Aruba - Hotel (Marriott Hotel and Stellaris Casino)

Marriott Hotel and Stellaris Casino

We had an unexpected extra night in Aruba and ended up at the Marriott Hotel Resort and Stellaris Casino. This was due to a flight cancellation, and we arrived late in the evening and left early in the morning so did not experience much of the resort. 

The Marriott is considered one of the finest hotels on the island and is located on Palm Beach on the west of the island and North of the Westin where we had stayed (see here). Access from the front is level and there is no problem moving around the large lobby. 

The Room

We were assigned a handicapped adapted room with two queen beds. The room was reasonably sized, with a large balcony and a partial ocean view. Once we had added a crib into the room, moving around in the chair became tricky - there was just too much furniture. The Queen bed was slightly higher than the wheelchair cushion but presented no real difficulty in transfer. The work desk was easy to sit at and had a panel within easy reach for power, network, and connections to the TV monitor if you wanted to use that for your computer. You need to supply the necessary cables yourself, but this is a nice touch as it allows you to play DVDs on your computer or whatever. 

The bathroom was a comfortable size with knee space under the sink. The toilet seemed to be lightly raised compared to a normal toilet and grab rails were well positioned. Towels were hung on the grab rails within easy reach of a wheelie. Our room had an awkwardly designed roll-in shower. It was located in a walled cubby hole off the main bathroom. The shower hose is  a hand-held with wall-mounted rail at the correct height. There was a fold up sturdy wooden shower seat permanently attached to the wall. The shower controls were easy to reach from the seat. Getting on to the seat could be a bit of a challenge though, as it is impossible to get your chair to 90 degrees to it. However, I was able to angle my chair up beside it at 45 degrees or so and slide onto the seat. Not the easiest transfer. There is nowhere in the shower to place shampoo and soap and so on. 

Other Notes

The pool area has many steps and in a very brief reconassaince I could not see how to access it. We ate breakfast in the restaurant by the pool which is accessible, although the ramp is located a long way from the door and I wheeled right past it without noticing. Toilets by the pool were accessible and had a handicapped cubicle. 

We were at the Marriott for such a short time, and under such stressful conditions, that I did not have time to research any other aspects of the resort. 

Aruba - Hotel (Westin Hotel and Resort)

These notes aim to private guidance for handicapped, disabled or wheelchair users who travel to Aruba or intend to stay in the Westin there. These informal notes are from a trip I took there with my wife adn kids.

Westin Hotel and Resort - Aruba

This is a fine beachside resort hotel in Aruba. We were there on an all-inclusive package deal with the family; me, my wheelchair, my wife and two kids, three years old and under.

Hotel

The hotel has not been specifically designed for wheelchair access and there is a surprising lack of such things as designated rest-rooms in the public areas. Nevertheless, access is good throughout the hotel and I found my stay there very comfortable. Taxis will drive up a steep ramp to the lobby level. There are two ramps in the curb outside the hotel and level access thereafter. In side the hotel all areas have a ramp or lift (elevator). To leave the hotel on foot you can take an elevator to the lower level and exit there (level, no steps, no steep ramps).

Room

We were upgraded from the regular room that we had booked to a single bedroom Ocean view

suite - nice! The hotel website clearly states for each room type whether or not a handicapped version is available. In the case of the one bedroom suites, no such statement is made. Indeed, our suite was not specifically designed to accommodate wheelchairs. However, I had no trouble using it. The door is a regular door (no spy-hole at wheelchair level) and quite heavy. It led to a narrow entrance corridor which led to the living room of the suite. Spacious, with room to move around although there was a little too much furniture for comfort in a wheelchair, especially with the sofa bed made up for the three your old and a crib for the baby. The bedroom was through a double door and again was spacious.

There is no proper work desk and electric sockets were hard to find and down low in the wall. The airconditioning controls are too high for a wheelie to reach.

The bathroom is huge - bigger than some hotel rooms I've been in in Europe. One end has a rack for hanging clothes (at walkie height). There is plenty of space to move about. The sink has room to roll under and is nicely designed. There is a huge roll-in 'double shower". Two shower hoses, one at each end, and grab-rails diagonally mounted on the walls. There is no built in shower seat - a standard plastic shower seat was delivered to the room within minutes of calling house-keeping. The shower hoses are both hand-held versions.

