Aruba - Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts

The Bucuti is everything I want for my vacation! The staff is so friendly and helpful, the beach is uncrowded -- no competition for palapas -- our room was beautiful! They now provide free netbooks to guests for internet access, so I did not have to lug my laptop down to Aruba. They also provide .. More>

The Bucuti is everything I want for my vacation! The staff is so friendly and helpful, the beach is uncrowded -- no competition for palapas -- our room was beautiful! They now provide free netbooks to guests for internet access, so I did not have to lug my laptop down to Aruba. They also provide reusable water bottles to cut down on plastic consumption, what a great idea! A very nice breakfast buffet is included in the price of the room, including eggs cooked to order and a different "special" every day, such as johnny cakes stuffed with beef, or Dutch Corn Cakes with spicy sauce. The buffet also has a large assortment of breads and bagels, fruit, cheese, sliced meats, yogurt, potatoes, sausage and bacon, oatmeal, juice, etc. You can even get a latte or cup of cappucino! This was our third stay at the Bucuti and, while my husband was checking in, I stepped into the hotel store for Gouda cheese and crackers, only to find a "welcome back" package in our room containing the same cheese and crackers along with cookies, a split of champagne and Aruba Aloe lotion! Nice surprise! The location is great, cabfare to Orangestaad or to the high-rise area was less than $10.00, and there is a convenient bus stop right in front. There are several restaurants within walking distance, and the Alhambra casino is right next door. We used to stay at the Marriott, but the beach there is much too crowded and noisy. The Bucuti is quiet and calm, and there are no children running around kicking up sand! We will never stay anywhere else on Aruba.

I was in my honeymoon and it was a perfect choice: quiet, very nice and romantic, the best beach in Aruba .. More>

I was in my honeymoon and it was a perfect choice: quiet, very nice and romantic, the best beach in Aruba

We walked through several of the neighboring and highrise area hotels and their beach size and palapas to quest ratio did not compare to Bucuti. The Bucuti staff were excellent, very friendly, helpful and we never felt rushed when making reservations with the conciege. Overall this was one of the .. More>

We walked through several of the neighboring and highrise area hotels and their beach size and palapas to quest ratio did not compare to Bucuti. The Bucuti staff were excellent, very friendly, helpful and we never felt rushed when making reservations with the conciege. Overall this was one of the best vacations I've taken through Apple.

First let me say, that my wife and I are seasoned Aruba travelers - 30 visits over 22 years. Our children being grown and planning a trip for just the two of us, we decided to veer from our usual "4... More>

First let me say, that my wife and I are seasoned Aruba travelers - 30 visits over 22 years. Our children being grown and planning a trip for just the two of us, we decided to veer from our usual "4 star" high rise on Palm Beach and try something different. We booked and stayed at Tara Suites on the 3rd floor. This property is on Eagle Beach, a favorite of Arubans for good reason. All the rooms in the Tara building have wonderful sit out balconies which is usually a very high priced amenity at other resorts. In our case it came at the very reasonable price of $415/night - including all taxes and fees. The room was appointed beautifully with upscale touches including pocket doors that could be slid to partition the bedroom and living room areas. There was a very functional kitchenette area as well with microwave. The room was clean, and every time we returned to it after a day on the beach, a warm feeling washed over us- it's that good. Bucuti and tara have 104 rooms, so this is a boutique hotel. Don't expect the Big Hotel touches like 24 hour rooms service. Having said that, what you also can expect not to see, are crowded beaches, speed boats zooming up and down in front of the hotel, people getting up at 5 am jockeying for a place on the beach. THERE IS SIMPLY NONE OF THAT HERE! The beach is expansive with soft sand and pristine clear water - yes the old cliche of being able to see your feet really does apply. There are soft waves and awesome pelicans who also realize that this beach is the place to be. We stayed from Oct15-21 and the hotel was fully booked. Despite this, we always found a wonderful spot under a pristine white canvas umbrella that flapped relaxingly in the breeze. Owing to the adults only policy, there were no screaming kids, stressed parents, or hormone engorged teenagers - just a smattering of geographically diverse adults of all ages enjoying what was clearly one of their best choices recently. We were fortunate to meet the owner our first day while enjoying a hot breakfast. He was leaving on a business trip later that day, but we understand that he is normally on property every day-which is a great help if you do encounter a problem, although I can't imagine what that would be. Oh, did I mention that breakfast is included in the price and is wonderful with great staff? Also, did I leave out the fact that you will have first class internet connectivity in your room and on the beach - also free with the price of the room? My wife and I vowed on the plane back to never go anywhere else in Aruba - I'm not kidding. If yiou want excellent value and want to relax and feel the stress leave your body the FIRST day of your vacation, then go to this hotel and see what a relaxing vacation is supposed to feel like. While I've done the best job I could explaining how good this place is, I really have not done it justice - Go there and se for yourself, you will thank me.

Bucuti & Tara Resort has THE best beach on Aruba. Just a few hundred yards to the South, the beach gets a bit rocky, and is pocked with tiny thorns. The other resorts nearby can't beat Bucuti's... More>

