Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino

We just got back from staying at the Hilton in Aruba. We stayed in the Palm Beach tower and had a club level room. We had a room with a partial ocean view but it was a pretty good view of the ocean. The room was clean and comfortable and quiet in the evening. The club level is definitely worth the money. Every morning we got breakfast which included make your own omelets, bacon, sausage, waffles, pancakes, cereal, tons of fresh fruit, yogurt, bread, assorted meats, donuts, pastries etc. They had a coffee machine where you can make cappuccinos, lattes, espresso etc. along with fresh juice, water etc. It was more than enough food to fill you up to start your day. Starting at 2 pm they have finger sandwiches, usually some kind of hot item that rotates daily, fresh fruit, chips, snacks, desserts, and sodas. Then the evening reception from 5-7 pm they have cheese and crackers, some kind of hot item (one night was pasta night, another night was Mexican night etc.) and desserts. They also have beer and wine (I was able to get Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc) along with a bunch of mixed drink options. Everyone that works up there is super friendly and nice and we felt we got a lot of food for our money and only really had to eat out for dinner. There is a lot of construction going on but it never really bothered us. The fitness center is under construction so that was kind of a bummer that we did not have a place to work out. Two of the pools were open but I wish the pools had a volleyball net, basketball hoop or something for kids to enjoy. They are basically just pools, nothing fancy. The gelato place at the hotel is really good. It was very easy to get palapa's. If you go to the towel hut at 12:30 pm the day before they give away a certain number of Palapas for free. We were able to get a free palapa two of the days we were there. The other days we purchased them but had no trouble getting one and even got a discount on it because we were club level. The Hilton is in a great location. It is very easy to walk to restaurants, shops, ice cream etc. We walked to the Butterfly Farm from there easily and the local bus stops right out in front. I would definitely recommend the Hilton and I think once the construction is over it will be even nicer.

This was our first time (family of 4 with kids aged 10 and 12) in Aruba so I wanted to stay in Palm Beach to be in the heart of the restaurant and hotel strip. I was a bit hesitant to select the Hilton Aruba due to the construction and should have listened to my instincts. First off, the hotel is in a wonderful location on a great beach. The property is immaculate and very nice. However, I did not realize there was on going construction on both sides of the hotel, making the outdoor space and eating areas feel very constricted. The only food options during the day for my kids were hotel food trucks located by the side of the beach along with a beach bar. The picnic style seating area was hot and sad looking. I expected more from a top tier hotel. We got 3 entrees from the food truck on our first day while waiting for our room and it was $85 with tip for a burger, shrimp wrap and some chicken tenders! They add 15% service charge to everything and then expect you to tip on top. The hotel has a nice casino and is overall a nice property but I would not stay here again. Everything was overpriced for what it was. Here are pros and cons. Pros: -Beautiful beach and there is a pier nearby with a waterfront seafood restaurant called Bugaloe that is nice to walk over to for a midday drink or bite to eat. -Hotel is clean and rooms very spacious -Filtered water and ice on every floor so we didn’t need to buy bottled water. Aruba purifies their own water. Their tap water tastes amazingly refreshing. -Across the street from a host of restaurants ($$$) -Nice and modern casino Cons: -Construction flanking both sides of the hotel makes the outdoors ground feel very small. Half of one of the pools was cut off due to construction. -Very expensive food and beverage for a Hilton. Maybe that’s just how all the hotels are in Palm beach. -Breakfast buffet served the same food every day. While it did have some variety it wasn’t a lot and it was very small. I’ve had much better breakfast buffets at all inclusives in Cancun. -Hard to get a beachside palapa unless you paid for one. They offer free booking but you have to wait in line every day at 12:30pm. When you do get a chair sometimes they only offer it for a half day and it’s 3rd or 4th row back where you can barely see the ocean. For a hotel like this I didn’t expect to have to do so much work to get a beach palapa. They definitely don’t have enough palapas for all the guests. In summary, I’m glad we stayed at Palm Beach at least once but if I return I would stay elsewhere from the Hilton. While it’s a great property we didn’t love it enough to come back because of the lack of kids menu food options and limited dining options across the street in the $$ range. It’s too pricey of an area to stay with limited fast food or quick dining options. We did have a car and also stayed at the Renaissance Windcreek Ocean Suites which has much better food options, better HH deals, kids menus and cheaper drink pricing, Despite this, the Hilton is really popular and was always busy with guests during our stay. I’m sure the Hilton Aruba will look amazing when the construction is done.

