HOW TO ENJOY
One Man’s Opinion
By
Charles W. Smith
Published by Charles W. Smith
This version published August 11, 2010
© Copyright Charles W. Smith
The author grants permission to print this document.
Permission is NOT granted to edit this document in any way.
Email address: ArubaKid3@Yahoo.com
Website: ArubaKid.com
Photography by Charles W. Smith
ORDER OF CONTENTS
FOREWARD BY ARUBAAMY
INTRODUCTION
MY BEST PIECE OF ADVICE
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT
THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU LEAVE FOR
ARRIVAL IN
THINGS NOT TO DO
DAY ACTIVITIES ON YOUR OWN
ORGANIZED DAY ACTIVITIES
MEALS AND RESTAURANTS
NIGHT ACTIVITIES
IN ARUBA ON A SHOESTRING
IN
DEPARTURE FROM
MISCELLANEOUS
GOOD LUCK!
APPENDIX
PREPARING
FOR YOUR NEXT TRIPS
BRIEF TRIP REPORTS
PAPIAMENTO LESSON
TO PACK OR NOT TO PACK
ARUBA AND THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN
POST TRIP QUIZ
FOREWARD
Even
though we’ve never met, I feel like I’ve known Charlie Smith for quite some
time since we have both frequented the same
Charlie has written a very thorough e-booklet about Aruba
that captures almost every question that you might ask as a first time traveler,
and it also includes updated information for those who travel to
~Amy~® (aka ArubaAmy)
Administrator: http://www.aruba-travelguide.com/bulletinboard/
Trip Advisor’s Destination Expert for
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
May I introduce myself?
I’m Charlie Smith, and I very much want you to enjoy
This e-booklet had its beginnings when friends and friends
of friends asked me about
I was born in
Anyway, I graduated from high school in
ENJOYING
The problem is that there are MANY ways to enjoy
However
Also, I may have tried only one or two ways of doing an
activity that has many ways of doing it.
For example, there are many fine companies that will take you
snorkeling. I have tried two and liked
them both. I will recommend them to you
(later). But I can’t talk much about
companies I haven’t tried even though other
ENJOYING
Many people go to
If you are going to
In this regard, by all means talk to people about
Because remember: You WILL come back!
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
This e-booklet is written in Microsoft Word. It is meant to be read online. In this way you can see the pictures in color
and, more importantly, you can click on a link and go to a website right
away. If I am talking about a restaurant
you can click on the link I provide and instantly view their menu. If I am talking about a service the link will
connect you to the website of that service.
Of course you can print it out to read on the plane or while in Aruba,
but the most value for you is in PREPARING you for
The website links are in blue in this text. To go to a website click on
the blue link. Occasionally a
link will become obsolete. I will be
constantly testing the links provided in this booklet to make sure they are
current. That is an advantage of an
e-book: I can update it frequently to be
sure it is accurate. However as time
goes on the booklet may contain obsolete links.
I hope by that time you will have become an expert on
Weather: One of
Security: Full employment keeps crime to a minimum. There is virtually no reported bodily harm to tourists. Very safe tourist environment despite what you may have heard from the shameless press reporting on the Natalee Holloway case.
Drinking Water: The water is completely safe out of the tap and it tastes great. It is advertised as “the best water in the world.”
Beaches: The beaches
in
Snorkeling: There are
many wonderful snorkel spots in
Tourist Activities: There are a lot of activities for tourists like water sports, day trips, tours, cruises, things to rent, casinos, night life, carnival (in season), and restaurants.
Tourist Infrastructure: There are non-intimidating bus & taxi service, internet cafes, telephone system, car rental, ATMs, etc.
Accommodations: There is a wide variety of places to stay including hotels, timeshares, all-inclusives, apartments and houses.
Restaurants:
Ambience: Aruba has a
relaxed, cosmopolitan feeling about it stemming from the
Shopping:
Language: English is spoken everywhere by everyone.
People: Locals are
very friendly and helpful. Many tourists
list this as their number one reason for coming back to
Airport:
Accessibility: Aruba
has direct plane service to many
Driving: You drive on
the right side of the road. (But careful--no “right on red” in
Power: Electrical
power is 110volt service exactly the same as the
Jet Lag:
Hospital:
Reviews: There are
overwhelmingly positive reviews given by tourists who have vacationed on
Poverty: There is
little or no panhandling evident in
Timeshare salesmen:
In many
Yes, there are a lot of positive things than can be said
about
MY BEST PIECE OF ADVICE
The best single piece of advice I can give you about
By
doing this you will get a great cross section of experiences and opinions from
people that have been to
By the way, look for my posts on the bulletin board. My ID is ArubaKid. My icon is a black silhouette of a pelican on
dark blue. More about pelicans later,
but for now you should know one of my favorite pastimes in
So
visit the
There are other bulletin boards about
By the way, when you do go the aruba-bb.com, you will no doubt see some “Aruba Challenges” in the “Questions and Answers” section. Those are my threads. I take pictures while in Aruba and post some on that bulletin board, asking others if they can identify the sites of the pictures. They are a pretty smart group; I have difficulty stumping them. Just some more Aruba fun.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT
THE WEATHER
The weather is great.
What else do you have to know? Next topic.
Seriously, the weather in the southern
There is very little change in the weather throughout the
year. The temperature is very
consistent: about 80 degrees at night
and up to about 88 degrees maximum during the day. Oh there is a LITTLE more rain in the
November through January period (a few inches), and it is a LITTLE warmer in
June (4 degrees), but these differences are not large enough to alter your
vacation plans for. Just treat all
You may have heard that
Temperature tables can be found at: http://www.arubatravelinfo.com/climate.html
PAYING FOR THINGS
Don’t worry about money either. Pretend you are in the
The local currency is florins. There are 1.75 – 1.77 florins to the US dollar, and that ratio remains very stable over the years. Prices in the supermarkets are in florins, so you do have to make a conversion while shopping there. Occasionally you will get change in florins. If you have some change in florins accumulated during your stay, leave them for the housekeeping people that clean your room as part of their tip. But you will be almost totally unaware of local currency because everything is done in dollars.
By the way, I always call my credit card company to tell
them the dates I will be in
SECURITY
If you have a safe in your room, use it for your passports, extra cash, and other valuables. If it has a key, don’t leave it in the room when you leave. Do not leave valuables in your car, even in the daytime. Most of the tourist crime I hear about happens with rental cars being broken into. Rental cars have unique license plates (starting with a “V”), so thieves can identify them quickly. Just be wise about guarding your belongings and you should be fine.
ARUBANS
The people of
One time recently my wife and I had a flat tire in San Nicholas. I called the rental car company, and they sent someone to help us. In the 40 minutes we were on the side of the road four people stopped to ask us if they could help. Three of them were women, and all of them were as helpful as they could be. Great people.
POWER
The power in Aruba is exactly the same as in the
DRINKING WATER
The water in
LANGUAGE
Everyone speaks English, so don’t worry about that. The official language is Dutch. The local island dialect is Papiamento, a
mixture of many different languages.
Some phrases are contained in an appendix. If you went through school on
WHERE TO STAY
Agh, this is an important topic. It has a lot to do with what kind of accommodations you like, where you want to be, how much you want to pay, and where you want to have your meals. All those considerations are very individual. As I mentioned before, I can only advise you from my own experience, and I have only stayed at one place in recent years. This means you must seek help from other sources. So get on the Aruba Bulletin Board I referred to in a previous section and read some of the trip reports. Use the search facilities to find previous posts about hotels. Post your own questions about where to stay, and the “bulletin board people” will be glad to share their experiences with you.
