Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino

By Drew Nosti from Charleston, SC • I'd rather have stayed at Cancun

Overall Rating: 6   

Aruba has nothing that Cancun has and even the natural bridge is now gone.

I am not the typical complainer. I will always give the benefit of the doubt and understand it is difficult to be perfect for everyone. So understand I am trying to be fare.

It started with a misunderstanding on cost. I was told that our package included $100 per day adjustment for meals, IT DID NOT, to the tune of $700 I did not plan on spending. The meals drinks and anything you wanted had a fixed high cost so bring your fat wallet. I did find a few really friendly people but the rest are just playing you. For my money I'd rather have stayed at Cancun and been taken to the cleaners there. Aruba has nothing that Cancun has and even the natural bridge is now gone.
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By Kitty Martin from Monmouth Junction, NJ • Wedding at Aruba Renaissance: Angela and Renaissance are fantastic

Overall Rating: 8   Location [10] • Service [10]

My daughter was married on August 27, 2005 on the private island at the Marriott Renaissance in Aruba. We had 92 people fly to Aruba so the pressure was on to make sure that everyone had a great time. Angela Hagedoorn was our wedding planner and she did an excellent job. It was a beautiful ceremony and we were very happy with everything!
We first went to Aruba in April 05, to see the island, choose place settings, menus, flowers, arrangements and music. We were able to see the different room options at the hotel, so that we could recommend to all of our guests and family members the best place for them to stay. My husband wanted a special kind of red wine, Cuban cigars, and espresso coffee. Angela was able to fulfill all these requests.

We arrived in Aruba the Wednesday before the wedding. We had itineraries and different items that needed to be in the rooms as people arrived (since we had so many people coming, they were arriving at all different times). Angela had this all coordinated and everyone had everything that they needed.)

On Thursday we met with the band leader from The Party Posse. He assured us that he could play anything that we wanted.

On Friday night we had a buffet dinner on the lawn by the Beach Suites. The tables and chairs were covered in white and there were tropical flowers and colorful overlays on all the buffet tables. There were tikki torches and little white lights everywhere. We had the Caribbean Barbecue, which was amazing. There was a steel band, a limbo show, which everyone loved, and Coconut Charlie who cut open coconuts for kids of all ages. It was a great warm up party and I think we all thought it couldn’t get any better….

On Saturday morning, Angela had all the tuxedos and dresses pressed and in the proper rooms. She had a conference room off of the lobby complete with snacks, drinks, and a room full of hairdressers and make-up artists ready to make the bridal party breathtaking. We had the bride, 5 bridemaids, sister of the bride and mother of the bride to complete and we were all finished in plenty of time. Angela had all the flowers waiting in our room, where the girls all went to get dressed. She took all the favors, the bubbles, reception cameras and the card box with her to have over on the island and ready.
Angela had strict instructions for all of our guests to be in the lobby at the proper time in order to get them all to the island well before my daughter would come down. We had it written on the itinerary and she also made a call to each room to remind everyone not to be late. No one was. She took all the guests in the Sub Seeker, which is covered so that there would be no hair or dress mishaps.

After all the guests left the lobby, we took the small boat over to the island. We all sat up in the front of the boat so that no ones hair would get messed up. There were 7 girls and plenty of room so that we would not get wet.

We had a light string jazz ensemble playing for the ceremony. It was the perfect musical touch. They played light jazz as everyone was getting seated, and then the traditional music as the procession started. It was breathtaking. The blessing was beautiful, with lighting of candles, offerings of flowers to moms, and exchanging of rings.

Everything was timed out perfectly for the pictures in the sunset. The sunset was so beautiful that it looks like a backdrop in the pictures.

Then, THE PARTY. It was great. The band was fabulous, they played Caribbean music and party favorites and everyone was dancing. The trees all had white lights, we chose black tablecloths and chair covers with gold bows. It looked great against the white sand.

We partied late into the night. The older folks were able to go back to the hotel whenever they wanted. Some of the younger ones staying and even went in the water for a swim.

