PHOTOS FROM ARUBA (Hyatt Regency) from Knottie ShanB42: ARUBA
PHOTOS FROM ARUBA (Marriott Stellaris) from Knottie jackienray: ARUBA
PHOTOS FROM ARUBA (Bucuti Beach Resort) from Knottie MOORENOLES: ARUBA
REVIEW & PHOTOS FROM ARUBA (Renaissance Resort) from Knottie REMtobe: ARUBA
Aruba Infomation: Bucuti Review
From: ladymantha Date: 6/19/2004 at 3:59 pm
There are always girls on here asking about the Bucuti Beach Resort. I know about 8 months ago I was one of them. I thought I would write a quick summary for anyone inquiring about the Bucuti. All I really need to say is that the Bucuti is PERFECT. Yes, perfect. My fi and I are hard to please when it comes to beach accomadations. We frequent Myrtle Beach, SC in the summer (it's a short drive from East TN) and we never stay in the same hotel. The reason we never stay in the same hotel is b/c we have yet to find one that we really like. Of course comparing Myrtle Beach to Aruba isn't fair to begin with, but I want you to know that we are tough critics. The Bucuti is set on 14 acres of beautiful white beach. There are many huts scattered on this wide stretch of sand. There is plenty of privacy while tanning. Many women chose to go topless but there are plenty that opt to wear all of their bathing suite. We stayed in the new Tara Suites and were amazed at how beautiful they look (just like the pics on www.bucuti.com only maybe better in person). Our only disappointment was that we didn't know the Bucuti had Penthouse Suites until we arrived at the hotel. We had a chance to see one of the suites and they are amazing! And we were told that they are only $50 more a night. We will definitely stay in the Penthouse next time. Everyone at the Bucuti is very friendly. Alfons at the activities desk will do anything he can to make your stay extra special. He recommended almost all the restaurants we ate at and they were all out of this world! We ate at Flying Fishbone, Marina Pirata, Bella Luna, El Gaucho, and Chez Mathilde. We also ate at Pirates Nest (at Bucuti) and Carlos and Charlies which were mediocre. Hit happy hour which is 4-6 pm and 9-10. Drinks are 1/2 price and they use plenty of alcohol. Legino was our favorite bartender and by the middle of the week knew exactly what to make us drinks that we would love. The iguanas and lizards are all over, but they will not bother you. We fell in love with Aruba but mainly want to go back b/c the Bucuti is so wonderful. We will never stay at another resort in Aruba. To anyone that goes there...drink one for me! Aruba really is "one happy island".
Samantha
06*05*04
PHOTOS: ARUBA
Review: Aruban honeymoon at Bucuti
From: michelliebelly Date: 7/6/2004 at 1:38 pm
Since I got so much helpful information on here, I thought I would post some of my thoughts on our honeymoon. Our trip was truly awesome. We stayed at the Bucuti beach resort, which is on Eagle beach, seperated from the big high rise resorts. The Bucuti is small and welcoming. We stayed in the new Tara suites, which are so beautiful. The rooms are comfortable, the service is impeccable and we had an awesome balcony overlooking the beach--the perfect place to watch the sunset each night. The beach at the Bucuti is really wide and there is never any problem getting a cabana on the beach. Nearly everyone there is on their honeymoon or celebrating an anniversary, which makes it really romantic, quiet and lacking in loud children or lots of family activities. The water is aqua and clear and just so refreshing. The Bucuti does not have every amenity in the world, but it has everything you really want and what it does have it does really well. Because when it comes down to it--its all about you two and that's what they think too. Everyone on staff greeted us by name "Mr. and Mrs. Christie" and was so friendly. The conceirge at Tara booked all of our reservations and trips for us and mad everything really easy.
Other than the Bucuti, which I would highly recommend, I would also recommend renting a jeep for a day. My husband loved this--we went all over the island, off-roading on little dirt roads through the desert, stopping for little swims here and there. Aruba is so gorgeous when you can take it in this way. We also did a horse backriding tour which was fun too. Took us to the natural pool where we went swimming in this incredible beautiful water and we trotted along the beach--it was breathtaking. We spent most of our days swimming, sunbathing and putting up our red flag for the waiter to come over with more Pina Coladas...did I mention they serve you food and drinks on the beach--its heaven! As far as restaurants, we loved El Gaucho (the best steaks ever!), the flying fishbone (sit with your feet in the sand on the beach!), and que pasa (awesome authentic carribean place--our favorite meal of the trip!).
overall, we had such a happy wonderful time in aruba. it truly felt like a week in paradise. if you have any questions, please let me know...thanks so much!
erica
Trip Report on Aruba HM!
From: BeckyRose Date: 6/4/2004 at 12:22 pm
We went to AMBR for our honeymoon - our first trip to the island. We had a fantastic time! We would definitely go back in the future. This time, we did all inclusive since we felt more comfortable doing so. Next time, we wouldn't though - it's easy to get around Aruba! We saw the other hotels in the high rise and they sure do have a lot of things. However, we loved our resort, the staff, the food, the beach, etc. It was wonderful.
May 23 - Arrived in the afternoon and were told we had been upgraded to a 2 bedroom suite! We had our own apartment practically! It was great. They also gave us a frame, champagne and flowers since it was our honeymoon. Afterwards, we unpacked, walked on the beach, had dinner and drinks at Mango's.
May 24 - Went on half day jeep tour with Wix Tours. Saw the Chapel, Lighthouse, ruins, Natural Pool, Natural Bridge, etc. Was a lot of fun although I thought our jeep was going to break down. At night, we did Kukoo Kunuku - what a fun time!!!
May 25 - Relaxed at the beach all day. For dinner, we went downtown to the Paddock and then lost our money at Crystal Casino!
May 26 - Relaxed again at the beach - that's why we are here! In the evening, we did the sunset horseback riding with Rancho Notorious. It was my first time riding and it was so much fun.
May 27 - Half day snorkeling with De Palm. Awesome time! We went to the Antilla wreck and two other sites. Very cool. We did get sunburned though. The staff on board are great. At night, we went to Texas de Brazil. Good food but a lot of it!
May 28 - Since we were sunburned, we decided to go shopping downtown. Afterwards, relaxed and then watched the evening entertainment at our hotel.
May 29 - Last full day. Rainy in the morning so no beach for us. Walked around the resorts and then we were able to go to the beach in the afternoon since it was nice finally. In the evening we did the sunset sail with De Palm. Great time again - they sure know how to make drinks!
May 30 - Left! We'll be back though!!!
Please let me know if you have any questions. The island is not lush - was made from a volcanic eruption - so very desert-like. However, I still loved it! The people there are so nice and it is very safe to walk around at night. Email me if you need more!
becky_mack79@hotmail.com
PHOTOS: ARUBA
Aruba Trip Report (link to pictures in bio)
From: RobynTom2003 Date: 6/9/2004 at 5:55 pm
We kept a honeymoon diary so this is arranged day-by-day instead of into nice distinct subjects. This is very long and detailed, because we wanted to remember everything! I’ve tried to detail as many activities and restaurants as possible.
Wednesday 8/27 We flew out of Minneapolis/St. Paul around 5:30 a.m. and connected in Atlanta for our flight to Aruba. We flew Delta and had no problems. The 737 to Atlanta was not even half full, but the 747 to Aruba was mostly full. Not being frequent fliers or food gurus, we thought the snack (more like a small lunch) on the plane was quite good. A small turkey sandwich on a roll with cheese, crackers with Gouda cheese, strawberries, and a salad tided us over until we got to Aruba. We both slept during much of the flight; we were too busy packing at the last minute and were too excited about the trip to get much sleep before going to the airport.
The plane landed in Aruba around 2:00 p.m. and we just followed the pack through the airport to get our passports stamped and all that, not really knowing what to do since we had never been out of the country before. After claiming our luggage (we actually found our 2 suitcases quickly!), we took the DePalm bus to our hotel, the Bucuti. We checked in around 3:30 but our room was not ready. We each had some champagne while we waited (it really wasn’t very good), and just took in our surroundings. At 4:00 we were shown to our room, 257, which is on the top floor facing the ocean. Since we were on our honeymoon, there was a welcome balloon, a bottle of champagne, and a gift bag with cheese, crackers, and a Milky Way bar. The view from our balcony was fantastic. There were palm trees in front of us, but we could see past them to the ocean and beach. We were extremely pleased with our room.