Bucuti & Tara Resort has THE best beach on Aruba. Just a few hundred yards to the South, the beach gets a bit rocky, and is pocked with tiny thorns. The other resorts nearby can't beat Bucuti's beachfront. We found the staff at Bucuti to be almost universally friendly and knowledgeable. The staff were also diverse, from various countries and regions of the world. We were greeted upon arrival with a glass of champagne (and a second if we'd been able to handle it after 15 hours of traveling!). Our king size bed in the seconf floor garden view room was very comfortable and clean, however the sheets were fairly rough. The resort could stand to upgrade the linen quality - it does cater to the most special of occasions after all - honeymoons and anniversaries! We found the included breakfast to be consistently good, and the selection large. We were especially pleased to find that the coffee was good (and fresh). We're from Seattle, so that detail matters. The resort was quiet, but not too quiet, in August. I highly recommend a visit in the off-season to enjoy this resort at a deep discount. We had the honeymoon romance package. The private palapa dinner was very good quality, as was the service. The "sunset sail", however, was terrible. It should be stricken from the package (choose the snorkel tour). The boat served terrible snacks, and weak drinks, and there was no real sailing to be had - the captain simply headed South, then back North, very close to shore - no fun or real beauty in that. We loved charging everything on the room, and ordering drinks from underneath our umbrella. The concierge desk was knowledgeable and helpful, but sometimes slow (a day or more) to respond to at least two of our requests. Madeline was the best, and funniest. She's a real character. The ladies working in the gift shop were also friendly and helpful. The pool and pool lounge area are lovely. The pool doesn't use chlorine to sanitize, which is glorious. My massage with Danny at the Intermezzo was phenomenal. But, the spa is really just two small rooms - head next door to Manchebo for a real spa experience. Bucuti touts its environmental consciousness. For the most part, we found Bucuti to be true to its claims. They could, however, have done more direct guest education, specifically regarding using the dual flush toilets (we knew how they operated, but I suspect many (Americans at least) don't. The one thing that isn't so green is the ability of guests to get new beach towels every single day if they want. They already give you four per couple, so asking for four new towels each day shouldn't even be an option - ridiculous waste. The towels are nice and large, and consume a ton of water and harmful soap to wash. We would definitely stay at Bucuti again if we ever go back to Aruba. We would definitely NOT go to a resort that allows children. It was so awesome being in an adults-only environment. Manchebo's scene was definitely less appealing because of the kids (it's also just not nearly as nice). Enjoy Bucuti!

My husband and I stayed in the Tara Suites for our honeymoon and couldn't have been happier. The location was great because it was 5-10 minutes from both the high rises, as well as, downtown. The bus... More>

My husband and I stayed in the Tara Suites for our honeymoon and couldn't have been happier. The location was great because it was 5-10 minutes from both the high rises, as well as, downtown. The bus was really convienent to take; bus stop was in front of our resort, just had to take a short walk to the street. And it was really affordable for only $2.30 roundtrip. The beach was white sand and very well maintained by the staff. There was plenty of room on beach and spots with chairs and umbrellas to lay under. We never once had an issue with finding a spot on beach. The Tara suites have a private beach section, but on the other side of the bar there was even more beach space where the hotel side of bucuti was located. Breakfast is complimentary and there was wide selection to choose from so you aren't eating the same things every morning. We stayed for 10 days and did tours on three of the days; i think if we booked our stay for another 2-4 additional days that would have been even more perfect for us. The Tara room was always clean and there are two housekeeping shifts in the morning and at night (to turn down the beds), we had the "do not disturb" on our door most of the vacation but when we needed something we called front desk and the staff was able to bring it down to us. Staff was very friendly and consierge was especially helpful with dinner reservations, recommendations, and tour advice. The Rooms were also very elegant but modern... Beds were very comfortable! We had a tv in our bathroom mirror, which was cool. The crowd was low-key, alot of honeymooners. But if you are into just relaxing and peace and quiet with your significant other, then this resort is perfect for that. If you wanted to stay close to resort anytime for dinner or lunch, there were also many restuarants within walking distance (we ate at Mathews, Gorgio's and the Screaming Eagle...we had pizza one night at Elliot's bar, which was ok... it wasn't the best but that's what you get with pizza unless your on the US east coast.) Overall, we had a great time at Bucuti and would definitely consider coming back for our anniversary =)

My husband and I stayed here for our honeymoon and we couldn't have been happier with our stay. The resort itself is well maintained and all of the staff are so accomodating and friendly. We stayed... More>

My husband and I stayed here for our honeymoon and we couldn't have been happier with our stay. The resort itself is well maintained and all of the staff are so accomodating and friendly. We stayed in the Bucuti in an ocean front room. It was basic but up to date and clean. The view itself was so amazing! I have heard the Tara Suites are a very good choice too! I think really you can't go wrong whatever you choose at this resort. The manager made her rounds every morning while we were eating breakfast to make sure our stay was going well. All of the staff is very attentive! We had the romantic dinner on the beach our second night there and the food was so good, the filet mignon was DELICIOUS!!! Our dinner was at 6- the sunset dinner, I would recommend that. We also ate breakfast there every morning. They had a good variety of food to choose from and it was all very good! Eagle Beach is by far the BEST beach on the island. It was never crowded our entire stay there. Whether we came out at 8am or noon there was always a spot available and a good spot at that. The ocean has white sand and clear blue water with nice waves, paradise. We went down to Palm Beach in the high rise and it was over crowded, too many boats, and no waves at all, felt kind of like we were in a marina. We can't say enough good things about the Bucuti. There are no kids allowed on the property and that is enforced. They can't enforce it though on the beach because that is public property. However, we probably saw a handful of kids on the beach through out the week and fortunately they were all well behaved and didn't stay long. Mostly you will see honeymooners/couples. It was such an amazing experience. We plan on going back to Aruba and will only stay there!!!! We fell in love with this place. We felt so safe venturing out into Aruba, it is just a great place to visit and the Bucuti made it that much better!!!! What you see in the pictures is what you get!!

Great location, wonderful beach, very kind staff (madeleine at the concierge is our favourite: always helpful and effective), silent and elegand rooms, very comfortable beds, very good breakfast, no... More>

Great location, wonderful beach, very kind staff (madeleine at the concierge is our favourite: always helpful and effective), silent and elegand rooms, very comfortable beds, very good breakfast, no need to search a sun-umbrellas every morning, completely different from the crowded of the high-rise hotel area.