After a quick taxi ride we arrived at the Hyatt Regency Resort & Casino. The bellman greeted us and asked if we were checking into a Regency Club room. Since we answered yes, he escorted us to the elevator and we headed up to the 9th floor to check-in for our two night stay.

Trip Report

• Delta economy comfort to Aruba
• Amazing Aruba Sunset At Palm Beach
• Aruba Hyatt Regency Resort & Casino
• Return flight in Delta economy comfort

Hyatt Regency Aruba

The Hyatt Regency Aruba has an open air lobby. To the left are the check-in and concierge desks. Further to the left is the ZoiA Spa. We headed to the elevator which are just past the outdoor bar and the casino. The lobby and rooms went through a renovation in 2008. The renovation of the restaurants is being completed this year and is scheduled to complete in December 2012.

The Alfresco Bar (located at the upper level) bar opens around 5 PM and is located directly across from the casino.

The casino is relatively small but has character. How many casino’s have you been to that have a band playing above the bar? They local band starts their set each evening around 9 PM and they are actually pretty good. Plenty of $5 blackjack tables were available.

If you walk straight through the lobby you’ll continue on a path towards the pools and beaches. Below is a picture of the resort grounds taken from the Regency Club on the 9th floor.

Hotel Room

We were greeted on the 9th floor by a friendly receptionist. She recognized our return trip and welcomed us with a Diamond amenity. We selected the bottle of red wine which we’d use later in the evening for a happy hour Aruba sunset style. Our first room was described as a “Nice King Room” on the club floor, room 908. Those of you familiar with the layout of the hotel, know this is the first room on the right on the club floor located directly next to the ice machine. This means that as the Regency Club lounge gets going in the morning, you’ll be the first to hear about it. Not exactly our most desired room so we requested an alternative. They were very busy this week so could only offer us a Kind bed room on the 8th floor. Since we were no longer located on the Club floor they offered us either complimentary breakfast at the restaurant or access to the Regency Club lounge, we selected the lounge.

The wifi in the rooms on the 8th floor was not as strong as the wifi in the Regency Club lounge. Both of the signals were strong enough to use the iPhone free international calling trick, but the wifi in the room would drop calls and the Regency Club wifi would not.

The hotel rooms were refreshed in 2008 and they still feel very new.

We had a side view of Palm beach. The very last hotel in the picture below is the new Ritz Carlton which is still under construction.

Regency Club Level

The Regency Club level has a daily menu for evening appetizers. Beer, wine and cocktails are not complimentary. As a point of reference, beers cost $4 in the lounge and $7 at the beach bar.

The seating was wide open for our trip. In peak season, it is difficult to find a seat in the club lounge during the evening service.

ZoiA Spa

The Spa recently went through a complete renovation in 2012. The Spa was nice but has one design flaw. The “relaxation” patio is located directly next to the kids pool slide. Inside of the lounge there is no sound, but if you go outside you’ll hear the sounds of kids having a lot of fun.

Beach And Pool

The main path to the pool cuts directly down the middle of the resort grounds. The main pool has a swim up bar, a slide, and is generally the busier pool during the day.

The upper pool is more quiet and you can generally find seats even if you are not down to the pool at 5 AM.

The beach has a lot going on during the day. We prefer the late evening when there are no lines for a beach front seat.

Bottom Line

One night at the Hyatt Regency Aruba requires 22,000 Gold Passport points or an approximate rate of about $300 during low season and about $500 during high season. If you plan to go to the beach during the day, you should consider reserving a cabana or getting to the beach around 5 AM to secure a spot.

The hotel has made some recent improvements with the rooms and more recently the Spa. However, the hotel is still undergoing restaurant renovations until December 2012.

Many would argue this isn’t as great of a redemption opportunity as the Park Hyatt Paris, Park Hyatt Maldives or other notable Hyatt hotels, but we enjoyed the quick two night beach getaway. Feel free to leave a comment with any questions on the resort.

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