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Of all of the island's upmarket resorts along Palm Beach, Radisson Aruba offers the most beachfront and, consequently, the most palapas -- thatched, umbrella-like stands that provide shade. The Radisson has 145, compared about 70 at the Westin and 50 or so at the Hyatt. This is key, especially if you want a chaise lounge and some shade without a hassle or an extra fee.
Numbered palapas and their accompanying beach chairs line the sands in front of Palm Beach's luxury resorts. To be sure of obtaining a spot on the beach, you must reserve a palapa. Not only does Radisson Aruba have the most palapas, but it operates the kindest and least costly system. Instead of requiring guests to line up before 7 a.m. to obtain free palapas or pay fees, the Radisson takes complimentary reservations for the next day's palapas at 4 p.m., a time when you are likely to be on the property anyway. Even if you do not reserve a palapa, with 145 of them, finding an available one is relatively easy (except for peak holidays like Christmas and Easter when the resort might charge $25 for a reservation).
Along with swimming in Palm Beach's typically calm waters, kids like splashing in the resort's two pools. Although the resort doesn't have a dedicated kiddie pool, each pool has a shallow area. Lifeguards do not patrol the pools.
The resort's Kids Club is being revised. Currently, the program operates daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Ages 5 to 12 create crafts, play croquet, romp on playground equipment, challenge each other to video game competitions and meet the resort's birds. Except for strolling over to the bird cages, the activities take place in the Kids Club room or outside on the adjacent playground. As a result, the program appeals more to younger children than to the older ones. With a parent or guardian, ages 4 and younger may join the group.
The pricing structure of $10 U.S. per hour makes it affordable to register a child for just one activity, such as face-painting or bracelet-making. The program costs $25 for a half day and $45 for a full day. Families can borrow board games from the Kids Activity Center for no charge.
Some of the options the children's program director is considering include taking kids off-property to the Butterfly Farm and to Arikok National Park. Currently, family activities are limited to a Wii competition, Mondays at 3 p.m. at the Activity Center, and Bingo, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 p.m., poolside. The director plans to add croquet games and family movie nights. The new program should debut December 2009.
Currently, the prime activity for ages 13 to 17 is the teens-only Nintendo Wii competition, held at 4 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at the Kids Activity Center. It's a good idea, but the younger teens we know -- those who actually participate in teen programs -- are too self-conscious to show up at a brightly colored children's facility.
Off-property, teens and their younger siblings may like zooming down the waterslides and tackling the surf in the wave pools at Morgan's Island Water Park. On a visit to Arikok National Park, you and your kids can discover the true landscape of Aruba, a dry, desert-like region, and explore caves, including one that has rock drawings done centuries ago by members of an Arawak tribe. Wrecks, about 20 of them off of Aruba's shores, lure divers. For those who want underwater views without getting wet, book an outing on the Atlantis Submarine.
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