Hyatt Regency Aruba October help!

Question

We're going on our mini-honeymoon in Oct. We've booked flights to Aruba for 10/9-10/14/08. But can not decide on the Hyatt or the all-inclusive Occidental. We read reviews about the food at the Occidental wasn't all that great. And if I'm paying $2300 (plus $400 for a premium honeymoon package) I would like to have FANTASTIC food. As for the Hyatt, they have a promotion going on for $1800 w/ free daily breakfast. I'm thinking for $900, we can probably just find places to eat ourselves. But we won't be getting the "premium honeymoon package" which includes all the gifts, pictures, romantic dinner, etc. We're not big drinkers but we wouldn't want to pay too much for soda/water/juice during the day at the beach. How much do you think it'll cost for 2 people, 5 days, 2 meals a day (lunch & dinner, since Hyatt includes free breakfast)? So many reviews say we'll miss out on Aruba if we have all inclusive, there's so many great restaurants out there. Please help!

Answer 1

I stayed at the Hyatt in June and it was wonderful.  The grounds are gorgeous, the beach is perfect, and they have lots of activities available at their on-site shop, Red Sail Sports.  I agree with the others that there are a lot of excellent restaurants on Aruba, many within walking distance of the Hyatt, but the best meal I had there was at the Hyatt's own restaurant, Ruinas del Mar.  It's built from rustic limestone to resemble ancient ruins and it's surrounded by a pond with koi and beautiful black swans.  I can't think of a more romantic place to have dinner, and I highly recommend the mahi mahi with coconut curry sauce.  You can also dine right on the beach, but be sure to check the schedule because they don't serve dinner there every night.

Answer 2

Living on Aruba for almost 9 years now, I can honestly say to go with the Hyatt! They are the hotel with the best service, so even without the Honeymoon package, they will surely make it a stay worth while!

All inclusive at the Occidental just isn't all that, esspecially when you aren't real heavy drinkers.

About the $900 for 5 days, that would work out fine. I would say you can easily have dinner at 5 different restaurants for about $100 a night(since you are not into drinking anyway), which would leave you $400 for 5 times lunch, since you get free breakfast already. This is a no brainer! Go to the Hyatt!!

Jobske

Aruba

Answer 3

Sandals Has a great resort for Honeymoon couples the name is  Sandals Dunn's River Villaggio Golf Resort & Spa and for 6 nights the

Price is about $1,329.00 here are some details:

It is all inclusive with golf snorkeling, sailing, and scuba diving,a full-service European spa, two freshwater pools or three whirlpools,and four resturants with a different cuisine each night, choosing from four ethnically diverse gourmet restaurants offering unlimited meals and premium brand drinks already included in the price of your stay. Dance the night away, make music at the piano bar, or head to the Forum for live entertainment.

Answer 4

I would definitely pick the Hyatt.  We do not do all-inclusive because there are so many good restaurants in Aruba.  I like the idea of the free breakfast but I would eat around at the other restaurants. If you have $900 not including breakfast and you are not alchohol drinkers, you should have plenty of money.  We usually only have a very small lunch because we have a big breakfast and are not usually that hungry.  The Hyatt has some inexpensive restaurants depending upon what you eat, and you are within walking distance of lots of other places to eat in and out of hotels.  You can always buy bottled water at the local stores and then it would not cost as much as buying singles every day.  You can always charge your meals, but we have never gone ovr $900 for the week for food.  Have a great time.

Answer 5

I would go with the Hyatt - there are fantastic restaurants. FootPrints which is a private dinner on the beach at sunset. Amazonia which is all you can eat, delectable meats, and many seafood restaurants that are just fabulous.  

Answer 6

Well...Congrats first off. Me being a world traveler I always get an all-inclusive deal where ever I go...I just prefer it.  One thing I think...You made a mistake booking tickets and hotel separate.  You should have went to a travel agent and they would have given you a better deal including a really romantic honeymoon package. You are always gonna have mixed reviews on any hotel. You can't please everyone and everyone has different likes and dislikes esp. with food! I spend a lot of time in Cancun and I get a whole week air fare, hotel, all-inclusive (food and drinks/alcohol) for only $900. Honestly if it's your honeymoon and you are staying at a resort like that it should be all-inclusive. A lot of the resorts have wonderful restaurants and most have like 3-5 rest. to choose from that are in the hotel itself.  If you don't get all-inclusive you are going to get aggravated having to pay for everything separate. It's a pain. Also a lot of the places only take reservations and some require special dress so it's hard to say if you could just even go out one night and get a table at any given establishment. All-inclusive is more than just about food. Even your drinks are all free with all-inclus.  The resorts have an all day buffet that you can get breakfast whenever you want till 10...then lunch and dinner if you choose or you can choose restaurants in the hotel.  It's just easier with All-inclusive and usually cheaper compared to if you had to buy everything separate. I hope this makes sense, but def. look into all-inclusive. Hope I could help you. Good Luck!