Renaissance Aruba Beach Resort and Casino (formerly Sonesta)
Written: Feb 04 '03 (Updated Feb 05 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Location, amenities, stores and restaurants
Cons: Some time share units, busy parking lot
The Bottom Line: An easy choice, if not a perfect one.
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| crowder's Full Review: Aruba Sonesta Beach Resort |
The Renaissance Aruba Beach Resort and Casino is located near the city center in Oranjestaad, Aruba, right in the heart of everything. It consists of two towers: one on the beach, where we stayed, and one on the adjacent harbor. Also part of the resort are two open air shopping areas, one casual and another more upscale. There are two casinos (one near each tower) and three pools in total. More importantly there is a 40 acre private island with continuous boat shuttles from 7 AM to 7 PM daily. The island features several distinct areas for sunbathing, swimming, romantic hideaways, etc., a tennis court, a workout room along with a restaurant, bar, and equipment rental shop.
The sprawling location surrounds the busy harbor where cruise ships dock for the Aruba port of call. The Harbor tower has large, comfortable open-air areas including a deck pool that commands an impressive view of the ocean and harbor. It also includes the larger of the two casinos, and a ritzy shopping area with salons, jewelers, spas, etc. There were also several bar and dining areas spread throughout, but we only ate at L'Escale, which served a fantastic Sunday brunch befitting its reputation as one of the best dining options in Aruba.
The beach tower is adjacent to the harbor on the water, and features a serpentine pool with a swim-up bar along with a man-made crescent beach. The parking lot for the Beach Tower is shared with the adjacent resort-owned shopping center and casino, which are popular nightly hangouts for locals and tourists alike. On the weekend the traffic around the mall got to be a bit much (cruising local kids with loud cars mixed with taxis). However, the shopping area contains about 8 good restaurants with outdoor dining, a movie theater, sundry and souvenir shops, a camera store and an internet cafe, all of which are very convenient to resort guests during the week. There is also a Wendy's, a Haagen Dazs and a Dunkin Donuts for the kids! Nicer restaurants within the complex included places that featured seafood, Argentinian steaks, German cuisine, sushi, American food and Jamaican food among others, and all of the restaurants featured both indoor and outdoor seating. Some had live entertainment in the evenings.
We stayed in the Beach Tower in an "Ocean View Suite". We could definitely see the ocean from our balcony, but we had to look across much of the afore-mentioned parking lot. Still, the room was clean and comfortable if a little dated. The bedroom, which was dominated by a king size bed, was closer to the hallway which was good for us as it prevented outside noise from keeping us up either at night or in the morning. There was a large bathroom with double sinks. The ceiling in the bathroom was mirrored drop-in tiles, adding to the dated look. However, it was clean and the towels were replaced daily. There was a small kitchenette with a tiny breakfast bar built into the hallway--two mini-fridges, a two-burner stovetop, a microwave, coffeemaker and kitchen sink were provided, and there were dishes and cooking implements which was nice. The living room had an uncomfortable rollaway bed/couch, a chair, a TV and phone, a dining table, and the large sliding doors out onto the medium-sized balcony. The balcony featured heavy PVC furniture. The suite was designed so that kids could sleep in the living room--there was even an extra closet in there--but that would result in a very cramped arrangement I would think.
The main downside to the beach tower was that many of the units seemed to be timeshares. Lots of the people we met or overheard out by the pool were regulars who go every year. Nothing wrong with that, though those folks tend to act like they run the place and give you the feeling that all the other guests are second-class citizens. Almost all of these people were from New Jersey or Boston--at one point my wife and I decided that there must not be anyone left in Jersey, since they were all in Aruba. If you can remember what Seinfeld's parents were like on the sitcom you can picture the typical guest. Some of the people had been coming for 20 years or more, so you have to give them credit--they are better customers than us!
We must have been pretty happy, because other than venture out to a few restaurants we spent nearly all of our time on property controlled by the resort.
The private island is a big draw for the Renaissance. The shuttles were reliable and fast, not a problem. The food and drinks at the island were the same quality as the main resort, and the staff was friendly. We enjoyed several lazy days there on the sand or in the hammocks under the warm sun. Then Saturday rolled around, and it soon became clear that the island was very, very close to the main airport. Right in the approach path, to be exact. Most of Saturday afternoon, one could hear a jet either landing, taking off, or idling on the runway. Again, this was not an issue through the week, but on Saturday the plane noise was a real nuisance. Must have got a great deal on that island!!!
The service at the front desk was a little slow but friendly. However, calling the desk or housekeeping was useless, because all we ever got was a busy signal even when we'd just walked past the desk and no one was waiting there. Strange.
So maybe the place isn't perfect. But we got lots of enjoyment from it, and it served our needs well. We've never stayed anywhere else in Aruba, and we might try someplace else next time, but then again I think we'd be just fine back at the Renaissance.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
crowder
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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