The St. Regis Aruba Resort

We’ve been here over a day. The hotel is beautiful. The beach is amazing. The restaurants are good, but that’s where it ends. There’s a $90 a day amenity fee for things most hotels include. One of them is Valley parking and there’s no valet to be found. The doors are very heavy and it’s hard to open them. We had five people pushing the door open. In the front of the hotel. We have a butler suite and there’s no Butler to be found. Half the staff is very nice. The other half seems miserable and doesn’t want to be here. There is no club lounge. You can hear a loud music at night coming from the other hotels through your balconies. But the biggest issue is the lack of staff. This hotel has work to do to come up to the Saint Regis status and name.

We travel a lot and as, you can see, scarcely do TripAdvisor reviews. But our experience at the Saint Regis Aruba was so spectacular in so many ways that we had to say something. First, the Arubians - there is a sweetness and joy in their smiles and greetings, on or off property, that yo feel to your soul. You have only to smile to receive it back fourfold. Every interaction from the moment we entered the hotel seemed to enhance our happiness and relief to be out and away. The hotel itself is absolutely beautiful, spotless and sparkling. We had an ocean view which really was an ocean view - no looking around the edge of a building, just straight into the beautiful sparkling sea. The four pools are pristine, and although we went running down early on day one to get an umbrella, there is no need! Helpful staff is everywhere to troubleshoot if you are looking for a spot beachside or pool side any time of day. From complementary ocean rafts to sunscreen, ice water and towel stations everywhere, there is no need to grab anything at any time - it will all be there or just look around for a second - someone will be at your elbow to help if you don't see what you need. A special shout out to our room service attendant, Emene. Ready to help us with anything we may need, even if not her job, she was a butler in and of herself. The rooms come with butler service, but we had no need! That same warmth and sweetness radiates from Emene and made us happy every time we saw her. Momentarily caught up in your troubles? Someone here will have you out of your headspace and back on vacation in no time. Until this trip to the St. Regis, I can't think of a single time there hasn't been at least something that could have been better. I was a little concerned about the popularity of Aruba - crowds too young? Beach too busy? I generally don't like a lot of bustle. But to my surprise there was never a sense of crowd, - there is action, yet it was eye candy. And the food. The FOOD! See my separate review of Akira Back 🤩 and our water Steven, but let me say that every single thing we ate was gorgeous. Can Arubians cook!! The lobster salad was FULL of fresh chunk local lobster - so much lobster that we could only assume they used at least three lobsters - and cooked perfectly! We had it twice! We shared the kids sliders and the kids chicken tacos for a snack on beach, and were both moaning in happiness with each bite. They are not stingy on the fries, and unfortunately they are crazy crispy delicious - watch out for those. Our plan to eat just a few never panned out. We took ourselves by cab to Tres Trapi ($30 round trip) to reported sea turtles (Get there early well before 8 A.M.) - came upon those along with rays and an army of cuttlefish, hypnotizing us with color changes and floating along with us, seeming as curious about us as we were about them. but the best surprise - back at Saint Regis, just past the swim area is what appears a sma

This is by far one of the best hotels I've ever stayed in. It was superb! From the check-in process to everything else, my family of 4 enjoyed every moment. We arrived before the check-in time of 4pm and had to wait. But I have no complaints because it was clear that the housekeeping staff takes their time to ensure that everything is perfect. The staff is amazing - everyone was friendly, engaging, and considerate. The room we had was gorgeous and the grounds of the hotel is immaculate. This place is clean and modern. Staying here has given me a new view of how to plan my hotels in the future. You truly get what you pay for. This was worth every dollar, cent, and minute that I spent there!