We took a few minutes to get settled into the room, and then went out to the beach to watch the sunset. It was a little hazy, so not the best sunset but still beautiful. We went back to the room to change and decided to try The Pirate’s Nest for dinner, since it’s right at the Bucuti. It was about 7:00, and we were seated immediately. We sat on the deck outside, and while we wished we could sit at one of the beach tables, it was still a good atmosphere. There was hardly anyone else there so it felt very private. Tom had the daily special with chicken parmesan, baked potato, salad, and cream of broccoli soup. He thought the soup was terrible, but he is not a fan of broccoli. The chicken was excellent, very juicy. I had chicken cordon bleu with a baked potato, which was also very good. We each had a strawberry daiquiri to drink, and shared vanilla bourbon ice cream with a strawberry topping for dessert. It was delicious. Let me state right now that I had the best daiquiris ever in Aruba. I don’t know if it was the rum, or what, but they were fabulous. The total for our dinner was about $60 including tip. After dinner we went over to the sand bar, and each had a happy hour drink. After that, we explored the area a bit. We walked to the hotels next door (Costa Linda and Manchebo), the Alhambra Casino, and through the little shopping area near the casino. When we returned to the hotel, we sat on our balcony for awhile to enjoy the beautiful weather. It was a good first day.
Thursday 8/28 We got up at 8:00 (we’re not early risers—besides, it was our honeymoon!) and walked to the Dushi Bagels stand down the street from the hotel. Tom had a sesame bagel with cream cheese, and I got an egg, ham, and cheese bagel sandwich. We got some O.J. and took our breakfast back to the hotel and ate on our balcony. It was nice, except the construction on the Tara Wing was distracting from the tranquility that I’m sure is usually present. A note on the construction, while it by no means ruined our honeymoon or was ever terribly disturbing, it definitely was noisy whether we were on our balcony or on the beach. They were doing a lot of pounding and stuff with cranes and to be honest, I really could have done without the construction. I was able to block it out most of the time when I was relaxing on the beach, though. The bagels were very good. Our total came to $10.50, so it was a pretty cheap breakfast.
We went to the activities desk and signed out our beach towels and by 9:30 or so we were ready to spend the day at the beach. We got a front and center palapa-not that it mattered, with how big the beach is at Bucuti, every location is a good one. I really liked how much space was in between each one. I noticed at most other hotels, especially the high-rises, the palapas are scarce and practically right on top of one another. Anyway, we spent the whole day at the beach, with a break around noon to go inside and finish the bagels that we got for breakfast, and we developed a system of sunning for about an hour, taking a dip in the ocean to cool off, then taking a break in the shade and starting the process over again. It worked well for us, and we both got nice tans without burning. We also used SPF 45, which I’m sure helped as well! Tom spent much of our beach time reading Strangers by Dean Koonz. He seemed to enjoy it. I had a couple of books along but didn’t really get to them, and from what I did read, I didn’t like them. We also both got very thirsty after about an hour on the beach, so Tom went to the hotel shop and bought us each a bottle of water. I made it last most of the day.
At 4:00 we went in to shower and get ready for the BBQ Bash at the Black Hog Saloon. They have the bash on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00-9:00. It cost us $37/each and we got all the BBQ we could eat (ribs and drumsticks, plus a small cup of mashed potatoes and a half ear of corn), and all the Balashi beer we could drink. It also got us free miniature golf and paddle boating. We did one round of each, after we had filled up on food and beer. We also had to be part of the entertainment, being newlyweds. We were in a balloon popping relay race with 2 other couples and came in second. It was fun, but I didn’t know there was going to be running involved on our honeymoon! We took taxis for transportation that night, and spent $16 round-trip. When we got home we went out on the balcony again for awhile, then went inside to get some sleep.
Friday 8/29 We started the day the same as Thursday. We went to Dushi Bagels for breakfast, and I had a bagel sandwich again. Tom decided on a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. We had O.J. again, and the total came to $11.50. Ate our breakfast on the balcony again and saved half of our sandwiches for lunch. We spent a few hours on the beach, and this time we had frozen our water bottles overnight, and kept them in the shade while we were at the beach. It gave us cold water for several hours, and we took those trusty water bottles to the beach the rest of the trip. At 1:00 we went in for lunch, showered, and got ready for an afternoon in Oranjestad. We decided to try the bus, which cost us $4 total (round trip) and was a very good experience. I’m wary of using the bus in places that I’m not familiar with, but Aruba was very easy to get around. The bus doesn’t take you very many places, so you can’t get lost. We spent a couple hours walking through the marketplace and along the streets of Oranjestad. Tom bought a hat right away, and we picked up several gifts for family while we were in town. I was not smart and hadn’t put sunscreen on before leaving the hotel, and my face got nice and red. I never thought to use it, because I associated sunscreen with the beach. Big mistake. Tom had his hat, so he was fine. While wandering about, we saw the bigger, more expensive stores but didn’t go into any of them because we weren’t about to spend that kind of money and they were pretty crowded. We walked down to the Seaport Mall and the park where they have the statue of Queen Wilhelmina, then along the sidewalk next to the ocean and watched the iguanas sun themselves. It was a little different to have geckos scurrying across the sidewalk, but we got used to them.
For dinner we went to Que Pasa. We were the only people there the whole time, between 5 and 6. It felt a little silly, but at least we got very attentive service! Tom had a drink called a Yellow Bird, which was banana flavored. I just drank water, since I was feeling dehydrated from getting sunburned. We really liked this restaurant. It’s funky and off-beat, and it gave us a chance to experience an atmosphere that we never would at home. Their specials change daily, depending on what they get fresh from the fishermen. Tom decided to try the scampi special. He is not a big seafood person, but wanted to be sure to have some while in Aruba. He said it was good. I am not a seafood person at all, as you will notice if you read what I ate every night. I had linguine with chicken, which was delicious but not at all what I thought it would be. I figured I would get a plate of linguine with some chunks of chicken. What I got was a casserole dish that could serve 3 people filled with linguine, chicken, and a sauce consisting of melted cheeses and vegetables! It was unbelievably good, but there was so much that I couldn’t finish even half of it, and we didn’t want to take it with us because we weren’t going straight back to the hotel. Total cost was about $60 including tip. After dinner we went back to the Seaport Mall and stopped at the Haagen Dazs shop for dessert. Delicious. We rode the bus back to the low-rise hotels and dropped our stuff in our room. It wasn’t quite happy hour, so we decided to take a dip in the pool while we waited. At 9:00 we headed over to the sand bar for drinks and we also ordered some chicken strips and camembert cheese. I didn’t care for the cheese. We each tried a couple of the drinks off their menu instead of daiquiris. I don’t remember what they were called, but neither of us really liked what we ordered. After the drinks we went back to our room and sat on the balcony for awhile. Tom had bought a Cuban cigar in Oranjestad and puffed on that for awhile. I don’t like any kind of smoke, but Tom said it was a good cigar.
Saturday 8/30 We got up at our usual time and decided to try something new for breakfast since we were a little tired of bagels. We went next door to the Manchebo and ate at the Garden Terrace. They have a variety of hot and cold breakfast foods, but we both got their special, which is 2 eggs any style with toast and Dutch potatoes for $2.99. The Dutch potatoes were sliced potatoes fried with spices and onions. I had scrambled eggs, Tom had over easy eggs. For $2.99, this breakfast couldn’t be beat. With orange juice, breakfast totaled around $15 with tips.
After breakfast, we got ready for an entire day on the beach. We hadn’t made any other plans for the day. There were a lot of clouds in the sky, so it felt noticeably cooler when we were lying in the sun. The sun is so hot that it really makes a difference when a cloud passes in front of it. We spent a few hours just enjoying the warmth and the sounds of the ocean. Around 1:00 we were hungry so Tom stuck our red flag in the sand and the beach attendant came to take our lunch order. Tom had a bacon cheeseburger with fries, and I had a grilled cheese sandwich with fries. We both ordered strawberry daiquiris to drink. They were so refreshing! Lunch on the beach can be quite filling, and I was glad I had not ordered a burger, as they are ½ pound! The total for lunch was about $30 with tip. We spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach and dipping into the ocean to cool off, and headed over to the sand bar for happy hour. I had 2 strawberry daiquiris, and Tom had an island sunset and a daiquiri. After our drinks, we watched the sunset at the water’s edge. I took several beautiful pictures of the sun setting beyond the water while the waves splashed up on the beach.
After the sun went down, we went inside to shower for dinner. We took the bus to the food market area. It was there that we discovered our “find” of the trip, a little restaurant called Jamaica Me Krazy. As the name would suggest, it is a Jamaican restaurant, and we felt that even though we were in Aruba, it wouldn’t hurt to try some other Caribbean food. The whole place is decorated like a Bob Marley museum, with pictures and things hanging on all the walls. It was a very cool place. We both ordered chicken and fries, thinking that in an authentic Jamaican restaurant it would have some spices or something that would make it different. When we were about halfway through our dinner, the owner came out and asked us why we didn’t try the jerk chicken. We didn’t know the chicken we ordered wasn’t special. He gave us a sample of the jerk chicken, and it was very good, but what we ate was good too. Who cares if it wasn’t “authentic,” it was at a Jamaican restaurant and we were in Aruba—we weren’t about to start nitpicking. Dinner came to $50 with tips.
