Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino

I spent my birthday weekend at the Renaissance Hotel on a girls getaway.It was fantastic! Great hotel! The only thing missing was a pool!!! The service at the hotel during breakfast was extremely slow one day. We were seated for nearly 15min before being acknowledged. As I went to alert the hostess, our server showed up which was a little annoying, otherwise the hotel was fine!

First, the Hotel in NOT on the beach. It is in downtown Aruba, right next to the main road, kinda noisy at night. HBO didnt work the whole time there. Downtown Aruba does not have a lively night life except on weekends and Mambo Jambo next door during the week. Senor Frogs moved to the Highrise area, 15 min away. Everything in downtown is closed on SUNDAYS. That being said, if you are looking for a good getaway, the Private Island is what makes this hotel. It is a short boat ride out which picks you up right under the escalators inside the hotel. It seemed that the Highrise area had more entertainment and nightlife. If you are a drinker the all-inclusive may be worth it, otherwise save your money. Plenty of shopping in the area, two small casinos (no poker, have to go to other hotels 15 min. away), great restraunts in the immediate area (Casa Tua - good pizza, pasta and paella), no microwave in the room, happy hour 4-6:30pm everyday 2 for 1's at hotel bar, bartenders were very friendly...ask them about local spots, LG Smiths steakhouse was great, check in staff upgraded our room because we were on honeymoon, overall a great expirience for our first trip to Aruba, 7 days!

The experience overall was just ok...We called the front desk to complain about a leak in the bathroom & the sliding door to the balcony. No one ever came for the 6 days we stayed there & for the several times we complained. The renaissance aruba resort & casino is a nioce hotel but can definitely improve in a few areas. We also called the concierge's desk & we ended up being charged for he call too. Aruba is a beautiful island that I plan to return to but will definitely stay elsewhere!

GREAT

It was a relaxing place outside of our room. The hotel was clean, the staff very polite. Almost everyone was very helpfull in the small ways, in passing all the staff would give a kind greeting. The negative part of the trip was the room. The room was a little bit small, but manyly the noise. The doors to the balcony did not lock properly so we continously heard the traffic from the road outside of the room and the wind blowing through the seams. The door not would latch properly all the way, so the island breeze could be heard leaking in the jams. And the eletronic door lock continously made noise almost every 15 minutes, all day and ALL NIGHT. It woke me several times because it was so loud. Even my newlywed wife told me she heard it. We were at the hotel for 7 days and it never stopped!

Best hotel on the island with good location near downtown. Marketplace and shops very close. Make sure to go to Bon Bini festival Tuesday nights. Private island has blue parrot fish, Iguanas and plenty of colorful flamingos that will let you hand feed them. Animal food machines take quarters so bring plenty. Very laid back and restful setting although very close to airport. Would highly recommend.

This was my second trip to the hotel and to the island and it was everything that I remembered it as. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful (as is everyone you meet in Aruba). The Marina Resort is designed for adults and it was nice to not have screaming kids running through the lobby unlike the Ocean Suites. The Blue Bar located right outside the lobby by the pool has a great assortment snacks and excellent drink choices - they will even bring your drinks to you in the pool. Their is a boat shuttle that takes you to a privately owned 40 acre island right off the coast of Aruba where there is a family side and an adult only side. The island features a restaurant (Papagayo)that serves chicken, burgers, and drinks and once again, they will bring anything you want out to your beach chair or hammock by the ocean. Right behind the Marina resort are some local stores and a supermarket with good prices (5 minute walk with traffic). If you want to shop local markets for souvenirs, that is a 5 minute walk from the front of the Resort. I would highly recommend anyone who goes to this Resort to go all inclusive. My wife and I saved all of our receipts and we would have spent 1,600 USD on food and drink for just the two of us over 6 days. The only exceptions to "all inclusive" are that you can only have Balashi for beer (it's pretty good), there is a page of liquors you are limited to if you order anything special (and it is a very, very nice selection), and the menu at L.G. Smith's Steak & Chop House is limited - but I thought it was still a very nice menu. Finally, the Concierge staff and Tour Staff (I don't know there hours but they seemed like they were always there) got us every single reservation we wanted - some with only a couple hours notice on a busy Friday night. When we go back to Aruba this is the only resort I will ever stay at. My two visits were 6 years apart and they were both excellent! P.S. - One bad thing I almost forgot. The Internet is not free. They have WiFi Access at the lobby for like $15 USD per day or you can have it on in your room (wired only) for $15 per day. Or you can buy a prepaid card at the front desk and use their business facility for $5USD per 20 minutes or $8USD per hour. They have a printer and scanner and all of that. The printer costs .13$ per page or one minute of prepaid time per page. It was a little steep - but it helped us enjoy our vacation more as we didn't stay wired to our e-mail constantly.

Downtown Oranjestad less active than it used to be, but still a great time.

The location was great. The private island was wonderful and there were plenty of beach chairs. The pool at the Condo/Family side was not too good, very cloudy water and bar staff not great. We stayed on the condo side however spent most of the tme at the Marina hotel. The adult pool, bar and restaurants were great, no kids! Service at the hotel and restaurants was very good as was the food. We did the all inclusive and it was nice to be able to order off the menu or choose the buffet. This was a great resort for your money. Rented a Jeep from Thrifty rental in condo lobby. Jeep was so old and worn out we weren't sure it was going to make it but it was a great way to tour the island and off beat beaches. Look for another rental company as there are several who have better Jeeps.

the hotel was wonderful, location was perfect and the casino and mall were great.