The St. Regis Aruba Resort

First, I was a little apprehensive of booking an ocean front suite given some of the reviews on noise from the Riu. But since I was only going for 4 nights figured we would give it a try. Also worth noting is I have long felt the island needed something better than the Ritz, which I have stayed at several times. While the Ritz has a very large beach area, and the hotel is nice, it is more of a 4.5*, not 5*. I thought we would be staying in the narrow part of the property, right at the beach, based upon website photos. However I was told those are king bed suites only and we had 2 queens. Our room happened to be all the way to the left side of the property, just next to the RIU. So first the bad news. The Riu is undergoing major reconstruction and the noise can from music can be heard. However, it never rose to the level which I found unacceptable or at night trying to sleep. There wasn't a time the noise impacted our enjoyment. Perhaps for someone else who wanted absolute peace and quiet, but this entire area of Aruba, really isn't geared for that. Second, the hotel is new and one could tell there are still some things getting ironed out. Nothing overly concerning from my perspective. Third, the beach is small and seating beach space is limited. For the pool, which is very nice, no problem. But there are these people who absolutely have to have front row beach, don't want to tip and try and put their stuff down at 6AM, before it even opens. Then these same people go back to bed or breakfast or whatever and don't come back until 10. A policy probably should be made, but for me the easier route is just to be kind and take care of the beach attendants every day. They were very attentive. Given all that, I still give it 5*. Why? The lobby area, including bar and shops is beautiful. Music every night. Champagne celebration every night. The suite was spacious, modern in feel, with a fantastic bath and large balcony. The restaurant on the 12th floor was outstanding with its view, range of food, presentation and taste. Most importantly, EVERY employee went out of their way to be friendly and helpful. Every single one. I would call out a couple, Justin, and Ryan in the beach area, who were instrumental in getting chairs and umbrellas and Rosanna for the food and drink and taking care of my wife for her birthday. We will be back.

I was fortunate to get a suite upgrade, perk of being an ambassador and living in Marriott properties 200 nights a yr. The room was gorgeous with a huge balcony and great setup. The beach area is smaller than the ritz and Marriott but the people that work there are great! Rosanna, Joe and the manager Govanna (may have spelled wrong) are wonderful and accommodating. They even handled an entitled guest who complained about everything every day bc she thought she deserved more than the other paying guests. Opportunity to improve front desk. Everyone is nice but they aren’t equipped to problem solve, they are given standard answers that just make you a bit more annoyed. For example, I requested a late check out, 1 hour extra and was told no. After a 3rd attempt I was given the extra hour by the manager and timing worked perfect for housekeeping who weee finishing 2 other rooms. Check in I waited 3 hours for my room but was told it would be ready as soon as possible. They should be able to have constant communication with housekeeping and give guests a time frame. I couldn’t get seat at beach or pool at that point bc they were all gone and Already had lunch. Akira black, the bartenders on Friday night were really nice, especially the young lady. Only downside, they did a set menu and you couldn’t order any appetizers. Hotel restaurants love doing this and it takes away revenue and guests. Did what you do 365 days a yr and incorporate a special. I speak from 30 yrs experience. Overall. I had a great time. Just some little things to work out to get on the level of a St. Regis

The hotel is beautiful, new and clean. Service is inconsistent, food is mediocre and over priced. The staff did their best. I agree with all the other reviews. If we ever come back to Aruba, it won’t be here. It was our first time at a St. Regis and we will be sticking to other hotels chains in the future.

Not as great as I was hoping considering the cost

This stay was one of the best we’ve ever had. From the beginning to end, the top of the line facilities, rooms, amenities were flawless as well as the staff. Everything was kept in pristine condition!!! We checked in on our first day with Nicole, and she made us feel so welcome from the start with her bright and hospitable smile! Justin who was by the pool was also awesome!! Everyday he was kind enough to ensure that we had seats by the beach and always was ready to greet each guest with kindness. Shantal who took care of us at the beach and catered to each need. Severino who was bartending in the lobby also amazing!! He was hilarious. Made us laugh and smile. Sorry to any names that weren’t mentioned but that made our stay super memorable. Don’t waste your time looking elsewhere for a stay. This is the place to go and you won’t regret it ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

My husband and I traveled to Aruba for the first time and decided on St. Regis because we wanted a luxury brand for our stay. Despite some of the mixed reviews, we know it can take a little time for a new resort to perfect the guest experience, and we know the experience under the same brand can vary some based on location. With that said, we enjoyed our stay and would return. Here are our highlights: Best part: the property overall, the food, the people. The new, clean, contemporary property comes with great housekeeping services that requires no reminder for turndown service, friendly staff, and well-designed food and beverage outlets. For us, the food was great at all on-property restaurants. Shout out to Ruth for beach service and Roseanna at the pool! The sushi is REALLY good and so is the beach/pool menu (mahi mahi sandwich, fish tacos, grilled shrimp cocktail, etc.). Akira Back was good to experience. I loved the little coffee shop and its offerings (wellness shots, iced coffee, etc). The location was ideal for us, being walking distance to The Butterfly Farm and a variety of restaurants. Areas for improvement: During check-in we were made aware that butler service would be available during our stay. This aspect leaves room for improvement as our butler delivered coffee/tea as requested however, otherwise was non-existent during our stay and did not communicate or check on us in any way throughout our stay. We didn’t require the butler service however, because we were informed it would be a service, it was noticeable that this was unlike butler service we have experienced with other properties. Perhaps the butler service is available if you need to reach out to them for something- not sure. The beach is not large, so it seemed more crowded than what we are used to. Again, with it being our first visit to Aruba, I’m not sure if that’s how most properties on the island are. And with the public beach area next to it, it was a combination of hotel guests and non hotel guests at our beach front. Luckily, we rented a cabana, so we were a little tucked away. Otherwise, the beach chairs are close in proximity to each other. Also, the iguanas love roaming the beach so beware during food service. Like some other reviews we read, we did sometimes hear music from the Riu next door however, this did not bother us, but it was good to be aware of it in advance. We also noticed staff at the entrance doors of the property is inconsistent so sometimes the doors were not opened for you. Overall, it was a great stay, we would return, and we trust the resort will garner 5-star reviews in due time.