Sunday 8/31 We got up at our usual time and went next door to the garden terrace for breakfast again. Tom ordered French toast, and I had a ham omelet. We both drank orange juice. Tom got the carousel of syrups with his French toast and used the maple and berry ones. Total cost for breakfast was about $20 with tips. After breakfast, we decided to do some shopping at the gift shop. Since the shop at Bucuti was closed for the day, we shopped at Manchebo. We bought some post cards, souvenirs for ourselves, and some new swim trunks for Tom. He wore them to the beach.
We spent the later part of the morning and the afternoon on the beach. It was much windier than it had been the last few days. The gusts must have been in the 30s or higher, and we kept getting whipped with sand. All in all, not a great beach day. We took a break from the wind for some lunch on our balcony. Lunch consisted of the food we bought at the grocery store: bologna sandwiches with Gouda cheese, chips, and pop. Not an incredibly tasty lunch, but it was inexpensive. After lunch, we braced ourselves for more flying sand and went back to the beach. Around 5:00 we went inside to shower, then watched the sunset on our balcony while we drank a couple of Balashi beers. I took a picture of the sunset between 2 beer bottles, like that Corona commercial where the guy is listening to a football game on the radio.
For dinner we decided to wander over to another hotel to see what kind of restaurants they had. We went to the Costa Linda resort and decided on the Turtle’s Nest. I really liked this restaurant. It was nothing fancy, but we had a nice beach view table and the food was excellent. Tom had the red snapper (daily special) and a Long Island Iced Tea, and I had chicken parmesan and of course, a strawberry daiquiri. We didn’t have any dessert because we were so full from dinner.
After we ate, we walked to the Alhambra Casino and toured the inside. We were a little surprised at how many people were inside, but that’s just us. Not everyone there was in Aruba for the first time, I’m sure! We played a few slot machines just for fun, lost $6, and decided we’d had enough. We went back to our room to relax for the rest of the night and write some long overdue post cards! We also wanted to rest up, because we had a busy week ahead. It was nice having the first part of the trip devoted mostly to the beach, because we really enjoyed that the most out of everything.
Monday 9/1 We woke up and decided that we needed a change for breakfast, so we went to Dunkin Donuts. When we planned our trip to Aruba, we said we wouldn’t eat anywhere that we could eat at home (such as fast food restaurants), but we rationalized that Dunkin Donuts was OK because we never go there when we’re at home anyway! Tom had a glazed donut and a chocolate frosted one. I had a chocolate frosted one and a Boston crème one. Heavenly. Tom’s glazed one melted onto the paper, so he basically had a plain donut and didn’t really like it. We also got some O.J. and ate our breakfast on our balcony.
The morning and early part of the afternoon was devoted to the beach again. It was a beautiful day, and I was glad that the wind was not whipping sand in my face two days in a row. Mid-afternoon, we went inside to shower and wait to be picked up for our horseback ride. We booked a sunset ride at Rancho Notorious. They stopped to pick up a few more people after us. Tom rode a very well-behaved horse named Lucky, and he was glad, because he had not ridden very many horses. My horse was named Pocahontas, and he was a trouble maker. He tried to eat plants during the whole ride. He also got very nervous if a certain horse was not in front of him, and once almost reared up because he was unhappy. I did my best to keep him under control, and for the most part I had an enjoyable ride. I also did my best to take some nice pictures of the sunset, which is hard to do when the horses are in an almost constant trot. The sunset tour was very nice, and it was one of our first chances to see some of the island. We rode through some residential areas, along the rockier Malmok beach, and through some of the more “desert-like” parts of the island.
We returned to the hotel around 7:00 and both needed to shower again, since we smelled like a ranch. We decided to go to the French Steakhouse for dinner, next door at the Manchebo. I can’t say enough good things about this restaurant. It wound up being our favorite dinner of the whole honeymoon. The place was not very crowded, so we were able to sit on the patio by the pool, and it was a beautiful night. We ordered the Ambassador’s 5-course dinner special, which costs $29.95 per person. My courses were the fruit cup flavored with wine, the mixed salad, the 12 oz. churrasco (steak), and dame blanche for dessert (vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce). It was all so delicious! Tom’s courses were turkey vol-au-vent (basically a turkey pot pie), the mixed salad, the 12 oz. churrasco, and apfel (apple) strudel a la mode for dessert. We also received a bottle of wine with our dinner, and chose the merlot. We opted out of the fifth course, coffee or tea. Our waiter tried to convince us, but couldn’t! The service the night we were there was outstanding. Our servers were extremely attentive, and I don’t think I took more than 2 sips from my water glass before someone came to refill it. We were pleased with the dinner special, and our food was prepared exactly as we ordered it. It will definitely be on our “must see” list when we return to Aruba.
Tuesday 9/2 We did our usual breakfast routine, with Dushi bagels again. Ate breakfast on the balcony. After eating, we showered and decided to visit the Aruba Aloe Factory. The guide showed us how they harvest the aloe, and the large field where the plants are grown. We walked through the museum and learned a lot about the history of aloe in Aruba, and how the industry has progressed over the years (who knew that aloe was originally sold as a laxative?). After our tour, we bought some aloe products from the store that we knew would make good gifts—lots of different lotions, some sunscreen, and some hand soap.
When we returned from the factory, we spent a couple of hours on the beach. There wasn’t a lot of time for the beach, though, because we had to eat some lunch and get ready for our sunset sail. We took a taxi to the Holiday Inn and located our sail check-in. The boat was anchored in the ocean, not docked, so we had to take a small motorboat from the shore out to the boat and climb the ladder to get in! I was not prepared for that, as I had dressed up for our dinner afterward, but I managed not to get too wet. The sail was fun. The boat did not have a motor, so the whole trip was at the whim of the winds, and we moved at a good rate of speed. It was so peaceful, although I did get sprayed in the face a couple of times when the waves broke hard against the boat. We were introduced to a delicious fruity drink on the sail, the Aruba Arriba. Those replaced strawberry daiquiris as our drink of choice for the rest of the trip. The sailboat took us up to the north shore by the California Lighthouse, then down the coast past Oranjestad, then back to the high-rise hotels where we had started.
We ate dinner at the Sunset Grille (at the Radisson). We shared the prime rib, and it was a good thing, because it would have been way too big for just one person. For dessert we shared a slice of chocolate cake. It was delicious. Overall, we agreed this was our least favorite restaurant of the trip. There was nothing bad about it, but the service and food were just OK, and just didn’t measure up to the other places we went.
Wednesday 9/3 We had scheduled our jeep tour for today, and got up at 6:30 to be ready to be picked up at 8:00. We ate leftover bagel sandwiches from Tuesday, and once we got downstairs we found out the tour had been canceled and rescheduled for Thursday. We were pretty bummed, since Thursday was our last day in Aruba and we had planned one last beach day. So Wednesday was our last beach day instead. We spent the whole day on the beach, exactly like we had on Saturday. For lunch we stuck the red flag in the sand one last time and ordered cheeseburgers and daiquiris. We agreed that we would never forget sitting on that gorgeous beach under the palapa, watching the ocean sparkle under the sun, and sipping those daiquiris! It was a fabulous day on the beach.
At 3:00 we went inside to shower, because we were taking the Kooku Kunuku bus that night. We were picked up and given maracas, which we happily shook all the way to the high-rise hotels. There was quite a buzz kill while we waited for some of the high-rise guests. Some people were not ready, and some people did not have their tickets. We had to sit on the bus for over a half hour at one hotel while they tried to track people down. That made me kind of mad, but finally we arrived at the California Lighthouse to begin our evening of partying. We had a champagne toast, then went to a house/restaurant for dinner. I don’t remember the name of the house, but it was once the house of a very rich family in Aruba, and now it is a museum/restaurant. We ate beef and chicken with rice for dinner, and everyone had a free beer. Tom bought one of the drink bottles with a can cooler that say “Kooku Kunuku” on them. The bus stopped at 3 bars for about an hour each. We got a free drink at each bar, and Tom filled his drink bottle a few times. It seemed like people were having a good time. Neither one of us thought it was incredibly fun, but we are not big clubbers, and I think it was also partly due to the waiting we had to do at the beginning of the night. We were glad to be back at the hotel that night, and fell asleep quickly because we knew we had a big day ahead of us. As long as the jeep tour wasn’t canceled again, anyway!
Thursday 9/4 We got up at 6:30 again for the jeep tour. Since we had eaten our bagels the day before, we had to eat some crackers for “breakfast” because that’s all we had time for! We were picked up for the jeep tour and we were disappointed to find that we couldn’t drive our own jeep because they were all manual transmission and neither of us can drive them! So we rode in the back of a jeep with another couple driving. We got to see most of the sights on the “outback” of the island, and it was just incredible. We were amazed at how different this shore was from the beach side of the island. I thought we were in a different world. We saw the California Lighthouse, drove the rocky roads of the cunucu to the Natural Pool (and I mean ROCKY! I was bouncing around in the back of the jeep so much that I thought I might fall out!), the Natural Bridge, Arikok National Park, then stopped for lunch at Boca Prins. There is a little restaurant there that is like an oasis in the desert. I was so hungry by then that I would have eaten dirt. I was in luck, though. We got real food—chicken and steak kabobs, french fries, and rice. It was very delicious.
