Ruinas del Mar

3/17/12
Don't bother. There are too many good restaurants in Aruba. The only thing Ruinas has going for it is its neat environment. The service is pedestrian--management does not know the meaning of professional wait staff, the food is mostly poor, and the price is through the roof.

I used to love this place; a perfect last night romantic event. No more.

My wife and I were not impressed by the food here. We tried Ruinas del Mar 10 years ago and again 9 years ago and then avoided it yearly until last week. Our friends wanted to try it so we went along. Appetizers were very good, but the entrees were just ok. It's a very pretty place with good service, but when we're in Aruba, we expect really good food and we find it consistently at other Aruba top restaurants. We'll wait another decade before we feel the need to try again.

We always stay at the Hyatt and enjoy our Sat. nite dinner at Ruins. I was looking forward to the Sea Scallops wrapped in prusciutto and my husband always gets the grilled Pork Chops...no longer on the menu..all new. I ended up getting the Grilled Lobster tail(cut into chunks)over cheese tortellini in a light tomato/pink sauce with asparagus...delicious. My husband didn't care for anything on the new menu so they let him order from their other restaurant's menu..Cafe Picolo with no problem. He got the Lasagna which he said was really good. Everyone there is so nice and really took care of us..love to watch the swans swimming by as we ate our dinner outside. We will always return here.

My friend and I went here on our second night on the island. For appetizer, I had the avocado salad which I was very disappointed with. It had more peppers and artichokes in it than avocado. For my main course, I had the shrimp and sea scallops wrapped in prosciutto and my friend had the lamb chops which were both very good. The service was good and the waiter was friendly. We would come back again.

Just got back from our stay at the Hyatt. We ate at Ruins this past Sat. night. Beautiful as always...sat in the open aired area. I always get the Seared Shrimp & Prosciutto Wrapped Sea Scallops...delicious. My husband enjoyed his DoubleCut Pork Chops. Service was great! Will always return to Ruins for a wonderful dinner.

Ruinas Del Mar continues to be the "jewel" resturant in Aruba. Besides the most amazing and wonderful atmosphere, the food is "outstanding", Probabably the best restaurant on the island. It is upscale in pricing $, but worth every dollar. I suggest you sit outside where the candles and torchs , light up the night , overlooking a beautiful fish filled pond. Ultra-romantic! We go every year for past 15 years. It is located at the Hyatt resort. ENJOY..

We love love love Ruinas del Mar!!! We ate there for Sarah's birthday and they did a great job! At dessert time they brought her a small cake with a candle and written in chocolate it said Happy Birthday. There is a beautiful waterfall and black swans. At the entrance there are two pounds with fountains where you could throw in coins. The breakfast buffet is wonderful! From pancakes and waffles. To fruit and fresh omlettes. And sausage and bacon. They have it all and more! We love love love Ruinas del Mar!!!

we have enjoyed many romantic dinners at the ruinas de mar.this march 09 we will be back and we are spoiled ny rest.owners who have seen it all and make it a point to celebrate our anniversary her every year.

This was a beautiful, romantic theme restaurant. The torches, the ruins by the sea theme, the waterfalls. The food was wonderful. It was our anniversary and they made it soooo special.

This is one of my favorite restaurants. Each year that we return, my wife and I make reservations to dine on the outdoor patio. The service is 1st class, the food is excellent, and the ambience is exclusive to this location. My wife and I have celebrated our 20th and 25th anniversaries here. Highly recommended!

We had Sunday Brunch here -- the biggest Brunch choices I have ever seen including caviar; fresh seafood and freshly made dessert station. The champagne was flowing -- your glass is filled before it is empty EVERYTIME!!! The brunch is pricey ($90 for 2 of us incl. tip) but worth it!!!

We ate the first night in Aruba, wanted to stay close to hotel. We were in a group of 12 and we treated like we were a a group of 2.
Food was fantastic, even if a little pricey. We would definitely return, as all 12 guests were completely satisfied with their meals

My husband and I stayed at the Hyatt and ate breakfast every morning at the Ruinas del Mar. We absolutely loved everything about this restaurant from the food, service and atmosphere. When we return to Aruba, we will definitely return to the Reuinas. Edna usually sat us every morning, and she was always pleasant and a pleasure to talk to. The wait staff is excellent. For the amount of people who eat at this restaurant, it amazing to think how many pass through their doors and it always looks perfect.

Since we were staying at the Hyatt we hit this place our last night there, the food was really good, we also did the pampered in paradise and the food seemed to also come from the menu, the bass is amazing, nice romantic setting, sit outside, the brunch is also supposed to be amazing.