Let me tell you of some of the general considerations to
help steer you where you might want to go. One early decision is whether to be “in town”
or near the beach. Being in Oranjestad,
the capital of
However, I would advise you to get out to the western end of
the island for one important reason:
beaches.
Another decision to make is whether to stay in an
all-inclusive or not. My advice: not.
Staying in an all-inclusive means that your meals are included in the
price you pay for accommodations and are provided by the facility where you are
staying. Many people like the idea of
going to
Another decision is whether to stay in the “high rise”
section of hotels or the “low rise.” My advice:
go low. The high rise area
contains large hotels, 10 or 12 or more stories. You have beautiful views, but you must put up
with elevators and generally less personal conditions. The beaches are crowded, yes they are. The parking is squeezed. There is more traffic. There are more people. Shops and restaurants are within walking
distance, but the whole ambiance in the high rises is touristy and generally
crowded. Thousands of people who stay
there or own there may rise up and scream if they read this, but that’s the way
I see the high rises. They are a very
necessary part of the tourist culture or there wouldn’t be near the number of
tourists coming to
Yes I prefer the low rises. The beaches are better—they are wider and not crowded, and there are more chickee huts available. There is more parking, less people, and most importantly to me it is quiet. The ambiance is less commercial. There are fewer shops, fewer restaurants, more space.
The above picture is of
One last decision to be made before selecting a specific
place to stay is whether to stay in a hotel or timeshare. Timeshares have more space, full kitchens and
can be cheaper (especially if 2 or 3 couples share the cost of a 2 or 3 bedroom
timeshare). However you have to go
through the trouble of renting from an owner for a specific period and
negotiating a price, and that is a pain in the neck for many first time
There are other accommodations available too. There are apartments on and away from the
beach. There are also individual houses
you can rent. For your first visit to
I stay at the Costa Linda Beach Resort when I am in
I don’t have personal experience with the following timeshare resorts, but I provide the following list for your use:
LA
ARUBA CONDO EAGLE BEACH: http://www.arubacondoeaglebeach.com
AMSTERDAM MANOR BEACH RESORT (hotel, not timeshare): http://www.amsterdammanor.com/
TAMARIJN ARUBA BEACH RESORT (all inclusive): http://www.tamarijnaruba.com/index.php
PARADISE BEACH VILLAS: http://www.paradisebeachvillas-aruba.com/
LA
DIVI ARUBA (all inclusive): http://www.diviaruba.com/packages/family/index.php
So from the guidelines and advice I offer above, try to get an idea of what type of accommodations you prefer. Then go on the bulletin board and ask the posters there about specific places and then go on from there.
REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
And the 2 best things in
Another thing to be careful of is the hot sun. Please protect yourself. The strong wind cools you off and tends to disguise the effects of the hot sun; however the disguise wears off a little later!
Another Aruban wart is their drivers. Simply put: they drive too fast. Not all of them; not even most of them, but the young, crazy ones. However, this is not a serious enough problem for you to cause you not to rent a car. Just be alert.
I don’t like to document negative things about
THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU LEAVE
FOR
There are the normal things:
secure accommodations, make plane reservations, make
sure your passport is up to date. You
must have a passport now to go throughout the
There are other things I strongly suggest you do too. They are as follows:
RENT A CAR
Having a car is an important part of how I want you to enjoy
Which rental agency to rent from? That is a good question. In December, 2007, the locations of the car
rental agencies at the airport underwent a change. The agencies were located right across the
street from the airport, easy to walk to, even with a ton of luggage. However space for the car rental businesses
was getting tight, a high fee was imposed on agencies that have their office at
the airport, and the number of agencies located at the airport was reduced to
ten. This caused several agencies to move
away from the airport, although not very far.
A recent poster on the Aruba Bulletin Board listed these 10 agencies as
the ones still at the airport: National, Budget, Hertz, Thrifty,
I know how to locate the agencies that are AT the airport: you walk across the street with your luggage on a cart and go into the agency office. They are clearly marked. If you rent from an agency that is not housed at the airport you indicate when you reserve what plane you will be arriving on. These agencies will meet you at the airport. They will have your name on a card, and you will see them as you exit Aruba customs into the airport lobby. That is how you connect with them. If they do not contact you in this way, what then? You can ask one of the shuttle drivers that is there to call your agency. They will even know the number (although you should have it with you). People are very helpful in Aruba, and this is one situation where you might need help. Not to worry. To be on the safe side, when you chose a car rental agency be sure to check with them to see if they have an office actually AT the airport or not. If they don’t then confirm with them exactly how to contact them after you get out of the airport. Again, be sure to have their telephone number with you.
Also, check the bulletin board for experiences of the posters there. Remember, you have to be registered on the bulletin board to get full value from that great resource. (Hey—you ARE registered by now, aren’t you?) Car rental questions and answers is a common topic on the board. Some of the posters recommend the following car rental agencies:
Amigo http://www.amigocar.com/
Royal http://www.arubaroyal.com/
Optima http://www.optimarentacar.com/
Econo http://www.econoaruba.com/ (At the airport)
Tropic http://www.tropiccarrent-aruba.com/ (Hans meets you at baggage claim.)
I used Hertz. They are located at the airport. Their website is:
http://www.arubarentcar.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=19
Since Avis opened a desk at Costa Linda Beach Resort I now use Avis:
http://www.avis.ie/CarHire/Caribbean/Aruba
The question always comes up when renting a car as to whether or not to accept the extra insurance. My usual practice was not to. However, I used to make an exception for renting in Aruba, and I accepted the additional insurance, even though it is at rip off prices. The reason is: I didn’t want to interrupt a nice vacation filling out forms and fighting with agencies in case there is a problem. This might not suit YOU, but I offer it as advice anyway. Accepting the additional insurance means you don’t have to pay for damages to the car you are renting (unless you are speeding or drunk or something). Many people think they are covered by their US based credit card. That may be true, but check the small print in your credit card contract. There are many restrictions and conditions. (By the way Aruban car agencies usually include liability insurance in their contract with you. That means if you damage some one elses’ property you are covered.)
However I now use a special insurance plan offered to people with American Express Cash Blue credit cards. It is complicated to explain in this document. If you want details, please email me.
A couple of post scripts about driving: first, there is no “right on red” allowed on
ORDER A MAP
Order a map of
I will be referring to spots in Aruba shown on the Borch
map. For example the airport is at (L4), the high rise hotels are at (F2 and G2), and the low rise area is at (H & J 1 & 2). Study
your map before you leave home. Figure
out how to drive from the airport to your hotel. Review that route with the car agency person
you rent with. Hey—you are performing
like an experienced
RESERVE A CELL PHONE
Yes, another strong piece of advice: rent a cell phone. There are three reasons for this: 1) you should have a cell phone with you in your car in case you have a road emergency, 2) landline phone calls from hotels are much more expensive than cellular calls, and 3) in case you have to call the States your cellular phone will do the trick easily and cheaply. You should NEVER make a landline call from your hotel. ALWAYS use your cell phone. It will prove to be much cheaper. Call restaurants and tours to make reservations from your cell phone. Call the States with it (just key 001, the area code and the number and hit Send.). Call stores to inquire about their hours.
Yes, there are several ways to acquire cell phones. Taking yours from the States if your service has that capability, buying a phone card, buying a SIM card in Aruba, etc. But I recommend that you rent your phone in Aruba during your first trip. The reason for this is that you do not want the hassle of dealing with this kind of thing while you are on vacation. There are two services which are highly recommended: Aruba Fast Phones (website http://www.arubafastphones.com/ ), and ArubaDiscountCell (website http://www.arubadiscountcell.com/ ). Both will deliver your phone to your hotel surprisingly fast. Make sure you arrange how to return your phone at the end of your trip. I would suggest reserving about 45 minutes per week of your Aruba stay.