On Sunday we had a buffet brunch out by the pools on the beach side. ...
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By brunosmom_2001 from Charlteston, WV • THE BEST OF EVERYTHING

Overall Rating: 10   Location [10] • Room [10] • Service [10] • Value [10]

The Marriott Renaissance in downtown has the best of both worlds. It is within walking distance to restaurants, bars, and shopping. There are so many great things about this hotel. One is that it has its own private beach, with only Marriott guests allowed (you must show your key to get on the boat to the island). The boat comes right into the hotel lobby and picks you up. The ride is approximately 5-10 minutes to the island. I cannot say enough about the beauty of the island. There are flamingos walking about the beach, and friendly iguanas lounging around. There are two beaches, one for families and one for adults. This makes it even more relaxing for couples. There is good snorkeling on this beach. We found out later that snorkeling on the "hotel strip" a few miles away was not good. Since this was important to us, we thoroughly enjoyed the many species of colorful fish to see, and even some little squids. Back at the hotel, there is a happy hour at the bar and a fabulous pool overlooking the water. There is a spa and exercise room. The hotel room we were in was fabulous and our room was always clean. Another wonderful thing about Aruba is that you can drink the water. They have their own salination plant on the island and the water is great to drink. This is important to people that don't drink carbonated beverages (like me) because you don't have to worry about getting bottled water. The staff at the hotel were there for our every need and were friendly and helpful. The Renaissance has its own indoor mall attached to the hotel. There are many shops to browse around, and if that isn't enough shopping for you, you can walk outside and be in downtown. There are many restaurants within walking distance. The convenience of this hotel and the friendly service and private beach are everything anyone would ever need for a fantastic trip to Aruba! I would stay there again and recommend this hotel to anyone going there.
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By All-Caribbean User from Pennsylvania • Paradise

Overall Rating: 8   Location [10] • Room [10] • Service [10] • Value [8]

Location was perfect, extremely clean, friendly competent staff.
Room was nice, but at night the sounds from the Blu bar traveled thru atrium.
Casinos were terrific and we enjoyed having the choice of two areas to go to.
Plenty of shopping.
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By All-Caribbean User from Virginia Beach,VA • going back in september-it's wonderful!

Overall Rating: 10   Location [10] • Room [10] • Service [10] • Value [10]

We loved the service,amenties,the private islands, and everyone was very pleasant and helpful!Definately going back.
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By ddfal2001 from Babylon, New York • Private Island was Glorious!

Overall Rating: 10   Location [10] • Room [10] • Service [10] • Value [10]

There was nothing about this hotel I didn't like, it was in walking distance to all restaurants, shops, etc., you had access to both locations, the service was great and the private island was just magnificent. I highly recommend this hotel.
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By • Great place

Overall Rating: 10   Location [10] • Room [8] • Service [8] • Value [10]

Fantastic amenities and great location. Tons of places to eat and things to do all within walking distance. Service was above average and prices reasonable.
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By All-Caribbean User from wisconsin • ug

Overall Rating: 4   Location [6] • Room [8] • Service [4] • Value [6]

	maid service was great, bell boys were nice, rest of staff n
	none

very nice property,, but management needs to have a pep talk with bartenders and casino dealers and explain to them what a tip is and what it is for.....steak and chop house stiffed us on our reseervation so we never ate there.
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By Dan from New Jersey • Wouldn't Stay Anywhere Else!

Overall Rating: 10   Location [10] • Room [10] • Service [10] • Value [10]

My wife and I just returned from our honeymoon at the Renaissance Aruba Resort. It was a fantastic trip to say the least. We stayed in the Ocean Suites which we liked better than the Marina. It was quieter and had a better pool. However the Marina has a lot of positives as well. Most of the restaurants and night life are in the Marina hotel. The private island is great and a much better place to swim and lay out than the beaches in the High Rise district. It is a beautiful island with all the fish and wildlife you could want to see. LG Smiths is an unbelievable steakhouse. We were on an all inclusive plan and we ate at LG's 5 out of 7 nights (it's that good). If you like a combination of quiet relaxation time and hustle and bustle party time the Renaissance is a great place to stay.
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By Beverly from Keller, Texas • Mostly pros, some cons