After lunch I bought a couple of necklaces from the little gift shop nearby, then we got back in the jeeps and continued our drive through the bumpy cunucu. We stopped to see some caves, some snakes (ew!) and Baby Beach. We didn’t snorkel, but had a chance to cool off in the water and I loved how shallow the water was at the beach.
When we got back to the hotel, we were both extremely dirty. It was my most satisfying shower of the whole trip. We cleaned ourselves up and relaxed in our room for awhile until it was time to get ready for El Gaucho. Our reservation was for 8:00, and it was to be my birthday dinner (my birthday was really on the 7th, but we wanted to celebrate in Aruba since it was so close). We took a taxi to the restaurant, and once we checked in we were sent to the cocktail lounge across the street, Garufa, while we waited for our table. I really liked Garufa. We didn’t order any drinks while we were there, but they had some jazz entertainment and I really enjoyed it.
After about 20 minutes we were called to our table. We both ordered the Churrasco Argentino (Gaucho steak), as that was all we had heard about since we got to Aruba. That was a large steak! Dinner came with all the usual fixings—salad, potatoes, and vegetables, and we also had some delicious garlic bread. We chose a rosé wine to go with our dinner, and we really wished we had saved room for dessert after, but we just couldn’t fit any more food in! It was a very nice birthday dinner, and a birthday that I will not soon forget. I did not enjoy El Gaucho quite as much as the French Steakhouse, though. That really was our favorite restaurant.
When we got back to the hotel, I decided that we needed to begin packing our things for the trip home. Tom’s heart was not in it, but I got a lot finished so we could enjoy our last several hours in Aruba. We spent some time on our balcony and admired the nearly-full moon. It was interesting that the moon fills from the bottom-up near the equator, while we are used to seeing it fill from left-right. I tried to take a picture, but couldn’t get it to focus properly.
Friday 9/5 We slept in a little later than usual, getting up around 9:00. There was not time to visit the beach one last time, but we spent some time on the balcony looking out at the beach and the ocean.
To see our Aruba honeymoon pictures, click on the link below (it says our wedding page, but has Aruba pictures). I set up a special log in for these pictures, so log in with username: arubaphotos@hotmail.com and password: aruba
I did this for those who do not have a Snapfish account and do not want to sign up.
http://www.snapfish.com/share/p=75891086816116389/l=28332829
Honeymoon reivew part 2- Aruba
From: 2bmrsl Date: 7/26/2004 at 12:55 pm
We left Grand Cayman after 5 days and flew to Aruba. This island is very different from Cayman, but we loved it as well. We stayed at the Marriott ocean club in a one bedroom villa. It's basically a one bedroom apartment. It had an ocean view and a great balcony. My favorite part was the whirlpool tub for two. You have acess to the Marriott resort next door which is good because that is where most of the services are. Both have great pools with swim up bars, but most of the restaurants are next door at the resort. Some people have mentioned the construction next door at the Surf club, but they are done with the first phase and you won't even notice it.
Restaurants- El Gaucho was our favorite and reasonably priced for a steak dinner. I think it was $80 for two steak dinners and two glasses of wine. Texas de Brasil was also great. You can either have just the salad bar (huge) or the salad plus all the meat you can eat (they bring it by your table and carve it off). Make sure you're hungry when you go. Salt and Pepper for lunch was ok. It's a tapa resturant, and I think we're spoiled at home with a wonderful tapa resturant, so we were disappointed. La Vista at the Marriott was pretty good for just regular food, nothing special. They do have pretty good buffets every night, something different each night.
Kuku Kanuku bus was just as great as everyone has mentioned. We had a crazy crowd on our bus and our host Joyce was great. She is crazy and she helps set the party mood. They take you to the lighthouse for a champagne toast, dinner at a rich guys house, and three local bars. We didn't want to get off the bus at the end of the night. We both recommend renting a Jeep and driving around the island. Drive up to the lighthouse and you'll see a dirt road that leads off into the desert. It's not marked, but it's the road to the natural bridges and pool. Beware, it's very bumpy, but so much fun. Bring water and snacks because there's nothing out there except for a woman with an ice cream cart at the church. Don't take the safari tour. We saw 8 jeeps full of people drive by as we were taking photos and it looked like the jeeps in Jurrasic Park. We had to laugh. People from the tour came up to us later at the natural bridge and said they wished they rented their own Jeep instead of taking the tour. It's cheaper to get your own car and you can drive and stop at your own pace. Shopping on Oranjestad (?) was fun. Don't worry about converting money, everything is priced in US dollars. Most stuff is very touristy, but we did get some great pewter stuff from Venezuela. This time of year, the cruise ships come only on Fridays, so avoid town. We drove through on a Friday and it was packed with people from the 3 ships. The casinos are very small if you're used to Vegas, but they were fun. At night they get very crowded becasue they're so small. We won about $30 overall.
Aruba was great. We drank too much, got great tans (wear sunscrean, we saw some nasty burns) and explored the island. The great part about the low season is the pool and beach were never crowded. Just like Cayman, things are more expensive, but going to an island, you have to be ready for it.
Honeymoon: Aruba
From: RobinN.
We stayed at the Divi Aruba Beach Resort. It was all-inclusive. The resort was very nice and clean. Our room was nothing special, but it was clean, had great AC and was always cold, and the maid made sure we had everything we needed. We had a fun and relaxing time. We met 3 other couples on their honeymoon also staying there that we hung out with several evenings. The beach was beautiful. The water was very calm and the sand was white. Always a breeze so it didn’t feel that hot. We took a jeep tour of the island and went horseback riding. We had a great time doing both. Lots of good food to eat also. I would love to go back some day.
PHOTOS: ARUBA
Aruba Review
From: Misch Date: 7/27/2004 at 12:04 pm
Hello Ladies! Just got back from our honeymoon! I would have to say I am very pleased with the destination that we chose for our honeymoon! We went to "Aruba!" We were debating on either going there or Hawaii. We chose Aruba because we wanted to go to a place where we havent been before.
Best place by far to stay at is....Aruba Marriott Resort and Casino. The beach is beautiful and big and not so crowded! The pool by far is awesome and has a swim up bar and the pool was not crowded either. The rooms were very nice as well and we had a beautiful view of the pool and ocean! All the people there were so nice too!!! They do whatever ever they can to make your stay that much more enjoyable!
Ladies bring your hair ties. It is so windy in Aruba but trust me you will be happy its so windy there because it is soooo HOT and HUMID there! I did my hair the first night we got there and let me tell ya it was pointless to do the hair so for the rest of the trip I just tied my hair back.
They do have a Casino in the hotel for those of you who love gambling!
Cab rides...dont expect to see a meter in their vehicle. They just have set rates. To go mid way its around $7 and to go downtown its around $10.
Good spots to eat at" Iguana Joes, Benihanna (right next to Benihana they have a Hooters, which we though was the funniest thing ever), Champs (Sports Bar and Grill)and much more downtown! They also have places where you can eat right on the beach at night with candles. Its so romantic!!
Things you must do: Parasailing (So much Fun!!!!) Jolly Pirates (They take you out for either a half day or you can go for a full day, they will take you to 3 spots for snorkeling for the half day and I believe around 6 spots for the full day. The snorkeling was awesome! They even take you out to a ship wreck to snorkel. You also get free alchol and beverages on the pirate ship. We also went on the submarine ride. They take you 150 feet below in the ocean. There is a lot of other stuff to do there: Shopping dowtown, Bar Hopping, Clubs, Jeep Safari Tours, and tones of water sports to try out!
Let me know if you ladies have any other questions about the island....I for sure give it 2 thumbs up! I highly recommend!
Will post pictures soon!
Aruba Accomodations Review
From: july10bride Date: 7/28/2004 at 11:43 am
Just got back on Saturday and the 2 weeks we were there were wonderful!!!!
We stayed at La Cabana the first week, and Paradise Beach Villas the second. La Cabana was big with lots to offer (shops, activities, restaurants), but it was overrun with kids. Kids with parents who didn't seem to care where there kids were. Also, we would come home at night and hope to go in the pool, but again, you couldn't buy a spot with all the kids (and they hogged the hot tubs too). It was a bit annoying, but what can you do? We didn't spend a lot of time there anyway. The rooms were nice, though, and the housekeepers were really good with their cleaning. The guest services desk was also helpful with making reservations for dinner and activities.