The toilet is unusually low with well positioned grab rails. Getting a chair in at 90 degrees to the toilet for transfer is a bit tricky and perhaps impossible for a power chair.

Towel rails are high - good for walkies but not good for me.

The Weston chain push their "heavenly beds" and, sure enough, they are very very comfortable. However, they

could also be described as heavenly because they are closer to the heavens than most, a good 8 inches (20cm)

above the level of my

wheelchair seat. Getting in and out of bed unassisted is a tricky and precarious task for a T4 para, and near impossible when drunk!

However, any concerns or irritations with the room are completely compensated for by the view. Both the living room and bedroom have a balcony accessed through large sliding doors. The large balcony has plenty of room for a wheelchair and the ocean view is just stunning. We could lie in bed and watch the sunset or sit on the balcony after the kids had gone to bed and drink the outrageously expensive champagne and look out over the ocean.

Prior to this, my top ranked hotel room was the one we stayed in in the Crowne Plaza, Madiera (now called the CS Madiera Atlantic Resort and Spa). See here for my account of that hotel). That room still wins in terms of wonderfully designed handicapped facilities. But the Ocean View Suite in the Westin, Aruba is now my top room for a place that is usably handicapped friendly but with a fantastic view and set of hotel facilities.

The Resort

Let me begin by saying I have no interest in gambling so I spent no time in the casino. I wheeled in to take a look but the smell of smoke drove me out (the rest of the hotel is non-smoking). However the main floor is wheelchair accessible.

The hotel and grounds back right onto Palm Beach. All areas of the hotel are wheelchair accessible. There are three indoor restaurants plus a fourth restaurant that is in the hotel but run independently. The pool area is accessible. There is no easy way to get into the pool although hotel staff are quick to provide assistance. I spent most of my time in the shallow end with my toddler and did some significant damage to the skin on my legs as a result. Be careful!

There is an accessible pool-side bar and outdoor terrace for breakfast and lunch. The toilets near the terrace are not designed for access but the doors are large enough for a wheelchair to get in, and the cubicle is big enough to get a chair into face first. However there are no restrooms specifically designed for handicapped use in any of the public areas that I could find. I was able to use the regular toilets because the cubicles are much larger than normal (at least 30" (75cm) doors), but this might be an issue for some folk.

A wide paved path leads to the beach (very close to the hotel). The beach is deep white dry sand and is impossible to navigate with a regular wheelchair. There are sun shades on the beach (called Palapas) which are given out on a first come first served basis or can be reserved for a hefty fee. Most of these are not accessible by wheelchair, however one or two are near the path and are usable. It is best to scout around on day one and determine which palapa is most accessible for you. If you then talk to the staff in charge of managing the Palapas and explain that you need a particular one because of your disability they will reserve it for you free of charge for the length of your stay. To be fair, let them know any day you do not plan to use it so others can use it as these things are in high demand. The staff will supply loungers, towels, buckets and spades and so on. The beach is lovely and the water looks stunning although I did not make it into it myself. Staff from the poolside bar patrol the beach and you can order food and drink right from your lounger.

Most evenings the hotel sets up a temporary restaurant on the beach for romantic (no children!) meals watching the sun set. They will position a table close to the path and assist (i.e. drag your chair through the sand) you to get there if need be.

As an aside, the staff at this hotel are exceptionally helpful and pleasant and always willing to help - sometimes appearing by your side before you have decided that you need help! I felt very comfortable during my whole time there.

The Island

I'm afraid we were very unadventurous on this trip. With two very young children it suited us much more to stay in the hotel and enjoy the facilities there. So I have little to add about access outside of the hotel itself. See here for more details.

Aruba - General Notes

Getting There

All flights to Aruba will land at the international airport (AUA ). Coming is is a rush as it appears that the aircraft is about to land in the ocean. At the last second the runway appears underneath you and you touch down. 

The staff that arrive to take you off the plane are friendly and appear to be well trained. We had no problems, and our aircraft used an airbridge although I noticed some that did not. 

The airport is modern. The toilets use the American approach of having one accessible cubicle. Works fine. 

