Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

In August?
We've never been ........but my kids love the beach and pool so I'm looking for great on both .......and prefer a place that isn't jam packed w/ kids since we were in Disney in early June ..........

The new Ritz is actually less than the Hyatt or Mariott .........but kind of in the middle of nowhere ......

Re: Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

We stayed at the Marriott and really liked it. It did have a lot of kids, but I think most places are going to have a lot of kids unless you go to an all inclusive that is for couples only.

Re: Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

I'm 98% sure we're bringing the kids .....so I need a place where they CAN be, I just don't want a place that's the carribean equivalent of Disney over run w/ kids - KWIM?

Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

You might luck out too depending on when in August you decide to go since schools go back in August in other states.

Re: Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

i heard the ritz is really really nice. and when we used to go in august (other resorts though) there was never any kids at least not a lot. its a good time to go then

Re: Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

We were in Aruba end of February. We go every year to the Marriott Ocean Club. We like Ocean Club better than Surf bc it's not as big and much less kids. We do sneak over to the Surf Club pool though bc they have a cool lazy river and slide, but then go back to the Ocean where it's more quiet.
I personally love having a timeshare for the week. Kids aren't on top of us, full kitchen, etc.
Ritz is close to Ocean Club so we did walk over to the Ritz a few times. It's very nice, but only went at night so didn't get to see too much outside.
I don't think you can go wrong with either places you pick. Believe me it is nothing like Disney. Much more relaxing. I like that there's entertainment for the kids, but not over the top.

ETA - we have a great taxi driver that has a carseat if you'd like to use him. I have recommended him to a few other LIF girls and they love him. He does get booked fast though. If not you are fine with any cab driver there anyway. Once you are at your hotel there's really no need for a taxi bc we walk everywhere. Everything is close and restaurants are great. Enjoy!

Message edited 6/27/2014 7:57:30 AM.

Re: Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

Great - Thanks everyone!

Re: Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

The Ritz really is not in the middle of no where... it is just at the end of the highrise strip on palm beach, right next to the marriott. the mariott/ritz properties are not across from the stores, but they are not that far. We walk from the Mariott area to the "town" area. If you can get a great rate why not?

The mariott is great, we stay at the ocean club time share every year as my parents own there. I have heard great things about the hyatt. The holiday inn is actually very reasonable and has been updated recently. It is a great affordable option and directly across the street from the palm beach downtown area.

Aruba is very family friendly, but it is not nearly as kid crazed as Disney!!!! Perfect for what you are trying to achieve with this trip. And I second that you do not need to rent a car, total waste of money.

We used 1 of the 3 cabs that have car seats and reserved him advance. I had looked into it when we were down 4 months before and found Bully (who I bet is the same one the PP mentioned!). He is awesome!

Food is awesome!

Message edited 6/27/2014 10:41:46 AM.

Re: Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

Posted by caps612

The Ritz really is not in the middle of no where... it is just at the end of the highrise strip on palm beach, right next to the marriott. the mariott/ritz properties are not across from the stores, but they are not that far. We walk from the Mariott area to the "town" area. If you can get a great rate why not?

The mariott is great, we stay at the ocean club time share every year as my parents own there. I have heard great things about the hyatt. The holiday inn is actually very reasonable and has been updated recently. It is a great affordable option and directly across the street from the palm beach downtown area.

Aruba is very family friendly, but it is not nearly as kid crazed as Disney!!!! Perfect for what you are trying to achieve with this trip. And I second that you do not need to rent a car, total waste of money.

We used 1 of the 3 cabs that have car seats and reserved him advance. I had looked into it when we were down 4 months before and found Bully (who I bet is the same one the PP mentioned!). He is awesome!

Food is awesome!

Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

We are staying at the Ocean Club this August. DH and I usually stay at the Bucuti in the low rise area but this time we are bringing DD. We chose the Ocean Club because we could get a one bedroom. Whenever we travel with DD I love having the extra room. The other reason we chose the Ocean Club is because it seems to be somewhat quieter than the other high rise properties. That was important to me. Marriott's other timeshare is the Surf Club and that seems to be kid central (at least from the Trip Advisor reviews).

