Beckles

At this property now on a Work from Hyatt rate for five nights. Upgraded to a Family Suite with a TSU, was surprised that is in effect a 2 bedroom suite, the bunks are in their own room with a closet/dresser and tv, but only one cozy bathroom.

Club is open 5-7 each night, they have two hot dishes each night, crudités, and a couple desserts and free beer and wine.

Breakfast in the restaurant is good.

I’ve noticed on the bar receipts that it looks like I won’t be earning points on booze. 👎

Supposedly today is the last day the hotel is paying for Covid tests, you pay for the tests then they credit your bill (which is suboptimal for points earning).

platbrownguy

My concierge got points awarded for all F&B, just email the folio after and ask them to make sure you got all eligible spend credit...YMMV

I just booked a week here in October, will be nice to be back...

iherebyresign

I had to do this as well. The eligible spend that posted from my stay a couple weeks ago was waaayyyyy off.

Beckles

Both the eligible spend and eligible nights from my stay completed yesterday were waaaayyyy off, got credit for 2 nights of my 5 night stay and credit for $500 in spend on my $2,000 bill (which obviously includes some taxes and fees as well).

hungarianhc

We're potentially planing a trip here for February 2022. Two questions...

1. Is globalist breakfast in the lounge OR in the restaurant? Or is it lounge only?
2. Any thoughts on staying here vs Ziva Punta Cana? We've done the Ziva experience in Cabo a few times, and we enjoy it. Aruba Hyatt seems a bit more high end. Just curious about those who have done both.

platbrownguy

1. Ordinarily it would be lounge only. But it has been restaurant only since covid began, with evening-only lounge service. No idea if or when lounge breakfast will return, but I suspect it would become the only option when it does.

2. No idea

59Impala

Have only been to HR Aruba when it opened sometime in the 90s.
If you consider Ziva, I presume you have kids? Then Ziva Punta Cana is certainly more fun for the kids.

Beckles

We've done the HR Aruba and Ziva Cap Cana this year, I would not consider Aruba to be 'more high end', I think Cap Cana is nicer overall. I prefer the Ziva Cap Cana overall, but it's also typically more expensive. We were able to use a suite upgrade and that got us a nice Family Suite that worked really well for our family of four. The beach at Aruba is better IMO, and it's nice to be able to walk to places from the hotel. Ziva on the other hand has the water park and included Kids Club ... and is all inclusive, so no sweating the $7 plus service charge/tip for a can of local beer at the pool bar. For February one thing I will caution is some people find the Ziva Cap Cana pools to be cold, I think they were okay in January, but definitely refreshing. I would expect Aruba to have warmer pools that time of year, but I could be wrong.

You can't go wrong with either in my opinion.

evanrosati

Has anyone noted any recent Globalist benefits at the resort (I understand breakfast is at the restaurant due to restricted club timing)?

I contacted the resort to ask about suite upgrades for my stay next week and they basically told me that they don’t upgrade globalists without an upgrade certificate even to standard suites (I was told I could pay up to $2000 a night to upgrade if I wanted though). I was really surprised by this, but now after a few back and forth emails with different people I would just be happy with just a room with an ocean view.

bswalker11

Does anybody know Hyatt's official max occupancy in a family suite here? Seems like a family of 5 could fit pretty easily but I don't know if Hyatt would approve. Also, are there wrist bands that are required for guests at the resort?

platbrownguy

Came back for 8 nights last week, this time with wife & baby in tow (and a friend who stayed next door at the Playa Linda but joined for pool/beach stuff). We stayed in 466, the same Exec Suite I've stayed in twice before. They updated the balcony furniture but it's otherwise the same; A/C works well.

Hotel is still great as ever, and we were lucky to arrive when Aruba took off the midnight closures and let bars stay open until 1 a.m. (2 at hotels) -- it was a lively place.