Fast Phone Aruba will email you about a week before you
leave for Aruba and inform you of the telephone number of your cell phone while
you are in
I have a Verizon phone in the states. You can call them ((800) 711-8300) and they
will tell you how to use your Verizon phone to call to the US from Aruba and to
Aruba from the US. These individual
calls are expensive on a per-minute basis, but it is another way to get phone
service in
There are two phone companies right in the airport as you exit Aruba customs that can provide a local SIM card for your phone if that method suits you. However, I would recommend having your phone delivered to your hotel. Simple, less hassle, and fast. Just my opinion, of course…
See how the three recommendations of this section fit: rent a car to see
MAKE OTHER RESERVATIONS
Depending on what you chose to do in
ARRIVAL IN
What a thrill it was for us as kids—to walk down the stairs
from the plane onto the tarmac at the end of our stateside vacation and feel
that wonderful
But first things first. As you leave the plane you go up one flight on the escalator. Look at the people in the departure gate. They are all sunburned, and they are all looking sad. That is because they are returning home after a week or 2 in Aruba. Look happy—you have that to look forward to. LOL
Next you walk down a long corridor. Look for a display area on your left inviting you to take a free, brightly colored tote bag. Take one. They will be good for carrying stuff during your stay, especially carrying stuff to the beach. They are very sturdy; you will get a lot of use from them.
Now you have to have your passport stamped and your
immigration card stamped. You will
complete an immigration card on the plane.
When your passport is reviewed as you pass through the airport, the
agent will tear off the bottom part of the immigration form and leave it IN
your passport. Don’t lose this, or you
will have to find a blank form and complete it again as you are
leaving
Next is baggage claim.
Check out your fellow passengers waiting to claim their bags. You should have been talking to some on the
plane asking their advice about their previous trips to
After your baggage arrives, just breeze through the customs exits. Tourists are rarely stopped at customs. If you are carrying a duty free bag you might be asked what you have bought and how much. In February, 2009, some tourists were stopped by Aruban customs and asked if they were bringing in alcohol or cigarettes. They did have to pay duty on their hard liquor. This happens very infrequently, but it does happen; now you know.
So now you exit to the front of the airport, into the lobby. This is where you would meet your car rental agency guy if you are renting from an agency not physically at the airport. This is where the two phone companies have stalls for replacing your SIM cards if you want this service.
No, don’t leave the airport yet. Just as you are about to exit the airport
building, there should be people handing out red and white striped plastic bags
from a jewelry store called Little Switzerland. Get one for each person in your party. Four people, four bags. Do it.
They contain discount coupons for many of the activities you may be
doing in
Yes, now is the time to pick up your rental car. You should have made arrangements for it over the internet. Next you drive to your hotel. You should have your map in your carryon so you can review with the car rental agent exactly how get to your hotel. Hey—do you KNOW what you are doing, or WHAT?! You are a pro, and you are just getting started!
THINGS NOT TO DO
As I indicated earlier, I hope you will be doing things
during your stay in
You love Tony Roma’s ribs?
Get them at home then, not in
You want my opinion, or you wouldn’t be reading this. My opinions about all this stuff is not the
same as all the bulletin board posters, and the posters are experienced
But I have your attention now, so here goes: Don’t eat at American franchise restaurants,
like Taco Bell, MacDonnalds, Tony Romas. Don’t spend more than a little time at the
casinos. Don’t eat pizza for
dinner. Don’t spend more than a little
time at your hotel pool. Don’t spend all
your daytime time at the beach. Don’t
have the highlight of your trip to
Even golf and tennis are activities that can be done at
home. Let them add to your fun in
DAY ACTIVITIES ON YOUR OWN
SHOPPING
The shopping isn’t THAT great in
the mall in Oranjestad (just like US malls),
the new Paseo Herencia mall across from the Holiday Inn in the high rise area (small, specialized boutique shops),
the local shops behind the
Renaissance hotel in Oranjestad, along
the stalls for souvenirs located along the water in Oranjestad near where the cruise ships dock, and
the many exclusive stores located in the hotels.
Also worth checking out are temporary stalls for local merchandise and souvenirs. They are located in the parking lots of stores along the shore of the road northwest of Oranjestad, located at K2 on your Borch map. The ones worth visiting are open on Saturdays and Sundays. The best buys are mens shirts, the nylon ones. And caftans for the ladies. Very light and colorful.
The best things to buy in
There are many ATM’s, especially in hotels and casinos. Most, if not all, dispense US dollars. Fees are associated with cash disbursements from an ATM, but I’m sure you know that.
Note: many credit card companies are now tacking on a fee for purchases in foreign countries, up to 3%. So called “foreign transaction fees.” These fees do seem to get applied to purchases in Aruba, even though the amounts are entered in US dollars, not Aruban florins. Not all credit cards impose this, but many do. American Express does not (as of March, 2010, anyway). I call this to your attention so you aren’t surprised if this happens to you. You can call your credit card company to find out for sure.
Back to shopping, grocery shopping this
time. We stock our kitchen by
going to the grocery store right after we first arrive at our timeshare and
partially unpack. Although we almost never
prepare dinner in our timeshare, we do buy wine, beer, soda, snacks, fruit,
coffee, tea, milk, cheese, butter, water (for the bottles, right?), lemons,
sugar, paper towels, juices, and stuff like that. We go to Ling & Sons for our
groceries. The store is clean, and you
can pay in dollars by credit card. It is
located at (
SPENDING TIME ON THE BEACH
The beach at the high rise hotel area is OK. But it is crowded and narrow. The best beach on Aruba is
The picture above/left is of
This bears repeating:
the sun is very strong, and especially
dangerous because the wind is always blowing, and that means you can’t FEEL the
effect of the sun so much. I once knew
of an elderly gentleman that I heard was going to
Baby Beach (above) is a nice place to snorkel and picnic. Unfortunately, it is at the other end of the island from the hotels and timeshares. However, if you have listened to me so far you have your map and rental car, so a 45 minute drive is no problem. Baby beach is in Seroe Colorado, located at (R13) on your map. The beach has very calm and very shallow water, ideal for small children. The snorkeling is great too—brightly colored fish in water you can almost stand in, right close to the reef. For even more variety you can swim out a bit from the lagoon itself, but don’t swim further out than your swimming skill level, certainly not out into the dark blue water without a buddy. In 2009 Aruba has put a lot of money into its beaches, including Baby Beach. There are 21 shade huts at Baby Beach now. There are 2 places to buy burgers and drinks and rent snorkel gear. Baby Beach is a winner; go there and you will not be sorry.
TOURING THE
Now THIS is great stuff!
This is the main reason you rented your car. However, let me say first and foremost: The MOST fun about touring by yourself is
getting lost and subsequently finding your way.
You will get lost MANY times if you drive around the island. Not to worry.
As I have said the road signs are terrible in Aruba. There aren’t very many, and those that are
there aren’t consistent with the map.
Don’t count on them. Just try to
follow the map as best as you can. Get
to recognize some landmarks:
I have several day trips to recommend to you. First, the Baby Beach Day Trip is as
follows: Drive to
The Hooiberg Day Trip is a great one. Drive to Casiberi rock formation (J6) and walk around the little nature
path there. Then drive to Mt. (LOL)
Hooiberg (K6) and walk up the 582
steps to the top. Oh come ON, its not that bad. Great view from the top for
pictures. It takes only about 45
minutes to walk up, and that’s with 2 stops to rest. Then drive from
The Boca Grande Day Trip is nice also. There are many Subway shops in
Many newcomers to
None of the above day trips require a 4 wheel drive
vehicle. The Wild Side Day Trip
does, however. On your first trip to
Other good places to check out by car are (in no particular
order): Alto Vista Chapel (F5), California Lighthouse (D2),
SNORKELING
You should test out
your goggles and mask if possible in your hotel pool so you don’t get any
surprises at snorkel locations where you can’t make corrections or adjustments
easily. Remember to spit in your goggles
then wash with sea water to prevent fogging.
