For many families, Spring Break means it's time to pack up and get out of town together. After staying at hundreds of properties across many destinations, our undercover reporters have chosen the best hotels for family vacations. Aruba is one of the Caribbean's top destinations, with sunny, 80-degree weather year-round, long white-sand beaches, and international cuisine. Below is our list of the most kid-friendly hotels on Aruba.
With the "Lazy River "-- a long, slow-flowing pool that carries half-dozing rafters from one side of the property to the other -- ping pong tables by the pool, and a Nintendo Wii Lounge for 12- to 17-year-olds, the Marriott Surf Club has "family-style" figured out. At the Natural Pool, screeching kids wearing floaties shoot down the on-site waterslide again and again.
The Marriott is a family hotel, just short of chichi. Parents can drop their kids off at the Bon Bini Kids' Club, which has arcade games and air hockey--great for older kids. The lagoon-shaped pool is popular with kids as well.
The Hyatt is a great family-friendly pick. Parents can make appointments to drop off their kids at Camp Hyatt, a daycare with toys, drawing easels, and a television, and the tri-level pool has a long waterslide.
With plenty of beachfront, the hotel is a prime spot for families toting kids and young teens. There's a shallow family pool for the wee ones (wee perhaps having two meanings here -- adults certainly don't want kids doing that in the adult pool), as well as a kid's club with drawing stations and plenty of toys.
The Aruban's suites can easily sleep four or more people, and its kitchens enable families to economize meals by buying their own food at a nearby supermarket. Kids definitely seem to love the 150-foot waterslide at the pool, and there's a separate small children's pool for the young ones not old enough to swim with the big kids. There are a few downsides -- some parents on TripAdvisor worried about their children getting sick from dirty rooms, mildewy curtains, and cranked up air conditioners, and others detested having to cross a four-lane highway with small children to get to the beach.