“This is so relaxing.” That was all Cameron, my date to the Caribbean, could say as we stood on the 13th-floor balcony of the Radisson Blu Aruba, watching the sunset over Palm Beach on our first night on the island. The sky shifted from blue to light pink to deep purple. The lights from the strip of restaurants and shops below shimmered. Cameron was right. It was relaxing — a feeling I haven’t experienced in a long time.
Photo: Radisson Blu Aruba
This Aruba Resort Will Teach You and Your Partner How to Truly Relax
This wasn’t my usual travel style. I’m more accustomed to riding bikes, sleeping in tents, and bumping down dusty dirt roads. But I usually return home feeling just as chaotic as I did before I left. I needed an actual vacation, and the Radisson Blu ended up being the perfect place to embrace slow travel and enjoy a romantic getaway.
Cameron lives in Houston, and I’m currently based in Brooklyn, so we don’t get to spend too much time together. As we lounged on the beach and sipped our morning coffees in Aruba, the overwhelming stress of work — the deadlines, the emails, and the impending meetings — started to fade. It was a rare chance to just be together without distractions or distance.
A lot of this is thanks to the environment that the Radisson Blu Aruba team has created and fostered. It’s one of the only hotels in Palm Beach that’s operated and managed by local residents, rather than expats, and every detail has been carefully considered. From the warm welcome at the front desk to the serene pools, the Radisson Blu invites you to unwind completely, even if you’re not used to lounging.
The rooms at the Radisson Blu Aruba
The Radisson Blu Aruba, a former condo complex, has 183 rooms. You can choose from one-, two-, and three-bedroom suites, all of which have a living room and kitchen, complete with a dining table, coffee maker, full-size fridge, and flatscreen TV.
The pool- and ocean-view rooms are especially romantic, with balconies where you can sip wine and watch the sunset, but all of the suites are spacious. Their luxurious furnishings were hand-picked by the general manager and designed specifically for the hotel. Various shades of blue and white create calming spaces that blend modern simplicity with a touch of Caribbean charm. Having enough space to unpack and reduce room clutter adds to the sense of relaxation that the Radisson Blu provides, and the option of having separate rooms allows for a bit more privacy, which can be nice on an extended vacation.
Rates start at $360 per night for a one-bedroom suite and scale up to $2,000 per night for a three-bedroom suite.
The amenities at the Radisson Blu Aruba
Photo: Radisson Blu Aruba
The pools — yes, plural — are the stars of the show at the Radisson Blu Aruba. There are two main pool areas: the rooftop, adults-only infinity pool and the courtyard pool area. We spent most of our time at the infinity pool where heat-resistant loungers in shallow water allow you to relax for hours without overheating (though that’s not an excuse to skimp on sunscreen). But the courtyard pool, though family-friendly, also offers plenty of quiet corners for couples seeking a more secluded spot — including the adults-only whirlpool.
Photo: Radisson Blu Aruba
While the hotel isn’t beachfront, there’s a designated beach area for hotel guests about a five-minute walk from the property. There’s also a shuttle that will take you there if you’re lugging a beach bag or want to skip the walk on a humid day. Be sure to reserve your seats in advance if you want to lounge under an umbrella.
Back at the hotel, there’s a fitness center with enough equipment to do both cardio and a solid strength workout, as well as the Vede Renacer spa which offers couples treatments. Cameron and I booked a 60-minute massage that left me in a daze. The hotel staff also rotates through a variety of programming — ranging from yoga and pool aerobics, to wine and paint nights, to aloe scrub making — that guests can sign up to join.
The restaurants at the Radisson Blu Aruba
Sunset Bistro is the Radisson Blu Aruba’s main restaurant, located on the hotel’s third floor by the infinity pool. There, you can order anything from giant club sandwiches to local cuisine while you relax in the shade admiring sweeping views of the beach.
The bistro’s breakfast buffet has plenty of variety — mini pastries, pancakes, bacon and sausages, even an omelet bar — but is not included in the room charge. For lunch, you’ll find light and refreshing options like yucca fries, ceviche, and mango lemonade, as well as American classics like burgers. Every afternoon of my stay, I washed down my food with a local beer like Chill, a light lager that’s similar to Corona.
But my favorite spot at the Radisson Blu was The Clover, a coffee shop by the lobby. It has pastries, smoothie bowls, and Venezuelan-inspired dishes like arepas. For quick bites and beverages by the pool, there’s also the Aqua Breeze Pool Bar. Located by the courtyard, Aqua Breeze is open until 8 PM for drinks and snacks between dips.
Things to do in Aruba
Photo: Steve Photography/Shutterstock
Aruba isn’t an easy island to get around without a car. There are no rideshares, but you can schedule cabs to take you where you need to go. We chose to join an open-air Jeep tour with De Palm Tours to experience Aruba’s most popular sites instead. You can arrange these excursions through the hotel’s concierge in the lobby.
It takes about an hour to get from one side of the island to the other. In between the cities and resort areas, you’ll find desert landscapes and quiet beaches. Highlights include Arikok National Park, which is home to ancient rock formations and deep caves, and Baby Beach, where we snorkeled among boxfish and other colorful marine life. The California Lighthouse, about a 10-minute drive from the Radisson Blu, is another worthwhile stop. There, you can climb a couple flights of stairs to the top and catch one of the only views of the entire island.
How to get to the Radisson Blu Aruba
Photo: Radisson Blu Aruba
Aruba is a popular destination, so many cities have direct flights. Once you arrive at the Queen Beatrix International Airport, shuttles run to the various accommodations. On a shared shuttle through De Palm Tours that stopped at every hotel, it took about 40 minutes to get to the Radisson Blu Aruba. If you arrange a direct transfer, it’s only a 15-minute drive. 