Have you ever booked an exciting vacation only to be met with disappointment when your room doesn’t live up to expectations?
I’ve traveled a LOT lately (at least 80 flights in the last year), and have certainly had my fair share of sub-par rooms.
Well, why not get rid of that worry completely by booking a resort that has ALL suites?
That’s right, there’s a stunning resort on the equally stunning island of Aruba that is calling your name, daring you to find a single room that isn’t up to your standards (hint: you won’t find one).
The Embassy Suites by Hilton Aruba Resort is nothing short of amazing, and I already can’t wait to go back!
Another Day In Paradise
While this trip was an absolute blast, it wasn’t my first time visiting Aruba. I knew the general layout, and was really curious what the Embassy Suites would be like in terms of location.
If you’ve never been, there are 2 popular places to stay if you are heading to a resort in Aruba — Palm Beach and Eagle Beach.
The Embassy Suites? Right in the middle! 🤩
On my first trip to Aruba, I stayed on Palm Beach, which is stunning! But, I didn’t get the chance to check out Eagle Beach.
For this trip, the Embassy Suites Aruba was in the perfect location to be able to enjoy BOTH beaches.
This time, I wasn’t on my own either, so I loved that Liz and I would be able to visit the beach I already knew was awesome, as well as Eagle Beach (which we would come to find equally awesome).
Plus, staying at the Embassy Suites gives you free access to beach chair rentals and bike rentals, so we were able to get to either beach with ease and even have our own chairs to set up once we got there.
For times we didn’t feel like biking to a beach, the Embassy Suites had its own beach right out front that even has an underground tunnel leading to it so you don’t have to cross the street!
Location, location, location…. I know I know I am going on and on about it, but there’s one more perk I can’t not mention: there are amazing restaurants, shops, and more within walking and biking distance.
While you definitely don’t even need to leave the resort if you don’t feel like it, I really like to explore a bit of the area that I am in when I travel.
This made the Embassy Suites the perfect fit for me, and when I did leave the property I knew I was within walking distance to so many fun things to do and check out.
When we head back to Aruba, the location alone will definitely draw me back to the Embassy Suites.
First Impressions Matter
No matter what you tell yourself after an awkward conversational fumble, first impressions do matter.
When I walked into the Embassy Suites, the first thing I noticed was how polished everything was. It is the newest hotel on the island, and it shows!
Everything is pristine and specifically curated to make you feel like you are somewhere special.
In fact, one of the very first things you will notice is the lights hanging above the lobby entrance that resemble birds.
This is actually to pay tribute to the fact that a bird sanctuary lies directly behind the hotel.
Checking in was a breeze, and we were in our suite in no time. And just in case you forgot, EVERY room is a suite.
Traveling with someone who likes to stay up late and watch TV? Well, they can hang out in the other room while you go to bed early.
Traveling with kids? Then the Embassy Suites is THE place for you. The property does not charge extra for kids, a rarity on the island.
All the couches have pull out beds, so the kids can have their own separate area to sleep at night and you can sleep soundly in your own room knowing you’ve scored one of the best deals on the island.
We were lucky enough to stay in one of the larger suites, and can’t recommend it enough! Not only is it more spacious, you also get 2 balconies to enjoy!
I mean, just LOOK at this room below:
We’d only just checked into our room, and I was already a fan of Embassy Suites Aruba.
A Warm Welcome Indeed
Have you ever paid thousands just to get to your hotel, then dished out more for your nightly rate, just to find that ordering a drink is going to put a dent in your wallet faster than you can say “rum punch, please”?
At the Embassy Suites, you’ll get 2 drinks free each day during their evening Cocktail Reception, the perfect way to cap off your daily adventures as you transition into “night mode”.
After checking in to our amazing room and unpacking, we were able to head down and get our free cocktails to spend some time unwinding from our travel day before dinner.
This became a staple in our daily routine at the Embassy Suites, and was a great time for us to talk about our adventures we had for the day, play a card game, and just chill out before dinner and evening activities.
Dinner was also incredible, though by the time it came around we had already grown to expect next level service, and we weren’t disappointed!
In fact, the food was so good at the Embassy Suites that we decided against eating out each night in favor of hanging out at the hotel.
One thing you MUST do during your stay is to order the tequenos (Caribbean Cheese Sticks).
The Aruba Experience
So far we’d only had an afternoon and evening at the hotel and Aruba was already a fantastic trip. But, even though you could totally stay on resort the whole time and have a great trip, don’t forget to get out and explore!
Aruba is a gorgeous island, and there are tons of things to do while you are there.
One of our favorites? The WATER!
I am not quite certain I was meant to come into this life as a human… any chance I get to jump in (and under) the water, I take it!
