Aruba - Renaissance Island

One of the things that made the Renaissance unique was the private island for guests of the two hotels.  The island was just a short boat ride away from the two buildings, and shuttle rides were available from 7am to 7pm, so it was easy to get to.

An aerial view of the private island, courtesy of the website...

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/fitness-center/auabr-renaissance-aruba-resort-and-casino/

The shuttle from Marina Hotel was pretty neat - a small channel was built from the ocean into the hotel, so you got on the boat inside at the shopping area of the hotel.

Our hotel had it's own shuttle area not far from the pool, it wasn't as unique as this one though.

Once guests arrive at the island, there are two beaches to choose from - Iguana Beach, which was family friendly, and then an adults only beach.

There was no shortage of these guys on the Island, hence the name 'Iguana Beach' - they were all over the main island of Aruba too!  

 The adults only beach had it's own share of 'wildlife' - flamingos and hermit crabs...

Once we arrived, we made our way to Iguana Beach and picked a spot in the shade!

Curt spent a bit of time in the hammock, I moved to one of the lounge chairs and enjoyed this view instead...

We weren't right up by the water, but it's still a great view.  Remember I said we picked a spot in the shade, Curt got a sunburn on the first day, so we were staying out of direct sun for his sake!

The camera settings were a little off in this next picture, but it's still worth sharing...a panoramic shot of Iguana Beach.

If you click to enlarge the picture, you'll see a little 'hut' on the left side, that's a spa...you could get a massage while taking in an awesome ocean view!  The 'hut' you see on the right side is the restaurant.

The island was beautiful, and we really enjoyed the time we spent hanging out there.  As you can see in the aerial photo I included, there was man made rock walls that made lagoon areas for swimming (just like back at the resort), so you could swim in ocean without having the waves to worry about - it was perfect!