Paradise Beach Villas was fantastic. Originally we had a first floor room, but after seeing our view (of La Cabana--literally across the street from each other), we went back to the front desk to ask for another room. They did it. Our second room was on the second floor, overlooking the pool area (could also see the ocean a bit). BIG room (2 BR, 2 BA, livingroom, kitchen, balcony). We loved it here. Smaller, so not as much in the way of minimarts and such, but they did have 2 restaurants and a consierge (not the most pleasant woman, but she was the only drawback) to make reservations. It was also not overrun with kids. There were some, but not running wild. The pool bar had a great bartender, Nelson, who made really great frozen drinks. Lots of lizards/iguanas running around here, but they don't bother you. They don't have as many chickees as La Cabana, but we never seemed to have a problem when we went to the beach. We loved it here!! And would love to go back:)
Jackie
Aruba Review!
From: greeneyes9800 Date: 7/31/2004 at 9:23 pm
My husband and I just returned on Wednesday from a perfect honeymoon in Aruba. The motto is "One Happy Island" it certainly is! We could not have had a more wonderful experience. We were there during the off-season so we did not have to fight with crowds or have any dificulty making reservations. We stayed at the Bucuti in one of the new Tara Suites. I would recommend it 100% and would never stay anywhere else! We visited the high-rise end of the island where the Radisson, Marriott, and Hyatt are located. We could not believe the crowds, the number of children, and how teeny tiny the beaches were. The hotels are beautiful but nothing can beat the atmosphere and size beach at the Bucuti! The hotel truly dedicates itself to honeymooners and couples! There is always a hut available to sit under and you never have to reserve a space on the beach. Aruba is very easy to get around. We used taxis all but two days when we rented a jeep to explore the opposite side of the island. I wouldn't rent a car any longer than that because it is so easy to get around. We also took a 4X4 off roading tour, went deep sea fishing, visited the butterfly farm, and snorkeled twice. We also had numerous vegetable days to lay on our wide beach and soak in the sun! There are so many fantastic restaurants in Aruba you have to stay for a month to get to them all. El Gaucho, Flying Fishbone, and Hostaria da Vittori are not to be missed. We also ate at the restaurant at the lighthouse at sunset. The view was amazing but the food was just OK. Hostaria was MUCH better! We went to Carlos and Charlies and Iguana Joes downtown on nights we just wanted something casual and easy. We stayed for 10 incredible nights and we would have loved to stay for 10 more! Our biggest recommendation is to stay at the Bucuti! If you have any questions please email me at amyo143@yahoo.com
Divi All-Inclusive ARUBA.....RAVE!!!!!!!!!
From: AggieBride2004 Date: 7/31/2004 at 8:45 pm
Upon arriving at the airport, we learned that Aruba is the safest island in the Caribbean and has the lowest crime rate. The water is purified also, so its safe for drinking. Aruba is the safest island for children, as the water is so pure and they wont get sick as easily as with other places.
We had NO IDEA about the area or the resort before we booked...we just knew we wanted All-Inclusive and the Divi seemed like the best rates. We were SO pleasantly surprised and SO happy with our good luck! The Divi was incredible...everything from the beaches, the food, the staff....EVERYTHING! Our room was pretty standard, but OH WELL, it's not like we stayed in our rooms at all until bedtime. It had a king size bed, large bathroom with double vanity, dressers, TV, loveseat and chair. The main thing was that we had a huge porch that let us walk right out to the beach. (It's not actually ON the sand...but about 20 steps to the sand! Close enough for me!) There's some pictures of the room in the Ofoto pictures.
The Divi was really big so we never felt like we were too jammed with people. There is a buffet restaurant that serves a HUGE spread of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then there is a sit down restaurant. There is also a grill for snacks like sandwiches and pizza...let me tell you, the BEST sandwiches you have ever eaten! The drinks are great and they are unlimited! Very nice! You can also have full use of the Tamarijn rightnext door. They have a good Italian restaurant and a buffet style as well. There are nice bars at each facility.
The Divi has a full service day spa and we got massages one day we were there. Also, we went on a half day snorkel sail which took us to 3 separate places on the island, fed us lunch and had a open bar. We also took one day to go shopping in downtown...which was VERY nice!! Mostly, we just liked to relax on the beach under a hut, swim, and hang out in the sun! You can rent rafts, towels, snorkel stuff, kayaks, and all other non-motorized water stuff and that's all included as well.
There is also a casino right next door and we went there 2 nights. It's nothing spectacular, but there were blackjack tables, roulette and poker, and lots of slots. They are open til 4:00am. We paid $300 a night at the Divi and it was totally worth it when you factor in the cost of food, drinks, taxis, etc we would have spent elsewhere. We never had to take a cab to find somewhere to eat, except when we went downtown for the day, because it was all right there.
Oh yeah, also you get all these upgrades for honeymooning!!! We got a free bottle of champagne, a free dinner at the Sunset Bistro with free transportation....this was AWESOME. They took all the honeymooning couples to this restaurant and the tables were all in the sand and we got to eat dinner right at sunset. It was really nice. They also give you this discount card you can use while you are there...some people take it. We used it on our snorkel sail and on 20% off!
Other things to do off the resort are like jeep tours, ATV rentals, jet ski rentals, horseback riding, historical tours, sunset sails, etc. etc. The Divi has a really nice concierge that will set up anything you want for you. The first day we got there we made a list of everything we wanted to do during our stay and they set it all up. Very nice!!
As far as the other places, the Tamarijn has lots of construction going on right now and definitely not as nice as the Divi. Although its a nice place to go eat dinner, I'm so glad we did not stay there. The area around the "high-rise" hotels (Wyndham, Radisson, Marriott) is under lots of construction and very "desert-ish." Definitely not the secluded atmosphere I would like for my honeymoon, because you can stay at the Radisson anywhere. Once again, SO GLAD we chose the Divi...we could not have picked a better place!
Please let me know if you have any more questions or want to see my pictures on Ofoto! I LOVE ARUBA! :)
Kristen
kristenroesler04@hotmail.com
7.17.04
Aruba Review
From: jabrett
Aruba- We stayed at the Raddison. The rooms look just like the pictures on line. The resort was so lush. There was lots of greener and tropical birds. The beach was so nice and bigger. Everyone on the Island is so nice and friendly. My husband and I will be going back there soon.
PHOTOS: ARUBA
Aruba Review...
From: catering Date: 8/13/2004 at 11:11 am
I just got back from staying all incluisve at the Wyndham in Aruba and I figured I'd share my thoughts since I love reading other people's reviews.
Hotel: Beautiful and very clean but terribly slow food and beverage service (even for "island time" especially at the pool bar and at the Greenhouse Diner at night. The food was great though and there were certainly plenty of options. We had dinner on the beach at Azuls one night (make your reservations for this AS soon as you get there) which was great. The were some rude employees - I actually brought two instances to the management's attention. The pool was beautiful as was the beach.
The Wind: Aruba is windy (very) it's a fact. Yes, the Wyndham seems a little windier then the other hotels but nothing terrible. The breeze is actually refreshing considering it is 95 degrees. If the Wyndham beach is to breezy you can just walk down a little ways to the beach in front of the Occidential or Radisson.
Other Hotels: I would not stay at the Wyndham again b/c of the service. I would stay at the Raddison, Hyatt or Occidential. I personally do not like the low-rise area. I think it is small and conjested and in a lot of cases the beach is accross the street. The Divi looked nice but congestes and they were doing a lot of construction next to it. The Amsterdam Manor looked nice to but it is accross the street from the beach, not right on it.
All Inclusive: I now some people advise against all inclusives but I have traveled extensively through the Caribbean and I love them. I love not having to budget and look at prices when I am away. When we got there on the first day and each had a few beers (me three and my husband 2) and I got a hotdog and he got a caesar salad and it came to about $60 I knew we made the right decision to go all inclusive.
Activities: we went on a snorkling trip with Pelican Tours that was nice except my husband cut up his back pretty badly on rocks. Be forewarned: most of the snorling trips include "open bar" but do not serve beer. We rented a car to go to Baby Beach that we discovered last time we were in Aruba. The car cost us $28.00. We didn't go to the Natural Pool and Bridge again though. We also took the bus into town one day (bus stops right in front of the hotel and is $2pp round trip I think). Downtown was fun but HOT!
Let me know if anyone has any questions.
Aruba honeymoon review (long)
From: JulyVTbride Date: 8/16/2004 at 4:39 pm
I've gotten so much help from all you Knotties that I wanted to come back one last time and offer my thoughts about Aruba as a honeymoon location. Please let me know if you have any questions!
A little background: DH and I are 33, have traveled quite a bit, and prefer more mid to upscale hotels etc., and good food. While we like to have fun, our big partying days are past, so if your idea of a perfect honeymoon is lots of boozing and partying, our advice might not fit for you.
GENERAL: Gorgeous weather, always sunny, hot and windy. Warm turquoise water and white sands. Away from the beach is arid with cacti and lizards. Very neat.
