This tower is 6 stories. My Mom and Dad stayed in a regular room, 6th floor, on the south side of the Curacao tower the first week of August and just raved about the view of the ocean. Good view sunsets too.

Sunset views?

MORE...Yes you can view sunsets from ocean/poolview rooms in the Aruba tower.
Yes from the Aruba Suites which directly face the ocean.
The Aruba Tower Suites are directly oceanfront the photo below was taken almost in the water from the beach.


The balcony on the left and is off of the living room and the small picture window is the bedroom.

[paulandnan]

Stayed at the Radisson about a year and a half ago and purchased their breakfast plan.
Going back to Aruba and the Radisson this Dec. Checked on the Radisson website and found a package for room and breakfast for $30 more than room-only. Also, checked some travel sites and found on USAirwaysVacations a room with one night free and a $100 F & B package for less that what the Radisson was advertising it. Since we do not need an entire breakfast buffet we decided to go with the US Airway's deal because we saved a little money. Already had free airfare using points.
As far as the hotel, we toured the Hyatt and determined that the Radisson was better for us. We liked the room in the Bonaire tower and the nicely landscaped grounds with the zero-entry pools. Also, the beach is considered one of the best on Palm Beach.
Also, you are only two hotels away from the Westin (formerly Wyndham where we have stayed four times), so you can walk over and visit if you wish.
Just got an email from Rob Smith - manager of the Westin - that he was leaving the Westin and assuming a position with the Aruba Tourism Assn. Aruba thought so highly of him as manager of a hotel that they wanted his services for all the hotels in Aruba. A great "feather in his cap" for Rob. We met him when we stayed their and always found him to be very cordial and accommodating
to all his guests and staff.
Choice of hotel is always a personal preference. We are in late 50's and mid 60's and like to have a nice room that is quiet and a beach that we can "veg out" on. We also like to walk the beach area for exercise and think that the Radisson fulfills our needs. It is also within walking distance either direction of other hotels if you want to have dinner in different locations.
Hope this helps, and enjoy Aruba for your honeymoon and have a very happy and fulfilling married life; you picked a great honeymoon location.

[ArubaGer]

I see that your probably have made your mind up from all the replies already but I'm going to chime in and say I loved the Radisson! Stayed there on my honeymoon (May 7-14), 2007...there was construction going on (so the staff had to change our rooms) but I think that is done. We didn't care about our room view since we were out on the beach, resturants, or at excursions everyday. We had a garden view on the 1st floor and it was perfectly quiet and nice. The grounds there are so beaufitul with the 2 pools and the beach area in general.

We are going back there this December and opted to stay in the Radisson again...the Hyatt was more expensive, would like to stay there another time though and try it out.

[bwrigley11]

Thanks for all of the input. My fiance and I have settled on the Radisson. It seems like the best choice for our taste. Now it is just a choice of room type. Cost will most likely dictate our decision. I'm sure construction will be completed when we are there next August. If you don't mind me asking ArubaGer, which company did you book the trip through or did you use a travel agent? Do you have any helpful information about the Radisson that I might need to know about? Were you able to get a package that included breakfast? Thank you for your time.

[donsullivan]

Hyatt has the nicest property of all the high rise hotels. Staff is wonderful. Beverages are over priced. We're going back though for our 8th trip

[PittsburghBill]

This is my first post on this board. It's a subject I'm kind of familiar with. Last year my wife and I stayed at the Radisson after 6 or 7 prior stays at the Hyatt, and we'll be returning to the Radisson in just one week now (Nov 28)!

While we always enjoyed our time at the Hyatt, we definitely like the Radisson better. The only reason we tried the Radisson was last year's Hyatt construction (and no corresponding discount in room rates). We're glad we did - we walked over to the Hyatt and their beautiful open-air lobby was closed (it's since reopened, I believe).



Reasons we prefer the Radisson:

---Better, bigger beach.

---Much easier to reserve the beach palapas - they are free and you can sign up at 4pm the preceding day.

---Larger rooms, all with balcony or patio. Our room was on the first floor and so close to the beach that it was easy to go back and forth during the day. The decor in the rooms is nicely tropical, wood shutters, colorful but not overly so - it makes you feel like you're on vacation

---Radisson just a bit more casual, the staff less formal. We like this. The Hyatt feels more, well, stuffy/proper/corporate by comparison. But I don't want to overstate this - the difference in "feel" is not great, but it is perceptible.

---Can't prove this, but it seemed that the Radisson crowd was a bit younger (we are both early 40's).

---Close to the DePalm pier and the wonderful Bugaloe pier bar. Very good drinks, food, and music, fun bartenders, and a great place to watch the sunset.

---Rooms generally cost a bit less at the Radisson



What's better at the Hyatt:

...Waterslide! We did kinda miss that.

...Juice bar on the beach (but we just walked over to it from the Radisson)

...Casino at the Hyatt is brighter and has a great band (but very few $5 tables)



In summary, both are great resorts. If you get a substantially better deal at one, take it. If it's a toss-up, as it often is, I say Radisson. Can't wait to get there!!!

[sagman17]

have you ever considered staying in town..we stay at the renaissance marina hotel which is adults only and if this is your honeymoon maybe kid free is the way to go..the hotel is completely renovated and you're within walking distance of great restaurants, shops, bars and alot of sightseeing..also, they have a private island which is incredible..rates are reasonable and the staff there couldn't be any nicer..

[andreea.vaas]

This is why i put a vote on Radisson. I really think that is a dream hotel, and i was satisfied...even if i don't like their prices