Best of the Best Hotels

RECEPTION Very warming & pro welcome with bubbles ROOM We stayed in room 223 for 1 week/7 nights Great that corridors have AC Bed : very comfy Tv : big screen with plenty of channels Light switches : a bit awkward to use Storage : plenty available Absolutely 0 mold smell because of systems in room + greatly maintained Cleaning : made a remark on our first morning because stuff lying under the sink, the lady had also forgotten a filled trash bag on the dink…no issues after that ECO We really loved the reusable containers which you can take home. Actually using them now here in Bonaire BATHROOM The tv in the mirror is a nice gadget but we did not use, probably because we are European… A pity that there is no flexible hose, easier to rince (ladies) hair. Being 1.95m (6.4 ft) the shower was a little too low for me but not a big problem Aloe vera products = great and also local The position products not very practical No earbuds or shower caps in room or a note saying you can get them upon request and we did not bother asking any either. Pas de coton tiges… ou un mot disant… BALCONY Very happy to have a side view of beach and sea although we had a garden view No drying rack and we did not bother to ask. BREAKFAST - ELEMENTS You can sit outside and enjoy a GREAT view while having a good breakfast. Choice/quality is fine but : Probably introduced during Covid but really not practical, lay-out bot goid, people even queuing outside. Buffet but you cannot serve yourself. You need to take a (rather heavy) wooden tray (plateau) and ask for everything. Bacon to be ordered separately where one can also get scrambled eggs (too dry for me) and crêpes (pancakes) A lot of fruit and a nice bread choice. Separate egg station made to choice. You can order Eggs Benedict (great) and waffles (too big and heavy for my wife) from the waiter along with your hot drinks. Cappuccino is great After our very first breakfast around 8.30 am and because of the crowd, we came at 7 am each morning after which was great but everything and/or everybody was not always 100% in place.. not to be grumpy but 7 should be 7, especially being jetlagged coming from Europe. Staff not always 100% focused and as we experienced in other boutique hotels, waiters not remembering our drink choice, not a biggy but worth noting. FOOD - SANDBAR/ELEMENTS Prices : very fair Tartare avicado/mango : excellent Caesar salad chicken : excellent Caesar salad mahi mahi : ok Black olive tapenade : contained parts of pits ! One guy at the bar was only small talking to customers, nit really working Happy hour : great and on all drinks Espresso : served several times without spoon and sugar.. WIFI Excellent really everywhere IPAD Movie night : program not updated, even after calling front desk BEACH Sunbeds are reallt great ! Reservation system is great too Plenty of space Impeccable service CAR RENTAL We booked trough the front desk and got a better price then directly with Top Drive TIPPING Same experience where the market is dominated bu US customers… In Europe, we tip for GOOD service, not just for service rendered… We sometimes felt a slight sense of trying too hard to get a tip from certain waiters… ARUBA For us, Europeans, 1 week was perfect to enjoy the incredibly wonderful beach and discover this small island. BOTTOM LINE Can we recommend Bucuti : highly, especially for couples looking for QT with each other and customers who like the feeling of being in the US but with a tropical laid back island touch.

