The Embassy Suites by Hilton Aruba Resort isn't the island's most luxurious hotel or its best beachfront property. But for travelers using Hilton Honors points, it delivers excellent value through spacious two-room suites, waived resort fees, complimentary made-to-order breakfast and a nightly reception with drinks and snacks.
Cash rates start around $400 and can approach $1,000 per night during peak season, while I found standard-room award availability for 85,000 Hilton points on most nights outside major holidays through 2027. Hilton elite members can stretch their points further with a fifth night free on qualifying five-night award stays. Those savings make the property particularly appealing to families and Hilton loyalists who value space and included amenities more than a luxury experience.
I was invited to check out the resort over a four-night stay in July 2026. Although the hotel covered the cost of my stay, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Booking with Hilton Honors points
Hilton doesn’t publish an award chart; instead, the number of points required for an award stay can fluctuate based on demand and the cash rate.
When I reviewed the property's award calendar through 2027, however, most nights outside major holidays were bookable for 85,000 points. With cash rates ranging from around $400 to nearly $1,000 per night, an 85,000-point redemption could yield approximately 0.5 to 1.2 cents per point. That's above NerdWallet's value of Hilton points at 0.4 cent each, making the property an outstanding use of Hilton points before accounting for the extras, including complimentary breakfast and waived resort fees.
Award stays become even more attractive because Hilton waives resort fees when you book entirely with points. Cash guests pay a $45 nightly resort fee, so a four-night award stay avoids another $180 in charges.
Hilton Honors members with Silver status or higher can also get every fifth night free when booking a standard room with points. If all five nights cost 85,000 points, you would pay 340,000 points total instead of 425,000. That lowers the effective nightly price to 68,000 points — a 20% discount.
The easiest way to earn a large number of Hilton points is through a welcome offer on a Hilton credit card. For example, I recently signed up for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card and received the following welcome offer: Earn 200,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 01/13/2027. Terms Apply.
The card has a $550 annual fee, but it includes an annual free night reward and automatic Hilton Honors Diamond status, which qualifies cardholders for the fifth-night-free benefit. Cardholders can also receive up to $200 in statement credits semiannually, for up to $400 per year, on eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton resorts. Terms apply.
During my stay, one $200 resort credit covered two espresso martini nightcaps and a dress for my partner from the property's store. That credit adds another potential source of value when you book at the Embassy Suites Aruba Resort.
Location
The Embassy Suites Aruba Resort is located in northwest Aruba between Eagle Beach and Palm Beach, approximately 15 minutes from Queen Beatrix International Airport. Rideshare services don’t operate in Aruba, and a taxi to the resort from the airport will cost $40. One of my favorite things about Aruba is the fixed prices for taxis across the island. Prices are set by the government, and you can look up the cost of a ride from one location to another at Taxi.aw. If you rent a car, parking at the resort is included for registered hotel guests.
Rooms
All guestrooms at the Embassy Suites Aruba Resort are two-room suites with a private bedroom and a separate living area equipped with a sleeper sofa. Each suite also has a coffee maker, sink and mini-fridge. Ground-floor rooms open to a garden patio, while rooms on higher floors have balconies.
The bedroom and living room gave my partner and me plenty of space, and waking up to a view of the Caribbean Sea set the tone for each day.
The balcony attached to my seventh-floor room was massive, with sweeping views of the ocean and resort. However, its basic patio furniture made the space feel sterile and underused given the incredible view.
Included breakfast and evening reception
The complimentary breakfast and evening reception are two of the property's biggest money-saving benefits, particularly for families.
Complimentary breakfast
All Embassy Suites properties offer breakfast to registered guests, and it's usually better than the complimentary breakfast offered by other brands. It's one reason I actively seek out Embassy Suites when I travel.
Starting each day in Aruba with fresh fruit and a made-to-order omelet was a highlight. The buffet also offers a waffle station, yogurt, pastries and hot items such as breakfast meats and potatoes. Breakfast runs until 11 a.m. every morning. Since I'm an early riser, I was even able to squeeze in breakfast and an early lunch one day.
Evening reception
The evening reception runs from 5 to 7 p.m. and offers two complimentary drinks to each eligible guest, along with snacks including chips and salsa, cheese cubes and fruit. As you would expect, this is a popular event, and the lines got pretty long for both snacks and drinks. Still, not paying for drinks and appetizer-type snacks before going out for the evening is an easy way to save money on an Aruba vacation.