Yes, I know there is commercial stuff you can squirt in your
goggles. But “One Man’s Opinion is—spit!
The areas at which
you can snorkel by driving to the water are:
Baby Beach (R13) (picture at left), Mangel Halto (O7),
Arashi (D2), Malmok (E2), and Boca Catalina (E2). Its
best if you first go with a tour and see if you like it. You can then determine if you want to invest
in or rent gear to snorkel on your own.
(By the way, I would keep one person near the car while the others are
snorkeling. There have been reports of
too many car break-ins near the popular snorkel spots.) I will recommend 2 snorkel tour outfits
later.
Some of the
snorkeling spots identified on the following website are a bit advanced. Try out the easier ones first. http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/ABC/Aruba/index.htm
ACTIVITIES FOR TEEN AGERS
There are several wholesome activities that teen agers can
participate in on
OTHER ACTIVITIES ON YOUR OWN
There are many other things you can do in
The Ostrich Farm is a fun place for lunch—yes, they have ostrich burgers. They also have a Saturday and Sunday brunch. Their 30 minute tours are expensive, but you have to do it once. Reserve for brunch and get the tour at half price. That’s the way to do it. You can feed the birds. They go bananas over the feed. Small kids (maybe 6-8 years old) can even ride the ostriches. I suggest going on a day with blue sky because taking pictures of these goofy birds is great, and they don’t look nearly as good with a grey sky background. For tennis, check with the activities desk at your hotel for the nearest courts, and check the link below for tennis clinics.
The Donkey Sanctuary is a fun place to go, with or without kids. The sanctuary is located at [K8] on our map. It is free, but they hope for donations. I suggest going in the morning, as the donkeys often retire to a remote area in the afternoons. Pay attention to the staff’s guidance; some of the donkeys can get a little testy. But it is a great place—chickens running around, donkeys hee-hawing…you always leave with a smile on your face. The staff has apple slices to feed the donkeys. Watch your step, though…
Helicopter tour http://www.arubahelitours.com/
ATV rental http://www.enjoyaruba.com/atv/index.htm
Bicycle Rental http://www.setarnet.aw/users/mauricelinssen/index.htm
Arikok Hike http://www.sidsnet.org/eco-tourism/arikok.html
Aloe factory tour http://gocaribbean.about.com/od/topfiveattractions/gr/ArubaAloeStore.htm
Balashi Brewery tour http://www.balashi.com/balashi/
Butterfly Farm http://www.aruba.com/whattodo/butterflyfarm.php
Ostrich Farm http://www.arubaostrichfarm.com
Donkey Sanctuary http://www.arubandonkey.org/
Tennis http://www.arubatennis.com/
Alcoholics Anonymous 583-8989
Of course there are the water sports activities that you can arrange right from the beach: boat rides, parasailing, jet ski rentals, etc. A lot of people enjoy those activities, and there are a lot of companies offering them. Check out one of the providers: http://www.arubawatersportcenter.com/sail.htm
Another activity that is great fun is photography in
ORGANIZED DAY ACTIVITIES
SNORKELING TRIPS
Great fun! This is a must. I have gone on snorkel tours with 2 outfits: The Jolly Pirates and Tranquillo. Both were outstanding. You have to devote most of a day to these excursions, but they are a blast. The Jolly Pirates take you snorkeling to a sunken wreck and then to spots near shore. They have an open bar and lunch too. They have a rope swing for customers, and the staff shows off on the swing too. You get good pictures. Captain Anthony of the Tranquillo takes you to two super snorkeling spots and is famous for his home made Dutch pea soup. Both provide masks and snorkels and fins. You can’t go wrong with either one. Make reservations on their websites before you leave home.
Tranquillo http://www.tranquiloaruba.com/
Jolly Pirates http://www.jolly-pirates.com/
KAYAK TRIP
This is another super action packed day of kayaking and snorkeling and having lunch. The kayak people pick you up at your hotel, transport you to their kayaks, give you a brief lesson on kayak control, and you are quickly in the water with experienced guides. There are 2 tours. Each involves kayaking and snorkeling and lunch. I have done this tour twice and recommended it to friends and relatives. Everyone enjoyed it very much.
Kayak trip: http://www.arubawavedancer.com/arubakayak/
BOTTOM FISHING
If you’d like to get out to fish off the bottom (about 50 - 90 feet deep), I can recommend Olympic Tours (tel 586-5026). We have gone out with them many times. They go out at about 8:30 or so and return at about 2:00. Lunch is included. We always caught fish, but most of them were small. Only twice did we catch enough for a meal for 4. It is a lot of fun; you are out in that beautiful water. It is NOT deep sea fishing, so it isn’t rough. You are only out about a mile, so you always see land. It is a fun filled day.
GOLF
The cheapest and best way to play golf is to sign up for the Wednesday and Friday Golf Tournament at the Divi Golf club. $75.00 per person, best ball net. They provide clubs, golf shoes, a sleeve of balls, and 9 holes of golf plus drinks. The course is nice. Easy to find. Call to reserve, 581-GOLF. The 18 hole golf course at Tierra del Sol is a nice one, but more expensive. There is a golf course at the other end of the island (P12). Sand greens. I wouldn’t recommend that course unless you want to have a good laugh and an adventure. In my day, it was the only golf course on the island.
Divi Aruba http://www.visitaruba.com/attractions/sunandfun/golf.html
Tierra del Sol http://www.tierradelsol.com/
OTHER ORGANIZED DAY ACTIVITIES
I have not taken any tours with the outfits below, but I offer them for your information. I suggest you ask the bulletin board posters about their experiences before booking with them.
Horseback riding http://www.aruba-travelguide.com/activities/horsebackriding.html
Deep sea fishing http://www.aruba.com/whattodo/deepseafishing.php
Scuba diving http://www.divearuba.com/
http://www.redsailaruba.com/ar_index.html
MEALS AND RESTAURANTS
TYPICAL DAY IN
The way we like to organize our days in Aruba is to get up
early, walk the beach for an hour or so at dawn, make a bagel run and a towel
run and a free daily newspaper run, then return to our timeshare unit to have
coffee and a bagel and plan the day. We
then get an early start, about 9:15 or so, and we hit the nearest Subway for
sandwiches to pack in our cooler right next to the Balashi beer and water. Then we head “out” on our day trips to
So our meals in Aruba are generally as follows: breakfast in our timeshare, picnic lunch at a
beach or wherever we happen to be at lunchtime, and
dinner at one of
THE RESTAURANTS
The best way to cover 60 restaurants is to gather them into categories. I will provide the restaurant, their telephone number, the days they are closed, and their website. This information changes now and then so some things may have changed since I researched them. Please cover restaurants thoroughly on the Aruba Bulletin Board. However, circumstances can often dictate that peoples’ opinions will differ significantly about the same restaurant. Someone will love one; someone else will hate the same one. You must get many opinions and develop your own favorites list.
All restaurants are casual in
In general, the higher the restaurant is on my list below, the more necessary it is to make reservations. Some restaurants, like our all time favorite, Madame Janettes, will ask for your credit card number upon making reservations, especially in the hi season. They say they might charge you if you don’t show (but I don’t think they actually will). Other restaurants that ask for credit cards when making reservations are Screaming Eagle, Flying Fishbone, and Marandi. Probably some more of the more expensive ones too, but I can’t remember them all.
