New-look Hyatt Regency is Emblematic of Flourishing Aruba

Returning to Aruba after an absence of two years, I was amazed at the changes. Most of the generic stores in the downtown district have been gutted and transformed into designer boutiques; several new promenades and shopping emporiums have been built; and land and water activities have increased.

Aruba’s resorts also have flourished, including the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino on Palm Beach, which completed a $20 million renovation project in December.

Both first-time guests and return visitors, many of whom have been coming for more than 15 years and constitute 60 percent of total business, are in for a treat.

The facelift involved a total overhaul of the property, enlarging the 360 guest rooms (including 24 suites and 29 Regency Club rooms), adding more lighting and new rain-shower fixtures in the bathrooms and upgrading the lobby, lobby bar and all public areas.

In addition to Hyatt Grand Beds, wireless Internet, ceiling fans and terraces (except in the 22 garden-view rooms), new room features include an iPod alarm clock, flat-screen TVs and Portico spa bathroom amenities.

Resort amenities include the Copacabana Casino, two tennis courts, a basketball court, the Stillwater Spa, a fitness center, several shops and a beach dotted with thatch-roof palapas.

The heart of the property is an 8,000-square-foot, three-level pool complex with a two-story water slide, swim-up bar and two whirlpools.