Formerly known as the Wyndham Aruba Beach Resort, the Westin Aruba Beach Resort on Palm Beach is recently renovated. It brings all the quality and amenities you'd expect of a Westin together with the popular vacation hotspot, Aruba.

For those not familiar, The Westin is a mid to slightly upper scale hotel brand (owned by Starwood Hotels) known for their extremely comfortable beds, relaxing atmosphere, and completely smoke-free environment, with all the amenities and services one would expect from a 3 or 4 star hotel.

Arrival
Upon Arrival, my wife and I were warmly greeted by the hotel staff. Upon walking through the door, the staff poured us a very tasty cup of ice cold lemonade to cool us off after a long day of travel. While we were drinking our lemonade, our luggage was promptly placed on the luggage cart and rolled over to the front desk to await us for check-in.

Hotel Facilities
The lobby is tastefully decorated with a tropical theme, high ceilings, plenty of square footage, and the overall feeling of a newly renovated hotel. As you walk in the front door, the concierge desk is to the immediate left, baggage check & valet to the right, front desk further down to the left and a bar right across from the front desk. Further down on the same level are the Casino, the Pago Pago Restaurant (Surf & Turf), Cafe Baci (Italian), Cabaret Royal (dinner theater) and conference facilities.

The lower level of the hotel is home to the spa & fitness center, as well as the Blossoms Asian-themed restaurant, the activities desk, and various shops. One may also walk outside toward the beach from this level and, on the way, pass a multitude of Iguana, geckos, tropical birds, and other Aruban wildlife.

Check-In
The reservation was in order, method of payment swiped, and upon check-in, my wife and I were both issued a "charge card" with which all hotel spending is accomplished. The charge card is very crude and amounts to nothing more than a piece of card stock with a picture of the hotel on one side and your name, check-out date and signature (among other things) on the other. I wasn't a big fan of the charge card due to the security implications in the event that the card gets lost, since our name and signatures were on the card. The room key, on the other hand, was the standard electronic key you'd expect to find at any Westin.

Loyalty Program
The Westin, being owned by Starwood Hotels, uses the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) loyalty program. This means you can earn Starpoints as well as use Starpoints to pay for rooms. The rest of the SPG program is downplayed quite a bit. For instance, most Westins have a seperate line at the front desk for Starwood Preferred Guests. This one doesn't have any special lines, but displays the gold "Starwood Preferred Guest" plaque rather discretely behind the front desk. They didn't acknowledge that I was an SPG, or that my SPG number was on file like most Westins do. Nor did they place my key in the special SPG envelope. Nor did my guest room come with the complimentary bottle of Evian water that SPGs are entitled to. So, although you earn the Starpoints and can redeem the Starpoints, that's about the extent of your SPG privileges at this hotel, it seems. SPGs with elite status who are used to star treatment might be disappointed here.

Rooms
We stayed in an "oceanview balcony" room, which means that the room has a balcony and has a view of the ocean but does not *directly* face the ocean (the latter would be an oceanfront room). The view was incredible nonetheless, and the room was of adequate size (380 square feet). It had most of the amenities you find in any Westin, including a television (ours has a nice big flatscreen LCD), ice bucket & glasses, the Westin WakeCup coffee maker (which by the way makes some of the best coffee I've ever had), hair dryer, ironing board, electronic safe and laundry service bags. This hotel features wireless Internet access for a fee. In the bathroom: tissues, towels/washclothes/etc. and the the standard assortment of shampoo, conditioner, and moisturizer. Overall, the room was impressive.

Beach
If you are interested in shade on the beach, then you need to reserve a hut. Hut reservations begin each day at 8:00 AM sharp. I recommend arriving at least ten minutes early to grab a place in line. Once you reserve a hut, you may leave to eat breakfast or go do other things, but you must return to occupy your hut no later than 11:30 AM or your reservation is forfeited. The hut is your only source of shade, so if you need shade, then you need a hut! Alternatively, it's possible to reserve a hut for the entire week for a fee. I believe it's something along the lines of $35, but you'll want to confirm this.

Once on the beach, you can expect a relaxed, breezy atmosphere with food & beverage service available. The hotel staff is very good about not bothering you out on the beach, but if you need some food, they will waste no time in getting it to you. During our trip, there were generally no locals trying to peddle their wares, which is the experience I usually get in the Caribbean.

The beach has a nice mix of different types of people, ranging from couples to families with kids to folks from Europe in speedos, and everything in between. There are people of all shapes and sizes out there enjoying the beach, the water, and having a good time. The self-conscious can therefore relax and feel right at home here.

The entire island is a bit breezy, and this obviously includes the beach. Therefore, don't be surprised if sand blows in your face while you're lounging about. A pair of descent sunglasses is recommended, not only for UV protection but also to protect your eyes from the sand.

Restaurants
The hotel features a number of restaurants. My wife and I patronized some but not all of them. Our experiences are shown below.

