T+L’s Hotel Review of The St. Regis Aruba Resort

I often self-describe as a cynic who looks at beautiful ocean photos and thinks they must be Photoshopped. However, flying into Aruba for the first time gave me the best kind of reality check: the waters are truly that picture-perfect stunning.

And fortunately for me, I was staying at the newest hotel on the island, which has no shortage of turquoise ocean views: The St. Regis Aruba Resort.

The hotel feels like an extension of the sandy beach it occupies, with shades of white and beige paired with wooden furniture and decorative accents. Along with the nature-inspired palette and decor, another recurring theme throughout the accommodations and public areas is spaciousness, which also felt like a continuation of the endless turquoise expanse just outside the hotel’s doors. Oliver Reschreiter, the resort’s general manager, explained that the interiors indeed draw inspiration from the island’s abundant natural beauty and cultural richness, as well as the Casibari Rock Formations, Aruba’s monolithic boulder phenomena.

“The St. Regis Aruba Resort’s design blends Dutch-Caribbean culture with the storied legacy of The St. Regis Brand,” Reschreiter added. “The property brings an elevated and luxury hospitality experience, which cannot be found elsewhere on the island. The St. Regis Brand’s signature service brings a new standard to the island, allowing guests to have a truly luxurious stay when visiting one of the Caribbean’s best destinations.”

Below, my full review of Aruba’s newest luxury stay.

The Rooms

The St. Regis Aruba Resort has 252 guest rooms, including 52 suites, and nearly all have balconies with ocean views. Even the smallest guest room, at 516 square feet, provides guests with ample space to spread out, with double vanities and a deep soaking tub in the bathroom.

I stayed in an oceanfront suite that was twice the size of a standard room and felt like a spacious (and very luxurious) home with a living/dining area and a four-posted king bed (this room category is also available with two queen beds). However, the main attraction was the unobstructed Caribbean views that I enjoyed from both the floor-to-ceiling window in the bedroom and the balcony outside the living room.

If you’re looking to splurge, consider the 2,637-square-foot John Jacob Astor Presidential suite, the largest in the resort, which treats guests to a sprawling living room with a breakfast bar, a dining table for eight, and a private furnished balcony, from which you can enjoy your morning coffee or evening cocktails. According to Reschreiter, this one-bedroom suite “provides guests with the highest standard of The St. Regis’ signature hospitality experience.”

Food and Drink

The St. Regis Aruba Resort offers six food and beverage options: Grano Café, a grab-and-go coffee shop; The St. Regis Bar; Nuba, a poolside restaurant serving lunch fare; Eskama, a breakfast and dinner spot; and Akira Back, a Japanese and Korean-inspired restaurant.

Eskama is an indoor-outdoor dining space that doubles as a breakfast spot during the day and a Mediterranean eatery in the evening. Morning choices include a classic buffet with standard fare, such as an omelette station, fresh fruit, and local cheeses. Meanwhile, dishes like roasted Jidori chicken, Australian lamb chop, and mezze are the highlights of the à la carte menu.

Nuba, set up on Eskama’s outdoor patio, stands out with classic poolside options like ceviche, shrimp cocktail, blackened mahi mahi, burgers, poke, and fish tacos. (It also services hotel guests at the cabanas and beach chairs.)

While The St. Regis Bar is an ideal spot for a drink, afternoon tea ($70; 24-hour reservations) is also a favored daily activity here. The bar’s food menu leans toward Asian-inspired fare—think hamachi crudo, oysters, wagyu carpaccio, and sushi rolls.

But Chef Akira Back‘s eponymous restaurant is the crown jewel of the resort’s culinary program. (Back earned a Michelin star for Dosa, his restaurant in Seoul, back in 2018.) The rooftop space stuns with its panoramic views (which Reschreiter said are the best on the island, and I tend to believe him), which seem to envelop diners. Start off with an order of salmon tataki and yellowtail carpaccio from the raw bar, and move on to tuna tacos, a refreshing cucumber salad, or an eggplant miso. Seafood dishes, such as lobster tail or butterfish, are a foolproof option, but so is steak (of which there are options). My personal favorite was the giant prawns, served with corn and chojang.

Activities and Experiences

The hotel has a casino—a first for The St. Regis brand—with table games and slot machines, open to guests and island residents. “Locals and travelers alike enjoy the nightlife scene that Aruba is known for, so adding a casino was important for the property, but we also wanted to make sure it was still an elevated experience that guests expect of a St. Regis hotel,” Reschreiter said.

St. Regis is famous for creating the bloody mary back in 1934 at The St. Regis New York’s King Cole Bar, and here, guests can take a complimentary daily class to learn how to prepare the classic cocktail, or one with an Aruban twist—the Bon Bini Mary is made with lime, habanero, and the island’s iconic papaya hot sauce. Private classes are also available for $60 per person.

During my visit, the hotel coordinated a private tour of the island with De Palm Tours that took us to key spots like California Lighthouse, Alto Vista Chapel, the Ayo Rock Formations, Baby Natural Bridge, and a detour to San Nicolaas, the island’s second largest city boasting a thriving street art scene.

However, if you would rather spend your days being pampered at the hotel, book a cabana ($350; excluding the service charge) and enjoy some snorkelling time.

Don’t miss another St. Regis staple—the evening Champagne sabrage taking place daily on the hotel’s terrace.

The Spa

All guests have access to the sauna and steam room, with add-on spa services including massages, manicures and pedicures, body scrubs, and facials. Some treatments feature Aruba aloe: the island is known as “The Island of Aloes” with some of the world’s best aloe grown here.

Family-friendly Offerings

The resort has a curated list of activities—what it refers to as “family traditions”—for groups traveling with kids. “The programming includes Little Chefs Academy, Family Yoga, Tiny Afternoon Tea, Memory Journals, and Cultural Storytelling, all celebrating the art of play and connection,” Reschreiter said. Additionally, the hotel’s youngest guests can keep busy at the on-site children’s club, offering educational experiences rooted in Aruba’s rich heritage.

Accessibility and Sustainability

Accessibility features at The St. Regis Aruba Resort include mobility-accessible rooms with roll-in showers, bathtub grab rails, and non-slip bathroom surfaces. The common areas—like the spa, fitness center, restaurants, and pool—are wheelchair-accessible, with elevators and ramps readily available throughout the hotel.

Reschreiter told T+L service animals are welcome on-site, and the pools have self-operating lifts and sloped entries for guests with mobility needs.

Location

The St. Regis Aruba Resort sits on Palm Beach along the northwest coast of the island. Eagle Beach, another beautiful stretch of sand named the best beach in the Caribbean, is a six-minute drive (or a 20-minute walk) from the hotel. Butterfly Farm and downtown Oranjestad are also easily accessible.

The resort is a 20-minute drive from Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA).

How to Get the Most Value Out of Your Stay

The hotel is part of the Marriott International portfolio and guests can use earn and redeem points for free stays through Marriott Bonvoy, the company’s rewards program. At the time of publication, the hotel is offering a 25 percent discount and a 10,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus point offer. For the latest on member deals and offers, visit the hotel’s “Offers” page.

Nightly rates at St. Regis Aruba Resort start from $719.

Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.