10 Best All-Inclusive Hotels in Aruba
Joseph "Rich" Francis has been a travel writer for over 10 years. His specialties include surf travel, hiking travel, and European travel, along with Italy, Poland, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. You can find him blogging over at The Surf Atlas.
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1. Riu Palace Antillas All Inclusive - Adult Only
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2. Barceló Aruba - All Inclusive
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3. Divi Dutch Village Beach Resort
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4. Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort
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5. Manchebo Beach Resort and Spa
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6. Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort
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7. Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort
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8. Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusive
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9. Divi Village Golf & Beach Resort
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10. Riu Palace Aruba All Inclusive
Ah, Aruba. Just a mention of the name is usually enough to conjure up images of sugar-white sands shaded by stooping coconut palms, beaches stalked by pink flamingoes, and colorful towns brimming with rum shacks and Dutch houses. Tempted? Of course you are!
Aruba has a popular nightlife, has a gorgeous Caribbean coastline, and is neatly outside of the central hurricane belt. It also happens to be home to some of the most fantastic all-inclusive resorts in the region.
Here are 10 of the best all-inclusive resorts in Aruba when it comes to quality, service, location, and style.
There's hardly a better pick for loved-up honeymooners on the sun-kissed island of Aruba than the Riu Palace Antillas All Inclusive. The hotel sits on the waterfront of the Palm Beach area, with wispy white sands to its front and all the gastronomy and bars of vibrant J.E. Irausquin Blvd to its back.
As an adults-only hotel, it's reserved for people 18 years and older. That means oodles of chill time beside the palm-shaded pool, uninterrupted sunbathing on the loungers on the beach, and a program of entertainments that's squarely aimed at adults – think jet skiing, diving, and windsurfing.
The best rooms of the bunch are the sea-view superior suites. At over 850 square feet, they feature balconies with front-row seats over the lapping Caribbean Sea.
The Barceló Aruba is another of the mainstay all-inclusive hotels in Aruba's Palm Beach area. It features over 370 rooms and suites, plus all the amenities and luxuries you'd expect of a five-star option, including seven restaurants, three bars, a fully-fledged fitness center and spa facility.
Arguably, the Barceló's main feature is its in-house casino. The hotel hosts a 120-machine slots area and table games that range from blackjack to poker, all backed up by a sports bar that serves mixed drinks to a backdrop of games.
The Divi Dutch Village Beach Resort feels more like a miniature town than a resort. There are no big, high-rise blocks of suites and rooms - no buildings are higher than three stories. There are two small courtyards and three swimming pools forming the centerpiece of the plan, woven together by narrow paths and the sparkling beachfront on the side.
But the bijou nature of it all doesn't mean compromising on frills. There is a full-service Indulgence spa, where you can drop in for foot scrubs, massage therapies, and more. It's also got its very own nine-hole golf course and tennis courts for those feeling a little more energetic.
The local beach is Druif Beach, a squiggle of quartz sand that's quieter than many on the Oranjestad coast.
With one foot on glistening Palm Beach and another in the Bubali Bird Sanctuary, the Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort boasts a seriously fantastic location that's got something for everyone, from the most dedicated sunbathing aficionados to wildlife lovers looking to get on the trails.
The hotel is one of the largest in the area. It is spread across four separate buildings, which open out onto sprawling grounds that host two pools featuring swim-up bars and bubbling Jacuzzi sections.
You can also enjoy a meal at Pureocean, an acclaimed Caribbean seafood bistro that serves up uber-fresh fish right on the Aruban sands.
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Prepare to be pampered when you stay at the Manchebo Beach Resort and Spa. This upscale all inclusive is perfect for honeymoon travelers and couples looking to be treated to the height of luxury from the moment they check in.
It's home to the highest-rated wellness facility on the island, which boasts open-air yoga shalas for your morning downward dogs and the oceanfront Spa del Sol for those hard-earned massage treatments.
On top of all that, the Manchebo Beach Resort and Spa sits right behind Eagle Beach, considered one of the best in world- or at least, the Caribbean. With its white powder sand beside lapping aquamarine seas, speckled with twisted divi-divi trees offering patches of shade - all less than a minute's walk from the door of your suite!
You can hardly miss the Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort, which spreads its wings at the north end of gorgeous Eagle Beach. It has a variety of room options to choose from- from the big penthouse with walk-in showers and private dining spaces, to the manor studios, which are compact cabanas with queen beds and vaulted ceilings.
The pool at the resort sits on one side of the main beach road, while the much-loved ocean bars and restaurant sit on the other. The whole place is right next door to the iconic Fofoti tree, a gnarled divi-divi shrub that's one of Eagle Beach's main photo spots.
The Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort is located right on the waterfront of Oranjestad, the capital of Aruba, giving you the hustle and bustle of the big town on the doorstep, yet is a bit of an oasis in the midst of it all. It is comprised of two hotels, the adults-only Renaissance Marina Hotel, and the more secluded Renaissance Ocean Suites. You can relax in a cabana, lounge at the pool, and eat or drink at one of the thirteen restaurants and bars.
Perhaps the highlight of the resort is thei water taxi that brings guests to its 40-acre private island where you can glimps wild flamingos and treat yourself to a relaxing spa treatment at Spa Cove.
When it comes to beachfront living, there are few all-inclusive hotels in Aruba that can match the Tamarij Aruba All Inclusive. A series of two-story villas front the cotton-hued powders of Druif Beach, hosting rooms with glass balconies that allow for 180-degree views of the Caribbean Sea.
Tamarijn has shared facilities with the nearby Divi Aruba All Inclusive, which means guests can access a whole host of dining options and coffee shops, plus a clutch of outdoor pools for both kids and adults.
The Tamarijn is fantastic for getting your fix of slow-paced island life. You'll be right on Druif Beach here, which is rarely as busy as Eagle Beach or Palm Beach, and remains one of the most secluded in the whole Oranjestad area.
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Bag one of the all-inclusive packages at the Divi Village Golf & Beach Resort to be in with an action-packed trip to the north side of Aruba.
This sprawling hotel complex boasts a full nine-hole golf course on the grounds, alongside the white-sand beach. There is also an on-site driving range and golf school, so you can hone those iron shots and puts between sunbathing sessions.
It's not just golfers who can get their fill. There are stacks of family entertainments in the mix, in the form of a pool with a winding waterslide and nightly shows. Fitness buffs, meanwhile, can make for the gym or the climbing center that's right on the beach.
Nestled at the south end of Palm Beach is Hotel Riu Palace, a classic Caribbean resort with style. Heavily influcneced by the opulence of the days of yore, it certainly takes the “palace” in its name seriously, from four-poster beds to marble-inlayed bathrooms.
You won’t want to miss the on-site buffet bar which is nothing short of colossal. You'll dine on everything from local shrimp to platters of Italian carpacci. Outside, the pool is the centerpiece, while Palm Beach's soft sands and snorkeling spots are never more than a few steps to the west.