Re: Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

Posted by MarisaK

Posted by caps612

The Ritz really is not in the middle of no where... it is just at the end of the highrise strip on palm beach, right next to the marriott. the mariott/ritz properties are not across from the stores, but they are not that far. We walk from the Mariott area to the "town" area. If you can get a great rate why not?

The mariott is great, we stay at the ocean club time share every year as my parents own there. I have heard great things about the hyatt. The holiday inn is actually very reasonable and has been updated recently. It is a great affordable option and directly across the street from the palm beach downtown area.

Aruba is very family friendly, but it is not nearly as kid crazed as Disney!!!! Perfect for what you are trying to achieve with this trip. And I second that you do not need to rent a car, total waste of money.

We used 1 of the 3 cabs that have car seats and reserved him advance. I had looked into it when we were down 4 months before and found Bully (who I bet is the same one the PP mentioned!). He is awesome!

Food is awesome!

Thank you!
My parents go every year in October for YEARS ........but we've never been. I was just looking at the map. Good to know we can walk - I hate renting a car.

Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

We just went last month and stayed at the Raddison. My aunts go with my cousins every year and stay there. We LOVED it with my DD who is 4. I prefer the area by the Raddison- because it's in walking distance to so much. We took maybe 2 cabs the entire 8 days we were there. We brought our stroller and walked to lunch/dinner. We included breakfast with our stay and you can also include lunch if you'd like. It's very kid friendly, without being inundated with kiddie stuff. I also prefer the beach are by the Raddison- by the marriot and rtiz- it's more rocky since it's at the end of the strip. We had two great pool areas- with small sprinklers and a wading area. Def stay in the high rise area- you will be ON the beach, the low rise area- you need to cross the street to get to the beach.

Re: Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

I thought the Hyatt looked nice. I didn't stay there but walked around the resort.

I didn't especially love Aruba so I am not rushing back anytime soon. It seems we are sticking to Orlando and the Bahamas for now.

Re: Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

I have gone to Aruba numerous times and its the most amazing beach vacation ever. My husband and I LOVE it! We brought our dd twice and she absolutely loves it! We stay at the Radisson, almost every time. We tried the Westin and the Riu (which is gorgeous but pricey it was for a wedding) and we decided Radisson was the best. Clean rooms, quiet, family friendly, staff is courteous and helpful. We even found the guests to be quite nice as well.
You def want to stay on the beach, on the strip where everything is. one side is all hotels and the other is all restaurants and small shops.

I personally do not recommend doing all inclusive only because there are sooo many amazing restaurants on the island that you don't want to be confined to your hotel only to eat. Everyone is different some people don't mind, some people plan to eat their breakfast and lunch at the hotel so do all inclusive for that and don't mind spending extra for dinner outside... Personally we are beach people BUT we like to go off and site see so we don't always spend all day at the hotel.

Weve been to other beach vacas and always make a point to go to Aruba once a year. Its an amazing vaca. People are friendly. Its safe to leave your hotel and resort and explore the island. Its beautiful. The weather is absolutely perfect. Its out of the hurricane belt so there is just this 24/7 breeze that cannot be beat. The beaches are magnificent! White sand and crystal blue water. You can actually see the fish swim by your feet. The water is calm you can go in the ocean.

Please FM with any questions. Im like an Aruba expert Ive been there so much! hehehehe

Go your going to love it! All this talk makes me want to go right now! LOL

Re: Aruba Resort w/ the kids?

We went last August and stayed at the Marriot Surf Club and it was great. We rented the room through resort vacationsto go.com . It a timeshare and we had a full kitchen, washer & dryer and got a 2 bedroom suite since there were 5 of us. It was about $3500 for 7 days. The pool was great for the kids and so was the beach. We walked to all the restaurants every night. Definitely go!