Many people want to know which restaurants serve “typical Aruban” food. Typical Aruban is tough to define. Being on the water it means seafood, of course. And goat stew; I’m sure you’ll love that. And some Dutch dishes. I put an (A) next to restaurants that are considered to be typical Aruban. And the © beside the restaurant name means it is less expensive (©heap, LOL). Many restaurants do offer vegetarian dishes, if that is important to you. They will also prepare a vegetarian meal if you ask them to, even if is not on the menu.
Locating restaurants in
There are several restaurants I would strongly
recommend: Madame Janettes, El Gouchos,
Papiamento, Amazing (for Sunday Brunch), Yamanja, and the Flying Fishbone. MJ’s is the best restaurant on Aruba, and one
of the best in the
|
RESTAURANTS
PATRONIZED |
Days |
Telephone |
Location/Comments |
Website |
|||||||||
|
Closed |
011-297 |
||||||||||||
|
THE VERY BEST |
|||||||||||||
|
Madame
Janettes |
SUN |
587-0184 |
|||||||||||
|
Flying
Fishbone |
--- |
584-2506 |
|||||||||||
|
Papiamento
(A) |
SUN |
586-4544 |
|||||||||||
|
El
Gouchos |
--- |
582-3677 |
|||||||||||
|
Yemanja Woodfired Grill |
SUN |
588-4711 |
2
Wilheiminasatraat |
||||||||||
|
Marandi |
SUN |
582-0157 |
|||||||||||
|
Que
Pasa |
583-4888 |
||||||||||||
|
Bingo
© |
--- |
586
2818 |
|||||||||||
|
Sunset
Grill |
--- |
526-6612 |
At
Radisson |
||||||||||
|
Amadeus |
MON |
587-3644 |
From
Texaco circle by La Cabana go inland to next circle, then 1 more mile. On right, past another texaco,
next door to HOT Take Away |
||||||||||
|
Chalet
Suisse |
SUN |
587-5054 |
Impersonal
& sterile |
||||||||||
|
VERY GOOD |
|||||||||||||
|
Matthews |
588-7300 |
At
Casa del Mar |
|||||||||||
|
La
Promenade © (A) |
MON |
583-8879 |
|||||||||||
|
Giannis |
586-7794 |
||||||||||||
|
Gostoso Café |
588-0053 |
Hospitalstraat 12-A By Texaco
circle |
Portuguese |
||||||||||
|
Windows
on Aruba (Sun Brunch) |
--- |
581-4653 |
Golf
clubhouse @ Divi Links |
http://www.windowsonaruba.com/ |
|||||||||
|
Passions
(Mangos on beach) |
527-1125 |
||||||||||||
|
Ellioti's (at Costa Linda) |
SUN |
588-9040 |
Costa
Linda parking lot |
http://dinearuba.com/Documents/Ellioti%27s%20Italian%20Restaurant%20Aruba%20-%20Menu.pdf |
|||||||||
|
Hostaria Da'Vittorio |
--- |
586-3838 |
Across
from Hyatt |
||||||||||
|
Chez
Mathilde |
SUN |
583-9200 |
|||||||||||
|
Wacky
Wahoo © |
586-7333 |
Very
much improved |
|||||||||||
|
Anna
Maria's |
592-3857? |
Near
Carib Palm Village |
http://www.aruba.com/forum/f12/anna-maria-42858/ |
||||||||||
|
GOOD, WOULD GO BACK |
|||||||||||||
|
Pinchos |
583-2666 |
On
pier on the water |
|||||||||||
|
Amazing
(Sunday Brunch) |
MON |
730-9500 |
San
Nicolas |
||||||||||
|
Astoria
(Sunday Brunch) |
584-5132 |
San
Nicolas |
|||||||||||
|
French
Steakhouse |
--- |
582-3444 |
|||||||||||
|
Screaming
Eagle |
SUN |
587
8021 |
|||||||||||
|
Tulips
© |
587-0110 |
||||||||||||
|
Pam
Pam © |
none |
587-7710 |
http://www.visitaruba.com/attractions/bynight/restaurants/international/index.html#pampam |
||||||||||
|
Osterich Farm (lunch) |
--- |
585-9630 |
http://www.arubaostrichfarm.com/bar_restaurant.html |
||||||||||
|
Salt
& Pepper © |
--- |
586-3280 |
|||||||||||
|
Old
Man and The Sea |
SUN |
735-0840 |
Near
Flying Fishbone |
http://theoldmanandthesearestaurant.com/Welcome.html |
|||||||||
|
B-55
(A) © |
Very
near drive-in movie; @55 Balashi |
||||||||||||
|
Bella
Luna |
--- |
586-0644 |
|||||||||||
|
The
Turtle's Nest |
none |
583-3000 |
At
Costa Linda |
http://www.visitaruba.com/turtlesnest/ |
|||||||||
|
Nos
Cunucu © (A) |
582-7122 |
Reopend under new
management |
|||||||||||
|
Driftwood |
TUE |
583-2515 |
|||||||||||
|
Boca
Prins Bar (lunch) |
|||||||||||||
|
Linda's
Pancake (lunch)© |
SUN |
586-3378 |
|||||||||||
|
Peanuts
© (A) |
583-4343 |
End
of Main Street |
http://wsm.ezsitedesigner.com/share/scrapbook/41/412934/Peanuts.pdf |
||||||||||
|
Iguana
Joes © |
SUN |
No
reservations |
|||||||||||
|
Taj
Mahal © |
SUN |
588-4494 |
|||||||||||
|
Mangos
(Inside)(Tuesdays) |
--- |
587-1492 |
|||||||||||
|
Pizza
Bob's © |
--- |
588
9040 |
|||||||||||
|
The
Old Fisherman |
588-3648 |
||||||||||||
|
Ruinas del Mar (Hayatt
Sun Brunch) |
523-4203 |
At
Hayatt |
|||||||||||
|
The
Sultan (Arab) |
588-2598 |
From
O'stad go left at airport. At Codemsa turn
left. At next traffic circle |
http://dinearuba.com/Documents/Sultan%20Middle%20Eastern%20Delight%20Restaurant%20Aruba%20-%20Menu.pdf |
||||||||||
|
Bavaria |
Next
to Sawadee |
||||||||||||
|
DISAPPOINTING--OVER RATED OR OVER PRICED. TOO MANY BETTER RESTAURANTS TO CHOOSE FROM |
|||||||||||||
|
Gasparitos
(A) |
SUN |
586-2444 |
Going
downhill |
||||||||||
|
Cuba's
Cookin |
588-0627 |
Overpriced
now |
|||||||||||
|
Chefs
Tables |
WED |
587
8140 |
Bad
service |
||||||||||
|
Wei
Taai © |
Typical
Chinese, just OK |
||||||||||||
|
Marina
Pirata |
585-7150 |
Food
so-so Bad service |
|||||||||||
|
Charlie's
Bar (lunch) |
584-5086 |
Too
expensive! |
|||||||||||
|
Sawasdee
Thai © |
586-8071 |
Bland
flavor |
http://www.toptable.co.uk/venues/restaurants/?id=7498&refid=ggl05&gclid=CNj_wP_mzpQCFQGbnAodj1DKpw |
||||||||||
|
Aqua
Grill |
SUN |
586
5900 |
Deserted;
sterile |
||||||||||
|
Texas
de Brazil |
--- |
586
4686 |
Overpriced,
quality so-so |
||||||||||
|
Rembrandt's |
Nothing
special |
Dutch
staff & menu. Small. Live music at 10:30 |
|||||||||||
|
Smoky
Joes |
--- |
586
2896 |
Nothing
special |
||||||||||
|
Pirates
Nest (Bucuti) |
583-1100 |
Nice
setting Food so-so |
|||||||||||
|
Buckineer |
586-6172 |
Food
dry & plain |
|||||||||||
|
Hung
Paradjis |
Not
at all to our liking |
||||||||||||
|
Wok
Away (lunch) |
Nice
idea, bad execution |
Made
to order Chinese |
|||||||||||
|
A
Different Restaurant |
Greasy
food |
||||||||||||
|
Pago
Pago |
WED |
586-4466 |
At
Westin |
||||||||||
|
Mulligan's |
--- |
523-5062 |
Noisy
Coffee shop quality |
http://www.mulligansaruba.com/ |
|||||||||
|
Papillon |
Food
not so good |
http://bentpage.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/papillon-restaurant-aruba-dwi/ |
|||||||||||
|
Old
Cunucu House © (A) |
Nice
setting Food so-so |
||||||||||||
|
La
Vista @ Marriott (Sun brunch) |
520-6601 |
At
Marriott |
|||||||||||
|
Azzurro |
586-4123 |
At
Playa Linda |
|||||||||||
|
Windows
on Aruba (Dinner) |
|||||||||||||
NIGHT ACTIVITIES
Well, I don’t have much experience with night life on
There is sometimes a show nightly at the
Of course you can go to the casinos at night.
