Renaissance Resort

[ArubaAce]

Who has stayed here and opinions?

Over the years I've stayed at Paradise Beach Villas (First trip to aruba 30 years ago) Divi Dutch, Divi Golf, Casa Del Mar and the last few years between La Cabana and Divi Phoenix.

I've seen the Renaissance come up on Interval for exchange so was wondering if I should try it. I know if I took Ms Daisy she would love those flamingoes but not sure about her getting on and off the boat every day. She loves La Cabana because of the casino in resort. My friend used to own 3 weeks at the renaissance and sold 2. Unfortunately his wife passed away so he doesn't want to ever go back to Aruba. He was offering me the last week to buy. I told him I would have to stay there and see if I like it but I may be open to rent. His week though is in July and I never travel to Aruba that month.

[Pegmeister]

We often stayed at the Renaissance for a few days at the end of our trips. For me, I prefer ocean swimming but when at the Renaissance I always use the pools. There is a small man made lagoon on the ocean suites side but I find the lagoon always looks like the bottom needs to be raked so it’s not appealing. The private island is really nice but the novelty of the boat ride over wore off quickly for me; but I do love the pools. Nice swim up bar too.

We do enjoy spending time downtown though. Some of our favorite restaurants are downtown and we both enjoy the Seaport and Crystal casinos. The Renaissance has one of those golf cart shuttles for travel between the Ocean Suites side and the Marina side. Tom’s sister and her husband are there now for 2 weeks and they love it. The Renaissance is the only spot they have ever stayed in 20+ years.

[Andrea J.]

It is worth a try IMO
We we’re owners there but sold in early 2000s
The units are ok
The kitchens tiny and minimal with tiny fridges.
The private island is nice but the novelty wears off and catching the shuttle boat gets to be a pain.
We like the location!!!

[Pegmeister]

It is worth a try IMO
We we’re owners there but sold in early 2000s
The units are ok
The kitchens tiny and minimal with tiny fridges.
The private island is nice but the novelty wears off and catching the shuttle boat gets to be a pain.
We like the location!!!

The rooms were renovated this past year. Tom’s sister sent me a few pictures. The living room looks nice; same layout but the reddish couch updates it. In the bedroom they added a free standing closet next to the bureau which is ugly and kind of seems too close to the television but it does add more storage. We never use that television so it wouldn’t be an issue. All in all the rooms are refreshed.

[cpjones]

July is not a bad month to be in Aruba.... it's our go to month.

[hatteras]

We own week 6 at Renaissance. Renaissance was purchased by new owners a few years ago, and they are making lots of changes. Some consider them improvements, many don't. They just finished a room renovation that didn't really need to be done, but they wanted their own style. Initially, they were going with a pink flamingo theme, but they received so much backlash that they toned it down to beige. Many owners are very upset with the renovation results. We are reserving judgement until we see it in a few weeks. The last time that we were there was in June, 2021. We were allowed to move our week from February, because we wanted to wait until we were vaccinated. The new owners own a lot of casinos, and market the hotel to a younger, hipper, crowd. It was totally different from what we were used to, and not in a good way. This crowd seemed like they were mainly there to party. There were lots of drunks around the pool, and a large group of drunks on the boat with us, returning from the private island. The music around the pool was deafening. We like to sit on the balcony, and that was impossible. We are hoping that this time will be more like it has been in the past.

The lagoon gets mucky with sea grass, but it was recently cleaned out. They just added a lot more palapas around the lagoon, and that's a nice place to sit. We usually go over to the island every other day. I'm only 5ft. 2, and the steps on the boat are pretty steep for me. I'm not sure if Miss Daisy could handle them. The island is nice, but it's fairly small. If you've been to Coco Cay or Labadee on a cruise, lower your expectations. It's nothing like that.

We enjoy our downtown week. We always stay on Eagle Beach for a week or two before moving to Renaissance. Most of our favorite restaurants are within walking distance, and we also like walking around the Marina area. If you have any questions, just message me, and I'll be happy to help.

[crimms]

Hey Hey Hatteras, hope to see you guys in Aruba. We will be there Feb. 18 thru March 4th. Sorry to hear about the changes at the Ren. Your pool area was so quiet and nice before. There is a good fish and tackle shop in mall area by your parking lot, for any fishrrman out there.
Sean and Susan

[Pegmeister]

Photos of living room and new palapas by the lagoon

[ArubaAce]

We own week 6 at Renaissance. Renaissance was purchased by new owners a few years ago, and they are making lots of changes. Some consider them improvements, many don't. They just finished a room renovation that didn't really need to be done, but they wanted their own style. Initially, they were going with a pink flamingo theme, but they received so much backlash that they toned it down to beige. Many owners are very upset with the renovation results. We are reserving judgement until we see it in a few weeks. The last time that we were there was in June, 2021. We were allowed to move our week from February, because we wanted to wait until we were vaccinated. The new owners own a lot of casinos, and market the hotel to a younger, hipper, crowd. It was totally different from what we were used to, and not in a good way. This crowd seemed like they were mainly there to party. There were lots of drunks around the pool, and a large group of drunks on the boat with us, returning from the private island. The music around the pool was deafening. We like to sit on the balcony, and that was impossible. We are hoping that this time will be more like it has been in the past.

The lagoon gets mucky with sea grass, but it was recently cleaned out. They just added a lot more palapas around the lagoon, and that's a nice place to sit. We usually go over to the island every other day. I'm only 5ft. 2, and the steps on the boat are pretty steep for me. I'm not sure if Miss Daisy could handle them. The island is nice, but it's fairly small. If you've been to Coco Cay or Labadee on a cruise, lower your expectations. It's nothing like that.

We enjoy our downtown week. We always stay on Eagle Beach for a week or two before moving to Renaissance. Most of our favorite restaurants are within walking distance, and we also like walking around the Marina area. If you have any questions, just message me, and I'll be happy to help.

Thanks for the info. I was wondering about the pool. One of the bartenders at One Happy Bar at Airport is a DJ and he constantly is posting videos on FB playing club music at the renaissance pool so I figured it wasn't quiet. I like quiet! :>) Still it would be nice to try but I think on a future trip I will book 2 nights there after my last day at the 7 day resort I stay at. Thx

[hatteras]

Hey Hey Hatteras, hope to see you guys in Aruba. We will be there Feb. 18 thru March 4th. Sorry to hear about the changes at the Ren. Your pool area was so quiet and nice before. There is a good fish and tackle shop in mall area by your parking lot, for any fishrrman out there.
Sean and Susan

Hey Sean! I was going to message you and see when you and Susan are going to be there. Unfortunately, we leave Auba on the 16th. I'm so disappointed that we won't get to see you guys. I can't believe that it's been 3 years since we have gotten together, Dianne