My wife and I stayed at the HYATT at the end of June 2008. WE ate at this restaraunt on our first night in Aruba. While the atmosphere was excellent the food was simply good. My wife had the sea bass which was undercooked and I had the surf and turf. Nice restaurant overall, but not worth the price in my opinion.

Ate here on June 6th. It's romantic out on the patio with the torches blazing when the sun is down. Food was very good and the service was excellent.

This was always a favorite of ours but we were a little disappointed this time. The food was just not as good as it had been in the past and the service was nearly non-existent until my stepdaughter said something. I don’t know what she said but our champagne glasses were never empty and our dirty plates were promptly removed. I’m going to have to think long and hard about going back there again next year especially when you consider how much they charge.

This is the only restaurant in Aruba I am giving a 10 rating to. The decor, service, and food were all fantastic. This place really has the decor down - its romantic in the evening and has that rustic feel. Servers are very nice and prompt. Food was delicious. To start we had shrimp cocktail and avocado salad - both were good. For entrees, I had sea bass and my bf had the mahi mahi. All dishes come with white beans and a choice of sauce (lemon caper, red pepper, coconut curry...). My sea bass was the best I ever had and I'm a big seafood person and I live in NYC so I know my food. It was so buttery and flaky that I didn't even bother having the sauce. We were so full we didn't have room for dessert, although the menu sounded appealing.

My wife and I usually stay at the Hyatt when we come to Aruba and we have made the Ruinas Del Mar a regular stop. You simply cannot beat the outdoor seating while you dine under the stars and a swan or two is swimming near you table all made more magical with the torchlight lighting. That is atmosphere!
This year we were not staying at the Hyatt because we were staying with family at another resort. This did not stop us from bringing our family here. We again sat outside- I made the reservations a few days in advance... and the night sky was filled with stars.
The menu has a little something for everyone and the four of us had a nice variety- from prime rib to veal to seafood. There was also a very nice selection of wines to accompany our meals.
I would recommend as well capping off the evening with some desert ( a fine assortment) and especially one of the special 'Coffee drinks'... they were exceptional.
I know we will be back again next time around... Thanks

We dined here on our first night. I hadn't made any dinner reservations for this night, as I wasn't sure how we'd feel after travelling to Aruba. So that day, we stopped by the restaurant in mid-afternoon and made a reservation for 8:30.

The restaurant was quite full, both indoors and out. We requested outside dining, and sat by the manmade river coursing through the pool area. Two black swans swam by often while we were eating.

The service was attentive and professional. My friend had the mixed grill and I ordered the bacon wrapped scallops and shrimp over linguine. Both were beautifully presented and tasted delicious. We highly recommend dining here for the ambiance, service and food.

We did not have the opportunity to have dinner here, but enjoyed having breakfast here. The buffet was wonderful, as was the ala carte. Beautiful setting, great service.

We went for Sunday Brunch and had made a reservation well in advance which they could not find but did accommodate us. The waiter kept our glasses full with Mimosa. The food selection was great..breakfast foods and appetizers and desserts were great.We did not feel at all rushed. We went at 9:30 am and when we left at 11:30 the line was incredible. Make a reservation in advance.

My friend and I dined here on a Wednesday night Sept 26th. We both had the mixed grill which consisted of pork, veal, chicken and lamb on a skewer. It was very good. I had the spinach salad for appetizer which was also very good. The atmosphere is great. It has a very romantic setting. Ask to sit outdoor by the water and you can watch the black swans swim by. The service is very good. The only thing I did not like was that it was too dark to read the menu outside and the waiter got a little upset when he found out that we were not staying at the Hyatt. He should have been happy to know that we were staying at a different hotel and found this restaurant good enough to dine at. It's a very nice place and I recommend it.

We joke that we came back to Aruba for breakfast - but we are only half joking! We love their breakfast buffets! The regular daily buffet is really good, omelets to order and so many things to choose from! This time we also came for the Sunday brunch buffet. Wow! Our son loved the sushi, the guys like the shrimp, unfortunately no one in our family eats oysters or caviar, but there were so many things to choose from it was hard to pick- no one could try a little of everything! And the desserts to choose from, my heavens! We couldn't consider anywhere else on the island for breakfast.

Yes this has a great ambiance, but if you are a foodie, this may not be your place. I ordered the red snapper and it was not good. It tasted very very fishy, full of bones and it was not fresh. I wish I had read some of the other reviews below before dining there. My wife however had a great meal, but still half the experiece was not good. Don't waste your money on this one.