If you want to relive your wilder days I can suggest the following for the young at heart:
Senor Frog for drinks, dinner and pickup. New location and new name, but this is where Natalee Holaway was last seen. It is in Oranjestad, close to where the cruise ships come in. Lots of stuff going on. (check: http://www.carlosandcharlies.com/ ) They have changed their name to Senor Frog but are keeping their same format.
Tattoo. Dinner and dancing cruise. Very noisy. $40 per person. Call 586-2010. Lotsa dancing. Three decks, rope swing, Fun evening I understand, but I have never done it.
Kukoo Kunuku. Dinner and Barhopping tour. Call 586-2010 $59 per person. They pick you up at your resort or hotel, and you go bar hopping across the island. First drink in every bar is “free.” They deliver you home at 2:00 in the morning. You are all on a big multi colored bus, and make a lot of noise going from one bar to the other. Everybody waves at you when you go by. For the young and restless it is a blast. Discount coupons from Little Switzerland. Their website is: http://www.kukookunuku.com/
Moombas restaurant is in the middle of a lot of young people activity. It is on the beach in the high rises. Food isn’t great, but you can meet people and enjoy yourselves. Check them out at http://moombabeach.com/component/
Mambo Jambos. Haven’t
been there, but it is always on everyone’s list of active places at night. They get going at 11:00pm. Royal Plaza Mall # 126 Website at: http://www.mambojamboaruba.com/index_flash.html
IN ARUBA ON A SHOESTRING
I know I have told you how to enjoy yourself in Aruba—rent a car, buy a map, get a cell phone, tour the island, go on picnics, and take advantage of what Aruba has to offer in the areas of activities, restaurants, entertainment, and culture. I stand on that approach for a wonderful vacation. However, I do know that many people who go to Aruba do it with a minimum of funds, and they want to know how to enjoy the island when they have a tight budget. OK, I understand that, so let me tell you how to enjoy Aruba without spending a lot of money. The thing I would have you keep in mind if you don’t want to spend a lot is that you are just whetting your appetite on this trip. You are doing a combination of 2 things—enjoying Aruba now, and planning for your next trip later. So go ahead, go on the cheap this time, but plan to save more for your next trip.
The first thing to save on is: don’t rent a car. That means you don’t buy a map and you don’t rent a phone. That’s quite a lot of savings right there. Arrange for airfare and hotel accommodations through one of those websites like Travelocity that can get you good deals. That saves a bundle too. You could also save a little money by getting a shuttle to your hotel, but I would still recommend taking a taxi because you don’t want to be confused waiting for a shuttle the instant you land in Aruba. So for peace of mind, take a taxi to your hotel. Take the shuttle to the airport when you are returning.
Even on a shoestring, you don’t want to be “stuck” at your hotel all the time. So I would recommend getting familiar with the bus system in Aruba. It is very inexpensive to take busses. You can go to and from the shopping area in Oranjestad by bus, and depending on what you want you what you can go to many places by bus. I would recommend buying groceries if you have a kitchen in your hotel or timeshare; that will save on restaurants. However there are many restaurants within walking distance of wherever you are staying. Check with the concierge for those close ones that are inexpensive.
Of course you will stay away from the casinos, and you won’t drink much. Those are givens. You should go on one island tour. It is an expensive day, but you have to establish expectations for your next trip to Aruba, so taking a tour will show you what the rest of the island is like so you can dream about it before your next trip.
Not spending much money probably means you will be staying at your hotel more than I would like you to, but that’s OK. There are great beaches and pools for your relaxation and enjoyment. Be beach bums for a week; that is not all bad, and it doesn’t cost much money. Change your daily routine: get up early, go to bed early. Take beach walks early. It is a different lifestyle, and it is not at all bad! Walk, take hikes, take pictures. Good fun and very expensive.
IN
There are many activities in
Speaking of MacDonalds and children and restaurants, one bit of feedback from a reader of this e-booklet suggested something that worked for her: going to MacDonalds for a takeout meal for the kids then taking it to your restaurant of choice and having the kids there with you eating their Big Macs while you dine yourself. Well, its American franchise…but…I’ll allow it! LOL
And if you want to escape at night you can arrange for a babysitter with your hotel front desk. The following is a babysitting website: http://www.arubababysitting.com/ Check the Aruba Bulletin Board for babysitter advice. There is a lot of material there on that subject.
DEPARTURE FROM
Alas, it is time to go home. Never mind—I know you will decide to come back. Some important things for getaway day:
Don’t forget to return your cell phone.
Get to the airport three hours earlier than your flight leaves. As you drive into the airport follow signs to Departures and drop off your luggage with those that came with you. Circle all the way around the airport again and follow the signs to Rental Car Return. Be sure not to get into the Parking lane. It is a little difficult getting OUT of the airport parking lot. (You have to go inside the airport and pay in a machine and then come out and exit.) Then join the others waiting in line with your luggage.
The Aruba airlines in the airport are very picky about the
weight of bags. Almost every time we are
in the airport we see people opening their luggage and switching stuff from one
bag to another. In June, 2008, our
daughter had one suitcase that weighed 51 pounds and one that weighed 48. They (Jet Blue) made her move one pound of
clothes from the heavy suitcase to the other.
Why? I have no idea. Stupid, if you ask me. So be careful when you are packing at home in
the States before you leave for
Aruba has a complicated check-in process, because
1) Check
your luggage with your airline and get your boarding pass and
2) Complete
your
3) Go outside the building to the left where your boarding pass, passport and the bottom part of your immigration card are checked.
4) Go inside the next building where the same things are checked (again).
5) Go
through
6) RECLAIM YOUR CHECKED LUGGAGE at a carrousel, and go through US customs with all your luggage and carry ons.
7) Deposit
your luggage on another roller. You are
now done with it in
8) Go
through
9) Go to your gate and wait for your plane.
It all seems a bit overwhelming at the time, but remember you are going through Aruban and US security and US customs. When you get to your destination in the States, you will have no customs or security to contend with. It will be just like a domestic flight: get your baggage and exit the airport.
MISCELLANEOUS
The following are some websites that you might find useful:
Interactive map http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=12.578565&lon=-70.042691&z=16&l=0&m=a&v=2
Birds of
Aruba Tourist Information http://www.arubabound.com/packing/firsttime.htm#dining
US State Dept Aruba Info http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/22491.htm
GOOD LUCK!
I hope you have a wonderful time in
I would love to hear from you, either before you leave with questions or after you get back with your experiences. Of course I would like to know if this booklet has been helpful. Email me at: ArubaKid3@Yahoo.com
I hope you have been on the Aruba Bulletin Board with questions too. And when you come back you can get on the bulletin board and help ANSWER questions that the next freshman class of newbies will have.
