Expectation: That we would fall in love with it but find it to be totally out of our budget.

I think many people agree that the Hyatt Regency is “the place” to stay in Aruba if you can afford it. In fact, a week or two before we went for our site visit I had just watched a Travel Chanel special “Top 10 Resorts in the Caribbean” and started to drool! While I was trying hard to not get caught up in needing the ‘dream wedding’ I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I didn’t want to torture myself with an appointment but my fiance took the initiative and made a call two Sundays before our visit.

I was a little disappointed that our call wasn’t returned until Wednesday and almost wasn’t going to return the call back. (She had to leave a voice mail because I was at work. I also later found out there was a holiday in Aruba that was the reason for the delay.) We also had a little difficulty arranging the appointment because she was also out of the office for some time the following week. We did finally get the appointment set up.

We exchanged a few emails before the meeting so my fiance and I would have an idea of what to expect with the sites, menu and entertainment options. They were more expensive than the other hotels though I’m was surprised it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had expected. There was a lot going on in the days leading up to the site visit – we were trying to gather as much information as possible and set up what we thought would be meaningful appointments. I have to say I was a little discouraged in that I found a couple of her emails a bit abrupt. I mention this to someone that knows her – that person kind of laughs and says she’s fine when you get to know her a little bit. I let it go figuring she’s probably bombarded by people all day, many of whom may not be serious. And of course, I had waited until the last minute to push for information.

The scheduling ended up being really tight. The time she could meet with us conflicted with another meeting we had. Since we had done our homework we told her we really just needed to see the sites. She said she could give us only 30 minutes which we were fine with.

When we met her in person we found her ‘pleasant’. Not especially warm or overly-friendly like the others, but professional. She took us around and we loved the property. The pool area is great and beach is very nice. They have a ‘deck’ available for receptions that we didn’t get too excited about, but they had another location we LOVED! They have a restaurant that you can only use on Sundays – the Ruinas del Mar. Our preferred date of Saturday was already taken so maybe Sunday would be perfect. The Ruinas is classy and needs no decorating! It’s beautiful as is. There are two deck patios off of it – one covered, one not, and its nestled within the pool. (Theirs was the best pool that we saw.) And I would have peace of mind that there is no need for a back-up location!

Even though our half hour has passed, she is warming up and taking us to see a room. Along the way she sees the bride that is waiting for her and greets her with a big hug and we are starting to see her as someone we could talk to.

The Hyatt as recently undergone a multi-million dollar renovation that is stunning. Their lobby is gorgeous giving you that “wow!” when you walk in. The hallway to the room is bright and beautifully decorated. The decor of the room itself is fresh and modern – sophisticated and contemporary with orange and green accents that put you in a ‘tropical’ mood. The downside of the room – no balcony. (Rooms at Westin and Marriott ALL have balconies.) UPDATE: Actually the Hyatt does technically have balconies. These are “Standing / French” balconies. You can stand against them an look out, however you can not have a seat and enjoy the view. There is another post with Hyatt site visit photos that shows these. Westin and Marriott balconies are full sitting balconies.

Conclusion: Beautiful hotel! The wedding cost would be close to the other locations since decorating would not be needed. The downsides we have to weigh are that our preferred date of Saturday is not available, they are more expensive for our guests and they do not allow outside vendors.