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.