My wife and I chose Bucuti and Tara for our first trip to Aruba, and we were not disappointed. We had a several hour flight to Aruba from central Illinois. It is our practice to stay the first "travel night" at a non-resort hotel to not risk losing a precious resort night (it makes flight delays much less stressful!). We checked out, grabbed a taxi, and arrived at Bucuti the following day around 1:00 PM. We were greeted graciously, and much to our surprise our room for our 7 night stay was ready. We were on the beach by 1:30. We reserved one of their two ocean view bungalows. There are four bungalow suites located in the same one-story building. Each one has a spacious patio. From our patio we could step across the sidewalk to the beach, walk to yards to the right to the pool and hot tub, or walk another 20 yards to the restaurant and bar. I had been concerned that the proximity to the walkway, beach, and pool might be noisy and feel busy. This was not the case. Bucuti may be the most quiet and peaceful resort we have ever enjoyed. Management emphasizes the peace and quiet, and the clientele seem to appreciate this. No loud music in the bar, no loud music on the beach. It is an adults-only resort so there are no children in the pool or restaurant. We are parents and grandparents - we love children.... But we really needed the tranquility and order Buciti provided! The beach - it is an expansive Aruban beach. The water is beautiful. It slopes gently in many places making it easy to access. You can watch cruise ships in the distance approach the port. It is a long and beautiful beach. We enjoyed early morning walks, evening walks after dinner, and brief walks during the day to cool off in the surf. Bucit is located on the south tip of Eagle Beach - quite beautiful. Aruba is windy - we are from Illinois so we know wind. Aruba is windy all of the time. Bucuti uses an app that allows guests to reserve beach or pool chairs and umbrellas the evening before - No need to get our early to put out towels to reserve. I liked the low-stress and orderly approach. The app can be downloaded onto your phone or you can use the i-pad Bucuti provides in each room. The app also has the restaurant menus and other useful info. The bar and restaurant are only for Bucutiy guests. Service is very good. When we raised a flag on our beach chair, someone came to take an order in minutes. We could get all manner of drinks and food right on the beach. Very convenient. The quality of the food during the day was pretty good, nice bar food and snacks. For dinner the ambience on the beach is wonderful, but the food is average. Enjoy a night there for the experience but look elsewhere on Aruba for fine dining and great seafood. The next resort to the south (which is connected by a sidewalk) houses Ikes, Chop House, and a Japanese Sushi bar. We found the wine and food in all of these three to be superior. We especially enjoyed eating in their garden area listening to wonderful live jazz saxophone. There are many great restaurants - we visited Wacky Wahoo's and had a superb meal. There are also many offerings in the high rise area. What I liked about the staff and service is that they were always available but were never in the way. Concierge helped wit reservations and answering questions. Our room was kept clean and towels stocked - I honestly don't know when they did it. We had a small issue with out door lock sensor, which staff repaired within 15 minutes. They do a nice job. Read their website about what they are not. If you want room service or a place to party then Buciti is probably not what you are looking for. The clientele is a bit on the mature side (a lot of gray hair for sure), so be aware. If you want a peaceful, quiet, restful time on the beach then this could work. A few notes for newbies to Aruba like us. 1) the island runs on US currency. 2) You'll need smaller bills for tipping taxis and for service in the resort. Bring some or there are bill changers in the nearby Alhambra casino. 3) Use sunscreen all of the time. 4) Wear a hat that stays put in the wind. 5) I liked to watch the cruise ships and fishing boats with binoculars on the beach. 6) they are not kidding about arriving 3 hours at the airport before departure. 7) no uber or lyft - use the taxis and pay in cash. We liked it enough to book again in 2024. Maybe we will see you then!

We have stayed here about 25 times in last 12 years and love our many experiences at this wonderful hotel. We always stay in the Tara Penthouse (only 4 available) and book three years in advance. However, this time our stay was not up to the Bucuti/Tara standards or perfection, although still very good overall. It seems there were some cutbacks in staff and quality. To repeat guests, the little changes are noticeable. We were just here in July 2022 and everything was perfect. Our thanksgiving stay however was not perfect. Although the weather was unusually rainy for Aruba over our 12 night stay, that is not the reason for our disappointment. I will state a few examples. The food quality at breakfast was not quite as good as it should have been. They now cut back and serve turkey bacon/sausage standard but upon request will still serve you regular bacon for now. We were told they will now charge for fresh squeezed orange juice. Little cutbacks are noticeable to repeat patrons. No attention from any management personnel during our 12 day stay. I know Mr. Beamans, the founder/owner was away, but that special attention to detail that he provides that we are accustomed to was missing. He always goes out of his way to talk to repeat guests and his warmth and friendliness were not replaced by the others responsible for management. Our room was cleaned daily, but some nights no turn down service came. Our bathtub was not cleaned once the entire trip and we did not use it so no big deal, but there was a blue stain in the tub on day 2 from one of our dripping rinsed out bathing suits and it was still there the day we left ten days later. The stairways which I used four times a day did not seem to be cleaned daily like they used to be. One of the elliptical exercise machines needed maintenance and no one from staff noticed or checked them until I found a maintenance person and asked him to fix it after 7 days of being in disrepair. It seemed to me there were less employees, and the newer staff outside concierge employees were not as friendly, especially the beach staff. They did not bring frozen fruit on beach nor provide wet cold wash clothes. Like I said, little things were noticeably absent, but other guests during pool chatter also noticed the changes and had complaints. We are booked for 6 more stays through 2025, but the prices are going up more than 50%, so I hope someone reads this and brings back perfection.