Our Aruba Wedding

Our expectation: We were thinking that this might not be the right venue for our wedding given that we knew kids are discouraged, but we thought it might be a nice place to retreat for a quiet little honeymoon after the wedding.

View from a Bucuti Resort Tara Suites Penthouse

The Bucuti Beach Resort Aruba is located on the gorgeous Eagle Beach. While their wedding coordinator is usually out of the office by 6:00pm on Friday, through email she agreed to wait and meet with us.

We did have trouble getting there. For some reason we thought it would be easy to find however its located in a pretty gnarled area of tightly packed ‘low-rise’ hotels. After asking several different people we finally found our way there. Unfortunately the wedding coordinator wasn’t! The front desk did get her on the phone and it turns out she forgot to schedule the appointment in her planner. What really shocked us is that she admitted to my fiance this was the second time that day that she missed an appointment!

As you can imagine, we did not feel we were to a good start. Luckily there was someone else that was glad to step up and show us around. He was gracious and friendly and had a cute personality. He showed us the outdoor fitness area and the beach. There are two buildings – one newer one older but he said all rooms have been renovated in the last couple of years. The only room he had to show us was a “penthouse”. I was beautiful. It had contemporary furniture and decor and a full modern kitchen. It did seem a little dark but it was cloudy outside. Still, something didn’t feel right though. Kind of felt like a nice condo but when I think penthouse I was expecting something more open and spacious. One thing that nagged at me is the balcony railing is so high… You wouldn’t be able to gaze out at the beach while seated on the balcony…

Side note: While we were there we were told that some journalists for “The Knot” were also staying there. He thought they were visiting resorts and publishing a book. We sure wish we knew what they saw and what they found out!

The bucuti balcony rail obscures the view if you're seated at the table. I don't know if they are all this high - this is a Tara Suites Penthouse.

Well we have to say that the Bucuti was easy for us to rule out. For one, while they technically allow children, they discourage them. This resort caters to a clientele that wants peace and quiet and that’s what they deliver. It was very serene. Another issue is that their starting room prices are high (at this moment, off-season regular rooms start at $250, though the penthouse prices are surprisingly affordable). The pool was small and did not have a swim-up bar. And of course, we were disappointed in the disorganized coordinator we were supposed to meet with.

Conclusion: All in all, if you’re looking for a pleasant quiet getaway the Bucuti might be nice for a honeymoon. It does have an air of exclusivity which is nice. We can see how many would find it very charming, however we will not be going back.