My husband and I visited the Bucuti in August 2007 for our honeymoon and I was floored!! I booked the Bucuti based on the reviews on tripadvisor and couldn't have been more pleased. We stayed in a Tara Suite which was amazing (the building is beachfront.) The view to the sea was beautiful and the decor was fabulous. Being August it was very humid and we had to empty out the water tank of the giant dehumidifier at least once a day, but I didn't mind doing it at all since it beat being humid and miserable! The only big disappointment was the small, run-of-the-mill bathroom with a tub/shower combo (would have loved a jacuzzi tub!) but since we weren't in a penthouse I think this is standard. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful in booking our daily adventures and the continental breakfast was tasty.

I felt extremely safe in Aruba and we were able to take a taxi everywhere. We decided to relax half of the days and the other half take part in the various activities in the afternoon. We spent one day horseback riding through the desert (Rancho Ponderosa) - we toured the local neighborhoods (which were very cute and colorful), rode up the hills through the desert terrain then headed down to the beach. The next day we did a Jeep tour of the island visiting the various sites (former natural bridge site, snorkeling at the natural pool, highest point of the island, ruins) and the last day we went on a sunset cruise which was lots of fun (open bar with about 15 other couples from Bucuti.) Aruba has an enormous selection of restaurants and we had fun deciding which place to go to every night. We ate at Pizza Bob's once (very good takeout), Flying Fishbone (romantic final night dinner on the deck overlooking the beach - you can also sit on the beach with your feet in the water), Driftwood (ok service, cheesy decor, more kid/family oriented), El Gaucho (Brazilian steakhouse, very excellent and filling! mariachi singers would play at your table for a tip), El Faro Blanco (beautiful scenary on a cliff over the sea next to the lighthouse, expensive for the quality of food though), Pincho's (restaurant out on a dock, great first night dinner, very romantic sitting over the water in the dark on our couch)

During the mornings/early afternoons we sat on the beach (a one minute walk from our room) and received excellent beach service from the Pirates Nest. Our waiter (Nick I believe) tended to our every need whether it was a sandwich, a Corona, or more ice in our bucket of Coronas :) We spent hours relaxing under the palapas reading and when we needed to cool off we left the beach momentarily to go jump in the pool (my husband isn't a big fan of sharks so he doesn't like going in the ocean/sea!) We also got a couple's massage through the Bucuti's spa. It took place on the beach in a hut. It was nice but not really romantic so I probably wouldn't do it again.

The best part of the Bucuti was the tranquility. We felt like we were the only couple on the resort most evenings. There was always a very small number of guests walking around relative to the size of the hotel, and I don't think we ran into anyone once in the elevators/hall the whole week! It made it really seem like our own personal vacation which was nice for a honeymoon. The only time I wish we had been able to socialize more was when we headed to the beach bar. It is setup as a large circle but it is mostly couples and everyone kept to themselves. The awful "easy listening" music they had on the radio didn't help start the party much though either!

Overall I would say the Bucuti and Aruba were an incredible experience and I cannot wait to return! I would recommend to visit this hotel and Aruba very strongly!!

We think the Bucuti is a nice hotel and it could easily be even better, but at the moment maybe not so extraordinary as many people say here in Tripadvisor. But anyway, we had a wonderful holiday in Bucuti and Aruba.

What we liked:

The beach is really great, better than e.g. in Mauritius.The beach and the water are really clean and the atmosphere on the beach is calm. The waves were really high during our first days. (N.B, there is no life guard on the beach.)

The personnel in the reception and the consierge was nice and always helpful.

The breakfast in the Tara suites lounge was nice. (Why not use this space for serving light lunches?)

Our son liked the gym as well.

The minimarket was ok for buying soft drinks and chocolate etc.

What we didn't like so much:

The housekeeping was not always excellent, e.g. one evening we came in at 5 PM, but the room was not made. And it was never made by lunch time. So , if you wanted take a shower, your towels were still in a heap on the floor.