Other dining options
In addition to the complimentary breakfast and evening reception, the resort has two sit-down restaurants — Brickstones and Splash — and a grab-and-go shop with a Starbucks.
The on-site dining isn't a luxury experience, but it's absolutely fine. While there are many better (and more expensive) restaurants nearby, the ability for families to let the kids run around or play in the pool while the parents sit down to eat could be a huge draw.
Brickstones
Brickstones Kitchen and Bar is open for dinner, with a variety of food options ranging from soup and salads to steak and seafood. Patrons can choose to sit inside in the lobby or outside on the deck.
Dinner was my only overall negative experience throughout my stay. The restaurant opens at the same time and in the same space as the evening reception, creating a chaotic environment as people move about for free drinks and snacks. The prices for steak and seafood were similar to those at an upscale restaurant, but the food quality and environment didn’t match. The service was slow, too.
However, we enjoyed the Brickstones Bar. We finished each day with an espresso martini nightcap, which was always very good.
Splash Pool Bar and Grill
Splash is the poolside dining option, offering lunch and drinks at the bar, on the patio or at the poolside loungers. Dining options include salads, pizzas, burgers and wings, while the bar offers a variety of standard and frozen cocktails, mocktails, beer and wine.
I had the Caesar salad with shrimp and a Margherita pizza. While the food was fine, the frozen drinks were tasty and a perfect complement to lounging poolside in the Caribbean.
Brickstones Grab-and-Go
The grab-and-go store features a Starbucks and lots of food and drink options that are often cheaper than Splash or the Brickstones Kitchen, including premade wraps, fruit bowls, sandwiches and other snacks.
Pool and beach
A small beach accessed through a private tunnel
The property provides loungers and around a dozen first-come, first-served palapas at a small beach across the road. It takes about 10 minutes to walk there from the resort lobby through a private underpass beneath the adjacent road.
The shoreline and small cove are rocky. I found the area serviceable for a short swim, but the rocky entry made getting into the water less enjoyable. The beach was, however, an excellent place to watch the sunset. There's also a tent where guests can rent jet skis and snorkeling gear or book a boat or parasailing adventure.
Travelers who prioritize a wide, sandy beach can reach Eagle Beach or Palm Beach with a short walk or bike ride.
Pools
The resort features one massive pool, a hot tub and a kiddie pool. The main pool is big enough that it didn’t feel overly crowded during my stay despite the property being at full occupancy.
Other amenities
Bike rentals and fitness center
One of my favorite resort benefits was a complimentary two-hour e-bike rental each day. We used the bikes to cruise to Eagle Beach and visit nearby shops and bars. They were a convenient way to explore when we didn't feel like walking.
The fitness center has treadmills, spin bikes, rowing machines, free weights and several weight machines.
Excursions through Red Sail Aruba
The resort contracts with Red Sail Aruba to book water excursions around the island. We booked a four-hour snorkeling trip to three nearby sites, including a deep-water shipwreck and two near-shore sites where we saw over a dozen sea turtles and lots of tropical fish. The excursion was on a spacious catamaran with a waterslide and included lunch and complimentary beverages. The crew and captain were fantastic and really helped create a fun environment onboard.
Who should stay at the Embassy Suites Aruba Resort?
The Embassy Suites Aruba Resort is best suited to families seeking extra space, Hilton members redeeming points or free night rewards and travelers who want included food and drinks. It's also well-positioned for guests who want access to both Eagle Beach and Palm Beach without staying directly in the busiest part of either area.
Travelers seeking a luxury experience, high-end resort dining or direct access to one of Aruba's best swimming beaches may be happier elsewhere. The property's beach is convenient for sunsets and a quick swim, but it isn't the resort's strongest feature.
Is the Embassy Suites Aruba Resort worth it?
Yes, especially if you're booking with Hilton points. The resort isn't Aruba's most luxurious or polished option, but its two-room suites, large pool, complimentary breakfast, evening reception and award-booking benefits create a compelling package for value-conscious travelers.
The waived resort fee makes even a short award stay attractive, while the fifth-night-free benefit can lower the effective cost of a longer stay by 20%. Add the value I received from the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card resort credit, and this is one of the strongest redemptions I've found anywhere in the Caribbean.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, please visit American Express' rates and fees page
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