"The Terrace" is the poolside/beach restaurant. The menu consists of mostly burgers & sandwiches with fries, and things of the sort. Good for a quick bite to eat, but definitely not fine dining.

"Azull" restaurant was the highlight of the trip for my wife and I. It is a beachfront couples-only restaurant with one seating at 6:15p sharp. You'll view the sunset while sipping wine and munching on cheese & crackers. After viewing the magnificent sunset, you'll walk just a few feet to your table where you'll be served soup, an entree and then dessert. It's a bit pricey at $140 for two people, but well worth the money if you're taking a romantic getaway. This experience includes not only the food and sunset, but also the friendly and humorous staff, who were absolutely wonderful and made the experience that much more enjoyable. This is a "can't miss" attraction for couples. Reservations are required.

"Pago Pago" is the surf & turf place. My wife and I both wound up eating fish dishes because we heard the fish was fantastic. We both thought our respective dishes were mediocre. Service was excellent. They were shooting for sort of an upscale fine dining atmosphere, but the food quality combined with the loud and obnoxious patrons of the Casino (located just feet away from the restaurant) spoiled it for us. The meal wasn't cheap either at $170 which included a $38 bottle of wine. It was an okay experience, but we won't be going back. Reservations recommended.

"Bon Bini Cafe" is the breakfast buffet, which ran $15 per head. The selection and quality of the food were very reasonable. When booking your room, look for the "free breakfast" rate, which will make this experience free-of-charge. Who can beat free?

My wife and I hope to head back again soon and check out some of the other restaurants.

Spa
The Intermezzo Day Spa is a fully functional spa featuring massages, facials, scrubs, wraps, nail salon, waxing, and a variety of packages and specials.

My wife and I both treated ourselves to spa treatments: we both had hot stone massages and she also had a facial. We found the facilities to be what we would expect from a modern top notch spa. It was quiet, relaxing, and the services were rendered by true professionals. The locker room area was spacious and the lockers had plenty of room for clothes and other articles. Both the men's & women's (so I hear) locker rooms have a steam/shower room.

To anybody considering a hot stone massage, make sure you are not sunburnt or it can hurt. It will have the sensation of feeling much hotter than the stone actually is. I managed to sunburn part of my leg and that part of the massage felt like somebody was putting a hot iron to my leg. Otherwise, the hot stones are very relaxing and a nice alternative to an ordinary hand massage.

For those of you SPGs looking to earn Starpoints during your trip, be aware that you don't earn Starpoints for spa treatments, even though the spa is part of the hotel.

Staff
This was my first trip to Aruba, but I heard before I arrived that Aruban people have a tendency to sometimes come across as rude. I found this to be the case in a couple instances, but I wouldn't characterize the Westin staff here as rude. I would say they are a bit "standoffish." Most don't smile that much and I didn't see anybody bend over backward to help me, but I found the staff to be generally pleasant and willing to help as long as the request or issue was simple and straightforward.

My only real issue with the staff is that attention to detail and follow-though is sometimes lacking. For instance, when I asked the front desk to have them send up some extra bottles of water to the room, it took two days and three requests before it actually happened. Then again, I've had similar experiences in U.S. based Westins.

Activities
Although I did not participate in any activities this time around, there is plenty to do around the resort. The activities desk on the lower level has information on tours and excursions around the island. You can find just about anything you'd find at a tropical destination here: scuba diving, snorkeling, water sports, parasailing, you name it. A big attraction here is the Jeep rides around the island.

As mentioned before, the resort has a casino. We're not big gamblers, so we spent a grand total of 3 minutes in there just to take a look. It seemed to have all the usual games, but we noticed it was a bit small. If you're looking to blow a few bucks on a good time, this will serve the purpose.

Construction
Anybody planning a trip to this hotel in the near future should be aware that there is currently construction/renovation underway on the two adjacent properties. On the north side (facing the "island view" rooms) is the RIU Palace Aruba. The construction crews work long hours, including weekends and early mornings and they reportedly sing loudly before starting work. A room near the ground floor and/or on the "island view" side of the hotel is therefore not advisable.

On the south side, they are currently constructing condominiums. That construction is happening on the "ocean view" side where we stayed, but it's located further away from the Westin than the RIU. I never heard a single construction noise from our room on the tenth floor the entire time I was there. My guess is if you book anywhere on the ocean view or oceanfront sides of the hotel, then you'll be in good shape.

Summary
All in all, our short weekend getaway was a fantastic experience. I highly recommend it to anybody who hasn't already been here. The hotel grounds and rooms looked brand new and were very impressive. There are plenty of activities to keep you busy. The food around the resort was good but not fantastic. Azull restaurant, however, I highly recommend for couples. The beach was just incredible for tanning, swimming, or just relaxing in the shade under the hut. Since it's a resort, expect things to be a little pricey. Consider an all-inclusive package if you like to eat a lot. The staff is nice and very pleasant, but don't expect big smiles & hugs. Beware of the construction on the island side of the hotel.



Recommended: Yes