Do you know that wonderful image we all have of the Caribbean, with crystal blue water, white sand beaches, beautiful weather and lovely people? Take a quiet moment, close your eyes, and picture the palm trees on the sugar sand beach, calm crystal blue waves washing up on a shallow beach, shady palapas with chaise lounges scattered beneath among the palms, open-air restaurants and bars with delicious food options and fun tropical drinks, and laughing kids playing in the pools... I'm still pinching myself but I actually found that idyllic location in Aruba.
Beach at Holiday Inn Resort Aruba (click for larger image)
Last week, I had the incredible good fortune to enjoy a complimentary four-day trip to the Caribbean island of Aruba, hosted by the Holiday Inn Resort located there. I've done a good amount of traveling with my family of five, and it can be tough to find a place where parents can be relaxed and comfortable and kids can be happy and entertained. Holiday Inns are always a clean, safe and reasonably-priced choice for family travel but somehow I had a perception of them as old-fashioned. I was so pleased to learn that Holiday Inn has been very busy updating their locations and building the Holiday Inn Resort brand, with 45 family-friendly Resorts located worldwide and 20 more in development. In fact, the Aruba resort was completely renovated and upgraded in 2014, and it shows in all the wonderful details and amenities (for instance, all rooms have refrigerators, safes and regular US 110V 3-prong polarized outlets).
Open-air lobby
The Holiday Inn Resort in Aruba is a true resort, not just a hotel. There’s plenty to keep a family occupied and having fun for a week:
- A newly-renovated Kids Club where children age 4-11 can play during the day under the watchful eye of trained caregivers
- Three pools (including a zero-entry kids pool) and three Jacuzzis plus a wide, gorgeous white sand beach with calm waves
- Beach palapas and poolside cabanas
- Water sports including banana boats, parasailing, catamaran sailing, snorkeling (some on-site, some within walking distance, additional charge)
- Classes and activities such as pilates, Tai Chi, bingo and aqua aerobics
- A spa and fitness center
- A casino and on-site shopping
- Free bicycles to borrow
- Optional all-inclusive meals and drinks -- for the week or on any day you choose, and Kids Eat Free even when you're not on an all-inclusive plan!
One of three pools
The Holiday Inn Resort was really family-friendly, and there were lots of families there enjoying the amenities. The zero-entry pool is great for kids, and there were always plenty of shaded chaises available for moms and dads. One of the really unique aspects of the Holiday Inn Resort Aruba though is that the resort is divided up into three zones – a family-friendly, activity-oriented “Action & Play” zone, centered around the Ocean Tower; a relaxing “Peace & Harmony” zone, centered around the Palm Tower; and a zone for socializing, the “Chill & Mingle” area, centered around the Sea Tower. The Action & Play zone features pools, restaurants, beach with activities, salsa lessons, the Kids Club, the casino and shopping area. The Peace & Harmony zone features a quiet courtyard, beautiful beach, quieter rooms, a bar, and pilates and yoga sessions. The Chill & Mingle zone has pools, beach, the fitness center and spa, restaurant and easy access to a seaside Caribbean nightclub next door. It’s a great setup for those looking for different experiences – family fun, relaxation, or socializing.
I also loved the fact that the Holiday Inn Resort Aruba offers their All-Inclusive Plan on a daily basis. At many resorts, you have to purchase a plan for the entire week but then you can't take advantage of it when you're away from the resort. At the Holiday Inn Resort, simply ask to activate the All Inclusive Plan on the days when you plan to stay on-site. You can enjoy a variety of cuisines at four restaurants, free house brand drinks at three bars, and kids 12 and under eat free from the kids menu. In fact, you don't even need to enroll in the All Inclusive Plan to take advantage of the Kids Eat Free option. At all on-site restaurants at Holiday Inn Resorts in the Caribbean and Latin America, kids meals for kids 12 and under are free with an adult order. There are healthy and popular choices on the kids menu too, like fruit, grilled chicken, spaghetti, chicken tenders and more.
One of four restaurants at the resort
There's also plenty to do away from the resort, including sightseeing at the California Lighthouse, snorkeling at the public beach just a bus ride away, taking an Underwater Explorer trip with De Palm Tours to see shipwrecks and tropical fish, a Butterfly Farm, exploring caves, climbing the Casibari Rock Formation, seeing animals at the Donkey Sanctuary or Philip's Animal Garden, spending the day on De Palm Island, visiting the Aruba Aloe Factory, sailing on a catamaran with Pelican Adventures, and browsing the shops and enjoying the restaurants along the boulevard next to the Holiday Inn Resort. Aruba is quite small (about 8 miles by 19 miles) so most sites are easily accessible. Our tour guide recommended that first-time visitors take advantage of organized tours to visit the various sites, but it is easy to rent a car as well (there’s a car rental desk right in Holiday Inn Resort). Downtown Oranjestad has high-end shopping malls as well.
Casibari Rock Formation & Gardens
See all the beauty of Aruba and the resort in my video:
Holiday Inn Resorts have really opened my eyes to a new option for travelling with my family. In addition to the resort in Aruba, they have full-service, family-oriented resorts in all kinds of interesting destinations, including Florida, Hawaii, Jamaica, Maine, Oregon, South Dakota and California, plus international locations such as China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, France, and even Jordan. We're very interested in exploring unique destinations with our kids, now that they’re older, so I’m really excited to check out all the Holiday Inn Resort options for our next trip. Right now though, with winter descending, all I can think about is getting my family to that gorgeous beach in Aruba!
I was provided with three nights accommodations, meals, excursions and air travel to facilitate this review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.
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