Net: We just returned from a 7 night stay at the Hilton Aruba from August 6-13. We traveled with 3 families, total 14 people, 9 of whom were kids ranging 10 to 17. We had a blast and will be back. The only reason I rated the trip 4 stars is due to the ongoing construction - which seems to be nearing completion. I'm sure this will go back to being a 5 star property once the work is complete. Detailed review below. Pro's: 1) Location, location, location. The beach is one of the best in the world. It's why you go to Aruba. Or at least it's why I go to Aruba. The Hilton has one of the most coveted spots on Palm Beach, right next to "Da Palm Pier" - which is not affiliated with the hotel, but is an awesome spot to grab a cocktail in your bathing suit. The hotel is also right across the street from dozens of very solid restaurants, shopping, and gelato places. 2) Customer service is top-notch. Santiago, who works the beach/pool, felt like a personal friend by the end of the trip. We will miss him! 3) Hotel food is very good. I think we must've had 10 burgers over the course of our trip. They are phenomenal. The chicken quesadilla was also terrific. Pretty much all of the hotel food we ate was top notch - including the breakfast buffet. Huge selection - and very accommodating with food allergies (we had a tree nut and a gluten issue with our group). 4) Safety. In my 4 trips to Aruba I never once felt like I was in a bad situation. Kids were free to roam the resort once they got the lay of the land. Spent plenty of time both on and off the property - safety is never an issue. I say all the time - Aruba is probably safer than where you live in the USA. Con's: 1) Hotel is VERY stingy when it comes to Diamond member perks. I have a hunch it's because everyone there is a Diamond member and everyone is asking for something, so management probably decided to say "no" to most kinds of requests that you may be used to getting, like room upgrades, late check-outs beyond 1 extra hour, free bottled water, etc. 2) No Pool Bar. This is due to the ongoing construction. They do have very attentive servers, but if you're looking for a drink before 11AM (and who isn't on vacation), you'll have to walk up to the food truck area or the main bar. 3) Speaking of construction...yes, it's annoying. But no, it shouldn't be a deal-breaker. The hotel has done a nice job of walling off the areas being worked on, and the noise, while noticeable, is not constant. If you're in the ocean a lot (like we were), you might not even notice it. Just be aware it is probably a bit worse by the pools though. 4) The rooms are just OK. But who spends time in the room? You're in Aruba. Go outside. Oh - and get the 2 queen beds (vs the doubles) if you can swing it - especially if you're a family of 4 and are sharing a bed w/one of your kids. Cheers Mike

Simply incredibly. The cleanliness awsome the staff awsome for those who give bad reviews about prices and paying for chairs stay at a holiday inn this place is worth every penny and will look to stay here slways

This generally a good hotel in terms of furnishings and amenities and has a great location but is let down by the quality of the service personnel and the fact that they nickel and dime you at every turn. I don’t mind paying extra if I am getting good service but if I have to wait on my own table and carry my own bags - I expect not to be paying top dollar. In particular the restaurant and bar staff are inattentive. We often waited 20-40minutes before wait staff came to take our order after being sat. At the bar I had to go to the bar and ask for menus and then go back to the bar to place my order - when clearly there should have been table service. On the beach we used the app to place orders as the waiters were not at all attentive, they would deliberately keep their back to us as they walk by so as to avoid being flagged down to place an order. In addition to the poor service they add in gratuity and expect an additional tip on top of that. To be honest the lizards and birds did a better job of clearing the tables than the human staff. There is also a resort fee per day in addition to the room fee that is not disclosed when booking. The beach and pool seating is also an additional charge per day. So plan on paying an extra 150-200 per day just to cover fees. As others have mentioned there is ongoing construction on both sides of the resort but the noise has dampened down a bit as they have moved to completing the interiors.I’m