That’s why one of our must-dos while in Aruba was snorkeling. While we are both certified to dive, we thought a day on a catamaran with Red Sail Sports Aruba would be a fun way to see some of the marine life while also enjoying the boat life for the day, and we were right!
A quick ride to the marina from the hotel and we were on the water in no time.
The crew was amazing (and hilarious, seriously you can’t NOT have a good time with them), and the spots we stopped to snorkel were beautiful.
We have been diving and snorkeling in many destinations across the Caribbean, and Aruba lived up to our expectations.
If you like to get in the water like us, you will have a great time with Red Sail! Not to mention the free drinks and lunch while on board.
We even saw our favorite fish, a juvenile yellowtail damselfish.
If you see the bluest blue fish you’ve ever seen sparkling as the Aruban sun bounces off their scales, you’ve spotted one.
After an amazing day at sea, we headed back to the Embassy Suites Aruba and hung out by the pool in our Cabana that we had reserved.
The pool is huge, and there are plenty of spaces around to hang out as well. We caught up on a bit of work and read next to the pool for a while.
After this, we took advantage of bike rentals and went into town for gelato. There is a really cool area that looks like it was ripped right out of Italy, with a restaurant called Giannis to match!
Right in the same ‘courtyard’ area, there is a double decker bus that serves gelato, and I don’t know if you knew this, but gelato tastes better in Aruba 😉. After a day in the sun, a bike ride as the weather cooled followed by some gelato was a 10/10.
Once we headed back to the hotel, we had our nightly ritual of free cocktails and reliving our adventures for the day while we played cards.
The perfect way to prepare for another amazing dinner on the balcony overlooking a gorgeous sunset!
Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Roads
We are big fans of trying new things. I mean, you don’t jump into the travel industry full time if you don’t like to try new things, it’s like the whole point right?!
That’s why we do what we do, and sometimes you do something that immediately makes you want to go again!
That happened to me during my first trip to Aruba. I went on a UTV tour and had an absolute blast, I knew straight away I had to get Liz to try it too!
Thankfully we were given that chance with Fofoti Tours & Transfer.
They picked us up right from the Embassy Suites Aruba, and we were getting off road heading to the north end of the island in no time!
Since I had already been before, I was the passenger princess the whole time while Liz took us off-road to some incredible scenery.
Going to this side of the island feels like you are visiting the moon. The area is completely undeveloped and looks totally different from the resorts and beaches you see when back at the hotel.
During your tour you will get to ride over some really fun terrain on your way to see a few highlights like a natural bridge and the California Lighthouse.
Your last stop is refreshing, so wear your swimsuit and get ready to enjoy Tres Trapi Beach!
The ‘beach’ is really small but very pretty. There is a spot that you can jump in, and the water feels amazing. It’s also a great way to wash off the dirt you’ve likely accumulated on yourself during your offoading adventures.
We forgot our swimsuits, but we didn’t let that stop us, we just jumped in with our clothes on! 😂
A UTV tour is such a cool way to see a very unique side of the island, and TOURS did such a great job of making it seamless and fun!
You’ll notice a theme here for our next activity: we got back to the Embassy Suites Aruba, grabbed our free cocktails, and talked about how amazing our day was!
Dinner was once again incredible, and by this point we were regulars! The waiter knew us, knew what we wanted to drink, and asked us about our stay. We felt really at home and loved ending our days like this.
All Good Things Must Come To An End
Unfortunately, we can’t live at The Embassy Suites Aruba (I asked 😂 ), and our last morning was upon us.
But, we weren’t going to let that stop us from enjoying ourselves!
On our bike ride to get gelato, we noticed a butterfly garden right next door to the Embassy Suites and decided to check it out before leaving for the airport.
First things first… it is worth it!
It felt a bit pricey ($20 a pop), but we learned when we bought the tickets that they are valid for the duration of your stay in Aruba.
We were leaving in a few hours, but now we know for next time!
Walking in was an emotional experience. The butterflies are all so quiet and gentle and the gardens are beautiful.
You naturally feel a hush come over you as soon as you step in. We noticed they even do yoga sessions there sometimes which would have been an amazing experience!
Leaving Is Just As Easy As Arriving
When it was finally time to leave, checkout was just as easy as checking in, and the airport was nearby (less than 15 minutes).
Plus, another perk of Aruba is you get to do U.S. customs before taking off, so that way, when you land in the U.S., you can skip it!
Remember, once you get through the initial security check in Aruba when departing, you aren’t done if you are heading to the U.S., you need to continue to the right where you will go through U.S. security and customs.
We can’t wait to get back to Aruba, and when we go the Embassy Suites will be at the top of our list!
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