Staying at the Aruba Hilton hotel is a luxurious experience where you truly get to appreciate breathtaking views of the Caribbean Sea. This four-star hotel offers bird sanctuaries, sunset private dining, oceanfront massages & exquisite dining options which put it at the forefront of our places to stay in Aruba.
Location
Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino’s location is deal for exploring the island and its many attractions. Specifically, the Hilton is located on Palm Beach, with some of our favourite restaurants, bars, and shops all located within a few minutes walk from the property. We really enjoyed that we could go for a nice run in the morning and stop by Eduardo’s for a smoothie or shop on the way back to the property after a nice dinner.
In fact, the hotel is located along the hotel row near the Hyatt and the Riu Palace Aruba. Like all of these properties, Hilton is found oceanside. The beach itself is a perfect sand beach with no stones or shells making it a perfect place to stay all day long.
The beaches in Aruba are publicly owned, but the hotels set up palapas and beach loungers, so the beach is primarily limited to hotel guests.
Check-in Experience & First Impressions
The check-in experience at the Hilton property was quite easy. We arrived way ahead of our check-in time, but the staff was really accommodating, storing our suitcases in a locked room. While we waited for our room, we enjoyed lunch at the bar by the pool while we waited for the room to be prepared. The property is beautifully landscaped and is surrounded by small waterfalls, lagoons, and palm trees. It also has plenty of spots to just sit back and relax without necessarily going to the beach or the pools. The pool area is also quite large and is decorated with taste, offering you bridges to swim under as well as water fountains you can swim under or splash around under if traveling with smaller kids. We loved the hammock by the garden bridge and the benches by the small property waterfall.
The Rooms
Our room was in the Curaçao Tower, which was a bit further walk from the pools. Although, this just means we got to walk around and enjoy the beautiful property more. The room was definitely spotlessly cleaned and fully stocked with amenities. The room has plenty of closet space and hangers, tons of outlets, and a decent size fridge that can be used to store your leftovers. Daily in-room bottled water was also provided as part of cleaning services, which we found to be a nice touch.
Our room had a balcony which was a great spot to relax away from the heat of the beach. The balcony also has a separate light switch allowing you to sit out and read a book from your room if you choose to do so. Wifi on the property is also great, and we could do several calls and work assignments in our rooms.
All in all, the rooms weren’t lavishly decorated by any means and more so standard hotel rooms from a décor perspective. However, we find that perfect given the travel destination. For a Caribbean resort, we look for a comfortable, clean, and spacious setting instead of intricate décor.
Facilities & Experiences
A number of activities are available at the resort – including bingo, pool yoga, cupcake decoration sessions, and even plant your own aloe workshops. A calendar showcasing the upcoming activities is located by the pickup/exchange spot for the towels (across from the bird sanctuary). The majority of activities are free – however, there are a few that require a small payment. Kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and bike rentals are some of the more adventurous or active activities that are free of charge. Our favourite was actually bingo, and we eagerly looked forward to it every day.
Another thing that we appreciated about the resort is that you could book the Palapas in advance, thus avoiding you having to wake up bright and early to try and claim a spot by the beach. Each of the Palapas came at a different price based on its location and added parks. Specifically, the Oceanfront Palapas include bottled water (on ice), chilled hand towels, packaged fresh fruit, and of course unblocked oceanfront view. Meanwhile, the Power Palapas have a charging station, bottled water, and a power bowl. The palapas can be pretty expensive, with the Oceanfront palapas starting at $75. However, they provide you with $25 spa credits per spa treatment. Just make sure to bring your palapa confirmation to the massage appointment!
Speaking of the spa, the Hilton does have a spa on the premise called Eforea Spa. We booked a “Biento den Canaba,” a couples massage in the beachfront cabana. While we found the massage itself to be amazing, the outdoor cabana is unfortunately located right beside the main walkway for nearby hotels. Thus, while you enjoy the beautiful sounds of the ocean waves and the birds during your outdoor experience, you do, unfortunately, hear the constant hustle and bustle of the nearby tourists too. This, for us, did impact the massage and the level to which one could truly relax and melt away into the experience. The spa is very clean and relaxing. We also appreciated that complimentary non-alcoholic beverages (e.g., aloe vera juice, water) are available for spa guests.
The Hilton also offers a number of sunset experiences that can be booked through the Sunset Concierge, such as a private dinner on the beachfront during the sunset. While we were really curious about this, we, unfortunately, did not get the opportunity to try out the experience. However, we’ve heard really positive reviews on this and would definitely try out upon our next visit.
Finally, the hotel has an amazing bird sanctuary which is home to eleven exotic birds. You can stop by at any time to watch the birds interact with each other or even just be fed/taken care of. Sessions are also available where you can hold a few birds and take photos with them. Each of the birds has a unique individual personality, and we missed them when leaving Aruba. Daria’s absolute favourite is Pepe, who would have a bit of a cackle every time the weather gets rainy and other birds freak out.
