Property Information
{{title}}
Resort Details
General Policies & Fine Print
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
3267 reviews
-
Jan 25, 2023Aruba Simply!
Aruba Simply! Whatever the cause of the celebration, sometimes even surviving an intense day on the Ritz Carlton beach is already a celebration! Tropical hit with gusty wind cause you nonstop battle for shade. The entire beach is largely covered with noticeable leftovers from lunches and drinks which makes it white sand not white at all. Just watch not to step on something sticky. Privacy is out of the question and by the end of each day you'll have tons of new friends. Feels like you have to celebrate! And there's an epic Divi Lobby Bar for you. I have to let you know that at this place you should make an effort to see a very special and slightly shy, humble, and talented mixologist Ubira Rivero. Cocktails and long drinks enthusiasts will share my meaningful and adventurous memories pertaining personally to Ubira. Honestly, I feel the NYC vibe when my husband and I were lucky to order a drink from her! After visiting Ubi on several occasions, and we spent quality time at Ritz Carlton (10 full days) I can confirm that her drinks are some of the best (and strongest) I've had for the entire stay. Her special mojito and her special martini are absolutely and particularly memorable and my husband is partial to her unbelievable and unique Negroni. The way Ubira crafted her job looked so skillful effortless and happy! Allow your eyes to wander and watch generous pours of perfectly-executed drinks make their way from one special joyful person, Ubira, to your heart and that's such a wonderful and special gesture to make your vacation special!
-
Jan 20, 2023Bon Voyage Bonvoy; The Ritz Carlton Aruba pushed this Ambassador Member off the Cliff
I’m writing this review while on the plane heading to the Ritz Carlton Aruba, my destination. The poor service and arrogance started before I even arrived at the resort. I reserved a King Bed Oceanview Room, and if available I had hoped to receive a room upgrade due to my Ambassador Elite Status, the highest in the program the hotel chain has to offer. It requires me to spend $21,000 per year and stay 100 nights at any of their participating brands. When I stop to think what 100 nights out of 365 days in a year means, it’s almost a third of the year at a Marriot/Sheraton/Ritz Hotel. It’s a major commitment to travel that many nights a year, along with the stress of being away from home, missing many family events, kids sports games and recitals. You basically live out of a suitcase. It also means a substantial amount of business for the hotel chain. Room upgrades are one of the most significant perks for the weary traveler. Complimentary breakfast, early check in is nice but not enough to work hard to get Elite status. Room upgrades are the centerpiece of benefits for the Elite membership. Happens to be the The Ritz Carlton Aruba doesn’t offer their Elite status guests’ complimentary breakfast. About a week before my arrival, I was excited to see on the Bonvoy app that my reservation was upgraded to a “1 Bedroom Executive Suite, I King Bed with Sofa Oceanfront with Balcony”. Wow, how exciting!! With the larger room I invited my daughter to come stay with us on the sofa bed, and was looking forward to vacationing in the sun, working a little and felt my first stay at The Ritz Carlton Aruba was going to be memorable. I checked in through the Bonvoy app two days before my arrival, and I was good to go. On the day before my arrival, I went on the app to see if the mobile key was loaded, and noticed I was downgraded to an “Ocean View Guest Room with Balcony”. What happened? I contacted the hotel via chat to advise them hoping it was a mistake and explained that I was previously upgraded to a One Bedroom Suite and I was told ever so callously and blunt “We received a new reservation paying for this specific room type, upgrades are not guaranteed until the day of checking in. I responded, “This is not good business” and was told “This was not what you originally booked and as mentioned upgrades are based upon availability”. Well, the hotel representative who responded to me can use a good lesson in customer service. My position is if I’m checking in at the front desk, and I’m told the hotel is fully booked, there are no Elite room upgrades then I appreciate the effort. If I’m already given the upgrade and then it’s taken away, that’s improper and the hotel crossed the line. I then took out my computer and Googled “how to respond to a hotel guest who complaines” and Google responded with “I understand you had a poor experience at our hotel ..…we pride ourself on our customer service and being able to provide a premium customer experience….we sincerely are sorry to hear about your negative experience …. Another response was “We would like to sincerely apologize to you for the inconvenience that we may have caused you… and yet another “Please allow me to introduce myself, may name is …. and I am the Director of Rooms at the … . It’s ironic that I would get a more appropriate response with empathy and understanding from a computer, made of plastic, metal and a computer chip rather than the front line representative at the Luxury Aruba Ritz Carlton Resort. Their response was cold, and condescending and I felt like I was being talk down to. These are not people I am choosing to spend 100 days of my life with every year. So thanks to my experience at The Ritz Carlton Aruba, I’m saying goodbye to Bonvoy as my hotel of choice and will pursue other chains like the Hilton and Hyatt. As a footnote to this review, since I’m completing this after checking in, with the assistance of Karen McMaster at the Ambassador Service Center I was given an Oceanfront Room instead of the Oceanview Room and was offered a sales pitch at check to “upgrade” to the Club Level for a whopping $450.00 additional per night, that’s $4,500.00 for the 10 days. I explained to the concierge ( who was very nice and courteous) that I was given an even better room as a free upgrade, and it was taken away. You would think that at the very least they would have upgraded me to the Club Level at no charge, but I didn’t ask and they didn’t offer. Very, very disturbing, and disappointing. If anyone from Bonvoy Corporate would like to discuss my experience to improve customer experience for the future I can be reached at 917-517-7543
-
Jan 20, 2023Outstanding Service
This is our third time at this property in 5 years and I can honestly say that we’ve encountered great customer service in every area of the hotel. Almost every employee has a smile and a greeting for you. Although we have had good meals at BLT Steakhouse (on the property) in the past, our favorite meal by far this week has been the short ribs. That is saying a lot because we have eaten at Papiamento, Quinta Del Carmen and Wilhelmina..Special shout out to the following angels who went above and beyond- Lizzaralde in Housekeeping, Erick (Bellman), Carlos (Front desk Mgr.) and Joally in Madero)..Thank you all.
-
Jan 19, 2023
Amazing Resort, Views, Restaurants, and Service
First trip to Aruba. My husband and I have traveled extensively for work and stayed at many different resorts. This is one of the best resorts we have stayed in that gets 5 stars on every level. The views are magnificent from any place in the Hotel and grounds. We had dinner at Casa Nonna, BLT Steak, Madeira Pool Bar, and the Ritual Cafe. All were outstanding. We appreciated included access to snorkeling gear, paddle boards, water floatation loungers, and kayaks. The beach chairs were beautiful and the beach area was serene, clean, and peaceful. The service was exceptional from the time you walked in the front door, to concierge , room assistance, front desk, poolside, etc. There were families at the resort but as a retired couple we enjoyed the upscale service and the amenities and music geared toward relaxation, romance, friendship versus a party atmosphere. There was a saxophone player nightly or singer that could be heard in the background whether at the restaurant or lobby veranda. The swimming area and colors of the water in front of the resort were so many colors of blue you just never tired of looking at it. We will definitely stay at this Resort again when returning.
-
Jan 17, 2023
Jose’s Pop up bar for the best tropical fruit drinks
You MUST go see Jose for his amazing drinks in his tropical fruit bar next to the Madero grille. He is such a talented mixologist and creates the most exquisite tropical drinks in a real coconut. His drinks were a highlight of our trip. He makes his own spices and has incredible recipes- both alcoholic and non alcoholic. The selection of exotic fruits and juices leaves you with endless possibilities and combinations for the tropical drink of your dreams