Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino
By Gabriella Ribeiro

This newly renovated resort could certainly give Hyatt or Marriott a run for their money! The grand driveway of this hotel leads to the entrance to an impressive, large open-air lobby lined with rich dark mahogany walls and furniture, dark flagstone floors, complemented with bright tropical artwork hanging on the walls. This resort prides itself on being able to offer their guests a variety of “extras” not commonly found at most other hotels. The first interesting thing you notice is that the check-in area is not comprised of the typical long wrap-around front desk, but rather, there are “islands” instead, so as to enable the front desk employee to step around and greet the guests. Also, there are no phones at these desks either, so as to ensure that the client always feels like they are the No. 1 priority.

As you walk through the lobby, the casino is down a few stairs to your left, decorated in a planetarium-style theme, with a domed lit-up ceiling that has shooting stars every 15 seconds. On the right side of the lobby is the Sunset Grille restaurant, which has a very trendy, New York-ish feel to it. Adjacent to the Sunset Grille is a small staircase leading down to a fantastic fitness room and spa treatment area. Through the exit of the lobby, you reach the beginning of the expansive garden/pool area. To the right is the Mira Solo lounge, which is an open-air version of a typical lobby bar that features live music nightly. The other main eatery is Laguna, which features cuisine with an Asian flair, with outdoor seating on a deck overlooking a portion of the lagoon pool.

The landscaping throughout the pool area is impeccable; there is a winding lagoon-style pool, bridges throughout the gardens, a zero-entry pool, and a huge free-form pool divided into an active side, and a passive side. At the end of the pool area lies a beautiful stretch of beach with plenty lounge chairs with plush cushions. Beside the beach area is Gilligans (complete with an SS Minnow boat, barrel-style bar stools, etc) that is a beach-grill/bar without the typical beach-grill fare. Instead of just burgers, they serve wraps, juices, and so on.

There are three room towers in all -- The Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. Inside, the hallways are lined with colorful carpeting and dark mahogany louver doors. The rooms are elegant and extremely unique, decorated in a British Caribbean theme. The idea behind this is that they wanted to move away from the typical feel of a hotel room, i.e. the hairdryers are loose and not mounted on the wall, the ice buckets are silver instead of vinyl-line. All of the furniture in the room is dark mahogany, with unique sage green and tan bedspreads & pillows. All rooms have a balcony or patio, radios, coffee makers, television, make-up mirrors, irons, bathrobes, marble bathrooms, and terrific bath amenities.

Another great touch is a second open-air lobby, which serves as the checkout point for departing guests, so as not to congest the main lobby. This area is complete with it’s own set of hospitality/changing rooms for guests who have flights later in the day. Aside from a full range of sports, some of the other activities in their Enrichment programs include telescopes for children, and things like French Lessons for adults.

Visit them at Radisson Aruba Hotel & Casino