The restaurant: we only had one lunch, that was enough. The Pirate's nest, which looks like it's from the Disney world, should be replaced asap. It just isn't up to the level of this hotel. We didn't find any lunch restaurants near by, so this was a problem. I think a 4*-hotel should have a decent lunch and dinner restaurant. As well as a nice "evening" bar for peoplewatching. No wonder it was really quiet in the evenings in the hotel as most people went out of the hotel.

What we thought of Aruba: in the beginning we were a bit disappointed, it felt like being in Florida or somewhere else in the US., not as exotic as we had thought. But it turned out that the people are nice, things work out pretty good and the climate and the beaches are wonderful. It was a surprise that the crowd was more middle-aged that honeymooners.

We plan to return to Aruba, and maybe even to Bucuti, and definitely to Bucuti, if they replaced the restaurant.

Finally an important notice for european shopaholics: the prices at Gucci (in Renaissance Mall) are 1/3 lower than in Europe!

My husband and I stayed at the Bucuti from 4/16-4/23. We chose to stay at the Bucuti as a result of a lot of research and the trip advisor reviews. We were not disappointed. Upon arrival, we were given champagne which is a very nice touch. We had booked a Deluxe room. Our original room had a partial view of the water, but we were hoping for a fuller view of the beach and water. We asked the front desk if it would be possible to change rooms, and the next day, a deluxe room became available, for the remainder of our stay, that had a full view of the beach. It was really beautiful. We watched the sunset from our balcony on several evenings. The deluxe room was very nice, roomy with a small refrigerator, microwave, & coffeemaker. We found the mattresses to be very comfortable to sleep on and the rooms were kept very clean. Soooo important!!

The grounds of the Bucuti were so pretty and well-maintained, and the overall effect was very tranquil. As everyone else has mentioned, the beach is absolutely gorgeous. The sand is powdery white. It is always cool and the water is the color of turquoise. The beach is never crowded and there were always palapas available. Most of the time we did not get out on the beach until between 11:00 and 11:30, and we never had a hard time finding an available palapa.

We enjoyed the continental breakfast that was included in our stay. It had a nice variety of cold items, (fruit, cereals, breads, coldcuts, cheeses) and hot coffees (cappuccino, cafe mocha, cafe latte,) as well as regular and decaf coffee.

The staff was very helpful, although we found that some of the concierge staff were very efficient , while others not so much.

As far as restaurants, we enjoyed the Amazonia, similar to Texas de Brazil, only not so crowded and noisy. Much better ambiance, great food, and an awesome service staff . We also enjoyed a wonderful Italian restaurant called the Hostaria da Vittorio. The food was delicious and the service was oustanding. We also liked Pizza Bob's for its convenience to the Bucuti, and the food was pretty decent. Unlike many others, we did not care for the Flying Fishbone. We thought the food was good, but not great, and that it was overpriced for what you got. We talked with others who had eaten there, while we were on our trip and they were of the same opinion. We sat right at the water. I would not recommend it because there are crabs that crawl out from the rocks and walk toward your bare feet in the water. It was very distracting and not particularly relaxing. It might be better sitting farther back. Also, you have to be careful, because the chairs are right in the sand, and can tip over.

We did the ABC half day jeep tour. What a great time. The best part of the tour was snorkeling in the natural pool. The jeep ride over the rocks was so much fun and the beauty of the undeveloped side of Aruba is not to be missed.

We would love to go back to Aruba and we would definitely stay at the Bucuti. It's beautiful, peaceful, charming and clean. You can't ask for much more.

honeymoon stayed in superior room which was fine but i think tara suites better best thing about the bucuti is the beach very quiet,sun beds not on top of each other really great place if you want to relax and watch the world go by have drinks from 4pm onwards at the beachbar great atmosphere went into town for dinner but full of high rise hotels and the beach there is really crowded so bucuti def the best