Ask the people who take you off the plane to escort you through immigration because they can then use the "express" lane. Otherwise you will spend a long time in line as all US aircraft seem to arrive at roughly the same time of the day!

Once through immigration you exit into a small baggage terminal. There seemed to be plenty of staff to assist. The arrivals hall is also small and outside the airport are plenty of guys hustling for a taxi fare. Taxis come in all shapes and sizes from Vans to SUVs to beat up old cars. I did not spot any taxis that were wheelchair accessible, however there is a service offered by Lite Life Medicab (Hooiberg kavel E 2, Santa Cruz, Aruba. Tel: +297-585-9764). This is a van with a wheelchair ramp at the back. We pre-booked this for transfer to the hotel, and they met us in the arrivals hall. More expensive than a taxi ($50 from the airport to the Westin Hotel versus maybe $25 for a taxi) it is probably worth it for the peace of mind. They take cash only and do not carry change. Having said that, we used a station-wagon for our second hotel trip (the Marriott) and all fitted comfortably. It depends on what your transfer abilities are and how much luggage you have!

When leaving Aruba to go to the US things are a bit complicated. You clear US customs and immigration in Aruba. There can be very long lines here, so the best thing is to ask for assistance to the gate when checking in. Elevators are clearly marked so it is possible to make your own way but can be difficult in the crowds. It appears that all US bound flights leave at roughly the same time! You check-in your bags and then line up outside to go through Aruban passport control. Then you pass through security (usual stuff - shoes off, laptops out of bag etc.) and then enter a shopping and food hall (the food is breath-takingly over-priced). Then (US passengers only) you pick up your luggage again in a small luggage hall and pass through US immigration and customs. You then place your luggage back on a belt (careful - easy to put it on the wrong one!) and pass through security again! Finally you are in a small departures area. This has a few shops and sandwich stalls but is not as comfortable as the hall before US immigration. All this pulling and dragging makes it difficult for us wheelies, hence the recommendation to seek assistance. There are enough restrooms and all have handicapped accessible cubicles. 

The Island

I'm afraid we were very unadventurous on this trip. With two very young children it suited us much more to stay in the hotel and enjoy the facilities there. So I have little to add about access outside of the hotel itself. We ate in the hotel restaurants every night.

The Westin (where we stayed, see here for details) is located on Palm Beach on the west of the island, at one end of the high rise hotel strip. From the hotel a paved path leads all along the beach. Going south leads you to fairly tranquil areas, past a public beach, and a few spots for stunning sunset views. However, it looks like there is more construction planned so it won't be tranquil for long! Going North leads you past the main hotel strip so it can be noisy and crowded although there are many options for activities and food and drink. I did notice that two places (The Radisson  and Playa Linda) had palapas (semi-permanent beach shades built of wood and palm leaves) specifically reserved for handicapped use. 

The paved path runs by the beach all the way to the Holiday Inn resort  in the North and the Divi Pheonix Resort  to the South.

Opposite the Holiday Inn resort is the Paseo Herencia shopping Mall which is modern and accessible. It contains a movie theatre and a selection of shops and restaurants.

I was unable to find a car rental company that would issue hand controls so exploring the rest of the island involves renting a taxi – something we did not do.

The Aruba Tourism board has a good website (www.aruba.com) and, unusually for such things, has a page dedicated to advice for disabled travellers (http://www.aruba.com/about/disability.php)

We also went for a walk on the island side of the hotel. The pavement surface is very variable, sometime smooth concrete and sometimes gravel. There are a lot fo curb cuts to mount the pavement, but they are not everywhere. However, it seems possible to get access to most of the restaurants and shops that I saw. The island infrastructure is a bit beaten up, but is generally good and shows at least some consideration of the needs of wheelies. We did not go to any of the city/town centers so I cannot speak for those. 

The Butterfly Farm

We took the five minute walk from the Westin to the Butterfly farm. The original building was not wheelchair accessible but they retro-fitted very steep concrete ramps. These are really too steep to be negotiated unaided, but with a walkie pushing it is possible to get into the Butterfly Farm shop and garden. Our 3 year old loved it as there are butterflies everywhere. The garden path is hard sand and can be wheeled on with some difficulty.