Best Kid-Friendly Hotels in Aruba

With the "Lazy River "-- a long, slow-flowing pool that carries half-dozing rafters from one side of the property to the other -- ping pong tables by the pool, and a Nintendo Wii Lounge for 12- to 17-year-olds, the Marriott Surf Club has "family-style" figured out. At the Natural Pool, screeching kids wearing floaties shoot down the on-site waterslide again and again.

The Marriott is a family hotel, just short of chichi. Parents can drop their kids off at the Bon Bini Kids' Club, which has arcade games and air hockey--great for older kids. The lagoon-shaped pool is popular with kids as well.

The Hyatt is a great family-friendly pick. Parents can make appointments to drop off their kids at Camp Hyatt, a daycare with toys, drawing easels, and a television, and the tri-level pool has a long waterslide.

The resort's comfortable accommodations cater to families, with adjoining rooms and spacious patios or balconies. Cribs are also available at no additional charge. For a romantic night out, babysitting services are available in guests' hotel room for a minimum of three hours. For children ages five to 12, there is a Kids' Camp (Monday through Friday, with morning and afternoon sessions). It offers plenty of activities, such as Papiamento lessons, T-shirt and face painting, pool and beach games, scavenger hunts, snorkel and tennis clinics, basketball, movies, soccer tournaments, bingo, arts and crafts, and more. Tamarijn is also home to a small arcade and game room for books and board games. Druif Beach is ideal for young ones, with areas of calm waves for swimming and plenty of sand for sculptures and castles.

Kids and teens run wild on the Radisson Aruba Resort's long beach, and the little ones are sure to love the exotic landscaping and caged parrots.

With plenty of beachfront, the hotel is a prime spot for families toting kids and young teens. There's a shallow family pool for the wee ones (wee perhaps having two meanings here -- adults certainly don't want kids doing that in the adult pool), as well as a kid's club with drawing stations and plenty of toys.

The Aruban's suites can easily sleep four or more people, and its kitchens enable families to economize meals by buying their own food at a nearby supermarket. Kids definitely seem to love the 150-foot waterslide at the pool, and there's a separate small children's pool for the young ones not old enough to swim with the big kids. There are a few downsides -- some parents on TripAdvisor worried about their children getting sick from dirty rooms, mildewy curtains, and cranked up air conditioners, and others detested having to cross a four-lane highway with small children to get to the beach.