The lounge staff were wonderful; they remembered me from previous stays and even asked about one of the friends I'd brought down ten months prior. They really feel like family. Aruba itself isn't really my thing (too cruise-shippy generally) but finding little pleasures like the Hyatt staff (and other locals at various bars/restaurants), my less-crowded snorkel spots, and my preferred Jeep terrain has made my version of it very special to me.

Globalist breakfast is still in the restaurant and is still full buffet plus omelets/eggs to order, toast to order, and espresso beverages. Breakfast & service charges wiped out without asking.

The new Regency Club is done but they haven't moved in there yet -- looks quite nice. The old Regency Club is still open and is the scene for 5-7pm happy hour -- same as above but the food is substantially improved: think good quality beef fajitas, seared snapper, etc., all individually portioned and brought to you by the lounge staff. (Other winners included a seafood pasta with mussels and scallops; coconut shrimp; beef stroganoff; and a big, cheesy shrimp quesadilla. There were a couple misses, but at least one of the two hot dishes each day was Aruba-restaurant quality.) There is still free-flow beer, wine, and sparkling wine (yes it's French but it's a very entry level blanc de blanc mousseux -- does the trick though!) during happy hour, and soft drinks are available all day.

I also got a coupon for 4 premium drinks under my door for being a "return" Globalist, and another coupon for 4 more premium drinks from my Concierge, for a celebration. We used all 8 for poolside drinks one day

The only negatives were:
-still no valet parking, and wow it's a hot walk to and from the parking lot across the street (it was 88-90 degrees when we were there compared to 82-84 on previous stays); a few times, I tipped the valets a few bucks to keep an eye on the Jeep for a few hours and just left it in the 10-minute parking up front, because I just wasn't in the mood to use the lot
-the elevator in the south wing by our room was out for most of our stay; there were very convenient stairs, but when we had to stroll the baby, the walk was long and inconvenient to the other elevators
-the water slide had a malfunction a few days in and was down the rest of our stay

I'm not sure why the lounge food was so much better now compared to last time (my group was there 5-7pm almost every day, and we saw at most 3 other groups of 2-4 people using the lounge), but that was a huge improvement and saved us from going out to dinner on at least 4 nights. I booked early and got a rate of $263/night, and I used 2 TSUs to get the suite -- base rates were $500++/night by the time we arrived for a regular room and $900++ for standard suites, so all in all a very good value, particularly factoring in breakfast and happy hour.

No idea re: official max, but the hotel is pretty lax after you're checked in... definitely no wristbands*, and no one will care if you have 5 people in a room. At check-in though they might want to charge you extra-person fees, etc., no idea -- just my hunch.
*There are wristbands at the adults-only pool, but only on certain days and only until early afternoon. No wristbands anywhere else.

---

Pics of a couple lounge food items:

kirkpd

We are looking to go in May to Hyatt Aruba on points as lowly discoverist. Hoping to pay to upgrade to club lounge with points. I had Hyatt call location but they were not able to say when club lounge will open. Any idea based on your last stay?
Do they do Covid testing for return to US on site? If not where did you get?
Transportation: We are 3 ladies traveling for girls trip. Would you recommend renting car or easier getting around with taxi? Staying 5 nights.
thank you.

platbrownguy

Not even the club staff knows when they'll move into the newly built club lounge and actually start offering that as a marketed product. (Right now it's used only for Globs and guests of 841 & 941, the top 2 specialty suites.) It's sort of a catch-22 -- they want to see occupancy pick up consistently before they do it, but of course if bookings do come through without the club lounge then they don't really have a reason to offer it as a marketed product. Also I think there is some concern about opening it before the covid protocols are done -- if only because of the risk that restrictions will come back on that cause people to cancel their bookings or that make operating the lounge impracticable. So, I wouldn't count on it opening (in a bookable way) any time soon.

Covid testing is onsite, inside on the ground floor near the adult pool. $50 for an antigen test, results came the next day. (There's an expedited 15-minute option too, but only if your flight is the same day, presumably for someone who changes plans.) Make a reservation when you arrive (ask at the hotel).

