[TechAPhi]

Check out these two hotels:

The Hyatt: a very beautiful hotel, with a lovely restaurant called Ruinas del Mar (we ate an awesome Sunday brunch there), and a variety of other quality restaurants. If you can do it, I highly recommend the Sunday brunch and would be happy to tell you more about it if you're interested. We thought "The Palm" restaurant at the Hyatt was over priced for the quality of food you got (very marginal).

My husband and I wandered into, out of, and around every hotel on Palm Beach. Of all of them, we liked the Hyatt and the Radisson the best. The Radission has just been completely demolished and remodeled, so it is brand-new. The grounds are so beautiful. The grounds at the Hyatt at night are very pretty too, and, I think, makes better use of uplighting on the plants, trees and shurbs.

Both hotels have gorgeous parrots, McCaws, African Grays, etc. The Radission has a "visiting hour" where guests can have their pictures taken with the birds on their arms. The Hyatt may have a similar program. The Radission has more birds, but the Hyatt has a toucan, which was interesting and fun to see.

The pools: I liked the pools at the Radission much better. They are of the meandering, stream-like variety. They are both zero-entry pools, which means you walk right from the deck/beach area into the pool (kind of like a shoreline). The zero-entry pools also allow you to lay in the water and tan, without getting submerged (or you can put a lounge chair there). There are a number of hidden grottos and spas--very romantic. There weren't too many kids around, so that was great too.

The pools at the Hyatt are very pretty, though, somewhat small. The ones at the Radission are huge and allow for lots of privacy. There are a number of secluded hottubs at the Radission, which was fun. The Hyatt has a neat looking waterslide, which might be fun if you had kids, but since you're on your honeymoon you probably want to stay away from kids! The grounds of the Hyatt are very lush and have pretty walkways and a brook in which black swans swim around.

The rooms at the Radission are wonderful. They all have four-poster beds, mini bar, armoir, fantastic balcony with carribean-style chairs and a small table outside. I did go into the guest tower at the Hyatt and the halls are done in bright colors. The rooms, from what I could see were somewhat small, but looked to be very nice. Again, I didn't go inside.

Casinos: Both the Radission and the Hyatt have nice casinos. The one at the Radission is worth a look. They have the ceiling done like a starry sky, complete with shooting stars. Very pretty, but smaller than the Casino at the Hyatt.

I didn't have any spa services done at the Hyatt, but I am sure if they are available, they are top-notch. The Radission has a very nice manicurist, she did manicures and pedicures for me and my friend. My friend also had a facial and a massage. She enjoyed both very much.

The Radission has a fabulous little beachfront bar and grill called "Gilligan's." From 5-7 p.m. everyday, there is a band playing Carribean tunes, drink specials (my sister and friend loved the "Island Breeze"), and free snacks. It was a truly wonderful place to sit and watch the sun dip into the Carribean sea. Even if you don't stay there, I recommend walking down to the Radission one day and enjoying a cool drink, live music and a snack before dinner and after a long day of wonderful Aruban hospitality.

By the way, none of the guidebooks that are available for Aruba right now reflect the remodel of the Radission. I have three guidebooks from 2000, and they all describe the rooms, restaurants, etc. in the Radission much differently than I experienced them. For example, my "Fodor's Pocket Aruba" states that the rooms have tropical-print bed spreads and curtains. Actually, the rooms are done in a fabulous carribean style (I have pictures if you are interested).