Overall Rating: 8   

This hotel is located in the city so if you're looking for peace and quiet, you're going to be disappointed. The Renaissance has two hotels, one on the beach, the other at the marina. They have golf carts to take you back and forth so you can enjoy either facility. The beach resort offers suites and is much quieter, although more pricey. The pool is much nicer than at the marina. The marina offers hotel rooms only, no suites, and therefore is a better price but the trade off is a lot more noise. If you're going as a family with the kids you'll probably prefer the beach, but if you're going as a couple and looking for a livelier atmosphere go for the marina. The marina hotel is very noisy, with the piano playing non stop in the atrium and the poolside bar playing music too. There's a very noisy bar across the street that rocks until the wee hours of the morning plus the traffic just outside on the street is constant bumper to bumper, horns blowing and breaks squeaking-typical city sounds all night long. The boats coming into the hotel to take you to the beach also produce some noise so if quiet is what you need, this hotel is not for you. I had to use ear plugs to sleep. The beds are very comfortable and the room service is great. I don't recommend that you buy the all inclusive package. It's a waste of money unless both of you like to drink all day and eat three meals a day. We ate a big breakfast and were set until dinner and the casinos offer free drinks all night as long as you're playing so we spent less on our own than if we'd paid for the all-inclusive package.
The mall located in the hotel has nice shopping, and there are very good restaurants within walking distance so there's little need for a taxi. I strongly recommend the Steak and Chop House located in the hotel. It's excellent and they have delicious chocolate martinis--after 11pm is 2 for 1 happy hour.
The casino is the best on the island. We visited four of the 11 casinos and this one has the lowest table limits so you can play much longer without spending quite so much money--$5.00 blackjack and craps minimums. The casinos on the beach at the Hyatt and Wyndham are $10 minimums and much smaller and quieter with limited action at the tables.
The private island is simply beautiful, exotic and worth seeing. There are plenty of chairs but if you want to snorkle go early as they do not have enough gear to rent. The snorkling there is fair. I would suggest taking an excursion to the ship wreck or reef if you really want to see a lot of fish and coral.
If you like jewelry there's a multitude of jewelry stores and they're duty free. They'll bargain with you too so go prepared to buy a bauble or two. The buys are good.
If you want to eat some good seafood, I wouldn't suggest the Crabhouse at the marina. It was just so-so and the service was terrible. The Buccaneer requires a taxi but is well worth it. Food is delicious and plentiful and prices are very reasonable. Also high on the top pick for restaurants is Texas De Brazil. Simply fabulous food and all you can eat for about $30 per person. Atmosphere is great, too.
The hotel offers a really nice spa and prices are reasonable. Go for the stone massage. It's wonderful. All in all, this hotel offers a great variety and we enjoyed it very much.
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By Valerie from Virginia • Renaissance Aruba Beach Resort & Casino

Overall Rating: 10   

Our family just stayed here this month and it was great!! My kids are 10 & 11 and they had a blast. Everything is centrally located, so no taxi's or buses required. The hotel has an excellent steak & seafood restaurant called LG Smith and it was wonderful. I booked the all inclusive and it was worth every penny!! When I checked out of the hotel, I paid absolutely nothing. Renaissance also has a private island and the boat comes right into the hotel to take you there (included in the inclusive pkg) to spend the day on the beach where they have a bar, restuarant, gorgeous parrots and humongous iguanas. Wish I had more time to take more tours. Definitely going back! Everyone was very friendly and oh I almost forgot, the tap water is the absolute best!!!!
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By AnonymousUser10 from pennsylvania • The Suites

Overall Rating: 10   

My husband and I stayed in The Renaissance Suites, which is different from the casino, but they are the same company and about 2 blocks apart from each other. It was beautiful! There was a free-form type pool, and a little bay where guests could swim. There was a water taxi to the private island, but the island was pretty lame, just another beach, nothing special apart from that. All the staff was very friendly, and since it was in the middle of Oranjestad, everything was within walking distance. The other hotel was set up really neat, too. There were balconies on the inside of the building. I`m sure every hotel is great, but I KNOW the suites were wonderful.
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