HOTEL: Marriott Stellaris Resort. Big rooms and balconies. One of the nicest freeform pools of the high rise hotels. Best beach because it's the last hotel on the strip so it's not crowded (a Ritz is going to be built next to it soon, though, so that might change). Restaurants are ok, but not a lot of variety. We ate elsewhere most meals. Room service is the same price as the restaurants, so take advantage of eating on your balcony! Downside: rowdy kids in the pool. Nice casino. If you take the timeshare tour to earn Marriott points or money, put your foot down and cut them off after the required 90 minutes or they'll go on for 2 hours.
If we had to do it again, we would probably stay at the Radisson, which is gorgeous and has better places to hang out. It has a nice martini bar, open lobby, and few children. The Hyatt was also very nice. That one has great pools.
Beware of all-inclusives, especially the Holiday Inn. MILLIONS of kids and crowds, which isn't great for honeymoon romance! The food there also didn't look very good.
RESTAURANTS: All are expensive ($20-30 per entree)! Ones we liked: Aqua Grill, Pago Pago, Sunset Grill, Gasparito (beautiful patio, Aruban food), Cafe Japengo. There's a great little pizza place for lunch opposite Pelican Pier. Restaurant La Laguna wasn't great.
ACTIVITIES: We took a morning snorkel/lunch sail with Red Sail that was great! They provided breakfast, lunch on a catamaran and took you to 3 snorkel spots.
Rent a jeep and explore the island. Make sure you get a Jeep Wrangler or equivalent. Most roads on the other side of the island are dirt/nonexistant, and we saw a smaller Suzuki stuck. Definitely worth the extra $10 for the bigger car. Budget rental says you can't take their cars to the Natural Pool because the roads are so bad, but we did anyway (that's where the Suzuki was stuck).
Natural Bridge: OK, but no big deal. Beaches on the other side of the island are strewn with washed up trash. Yuk.
Natural Pool: Must see! Hard to get down to. Watch where the jeep safaris drive if you can becuase the roads are full of giant rocks. Jump in and swim.
Ayo Rock Formations: Very cool, alien looking rocks with prehistoric cave drawings. Parakeets live in the trees there.
We didn't go into Orenjestad (the capital). As we drove through it seemed mostly like malls and cruise ship souvenir stands.
Eagle Beach: a longish walk from Palm Beach and the high rise hotels, but worth it. Water is deeper and clearer. Beautiful!
That's all I can think of. We'd definitely go back, but probably not in the high season (winter) because it was crowded enough in August. An awesome honeymoon spot!
Just got back from Aruba Honeymoon - Stayed at Marriott
From: mcbhockey Date: 8/19/2004 at 11:49 am
Hello All...
We just got back from a week in Aruba and it was just incredible...While all the other Caribbean islands were getting rain from the hurricane, we had 88 degree weather every day and not a cloud in the sky, it's truly perfect weather every day. We stayed at the Marriott Stellaris Resort & Casino and it was terrific. They have a great sushi restaurant in the lobby and a great swim-up bar in their huge pool. A restaurant on the beach where the waiters come up to you while you're on your rafts in the water and bring you cocktails.
We did a lighthouse tour and my husband golfed at the Tierra del Sol golf course. We went to El Gaucho restaurant for wonderful steaks and another great restaurant called Madame Jeanette's for grouper and mahi mahi that was unbelievable! We also ate at Moomba's which is right on the beach (I believe it's in front of the Holiday Inn Hotel, but not positive), great reggae bands on Sunday afternoons for happy hour there...
Went on the Kukoo Kunooko party bus, that was fun...Went tubing (am still sore, couldn't hold on!) and just basically walked the beach every day...We had a jeep tour planned but we cancelled it b/c we have a friend that runs Tierra del Sol and he basically drove us all around one day...
It was a great honeymoon and we will definately be going back to Aruba and will definately be staying at the Marriott...the service there is unbelievable and the people are so incredibly nice...
If you're going, you'll have a wonderful time! I'll post pictures soon!!
Mrs. Wyatt :)
Aruba Infomation: Divi Review
From: riversgirl , 8/26/2004 at 3:02 pm
We were just married on August 14!
Our honeymoon info is:
destination - Aruba
hotel - Divi Aruba Beach Resort
flight - from Philly direct flight was 4 hrs 15min.
The room was very clean and cool with a large bathroom with 2 sinks and a huge king size bed! We had cable TV and our very own patio that led directly onto the beach.
The service at the Divi was exceptional. It's all-inclusive, which was very important to us. There were plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from between the Divi and its sister resort, Tamarijn, which is right next door.
We signed up for 3 excursions not included on our itinerary right through the front desk at Divi. We went snorkeling at three amazing locations, went horseback riding and swimming in a natural pool, and we went fishing for one morning (to please my hubby!). Total cost of those three, $350, so bring extra money. At the resort we snorkeled, floated around on mats, used sea kayaks, and enjoyed the evening shows and honeymooners fiesta.
I would totally recommend Aruba, and the Divi to anyone! It was very reasonably priced and we hated to leave.
Things to know: there is great taxi transportation, so you don't need to rent a car ($8 to most locations on the island). Also, Divi has a casino right next door, so be prepared to blow lots of money!
We booked through Liberty Travel Agency.
Trip review: ARUBA!
From: ALLY1126 , 8/27/2004 at 4:42 pm
We went to Aruba and stayed at the Radisson.
It took us a total of 5 hours to get there.
Our room was gorgeous. We had booked an Oceanfront Deluxe View but when we arrived they were out of them. They upgraded us to a Suite with a living room, a balcony of the living room, a balcony off the bedroom, all marble bathroom, and a beautiful marble entraceway.
The service was wonderful. They sent us a bottle of champagne our first night there. They were so helpful in recommending and booking activities for us. They were wonderful!
We ate a lot! The food was fabulous! We also saw a show, went on Sea World explorer which takes you to explore a sunken ship, and rented a jeep and explored the island. Exploring the island was our favorite. It took basically the entire day but you saw amazing views and the east side of the island is pretty much deserted. It was a lot of fun.
I would definately recommend Aruba. It is so peaceful and relaxed there. The one thing I would warn them is when you are leaving the airport, don't be alarmed. The whole island doesn't look that way. Aruba is a desert, it looks like I desert. When we were driving to our hotel I was really suprised at how industrial and run down I guess you could say it was. Then I started to worry because I was like this isn't pretty at all. Once we started getting closer that all changed though. It turned out to be really beautiful! The south end isn't as pretty though.
We used my MIL's Travel Agent and they took care of everything!
aruba rave
From: eakim29 Date: 9/3/2004 at 4:39 pm
twas great!
we stayed at the radisson. it was definitely the best of the high rises, barring the hyatt (which we heard was great too but we never checked out). it had an open-air lobby and gorgeous decor. balconies in the good-sized rooms were great. we would stay at the radisson again, though we would more likely stay at the bucuti the second time around. that is to say, we were glad to have the high rise experience, but next time we won't feel that urge. bucuti is on a better beach (eagle beach) that is much less crowded, and is more "romantic."
we did all the water sports--parasailing, jet skis, speed boats, snorkeling, etc. we do not recommend the tube rides tied to the speed boats--someone will someday get seriously injured on that; i almost did. my neck ached for days afterward. also, we did the ATVs. we're glad we did that, but those were also very dangerous and we probably wouldn't do something like that again (we rode on the highway and then on very rocky terrain)--i'm surprised no one took a tumble.
great restaurants: chalet suisse (get the toblerone fondue dessert); le dome; gasparito. if we had time, we would've gone to chez matilde and madame janette, the latter of which got rave reviews by everyone we talked to.
good restaurants: sunset grille (or something like that) at the radisson; texas de brazil (must be a serious meat eater, and go there hungry)
bad restaurants: gilligans at the radisson; room service at the radisson; most other restaurants that are not higher-end, unfortunately.
i think one week was a good amount of time in aruba. if we planned better or stayed longer, we would've done the one-day trips by palm tours to curacao and bonaire (sp?).
massages at the radisson were average, and the manicures/pedicures are seriously overpriced. the fitness center was dismal. the one at the renaissance looked awesome. actually, the renaissance looked like a much nicer hotel than any of them (very grand), but it was too far from the good beaches for our liking.
we went on the fantasy dinner and dance cruise. fun, but overpriced and the food was horrible. and it's not a cruise--it's a small boat with bad, albeit free, drinks.
book early for better prices--go with a travel agent who can get you honeymoon specials. we went in august, which is a low season. that was great because there were not really any crowds, and the weather was still quite perfect (a little hot sometimes, but not a problem with the tradewinds).
let me know if you want any more info on aruba!
Aruba Review
From: J&B_8/21 Date: 9/4/2004 at 3:36 pm
We stayed at Bucuti and loved it! It's perfect for a honeymoon. We stayed in their new Tara wing which is simple but beautiful ($215 per night). Unlike the high rises, the beach is quiet and not crowded, no kids around, and they only have one small pool but we never wanted to leave the beach so it didn't matter.
We love restaurants, so here's our reviews . . .