As for the car thing, it totally depends on what you want to do. I couldn't imagine not having a the freedom to roam around (and frankly, I couldn't imagine not having a Jeep, but I like to go off-roading, which may not apply to you). Most people definitely don't rent cars, of course, and you could pick one up for a day if you wanted one to go to the national park, or to one of the off-strip restaurants ("Papiamento" lived up to the hype; "Madam Janette" didn't -- it was quantity over quality). Cabs are plentiful but expensive (plan on $30-40 to go anywhere), but so are rental cars. There's plenty of stuff within walking distance of the Hyatt in terms of restaurants (the whole Palm Beach strip is very walkable -- the tacos at Lola are great and the vibe there is very fun... the sushi and small plates at Brutto are fantastic and it's downright swanky, highly recommend). And the Hyatt pools & beach themselves are fabulous, so you could probably say no to the car and have a perfectly relaxing pool/beach vacation. But if you're into snorkeling, the good reefs are by Mangel Halto & Arashi Beach, and the good turtle-finding is off the Tres Trapi Steps, and it's much easier to do that kind of thing with your own vehicle (keep towels, supplies, drinks, etc., in the car, no worries trying to call a cab back to the hotel, and so on). So, long-winded way of saying it depends!

kirkpd

Thanks for the quick reply. is there a place you recommend for Jeep rental? Did you rent in advance or after arriving? What is a typical daily or weekly rate. We would like to do some snorkeling/exploring so I think the Jeep is a great idea.

platbrownguy

I paid $1000 all-in for 8 days in an awesome newish Jeep through Budget. But you can get a midsize car for like $200 or less all-in for 8 days, so one option is just to get the midsize and then maybe go off-roading one day with a Jeep. You might pay $175-200 for a single day rental.

My preferred day tour when I take new people in the Jeep is to first head to Baby Beach in the morning (it's honestly not a must-see, but everyone seems to think it is, and it is a very beautiful beach... there are a few free palapas that you can use but they fill up by late morning, after which chairs are $8, little cabana-tents are $50, and the sun is really hot... so my preference is to just swing by for an hour at 9-9:30)... then drive along the Pet Cemetery up to the Sero Colorado cliffs by the lighthouse-remnants... then drive past Vater Piet's windmills and enter Arikok National Park from that side (you pretty much have to have a Jeep to get around Arikok). In the park ($11/person), I usually go to the Quadirikiri caves, and to Boca Prins, then maybe a little hiking if folks are up to it. If you're very adventurous and comfortable with true off-roading, the drive within the park to the "Natural Pool" is quite delightful (you'll actually get to use 4-Low in the Jeep)... bring water shoes and a snorkel if you have them. Then drive out through the west/San Fuego entrance and you aren't far from home. After that long but good day I recommend the fish and chips and some mojitos at Cafe 080 (a locals' hangout) or, if you're up for more, go see Dr. Coco by the Alta Vista chapel for some fresh coconut and some cocktails, then off-road it back along the northeast coast up to the California lighthouse, go see the hermit crabs on the funny rocks by Westpunt, and then come back down via Arashi back to the Hyatt.

If you want the Jeep for more than a day, definitely rent in advance... the rates are much cheaper in advance. If you just want one for a day, you might try "top drive" or "more4less" (google them -- they show pics of the actual cars in their fleet online) -- I used the ominous-sounding more4less to rent a 2019 hard top Jeep for a day and it was actually fine... the tires weren't normal western-standard tires but it held its own (and got us to the Natural Pool and back). "Top drive" might drop off at the Hyatt for free. But the Budget in Palm Beach is a 5 minute walk from the Hyatt too. Also check your risk tolerance... common practice is for (most of) the rental agencies to say "no driving to the natural pool" but of course when you drive to the natural pool it's a parade of rental Jeeps from Budget, top drive, and more4less... I think more4less doesn't actually have the restriction in the contract if that matters to you, but Budget's Jeeps are nicer.