My boyfriend and I recently returned from Aruba, and we stayed at the Bucuti Beach Resort. I have to say that I didn't expect to fall in love with this resort or the Island. But we did. Big time. I will start with the Tara Suites, we stayed in the Tara suite for 2 nights and it was spacious, clean and the views were fabulous. The remainder of our stay was in the Penthouse. What can I say, It was outstanding. The bathroom was lovely, bedroom huge, with access to the balcony which was fantastic. I cannot say enough about the views. The whole place was just perfect for us. So many nice little touches. We had no complaints about our accomodations at all. As far as the staff is concerned we were more than pleased. From housekeeping, reception, bartenders, and waitstaff, everyone was very helpful and nice. The continental breakfast was nice also. We didn't think we were going to like it, but it was a nice change from Bacon and eggs and pancakes, etc. The selection of cheeses and meats were very good. Fresh fruits and pastries and a wide selection of breads. The Pirates Nest for lunch was nice. We did that a couple of days. We were a little worried because of some of the reviews posted, but for a quick bite it was just fine. As far as the beach is concerned, it was absolutely fabulous. We were there every morning except one. Sand beautiful, water beautiful, always a hut available. It felt like we had the beach to ourselves, we loved it. As far as the tradewinds go, it didn't bother us one bit, in fact we liked it. We never felt too HOT. It was so relaxing and peaceful. Which is exactly what we wanted.
As far as restaurants go, I was in my glory. I am a big Foodie, and being from New York, I know good eats. Every place we went too was fabulous. I wish we were there longer, to go to all the spots I have read about. My favorite was the flying fishbone. We had the best time there. The food was really, really fresh and tasty. So many flavors. I cannot say enough about the outside seating, it is out of this world. You just have to go there for yourself to see what I mean. We also loved the Marandi, that is a definate must. And El Gaucho was really good too. Loved it. There was a cigar bar across the street from El Gauchos which was so much fun. live band, good cocktails, and dancing. Iguana Joes was good too, food was very good, the sizzling fajitas were fantastic. They give you so much too. The drinks were really huge and the atmosphere was fun.
We did go into the high rise section, and it was nice, but we preferred the low rise. We did not rent a car this trip, we really didnt miss it. Everything you needed was close by, and cabs were always available and they werent' to expensive. We are alrealy planning to go next year, and we will rent a car, the island is not that big, but there are places we would like to see that we did not this trip. Mainly because the resort and our room was so beautiful, it was hard to leave. So I do recommend this resort and island to couples, who want to relax and swim in a beautiful ocean. Eat at some fabulous restaurants, maybe do a little jewelry shopping and just chill. We loved it and will be doing it all over again at the Bucuti.

We stayed at the Tara Beach Suites for our honeymoon and were impressed with everything about this resort. We did the advanced check-in online the day before, and all the info was in the computer waiting for us. All the employees were friendly and eager to please. It seemed like they were happy that we were there; a refreshing change from the big hotels. The room included an air purifier and a dehumidifier! Our room was always clean, cool, and dry. The suites were just steps from the best beach in Aruba; never crowded, no kids, lots of umbrellas and chairs, and very well maintained. Lionel the bartender was a riot, and there were half-price drinks at two happy-hours. The food was great. We did the candlelight dinner on the beach and loved it. Go for the later seating - you will miss the sunset but they are nothing special. You will enjoy the privacy of an empty beach under the stars much more than a sunset next to a large topless person. If you like the crowds, you're only a short cab ride away from the Palm Beach high-rise hotel area or the downtown Oranjestad shops. My wife enjoyed her SPA experience. All together it made for a great honeymoon. We have stayed at the top hotels in Hawaii (Halekulani, Kapalua Bay), so we did not fully appreciate the Tara Suites until we stayed at the suites of a larger hotel chain in Aruba (that was supposed to be better). Bucuti blew them away. Reviews from this site helped me pick Bucuti, and we will return.

My husband and I stayed at Bucuti in August 2005 for our honeymoon in one of the Tara Suites. It was awesome! The rooms was great - probably one of the nicest we have ever stayed in. The beach was great and not crowded at all. There were always lots of umbrellas on the beach so no need to rush out early in the morning to reserve your spot. For honeymooner, or anyone wanting privacy, Eagle Beach was perfect b/c it was not overcrowded, particulary compared to the high rise hotels located further down the beach. Bucuti gave us very personalized service and I also recomend getting a massage at the Spa while you are there. In short, we LOVED it and definitely will go back again. Great for couples!

We stayed at the Bucuti in July 3rd thru 10th 2006, and can't say enough great things about our stay.

The facilities, staff, food, ambience was awesome !, they were doing a remodel on one of the buildings (very nicely done completed units by the way) but did their best to keep disruption to a minimum. Take "Franks Tour", a island tour guide Frank does a great job.

Situated on the largest, most beautiful beach on the island (Eagle beach), the hotels on this stretch of beach have the largest amount of beautiful white sand and the lowest population of tourists. After staying here we would never even consider the hi-rise area on Palm Beach....no interest at all.

Adult oriented , (no kids activities planned) the Bucuti was the perfect haven for adults wishing to get away from it all ...at least for a little while.

When visiting Aruba you should familiarize yourself with:service charges, calling the US and if not on a GSM cell phone purchase the SETAR phone card and use the black phones(slide the card in and leave it in, follow instructions).

Many people rented a car/jeep, next time we might for one day but public transportation (city bus) was very inexpensive, clean, safe and reasonably on-time. Cab fares are fixed by the govt, and did not see anywhere to rent bicycles (not really set up for that with all the cars on the island).

Enjoy yourselves and take your sunscreen, right on the equator you can burn in about 10 minutes with out it.