We just returned from 5 nights at the Radisson and can't wait to return. The hotel is beautiful and the staff could not have been more accomodating. They upgraded us from a standard room to an ocean view on the concierge floor. The beach is fantastic and the palapas were easy to reserve each day. After walking through the grounds of the neighboring resorts we were confident that the Radisson is the place to stay. Very tropical and lush. The rooms were clean with housekeeping twice daily and turn down service. Plenty of storage, no mildew smells. Sailed the Tranquilo with Capt. Anthony-highly recommend. Had a couples massage at Manchebo Spa del Sol-fantastic but would have been better scheduled for the morning before the sun was so hot. Great meals at Madame Jeanettes, Pinchos, Smokey Joes, Passions and, our very favorite, Sunset Grille. Tip: order a chocolate souffle to go from there and take that, a bottle of wine and some towels down to the beach and watch the moon rise-incredible!

We recently (June 25 - July 2) went to Aruba and stayed at the Radisson. This hotel was excellent and I would definitely recommend it. I will stay there again on my next trip to Aruba

Room: The room that we had was very nice and comfortable. There was a marble bathroom that had plenty of room for the two of us. The sleep number beds were great. The balcony was spacious and was a nice place to sit after a day at the beach. The only complaint with the room was that it always felt damp in there due to the humidity. It wasn't that bad though.

Pool: There are two pools at the Radisson. They were both nice zero entry pools. There weren't that many people at the pool and there was plenty of chairs and cabanas around it. There is also a pool side bar called Gilligans that had excellent food and happy hour from 5 to 7.

Beach: The beach was the best part of staying at the Radisson. There is plenty of space and the sand is perfect. The ocean has no rocks and the water was crystal clear. The palapas were great and nicely spaced from others. We never felt on top of anyone while we were out there. You do need to go reserve your palapa the day before at 4:00PM, but during our stay there were plenty to choose from.

If you like to walk on the beach, walk past the Marriot and you will find a beach that is not owned by any hotel. The water here is very shallow and you can walk out to the middle of the ocean and it will be knee deep. It's a fun little spot we found one day. Bring a camera!

Food: We had the breakfast buffet at Iguana's included in our stay. It was a decent breakfast with typical american fare including made to order eggs.

Gilligan's was great for lunch. The portions are pretty big so you can share an entree and have a light lunch.

Another great place for lunch is the De Palms Pier (to the left if you are looking towards the ocean). Great food with cheap prices. They can be alittle slow with the service, but if you don't mind that then its a great place... plus there is a great view!

Mira Solo is the bar just past the lobby. It has a nice set up but the prices are ridiculous. $8.95 for a beer just doesnt sit right with me. If you want a cool outdoor beach bar, walk towards the Marriot and you'll find, Moomba, a beach bar right before it. Good prices and a nice atmosphere.

After walking the beach every day past all of the high rise hotels, the Radisson is the best place to stay because of its beach. The Marriot is way too crowded, Holiday Inn was not clean, and the Hyatt was probably the next best behind the Radisson.

Stay at the Radisson, you won't regret it!

This was my second visit to the Radisson and I won't stay anywhere else when I go to Aruba. I am a vey picky traveler and was treated wonderfully by the whole staff. The beach is never crowded, you can walk to the pier to sign up for activities. The pool was also great. The only thing that needed improvement was the food, especially breakfast at Laguna ot lunch at Gilligans. It was very expensive and just "OK". Luckily, there are many restaurants and cafes that are within short walking distance. Be sure to try Salt and Pepper's for breakfast, thier pancakes are dutch pancakes and Texas De Brazil is with in walking distance. We were upgraded from a concrete view to a water view at no charge and got a great deal with our fourth night being free and a $250 food and beverage credit. I am 5 1/2 months pregnant and felt this was a great relaxing place to stay. We were in the Aruba tower and could also hear the parrots in the morning, but it didn't bother us.

My husband and I are very selective when it comes to our accommodations and dining. Trip Advisor reviews helped us to decide between the Hyatt and the Radisson. Our garden-view room was decent and met our needs. We only used the room to change our clothes between activities and sleep between 11/12 and 7am. We only had 2 minor problems. Our tub had a slow drain (we realized it after we unpacked, so decided to just take out the stopper). Like one other reviewer, our safe became stuck 2 times which required security to come to our room. The first Pillsbury-like security guy they sent was irritated and admonished us for adjusting the a/c. He felt that the humidity caused the safe problem. Then he went to great extremes to ensure that we were legit in accessing the contents of our safe. The second guy was much nicer and indicated the safes are sometimes persnickety. He opened it, apologized and left.

We had lots of pros to share: The beach sand beyond the Radisson (headed toward Hyatt) deteriorated. The Radisson had the best sand! It was soft, meticulously cared for daily and clean. The other beaches had really rocky, hard sand (some with tree roots growing out). Radisson's beach was never crowded. Palapas were easy to reserve. There were no bad sections. The beach and pool area staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The pools were absolutely great and never congested. The accessibility and close proximity to a multitude of motorized and non-motorized equipment was awesome!

In terms of the food, we ate at the Laguna and Gilligans for breakfast. Both places were fine, but the best dining experiences were a short walk across from the Hyatt. We enjoyed Salt & Pepper and Fishes& More. I'm a vegetarian, but I went to Amazonia with my husband and truly enjoyed the rodizio experience (arrive on an empty stomach). A wooden spool with a green (keep it coming) side and a red (slow it down) side will let the meat carvers know your needs. The salad bar was great for me. We really enjoyed the buffet lunch at the Occidental (courtesy of a timeshare tour that we seriously considered until we realized that it would cost 4 of us $6,000 to go each year not including airfare. We are already timeshare owners. Their offer was not a deal! If you tell solicitors that you already spoke to Maggy, they will leave you alone.

Must do activities include:

We did the Jolly Pirates 4 hour trip. This excursion offered 3 sites, lunch and a wild rope swing. If you prefer a more modern, luxurious-like boat, then try the DePalm. Jolly Pirates is no-frills but adventurous.

Kukoo Kanuko- Do not attempt to do this on your first or last night! I promise, at the end of the evening, you will be hugging and exchanging email addresses with total strangers. Wear comfortable shoes; avoid short skirts (you have to climb up and down to board and exit the bus several times). This is also a great way to see much of the island.

Tattoo- Dinner and dance. The crew, especially the MC and DJ were TOTALLY AWESOME. They were so entertaining that I tried to figure out how I could get them to DJ/MC our July 4th party in the US. The food aboard is not great, so don't come on an empty stomach if you plan to drink. You can order food before you leave the Pier (the bathroom there is gross despite the 25 cent you pay the woman at the door who cleans it). There is a wild slide and rope swing at the end of the night.

Rent the jet skis! Tube rides are also a must-do, but not after a Kukoo Kanuko night! On our last day, the waves were a little torrid. It was the only day that we saw the tubes and banana boats capsize frequently. No one was hurt and most climbed right back on and continued. A couple of others opted to ride back in the boat.

ATV tours allow you to experience the beauty of the dry land. We couldn't fit this in and already have plans to do this in Vegas next week, but watching the drivers and passengers was actually exhilerating. We watched these activities from the Kukoo Kanuku bus.