Masha Danki (Thank you very much), and Bon Voyage!
APPENDIX
PREPARING FOR YOUR NEXT TRIPS
I TOLD you you would be back to
New places to stay:
If you are hopelessly hooked on
More adventurous activities: Rent that 4x4 and do the wild side tour and
go to natural pool. Rent bicycles, rent
ATVs. Go snorkeling at new places. Go fishing.
You will be expanding your
Bring visitors:
Now you’re cooking! Bring you friends and relatives to
To prevent fogging in your goggles when snorkeling, I suggested rubbing in saliva and rinsing in sea water. Now that you are a pro, there are better ways to prevent fogging: 1) Rub a raw potato on the inside of your goggles and rinse, or 2) buy a product, called sea gold, from www.mcnett.com Click on “Dive Products.” Their anti-fog gel is very good. (But as I said earlier, I am old fashioned: spitoohey!)
To repeat: I
would love to hear how you liked
Brief Trip Reports
JANUARY 4 – JANUARY 18, 2008
We had one of the best trips to
I won’t present a day-by-day itinerary, but I’ll just give you a summary of our activities. We took all the day trips I mentioned above: The Baby Beach trip (twice), the Hooiberg trip, the Boca Grande trip, and the Wild Side trip (twice). Great fun! We played tennis at Costa Linda twice. We watched NFL playoff games and the college national championship game; they were on Costa Linda’s channels. We shopped, we snorkeled three times. We went bottom fishing with Olympic. We took the Balashi Brewery tour (again!) and ate lunch at the brewery. I took a lot of pictures of pelicans. We went to the Balloon Parade in San Nicholas, and I got some colorful pictures there too. Of course we had plenty of time to relax at Costa Linda--on the beach, at the pool, and on our huge patio overlooking the beach and water. See, I take my own advice.
The restaurants were just great. The new ones we tried were: Matthews, Sawasdee, Pam Pam,
Wacky Wahoo, Amazing, and Screaming Eagle.
Old favorites were:
One adventure I must tell you about: We went to Natural Pool at the end of one of our Wild Side trips. I had rented a 4x4 especially for that day. Well there really isn’t a road to Natural Pool, just faint trails where other vehicles have gone. It was VERY difficult getting to the pool. We got stuck twice. The first time there were about 15 people trying to help us to no avail. We finally got it going. Coming back we had to back up (not easy) and retrace our way. I even entertained thoughts about what we would have to do in case the vehicle got permanently stuck. Not a big problem, with so many helpful Arubans, but not a good way to end a fun day. So we finally did make it, and that is now one of the highlights of the trip! The Natural Pool swim made it all worth it.
See my pictures of the trip at: http://www.pbase.com/scsnapper/arubajan2008
JUNE 20 – JULY 4, 2008
We came directly from 2 weeks in Africa (7 days on safari)
to
We repeated a lot of traditions: picnicking at Baby Beach (3 times), snorkeling at Malmok, taking pictures of pelicans, walking Eagle beach each morning (yes, 14 times), having our exit lunch at Linda’s Pancake, car rental, Fast Phones, Ling & Sons for groceries, etc. Something new: we had lunch and the tour at the Ostrich farm. The lunch was fine (we had ostrich bergers), and the tour was OK to do (once). Samantha rode an ostrich. Great fun.
We ate at many “old” restaurants: Alfredo’s, Matthews, Le Dome (for Sunday brunch), Gasparitos, Turtle’s Nest, Giannis, Pinchos, Amazing (for Sunday brunch), Papiamentos, the Flying Fishbone, El Gouchos, and of course Madame Janettes for our last night’s dinner. New for us were Brisas del Mar (very nice; we look forward to going back), Yamanja (VERY nice), and Peanuts in Oranjestad (local and cheap and good).
One interesting happening:
a turtle nest hatched on
Oh, and we bought 2 more weeks at our timeshare, Costa Linda. Couldn’t resist!
See the pictures of this trip including ostrich riding, and
turtle hatching at: http://www.pbase.com/scsnapper/2008junaruba A more extensive
pictorial comparison of
JANUARY 2 – JANUARY 16, 2009
We took guests to
I am running for a seat on the Board of Directors at Costa Linda Beach Resort, so I spent time campaigning during this trip. I stocked and resupplied trays with campaign cards on them located throughout the resort. I talked to many Costa Linda owners about the issues of the day. It was interesting. I hope I am elected; I look forward to serving.
We ate at some familiar restaurants: El Gouchos, Yamanja
Woodfired Grill, Giannis, Madamme
Janettes, Salt & Pepper, Prominade and Marandis. New for us
was The Old Man And The Sea, where the tables were on
the sand. Best setting of any restaurant
on
We did the usual activities this trip: picnics, shopping, day trips, the ostrich farm, the donkey sanctuary, up Hooiberg (well, not all the way), and early beach walks every day. We did more than our usual amount of relaxing on the beach—reading, snoozing, sipping and just listening to the waves. MMmmmmmm!
JUNE 19 – JULY 24, 2009
What a nice long visit this one was! Five weeks in Paradise (all in Costa Linda, of course). The only drawback was we began to miss our dogs a lot. Every 3 years there is a big reunion in Aruba for anyone that lived in Seroe Colorado in the days of Lago’s owning the refinery there (1930 – 1970 approximately). There are not many of those employees still living, but there are a lot of their kids still around that used to live there. There were about 150 that returned this year. We have a couple of big dinners at the Westin, and there are a lot of private parties throughout reunion week. Good to see the kids you grew up with back on “the rock.”
Anyway, we went on lots of picnics, drove down the rough side in a 4x4 twice, took pictures of pelicans, went to some new restaurants, showed family and reunion attendees around the island, visited the donkey sanctuary and other hot spots (LOL), went on a great snorkel trip on the Tranquillo with Captain Anthony, climbed Mt. Hooiberg [er…halfway], did a lot of picture taking and snorkeling. Yes, I stuck to my recommended regimen. However, with 35 days in Aruba we stayed at Costa Linda on the beach more than usual. I know, I know: I have told you countless times NOT to loaf around all day at your hotel or timeshare. But pictures this: me on Eagle Beach under a hut on a chaise chair reading from my Kindle, with my Blackberry on my chest going “beep beep” every time I got an email, cocktails delivered, snoozing when necessary and taking a dip in the Caribbean every few hours. HEAVEN!
My campaign to run for the Costa Linda Board of Directors was successful. I am now one of 9 Board members. Serving will be a challenge and something new and interesting for me. Check out my picture on the wall next to the reception desk at Costa Linda if you get a chance.
We went to the following restaurants: Ellioti’s, B-55, Turtle’s Nest, Matthews, Que Pasa, Salt & Pepper, Windows on Aruba (Sunday Brunch), Pam Pam, La Prominade, Tulips, Madame Janettes, Gionni’s, Chefs Tables, Bingos (several times), Passions, Papiamentos, Marandi’s, Taj Mahal, Rembrants, Nos Canucu, and Yamanja. In general all met expectations except for Chef’s Tables and Rembrants which were disappointing.
JANUARY 1 – JANUARY 22, 2010
We had three great weeks in January, one with guests. We all loved the time in God’s Country. We ate at the following restaurants: The French Steakhouse, Mulligans, Amadeus, Sunset Grill (twice), Pago Pago, Gostosos (twice), The Old Cunucu House, Chalet Suisse, Bingos (twice), Hayatt for Sunday brunch, Giannis, Marandis, Pappillon, Hosteria Da Vittario, Pam Pam, Ellioties, Mathews, and Madame Janettes. Some were better than others, but overall a good lineup.
