Aruba Hotel Guide :: Hyatt Regency's New Look is Swanky but the Vibe is Still Chill

Where: Juan E Irausquin Blvd 85, Palm Beach, Aruba

July 15, 2008 at 4:43 PM | by Jenna | 0 Comments

While our brothers at Jaunted have been off stomping around Baltimore this week, we've jetted off on our own little field trip to Aruba. We'll be scoping out the hotel scene here and will be reporting our findings all week long.

We got to the island pretty late last night, so we roamed around a little bit looking for a good stiff drink to calm ourselves down after a long day of layovers.

We hit up the recently-remodeled Hyatt Regency Resort and Casino first and, since it was a Monday night, the scene wasn't too crowded or trendy or full of drunken 18-year-olds like we'd feared. The breezy, open lobby area reminded us a (teensy) bit of the Delano (flowy fabrics, high-backed chairs and the like), except without the loud music and intimidating people.

We headed outside to the Alfresco Bar and, since it was around midnight (which is apparently close to closing time), there weren't a whole lot of people around. The folks that were present, were good for people-watching, and the beautiful pool area -- with parrot cages! -- was the perfect setting for sipping our $8.00 ($16 for doubles - yikes) cocktails.

We even managed to score one of those big white beddish-looking things and relaxed until the bar closed (12:45, unfortunately) and proceeded to hit the casino...but luckily, they measure the alcohol very, very precisely in those cocktails, so we didn't gamble too much money.

Overall impression: the decor was a bit more on the trendy side than some of the other high-rise hotels in the area, but the vibe was super low-key and we felt totally relaxed. Swanky should not equal snooty - and we totally dig that the Hyatt's new look didn't come with a new 'tude.

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