Great place to stay in Aruba! Great beach location, only complaint was a couple of rude people who thought they owned the entire beach. Good service, nice casino.

We went to Aruba for February school Vacation and stayed at the Westin. The Staff was awesome and could not have been more accomodating. Our room was extremely clean and I am VERY critical when it comes to hotels. We had a beautfiul view of the pool and the ocean.For me to have stayed for six nights comfortable this was awesome. The grounds were clean and I felt it was safe for my two teenage children. The beach was very nice and the beach staff was very helpful. The tradewinds kept you cool. The casino was smokey and that was a complete turnoff. We mostly ate at the Westin and we did not have a bad meal. Rent a jeep and travel the island it is so beautiful do not miss out on the sights. The banana boat ride and parasailing were also great. The pool was also exceptionally clean and enjoyable. The next time we go back we would definitely stay at the Westin.

Westin met my expectations. Staff was friendly and outgoing. Great beach. Food was pricey but there are ways around that. Overall a great experience.

The Westin Aruba is an older hotel with some recent upgrades but not a full renovation. The lobby looks great but the rooms have an old, musty feel although the furniture and carpeting appears to be new. Not sure if it is a real problem but I found several small ants on the night table a couple of times but I did leave a finished pepsi can there. With the exception of the casino, the hotel is smoke-free indoors including all guest rooms.

I reserved an island view room and as a Platinum Starwood guest received an upgrade to an ocean view suite. The room had a separate living room with a 50"+ flat panel TV, two balconies with beach views and maybe a 32" flat panel TV in the bedroom. The bed was very comfortable - heavenly bed. The bath room had double sinks, large walk-in closet but small shower and an old marked up separate tub. We received only one Westin Heavenly towel during the entire stay. The other towels were smaller and not nearly as soft and may be left over from the Wyndham.

The service in the hotel was mostly good. The front desk and doorman were very nice and helpful. Housekeeping responding quickly late one night when we needed the pullout couch made for our nephews who decided to sleep over. But the bartenders by the pool where you might spend a lot of your time were rude. The woman at the desk at the spa was also rude.

The spa was disappointing. You are given a robe and a bag to put all your belongings. Although there are lockers, for some reason you can't use them and have to carry your bag/clothes to the waiting room. The locker room was small without a sauna or hot-tub but there is a steam room. I went for a deep tissue massage but the masseuse did not apply enough pressure - it was relaxing but not a deep tissue massage. My girlfriend got a hot stone massage and got burnt by some of the stones. The room was also cold which is fine for me but not my girlfriend.

We didn't try any of the restaurants except for by the pool for lunch. The fajitas were good but anything else we had was just OK. The prices were average but 8-oz Balashi beers seem pricy at $5.50.

If you want a beach palapa, you can reserve in advance for $60 or go wait on line at 7am. Typically as a platinum SPG you can reserve in advance and/or receive a discount but not at the Westin Aruba. We were able to find shade at the pool at 10:30 but most chairs are in direct sun. The pool was not crowded during our stay and there are lots of chairs.

Aruba is a small island and the hotel is close to anywhere you'll want to go. The beach is maybe a little nicer than further down by the Hyatt or Marriott where it is narrower and more crowded. In comparison to other hotels, I'm not sure if you will do much better anywhere else with some tradeoffs. If I were to go back to Aruba, I probably would stay at the Westin again for the room upgrade and Starwood points loyalty unless something better is built - there doesn't appear to be a real 5-star hotel on the island today. Where ever you stay, you'll most likely have a nice beach and good weather.