Dining
Breakfast:
Guests are welcome to enjoy a meal at Laguna, a freshwater lagoon amidst tropical foliage. The lagoon is home to many fish, which makes the breakfast experience so much more serene and enjoyable. We found it really fun to watch the waiters feed the fish as we ate our breakfast.
We enjoyed the Endless Breakfast package at Laguna, which is a bit on the expensive side ($27.50). The package included continental breakfast, eggs to order station, and tapas-sized options from the regular menu. Bottomless mimosas are also available as part of the Endless Breakfast package – something we particularly enjoyed before heading over to the pool. Next time we are in Aruba, we will definitely go for it again.
Snacks and Lunch:
Guests have quite a few options, however, our favourite was Gilligan’s Seafood Shack. The Shack is located by the main pool area and offers tropical cocktails and classic poolside snacks. We were particularly huge fans of the Grouper tacos and Gilligan’s Island Burgers. The drinks here are not watered down by any means – and are definitely worth the extra buck. The staff here are also amazing and even remembered us by name, which we thought was a nice touch.
Dinner:
The main option for guests is Sunset Grille. The scenery is also quite beautiful with the restaurant atop a waterfall and gardens. Given the restaurant’s location, you also have a beautiful view of the ocean and the sunset. But the restaurant was quite expensive and considering the number of options available all around the property, we think that money may be better spent elsewhere. We went here for dinner on our first day, but overall, we would probably not return here. That isn’t to say that the food wasn’t good, on the contrary, we did enjoy it. For our ratings of off property hotels – please refer to our blog post “Plates of Aruba.”
There are a few other notable mentions for dining options at Hilton Aruba, particularly Mira Solo. This open-air bar and lounge have live entertainment, small bites, and cocktails. We didn’t visit Mira Solo but got to observe it when dining at the Sunset Grille. In terms of atmosphere, we would say that it seemed to have a lovely vibe, and the singers present were extremely talented – getting quite a few people off their feet and dancing the night away.
Please note that there are also a few stores located at the base of the Hilton Aruba, one of these is Oscar’s Market. Fresh coffee, bakeries, gelato, and other items can be purchased at the Market if you’re on the go and looking to grab something quickly.
Other Considerations
Firstly, our understanding is that the property will be undergoing renovations over the next two years, which are expected to be completed by mid-2025. Existing tower guest rooms will be updated, and a new tower will be built on the property. This may be something to keep in mind when traveling to the property.
Also, this isn’t specific to Hilton but to Aruba in general. Iguanas can be found all around the island – and while they tend to stay away from guests as long as you don’t bother them yourself, they may try and steal your food if you leave it around. Make sure you don’t leave any plates unattended as you lounge by the pool if you don’t want any unpleasant surprises. On the positive side, there are almost no bugs in Aruba. Daria appreciated the lack of bees, so you didn’t have to worry about any flying near you or your drinks.
Finally, for two nights during our stay, we did have trouble sleeping because of our room neighbors. Specifically, we found that the couple was coming back to the room at 3 AM, upon which they would slam their doors and begin to have loud conversations. This, of course, can happen at any property regardless of the stars rating or price. However, what really stood out to us was how well the staff handled the situation. We called the reception desk to inform them about the situation, and they were extremely kind. We actually heard someone come to the neighboring room right away and ask them to minimize the noise, given the time of night. At that point, the noise was reduced, and we were finally able to sleep.
Overall Scores
Her Take:
Overall, this is a great place to stay whether traveling as a couple, a family with young kids, or even traveling alone.
What we particularly liked about the property was the wide variety of activities suited for all ages. The hotel also makes a lot of accommodations for families, providing the opportunity to rent swim diapers and beach toys for those traveling with young kids. Zero-depth entries are also really great for those with younger children.
In particular, we found the staff super accommodating, well-trained, and kind. All the staff greeted you with a smile, were extremely friendly, and courteous, and were super attentive to your needs. This truly allowed us to enjoy our trip stress-free.
His Take:
Overall, I like Aruba’s Hilton and would definitely return here. In fact, this is now my third stay on this property. It’s a beautiful resort with much to offer: a convenient location, incredible food, and great hospitality. The rooms are very well kept, as is the pool. We would see someone come by and clean the pool multiple times a day as we swam around. The pools are also a really good size allowing you to enjoy yourself in the water without feeling overwhelmed by the people around. Also, the beach and the water are always warm, giving you two amazing options. I believe they used to offer an all-inclusive option at the hotel, but they didn’t offer it when we were booking our trip. I hope they offer it again in the future as it would have saved us some money.
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