Palapa fees?

[JulieAnn30]

I have been doing some research and I'm getting confusing info. I know someone here can help me! Are there fees to use the palapas at the Hyatt or the Marriott? Do we need to reserve the day before or get up at 6:00am to stand in line? We're going in a couple of weeks, slow(er) season, hopefully the beach won't be crowded. Thanks for your help!

[Arubalisa]

Not sure about the Marriott, but the Hyatt does offer pre-reserved palapas for a fee. Other wise yes, plan on getting up early for a palapa. Maybe not 6 a.m. but more like 8 a.m.

Though it is "low season", with the kids being out of school and Aruba being a family island, it is not "slow season".

For a resort on Palm Beach which does not charge for palapas but allows you to reserve the afternoon before, check out the Radisson.

[jeffnev]

Originally Posted by JulieAnn30

I have been doing some research and I'm getting confusing info. I know someone here can help me! Are there fees to use the palapas at the Hyatt or the Marriott? Do we need to reserve the day before or get up at 6:00am to stand in line? We're going in a couple of weeks, slow(er) season, hopefully the beach won't be crowded. Thanks for your help!

When you say "Marriott", I'm not sure if you mean the hotel, the Ocean Club, or Surf Club. Just got back from our TS at the Surf Club and the palapa situation is probably the one thing about it that drives us a bit crazy...but it is manageable. You can rent a palapa for 2 consecutive days or you can get a free palapa by lining up at either 4pm or 7am. people start showing up about 30 minutes ahead of time and it actually becomes a social gathering for exchanging info on restaurants, snorkel trips, etc. They do hold 50% of the palapas for free rental and they are often the ones closest to the water. they are always adding new palapas where space permits and the beach area is very large. We have never been shut out, but it is busy even in July...the beach people tell us it is totally insane during the Christmas vacation weeks but manageable the rest of the year.

The Ocean Club appeared to be much less active on the beach and I suspect the palapas are easier to come by with less waiting. We rented at the Ocean Club once and had no issues at all. I'm not sure what goes on at the hotel.