Driftwood (seafood): B+. Good menu, great service, we went there twice. Just don't get the pasta.
Gasparito (Aruban): A. Great atmosphere, good food, wonderful service. The owners greeted us and were very nice. They feature local art in their restaurant and some of it's for sale.
El Goucho (steak): B. Everyone else told us this was their favorite restaurant, but it was too much food for us. We really liked the martini bar across the street which is owned by the same people.
Aqua Grill (seafood): A-. Great food, quick service, good drinks. The building is very nice but kind of noisy, and there were a lot of kids around when we were there.
Le Dome (French/Belgian): B-. This was the most expensive restaurant we went to, and it was a little too stuffy for us. It was so quiet that we were whispering to each other. The food was good, but not great. Our waiter was a little too uptight, which made us kind of uncomfortable.
Blossoms (Japanese, at the Wyndam hotel): B. This is a Benihana style restaurant where the chefs prepare the food right in front of you. That was pretty interesting, and the food was good. We were both getting ancy by the end of dinner because it took so long.
We went on a snorkeling tour with De Palm tours. It's a four hour boat tour that included rides to and from our hotel, snorkeling gear, drinks during the whole tour, and lunch. We went to three locations, and the tour guides were really good. Lunch from Le Dome was great. It was a lot of fun.
We also rented a Jeep one day ($85). I can't remember the rental company, but they worked with our hotel. It was nice to get to see the other side of the island, and we also got to go grocery shopping.
The weather in Aruba was perfect. While the Bahamas were getting hit by hurricanes, we were totally unaffected. I definitely want to go back.
Honeymoon Review – Aruba
From: aug2004
We just returned from our honeymoon in Aruba, it was absolutely fantastic! The weather was beautiful everyday. While the rest of the Caribbean was dealing with Frances, we had blue, sunny skies. It was hot; around 90 degrees everyday, but the winds make it bearable. As cheesy at it may sound, it really was paradise. Our goal for the week was to relax and we did. We spent the days on the beach and the evening at nice restaurants for dinner. I wanted to give a detailed review because all of the reviews that I read before going helped us so much.
We stayed at the Radisson, which is in the high-rise hotel section of the island (Palm Beach). It was beautiful. We met a few couples that go to Aruba every year and have tried many hotels but they all agreed the Radisson was the best. The rooms were great, just like they look on the website. We had the breakfast package included, which I highly recommend. I think the normal price is about $15/person so it was a big help that we didn’t have to pay for it. Every morning we went to the buffet at the hotel, which was huge, so we didn’t really have to eat again until dinner. It was so relaxing to sit outside next to the lagoon and eat breakfast. They also had a few other restaurants and a bar, which was great for pre-dinner cocktails. We didn’t go to the pool at all because we prefer the beach but it looked great. The beach was wonderful. The first day we were there we didn’t realize the importance of a hut. The sun is very strong and it feels about10 degrees cooler in the shade. If you have a hut, you can move your chair out of the shade if you want to tan, but its nice to get out of the sun if you want to. Some people will tell you that you have to be in line before 7 to get a hut but we didn’t have trouble getting one whenever we got to the beach, which was usually early afternoon, my guess is that the people who had been there since 7 had left by that point, leaving their huts up for grabs.
We spent most of our time on the beach but we did a few other activities. One night did the KuKoo Kunuku Party Bus, which was a lot of fun. We rented a jeep for a day and drove out along the beach, it was really amazing. The landscape of Aruba is beautiful and really interesting because it is a desert, so you can see a cactus growing right next to the ocean. We went to Oranjestad one afternoon to go shopping. The stores they have are no different than some of the ones we have in the US. I wasn’t at all impressed with the city, if you want to check it out, go for it; but if you have other things you want to do, I would put this at the bottom of the list.
We went to some great restaurants. The Sunset Grille (at the Radisson), Papiamento, and Madame Jeanette’s were all great. The food was wonderful and they all had outside seating, and great atmosphere. All of these restaurants were kind of fancy and very quiet and romantic – perfect honeymoon dining. One thing to note, though, is that because they are outside they are hot. I was comfortable at all of them in a sundress. The first night my husband wore a long-sleeve dress-shirt to dinner at the Sunset Grille, I thought he was going to pass out. After that, he wore short sleeve shirts, which kept him cooler, and I don’t think he was underdressed at all.
We heard so many wonderful things about El Gaucho that we had to try it even though we really aren’t big steak-eaters. The food was pretty good-like I said, though, we don’t usually eat steak so we didn’t think it was anything too special. The atmosphere was fun. It was similar to a steakhouse like Outback, very relaxed. They had a mariachi band walking around to the table, which was kind of neat, too. It was also really loud and not at all romantic.
One restaurant you have to go to is the Flying Fishbone. It was our favorite thing that we did on the island. I recommend a reservation a little before sunset. We made our reservation for 6:00 and the sun set around 6:45. This is much earlier than we would have preferred to eat but I’m so glad we did. We got to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings while it was still light, watch the sunset, and then enjoy dining under the stars. The food was also really great. The cab ride is really expensive ($26 w/o tip!) so if you are going to rent a car, I would recommend going the night that you have the car. Its definitely worth the trip!
I’m sorry this is so long but I hope you find it helpful. Believe it or not, I could keep going about how absolutely fabulous our week was. We loved Aruba - we are already planning a trip back next year!
Radisson Aruba Trip Review.........
From: Love131 Date: 9/10/2004 at 1:17 pm
AIR - Left for the airport at 7am for a 9:40 am flight. USAir from Philadelphia to Aruba non-stop. First Class was great as always we were served a choice of omlette or waffles. Coach was given a bagel and a drink. Arrived AUA on time I think preceded through customs no problem. Airport lines were very short. Proceeded to baggage claim and took a cab to the Radisson. Cab cost about $ 23, gave a $ 5 tip.
The return trip was horrible, flying from Aruba the plane had a maintenance problem and we made a stop in San Juan. After 7 hours in the airport the flight was cancelled. We had to stay in San Juan overnight. On the bright side, we spent a day in Puerto Rico, which turned out to be fun.
Radisson - The Radisson lobby is open with beautiful teak wood and tons of places to sit. Downside of the open-air lobby it is always too hot.
We booked through MCM tours, which was great! We were assigned room 1402 Partial Ocean View Room that was a good room not great. We had a view of the island, resort and just over the trees a view of the beautiful ocean. Friends were in the Bonaire tower and the room was much smaller.
TIP: if possible as for the Aruba tower and an even numbered room on a higher floor! I think the highest room number would be 1418. I think higher than that are suites.
Rooms: the rooms are very nice. We had a king sized bed with a nice bathroom. Since we stayed in a lot of great rooms, the Radisson rooms were nice but not luxurious at all. This hotel is a 4 star hotel and that is it. The bed to me was very hard. The bathroom tub was extremely small and the ceiling in the bathroom was very very low. In some spots the ceiling seemed to be unfinished. Ok, I am being picky. But it was bothersome. I also had to make 2 calls to housekeeping because the carpet was dirty, someone was finally sent up and the floor was cleaned. As the week went on I found the room to be just fine for our needs. Please do not misunderstand me the rooms are very nicely decorated, clean and serviceable. TIP: Ask the housekeeping staff for extra Aloe Cooling gel. You will need it…
Safety: During our stay several rooms were burglarized in the Bonaire and Curacao towers. Be careful and make sure your patio doors remain locked!
Hotel Staff: Generally, the front desk and concierge were rude. Otherwise, the waiters and housekeeping etc were very accommodating and friendly!
Resort: Very lush and beautiful. The pool and beach are gorgeous.
Concierge: Thought was helpful but rude. Apparently, they are contracted to sell DePalm tours only. I asked about ABC Jeep Safari tours and was told she knew nothing about the company and did not offer to call. She was more interested in up selling the other DePalm tours. After the initial rude encounter, the concierge was more pleasant when asked about restaurant reservations etc.
Beach Palapas: You have to get there early to reserve the palapa for the day. Early like 7 am when the towel hut opens. Don’t panic if you come down mid day walk around because there are always people coming and going and Palapas always seemed to be available. There were several mini-disagreements with regard to ownership of a palapa. The rules state that if it is left unattended for 2 hours the beach staff can re-assign the palapa. TIP: When reserving a palapa leave something there i.e. a book, sunscreen a pair of flip-flops or something.
Beach floats: $ 5 and well worth the rental for the day. TIP: if you rent them from the Radisson, please return it by 4:30pm otherwise you will be charged $ 50 for unreturned towel rental fee.
Sun/Weather: Great everyday no rain. The sun is extremely hot and potent. Bring plenty of sunscreen.
Restaurants:
Sunset Grill (Radisson) B+–
I thought the food was ok not that great. For 4 the bill was over $ 170. Chicken, Lobster, 2 steaks were ordered
Gilliagan’s (Radisson) A
For a beach restaurant it was very good, hamburgers, club sandwiches, yummy chicken fingers. Good. Lunch for 2 under $ 30.
