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Hyatt Resorts, long a leader in providing family and children's activities, has partnered with "National Geographic Kids" magazine to add elements of local culture and conservation to the hotel's supervised children's programs. Camp Watapana, named for the island's divi-divi trees, offers daily, year-round activities for ages 3 through 12. The program will operate, even if just one child registers, but parents must reserve a spot 24 hours in advance.
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., kids build sandcastles, learn Papiamento (the local language), take nature walks, hunt for sea shells and giggle down the resort's waterslide. The day program costs $45. Evening activities continue from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m for $35 per child. Kids bake cookies, play shuffleboard, roast marshmallows, create crafts and watch movies. The fee for siblings signed in for either program is $20. The dedicated room for kids is near the waterslide and is a magnet for gradeschoolers.
Although the resort does not have a separate kiddie pool, the multi-level pool has a shallow section. The pool area, however, can be crowded, and the beach can be even more crowded. At any of the resorts along Palm Beach, spots on the sand require obtaining a palapa, a thatched, umbrella-like structure that's built to provide shade. Even if you want the sun, you must be assigned a palapa because most of the chaises are dispensed with the little huts.
About 50 palapas line Hyatt's beach, enough for slow times, but not when occupancy is high. To obtain a palapa, you either reserve one ahead of time for between $25-$50 a day, depending on the season, or you line up before 7 a.m., when the non-reserved palapas -- the free ones -- are given out. For families like us, who require shade, but who refuse either to pay extra or to run to the pool before 7 a.m., Hyatt offers two communal palapas that cover the width of the beach. You can park your family under those for free.
As part of a program to provide more Aruban-inspired experiences for families, the resort hired Coral, a long-time island resident, to serve as the Hyatt's "Family Ambassador." We did not meet Coral, as she was off-island when we visited. Her role, we were told, is to suggest off-property experiences for families. Exactly how Coral's job differs from that of a concierge or an agent who books tours is not entirely clear. Nevertheless, we're glad that there's an additional person attuned to family interests.
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