Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort Aruba

Truly wonderful stay! So much so we booked a return visit next year before we had even left. We have traveled the world but have never done that before! Aruba has always been a special place and now we’ve found the perfect place to stay. All the staff were gracious and attentive. We enjoyed wellness classes with Andrea and Mignon plus Mocktails (with Reginald) and Aromatherapy (also Andrea) and a great massage with Jowelly. The staff at the restaurant and bar were all wonderful and surprised us with birthday mimosas (and congratulatory hugs!) at breakfast. The Spanish Lagoon cruise was so much fun. We called it the Love Boat because there were so many adorable honeymoon couples aboard. The birthday Romantic Dinner on the beach was a standout as well. The resort faces west so you get the gorgeous sunsets every day and the dinner was timed to thoroughly experience and enjoy one of them. Definitely the best beach chair set-up we’ve ever had—no getting up early to reserve them. The app chair reservation system was so convenient but yes competitive for the front row chairs. There are plenty though and really they all good and comfy so was not a big deal. Periodically staff walked around to distribute cold face towels, orange slices and/or delish juices. We felt so pampered! There are a couple recent disgruntled reviews here. Though we did not experience it because we weren’t in the pool much, we did hear from other guests that there was a very loud group and there were complaints. So do not be negatively influenced! One such person said they’d come back when they were 85 because it was for old folks. Nope! Tell that to all the young honeymooners who say here in their reviews or who personally told us how much they loved the tranquility and serenity of the place. That is what we were seeking as well. It’s very romantic. The renovation crew proudly showed us refreshed room they had just completed. Very nicely done!! I also came home with the new signature scarf. It is very beautiful and one of the images on it is the orange and black troupial bird that we saw almost every morning at breakfast. A lovely souvenir of our outstanding week here. Yet no review is complete without mentioning the star of the show—Eagle Beach. Bucati and Tara is blessed to be located on a particularly fabulous and uncrowded stretch of it. Missing it already and can’t wait to return!!

This resort is simply the best in Aruba for a honeymoon! Or for any type of couples vacation too! Nice and quiet, beautiful atmosphere, well kept. Always so clean everywhere! The food and drink was excellent all around. Special shout out to the breakfast, beach side and bar crews - Noor, (Our favorite server) Aisha, Juan, Luis, Karen, Robert, Will, Curven, Paco and so many others! They made our stay so happy and memorable. The spa was also excellent and our beach side couples massage with Jowelly and Edda was amazing! The spa concierge was great and helpful as well! We can't wait to come back to Bucuti & Tara again and again!

Our stay at Bucuti & Tara was absolutely incredible! Every member of the staff was so friendly, helpful, and amazing from start to finish. The location and views were beautiful, and our room was incredibly comfortable. The housekeeping staff did an amazing job keeping our room spotless every single day. The healthy food and drinks were also absolutely delicious, with so many wonderful options to enjoy. Everything about our stay was perfect, and we truly could not have asked for more. We would absolutely love to come back to Bucuti & Tara!

My wife and I recently returned from the resort where we spent our 30th anniversary. We can’t say enough about the quality of the property, the food and the friendly staff. Their efforts with respect to the environment is the example to be replicated throughout the world. That being said, what impressed us the most was how they responded to a few unforeseen issues that occurred soon after our arrival. One doesn’t want their experience diminished from the outset of a vacation. The resort more than addressed our concerns, and went above and beyond to ensure we were more than satisfied. That is what separates good resorts from truly great ones. Our heartfelt thanks to Emma and the staff at the front. The staff truly do their part in supporting Aruba’s motto, one happy island!

This was our second stay at Bucuti & Tara. We returned because we absolutely loved our first visit, and that's part of why this experience was so disappointing. We knew then, just as we knew this time, that Bucuti was a quiet, couples-focused resort. But during our first stay, we met other couples, talked and laughed with people at the pool and bar, and enjoyed ourselves while still respecting the peaceful atmosphere. There is a huge difference between maintaining tranquility and making guests feel as though normal socializing is a problem. This time, it felt like the latter. And it wasn't just us. Multiple guests we spoke with were frustrated by the same thing. One couple told us they were talking with friends at their bungalow and were told by staff to “make it quick.” In other words, even a conversation with friends at their own bungalow was treated as something that needed to be cut short. Other longtime repeat guests told us they had never experienced the resort this way before and said they would not return. Our problem was never that the rules exist. It was how selectively they appeared to be enforced and the way certain guests were made to feel while they were being enforced. At one point, six of us were sitting in and around the pool, sober, simply talking and laughing. We were approached about being disruptive. Yet on our final day, we watched ten or more couples gathered in and around the pool drinking, laughing and socializing together without apparent intervention. We were happy to see people enjoying themselves. What we couldn't understand was why that same socializing had been a problem when it was us. The interaction at Elements was particularly embarrassing. We were already seated when another guest came over, pulled up a chair and began chatting with us. She wasn't joining us for a meal. She simply came over to have a drink and talk. We didn't arrange an additional gathering or ask the restaurant to accommodate another person. We explained that she had simply come over to chat, yet staff still intervened and essentially expected us to break up the conversation. What exactly were we supposed to do, tell another adult she wasn't allowed to sit down and speak to us? Management later acknowledged that the interaction should have been handled more discreetly and courteously. Even attempts at humor became uncomfortable. After these interactions, an employee jokingly told my father he “needed a leash.” Under normal circumstances, we probably would have laughed. After repeatedly being approached and made to feel like a problem, it felt insulting instead. We contacted management privately after returning home because we had genuinely loved and recommended this resort. Their response was perhaps the most disappointing part. Rather than meaningfully addressing why enforcement appeared so inconsistent or why returning guests were left feeling singled out and embarrassed, we received a lengthy explanation of rules we already knew existed. By the end of this experience, it was difficult not to feel that Bucuti picks and chooses which guests warrant intervention and which guests are simply left to enjoy themselves. Whether that distinction is based on spending, room category, relationships with the resort, or something else, I can't say. But our experience certainly left us questioning whether every paying guest receives the same consideration and respect. And that's the real shame, because Bucuti itself is beautiful. The beach is gorgeous, the property is exceptionally clean, breakfast and the food are excellent, and the turndown service is wonderful. There are also employees who deserve enormous credit: Jonathan, Jhon, Juan, Christopher, Culven, Rianne, Shaendeeh, Michael and Orville. They were funny, warm, kind and incredibly helpful. Rianne felt like our best friend by the end of the trip, Christopher and Jonathan were a breath of fresh air, Juan and Shaendeeh constantly made us laugh, and Jhon was wonderful helping us arrange our turtle tour. They were the bright spot of this stay and deserve recognition. Bucuti describes itself as a sanctuary for couples. If your ideal vacation is a beautiful beach where you remain extremely quiet and keep socializing with other guests to a minimum, this may be exactly what you're looking for. We loved Bucuti enough to return. This time, we left feeling like normal conversation and laughter were something to be corrected and that the rules depended far too much on who was being watched. We won't spend our money somewhere that leaves us feeling that way. There are plenty of beautiful resorts in Aruba where we'll be happy to spend it next time.