aruba

[Gas you down]

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thinking of staying at Hotel Riu in Aruba. it looks fairly badass for an all-inclusive resort. anyone ever stay there? recommend it or somewhere else?

 

[TheEleventhReel]

Went there in '09. Bad experience. They say all inclusive - what that boils down to is buffet breakfast and lunch everyday. Between 2pm and dinner, your only food option is nachos from the bar or room service appetizers. Dinner has to be booked every morning every day and the lines are long. You can only book one dinner reservation per evening, and the dinners weren't very good.

Only 1 type of beer. Mixed drinks are given to you in 5 oz plastic cups.

Rooms are nice and the pool is pretty nice.

Aruba is a beautiful place to stay, but for the $$$, the Marriott is much nicer. It's not all-inclusive, but there are some great places a short cab-ride away to eat. There is a Venezuelan steak house called El Gaucho that is amazing.

I've been to Aruba twice, both at the Marriott and Riu and I'd hands down stay at the Marriott. I'll never visit a Riu again.

 

[epidural man]

thinking of staying at Hotel Riu in Aruba. it looks fairly badass for an all-inclusive resort. anyone ever stay there? recommend it or somewhere else?

Went there in July.

Loved it. Food was great. I love gambling.

 

[HalO'Thane]

Went there in July.

Loved it. Food was great. I love gambling.

I'm going to stay there myself in a few weeks. I was a little hesitant to book it because the online reviews seemed so polarizing (even on this thread) but the positive reviews did seem to overwhelmingly outweigh the negative reviews. My wife and I wanted a minimal effort, minimal planning all inclusive vacation this time around. Will let you know how it turns out.

 

[michigangirl]

Look at the Radisson. Close to a bunch of restaurants, has a small but fun casino, pool is outstanding. we loved it.

 

[Gas you down]

Thanks for the heads-up. I was gonna book it myself at first, but the big difference of opinions convinced me to go through a travel agent again, just to help ensure that I'll be satisfied...
here i go, sandy beaches and itty-bitty bikinis!

 

[sevoflurane]

We are hitting the Marriot in December. Looked nice. They even have a private island for adults to enjoy. Been to a couple of RIU's in the past... Kinda over them, but that is just my opinion.

Another option is to get yourself a villa with some friends.

We are renting this bad boy with 3 other couples from med school. Gonna be epic. Saint Martin is awesome. I had the pleasure to live there for 2+ years and I am fully pumped to go back.

http://www.luxuryretreats.com/villa-page/index.aspx?vid=104908

 

[aneftp]

Look at the Radisson. Close to a bunch of restaurants, has a small but fun casino, pool is outstanding. we loved it.

Second the radisson especially if you have kids. They were renovating last summer when I was there.

Stayed there for a week last summer. Close to waking distance of restaurant and shops.

Oh. Rent a car for a few days while you are there. It's cheap. Use it to drive to baby beach.

 

[OUAnesthesia]

Also take a look at www.VRBO.com. Have used it for several vacations and has worked great. Always nice to have lots of space on vacations for similar cost as resorts.