Hello,

I'm getting married on October 4th and have a honeymoon in Aruba at the Aruba Grand planned for 10 days. What can I expect from my stay there? We are looking for a quiet place with lots of stuff to do in the surrounding areas.

Are the rooms nice and the staff friendly?

The Aruba Grand was 'quiet' when we were there. We stayed at the hotel next to it and almost thought the Grand was closed because so few people were there.

It looks like a very nice place, but doesn't have the fancy pool that some of the other resorts have, etc.

It's located right on Palm Beach, so you are right in the midle of 'hotel row' so there is plenty to do there. The DePalm pier is at that hotel also for jet-skiing, boating, etc. Dive Aruba is located onsite if you want to go diving.

It's a quick walk up/down the 'boardwalk' type sidewalk between the beach and the hotels to other hotels, restaurants, stores, etc. It's about a $10 taxi ride into town.

Take the public bus downtown for $2.00 round trip. Tell them it is a round trip when you get on and get a pass back. Otherwise it is $1.25 each way.

We've been to Aruba 35 times. The Aruba Grand is our favorite because it's easy and quiet. It has the best beach with plenty of room and no long lines to stand in waiting for a hut or towels. The people are friendly and accomodating. Have tried about 5 hotels on the island, but love the relaxed atmosphere at the Grand.

The Aruba Grand was far too quiet for me due to the fact that there were so few guests. I prefer staying at a hotel where there are enough people to socialize with and have a nice happy hour with live entertainment. We found the Wyndham to be much better for us.

If you don't expect too much - you won't be disappointed. It has the atmosphere of a retirement home that isn't too popular.

heh. "Retirement home atmosphere" with very few guests sums it up accurately.

Hello,

I have been reading that this hotel does not see many guests. Is it possible beings we will be on our honeymoon that we could upgrade rooms significantly? Is the staff friendly there? What type of room would you recommend? I would like to upgrade to a Lanai if possible.

One more question, is the food at the restaurants there good?

This is a small hotel by Palm Beach standards - 200 rooms at the Grand versus 600 for the HolIday Inn. Also it has a bigger beach area than most of the other high-rise hotels which also makes it look deserted. I agree with Dot - if you want a week to veg-out on the beach with a good book and have some peace and quiet this is the best place.