Rented a car? Yes! Had a cell phone? Yes, my Blackberry. Had our maps? Yes—one in the unit and one in the car. Check, check, check.
We had been with this couple in Aruba twice before, so we had done many of the island tours and outside trips. However, we did take the “Wild Side Day Trip” with them. They loved it. We found ourselves staying at Costa Linda and relaxing more than usual, and loving that too! Everyone had a Kindle or Sony electronic book, and they all got a workout. Of course I got pelican pictures.
I had an unsettling incident with a guest at Costa Linda. He threatened me when he claimed I blocked his view of the sunset. I took exception and called the police who came immediately. The resort manager spoke to him, and things calmed down quickly. Too bad he wasn’t as well behaved as the Arubans.
JUNE 11 – JULY 23, 2010
Yes, SIX weeks on the island! WhaHOO! It was a fine trip. We had our kids and their kids join us for 2 weeks, and two other couples for another week. Very nice time. We ate at the following new restaurants: Assuro, Anna Maria’s, Yami Yami, Windows on Aruba (for dinner), and Bavaria. We returned to the following: Matthews, Pam Pam (twice), La Promenade, Wacky Wahoo (twice), Swiss Chalet (three times), Amadeus (three times), The Old Fisherman, Bingos (twice), Yamanja (twice), Gostoso, Elliotis (twice), Tulips, Mangos (twice), Que Pasa, Madame Janettes (three times), Pizza Bobs (I ordered from Ellioti’s menu), and El Gouchos. I got a lot of good pictures on the trip, especially scenics and sunsets. Check them all out at: http://www.pbase.com/scsnapper/arubajune2010
We did some new things that turned out to be a lot of fun. The World Cup was on, and of course Holland was a big favorite in Aruba. We went to Bingos during Holland’s last 3 games. It was a MADhouse—everyone dressed in orange, hooting and hollering. Check out the pictures. Also, we went on an island tour with Madi. Madi is a local Aruban who takes people on custom tours in her 4 wheel drive vehicle—wherever you want to go. (We ended up at Natural Pool.) She will get up at 4:30am to take you to some neat places to watch the sunrise. She will take you places that the tour companies don’t even know about. She is a VERY upbeat and enthusiastic person. I highly recommend her tours (and did I say they are cheaper than the well known tours?). Her local phone number is 746-1397. Also, we discovered Zeerovers. Now THAT is a unique place! It is a (big) bar right on the water near the Flying Fishbone, where the fishermen go out during the day. They come back in the late afternoon with their catch, and you eat it (cooked, of course) right off the table tops. No utensils, I’m told. We never got there for dinner, but we will on the next trip. We were there during Brazil’s World Cup game. Also, on Eagle Beach right in front of Costa Linda we saw a turtle hatch. That is always exciting. See the pictures.
I am sure I told you my wife and I walk the beach every day for almost an hour starting at 7:00am. I carry my camera (yes, it is a big one), almost wherever I go, but especially on the beach walks. Twice this trip people stopped me and asked me if I were Charlie Smith. They told me they had read this booklet, and the booklet is the reason they came to Aruba and stayed at Costa Linda Beach Resort—AND they were loving it. They wanted to thank me. That made me feel good.
So all in all the trip was wonderful.
So when are YOU coming? Hummmmmm?
Papiamento Lesson
What follows is lesson one in your use of Papiamento, the
local language of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao (the
English Papiamento English Papiamento
Thank you danki Thank you very much masha danki
Good afternoon bon tardi Good evening bon nochi
Yes si Good day Bon dia
No no I am fine mi ta bon
How are you? Kon ta bai? What time is it? kuantor tin?
Very good masha bon Welcome bon bini
Please por fabor See you later te awero
Food kuminda Cheese keshi
Money sen Kiss sunchi
Hot kajente Boy mucha homber
Big grandi Girl mucha muher
Cold friew I love you mi ta stimabo
Beer serbes I’m hungry mi tin hamber
Party fiesta Sweetheart dushi
Small chikito I am happy mi ta kontentu
Sun solo Love amor
Fat gordo Beautiful bunita
Wine bina I
love Aruba mi stima
To Pack Or Not To
Pack
The following are important reminders regarding baggage and
packing. Don’t forget that on your
RETURN, all airlines leaving
When you leave for
Laptop: Some
people can’t be without their internet access (me). Others want no part of “normal life” while in
Bug spray: The little biting insects do come out when the wind stops—which doesn’t happen often, but you might as well be prepared.
Soft ice chest: If you have room and if you are picnic-oriented, a soft, folding ice container is very handy. For the beach too. Almost wherever you stay will have ice available.
Cards and board games: Not for the beach (because of the wind), but to relax in your room with the beach and sea in sight.
Camera: There
are so many scenic places in
Wine bottle opener: You never know…
Insulated mugs:
For coffee in the morning on the beach or for happy hour drinks in the
afternoon on the beach. I have
mine! Course you can buy mugs in
Copies of documents: A good habit to get into when traveling overseas is to make copies of your passport (just first 2 pages), tickets, driver’s license, and credit card information like credit card numbers, customer service numbers to call from overseas. Put this in your safe when you get into your room. We always have someone else have a copy of this information too, in case our copy goes missing. This has helped us and others several times over the years. Another way to accomplish the same objective is to take pictures (or scan) your passport and other documents and email them to yourself as attachments. Then if you are in a jam you can access them via email, print them out, and have documents to present for quicker processing.
Bags: Bring some net bags for transporting stuff on day trips in your rental car. If you go on picnics or tour the island, you will want to tote stuff. The net bags are ideal for this.
Small bills: I always bring 50 five dollar bills and 50 one dollar bills for tipping and for small purchases.
Meds: Of
course you would bring your prescription drugs with you; bring them in your
carry on. I would recommend bringing
your favorite brands of over-the-counter medication too. There are good drug stores in
Some things you do NOT have to pack:
Jackets for men:
Jackets are not necessary for dinner anywhere on
Rain gear: It
rains only about 20 inches a year in
Hairspray for women: The wind will wreck havoc with anything you do, so you might as well let it go…
ARUBA AND THE ECONOMIC
DOWNTURN
You may be wondering how Aruba is doing with the worldwide economic down turn in 2008 and following years. This is being written in May, 2010, and I have been to Aruba for 14 weeks in the past year. I have not noticed any reduced tourist activity on the island during that time. The hotels seem as full as ever, the streets and beaches seem to be populated as much as ever, the restaurants seem as busy as ever. The tours and island activities seem to be going on as usual. However, several tourist businesses have folded: Adventure Golf, the “new” water park, and several restaurants (Le Dome, Brisas del Mar, and Rumbas, for example). Countering this, new restaurants have popped up, and some good ones too (Elliotis, Amadeus). I understand that not as many cruise ships are stopping at Aruba, but as I walk the beach each morning I saw many cruise ships approaching the island.
But as a tourist-observer, there is nothing noticeable overall that would indicate that Aruba is hurting. Certainly nothing that would cause me to think twice about visiting Aruba. I will keep my eyes open, and advise you otherwise after future trips. But for now, “Come On Down!”
POST TRIP QUIZ
Now you are back! I hope you loved it and are already planning for your next trip. I have prepared a quiz for you, to see how closely you followed my advice. Remember, you are going to email me (ArubaKid3@Yahoo.com) after you get back, so before you do please take this quiz and you can report your grade to me. LOL
1) Did you rent a car and order a map and have a cell phone?
2) Did you use the Aruba bulletin board to help plan for your trip?
3) Did you eat in any franchise restaurants while in Aruba?
4) If you had a choice of accommodations, did you choose low-rise over high-rise?
5) Are you indeed planning to return to Aruba?