SAN NICOLAS, Aruba — We were only five minutes from the Secrets Baby Beach Aruba, but peering out the van window I saw no sign of a resort. It was nothing but a vast, arid landscape, dotted with cactuses and low-lying greenery, and beyond that, sand and sea.
Our driver rounded a few more bends when suddenly, the resort appeared: a modern, low-rise complex with a sand-hued exterior and dark wood and metal accents, blending seamlessly into its desert surroundings.
But within both Hyatt's Inclusive Collection and Aruba's tourism landscape, the Secrets Baby Beach Aruba stands out.
Opened in June, the 304-room Secrets Baby Beach Aruba is the Inclusive Collection's first property on the island. It also represents the first resort development to debut in San Nicolas, located on Aruba's southeastern tip, far from the island's established hotel zones. But the area, once dominated by an oil refinery that closed years ago, is poised to become a tourism hot spot, with Secrets leading the charge.
Already, land adjacent to the property has been cleared and prepped for future construction, suggesting that San Nicolas' transformation is just beginning.
"Most people haven't been into this part of the island," said Ricardo Portillo, the resort's director of sales and marketing, during a tour of the property. "So, what we're trying to create is a new destination inside this destination."
Demand for the property is already running high. Despite arriving for a hosted stay during Aruba's low season in late October, occupancy at the resort was at nearly 90%, versus a more typical 60% to 70% range for other properties in Aruba at this time of year, according to Portillo.
He attributes the appeal to several factors. First, Secrets brand devotees are discovering Aruba.
"We're bringing in a new market, because for a lot of Secrets clients, it's their first time here," he said.
A king swim-up guestroom at the Secrets Baby Beach Aruba. Photo Credit: Hyatt
The resort also fills a void within Aruba's hospitality sector. A high-end, adults-only all-inclusive like Secrets is uncommon on the island, where only a handful of all-inclusive players operate.
But unlike many traditional all-inclusive markets, where the vast majority of guests spend most of their time within the resort "bubble," Aruba is a destination travelers prefer to explore.
"Usually, clients don't leave a resort [like this], but here, people do because it's easy," said Portillo, adding that the Secrets Baby Beach is the only Secrets in the Inclusive Collection that offers on-site car rentals to guests looking to venture out on their own, at prices ranging from around $100 to $140 per day.
About 20% to 30% of resort guests rent vehicles to explore, Portillo said, and the property is gauging demand for potential shuttle service to the island's opposite coast.
"We're just trying to see what clients want," he said.
The resort's beach concierge
The resort's beach setup also differs from most Inclusive Collection properties in the Caribbean, with that difference sometimes requiring guest education, according to Portillo.
Aruba's beaches are public, so Secrets has adapted by offering a beach concierge service at Baby Beach, a nearby cove accessible via a roughly five-minute downhill walk. (For those who'd rather skip the walk, golf carts shuttle guests from the resort and back.)
Beach chairs set up by Secrets' beach concierge. Photo Credit: Christina Jelski
During my stay, I experienced the concierge service firsthand. I took a leisurely stroll down to Baby Beach's soft white sand and shallow turquoise waters. There, a van outfitted with Secrets branding served as the concierge HQ. Resort staff greeted me warmly, setting up beach chairs and offering towels and beverages.
There was no need to jockey for prime beachfront space. Although the beach is relatively compact, it was uncrowded on this weekday afternoon, with what appeared to be an even mix of resort guests, other tourists and local families.
But with Secrets enjoying early success in San Nicolas and the destination's profile as a tourism hub on the rise, busier days are likely ahead.