Laguna Fish Market (Radisson) B+
Buffet breakfast was included daily. Very plentiful, fresh fruit, breads, omlette station, bacon, brown and serve sausages (gross), potatoes, scrambled eggs, waffles, pancakes, cereal and cold cuts. After a few days I grew tired of the buffet breakfast.
TIP: You can also get made to order pancakes and waffles if you ask the guys in the kitchen. Also, it doesn’t hurt to tip………
Pizza Hut A
We had it delivered twice good and very reasonable. $ 32 large pizza and wings.
Smokey Joe’s C
I thought the food was gross the frozen drinks were yummy.
Iguana Joe’s Downtown B
Ordered fajitas and had 4 frozen drinks and 3 bottles of water. Food was good. Total for 3 $ 50.
El Gaucho – A+
Excellent if you are a meat eater. Wanted to go back but ran out of days! For 3 people it was $ 80, ordered Argentina grill, 22 oz T-Bone and one person had the vegetarian plate, 2 drinks and a bottle of water!
Madam Jeanettes – A+
Superb!!! Very romantic setting. Ordered Appetizers: Lobster ravioli, soup and salad, Main dish Lobster Tails, Lamb chops and salad. Total $ 145. This was the best meal.
Runias Del Mar (Hyatt) A+
Last night and the meal and the setting were perfect in everyway. No Appetizers, Main Course: Lightly blackened red snapper, pork chops and sirloin and a salad. The sirloin was tough, however, everything else was fantastic. 6 drinks Total $ 180.
Tours:
We only did one tour and that was the ½ day Jeep Safari through DePalm tours. I really wanted to do ABC tours. But the concierge only seems to “sell” DePalm tours. The tour was great! We went to the Aloe Factory, California Lighthouse, natural bridge and a ton of off roading. You will get VERY dusty. It was a true blast!
In conclusion, I would definitely go back although we had a few problems they were all minor in nature. It is a beautiful island!
Aruba reviews- just got back!!!
From: RochesterNY Date: 9/21/2004 at 9:01 pm
We stayed at the Aruba Marriott and loved it. The pool has a swim up bar- the beach has huts that are free to use for the guests. Ours included free breakfast buffett which was excellent- try to get that included otherwise it is $15 pp a day. We got there the day after the hurricane passed by and the Marriott cleaned p the beach immediately- we walked down further and it was still a mess for a few days with stinky seaweed. The HOliday Inn looked terrible (regardless of the storm). Plus they have construction going on. We went to the Wyndam for dinner one night and felt it was a little uppity feeling to it. THe Radison looked nice from afar and the Hyatt lobby was very pretty. Playa Linda looked very cool as well.
Restaurants
A+ Excellent: Madame Janettes- very romantic atmosphere and great food.
A Cubas Cooking- we went there twice- once for dinner and once for lunch- they have the best Cuban Sandwich ever. Great fun bar/restaurant
A- Great: Amazonia Steak House- Brazialian style all you can eat anytype of meat- we went there twice.
C Iguana Joes- the mexican food was "ehh" we just got fajitas and my husband got a burger and we had 3 drinks total and our bill was $50. NOt worth while.
D- Terrible: The Buchaneer- It reminded me of an old timers place- the food was all mushy and the servers were grumpy.
Red Sail SPorts
Great operation- we just did hte 3 hour snorkeling trip which included all the drinks you want and snacks (Hot appetizers). The only thing is I swam into Fire Coral pieces which stung quite a bit. You can't see it- but I think it was caused from the divers below must of stirred things up.
We wented a jeep from Economy car rental and it was great- we found a 15% off coupon and it only cost $64 total for the day. They pick you up and take you back to your hotel.
Aruba Honeymoon Review
From: NDphillybride Date: 10/5/2004 at 1:41 pm
Aruba is beautiful! People are extremely friendly to Americans. My only disappointments were that things closed early (literally 6pm for towel return at the beach!....shops also closed then). I'm a huge shopper and I was really looking forward to spending some of the wedding gifts of cash :) However, there were either junk tourist shops or 5th Avenue NYC high-end shops (Prada, etc)....I didn't want to spend too much after the big wedding! Also, I think we are really spoiled with good restaurants in Philly (and we use to live in NYC also)...the food was ok in Aruba...again, I think it is bc we are spoiled here. We stayed at the Hyatt and it is wonderful! Service is excellent and in my opinion, the nicest hotel on the island. We had an ocean view and it was very nice. There is a small balconey (sp?)..no chairs on it, but big enough for you to stand on. Hyatt is wonderful...I felt it was 'cleaner' than some of the other resorts. We went to lunch at the Radisson and there were a ton of flies around. Hyatt offers many activities. Due to a bad sunburn, we only went to the beach, pool, snorkeling, and also rented a jeep for a few days.
Divi Aruba trip report
From: sdiddy Date: 10/16/2004 at 10:04 am
We took our Honeymoon to Aruba August 16-24, and stayed at the Divi All-Inclusive Mega Resort. It was the first trip there for both of us. We had a great time. I apologize about the sluggishness in getting this trip report out, but we’ve been pretty busy.
Instead of writing out all my activites from day to day, I’m going to highlight different points that were either positive or negative from the trip
MCM Tours: I booked my hotel and flight through them (www.aruba4u.com) and got a terrific price. I was concerned about booking my whole honeymoon through a company I’d never heard of, but they turned out to be reputable, and I had no problems whatsoever using them.
Airport/Immigration: We arrived on a Monday, and it was no problem getting through. The right lane was definitely the lane to be in. The lines for the flight home were actually a lot shorter. We got there 3 hours early like we were told, but we were through everything in just over 30 minutes. It helped a ton that we left on a Tuesday and especially that we were using USAirways instead of AA. We ended up sitting there 3.5 hours after our flight was delayed an hour, but that was no big deal.
Divi/Tam Snack Bars: Let me first start off by saying, don’t even think about trying to get any food at the Divi between about 4:30 and 6:00. Lunch buffet ends at 3:00 and dinner starts at 6:00. Our first day there, we were absolutely starving from the flight and went up to get pizzas at about 4:50. We didn’t get our food until about 5:55. Apparently they have shift-change around 5:30 and the day shift cook refuses to cook while he cleans his area for the last 45 minutes of his shift. After that first experience on the island, I was starting to regret my decision to go to Aruba, but it got much better.
The snack bars serve decent food pretty much around the clock. Pizzas, sandwiches, and popcorn at the Divi. All that and chicken nuggets and French fries at the Tam. Pizzas cook much faster at the Tam as they do not have a wood-oven. I thought they tasted just as good from the conventional oven, so I got my pizzas from the Tam most of the time.
Oh yeah, the Divi advertises all-you-can eat ice cream. That’s a crock. They have a machine, but of the nearly 20 times we tried to get some, I think it worked one time. I think maybe they just need to fill it up more often, but they don’t. That was disappointing.
Divi/Tam Buffets: There is a buffet at both of the hotels. We ate most of our breakfasts at the Divi, but realized on the second-to-last day there that the Tam served different things for breakfast. I personally like the Divi’s breakfasts better, there was less of a line for everything, and I missed the cheap processed scrambled eggs that you get at the Divi. They’re always my favorite breakfast food. Also, the waffles/pancakes etc. tasted a lot different at the Divi; I think they use more egg or something.
Overall, I really liked the breakfasts. The lunches and dinners were ok, but you can skip lunch with a big breakfast, and eat at their other restaurants for dinner if you don’t see much you like on their buffet menus. The buffets featured a variety of foods, but they weren’t huge. Small compared to casino buffets in the U.S., or Golden Corrals, etc., but still enough choice to be happy. I’m not a big cheesecake fan, but when they had cheesecake in their dessert cooler, it was excellent.
Divi/Tam Restaurants: We never got around to eating at the Red Parrot or the ? Grill they had. We did eat twice at the Paparazzi Italian restaurant. It was very good. The meat in the lasagna tasted a little different, but it tasted exactly like my mom’s meatloaf, so I loved it. Wines there were free and very good. Desserts were excellent. Can’t go wrong here.
Divi Rooms: As expected from my research, the rooms were only ok. We had Lanai room 605, and it was in a great location and had a great view, it was just very old looking. The paint on the ceiling was peeling all over. The walls seemed paper thin as we heard just about every conversation from both of the rooms next to us. There were two sinks in the bathroom which was very nice.
Divi Staff: I had heard a lot about the staff at the Divi not being very accommodating prior to my trip. This turned out to be only half true. Some were very nice (Vivian, Raymundo, and others). Some just seemed tired or disinterested. It was on par with staff at most other places I’ve ever stayed at. I did have some major issues with the maid service however. I don’t think they changed our sheets one time the whole trip as there was a stain in the middle of the fitted sheet that was there when we got there, and there every day. One of the ladies walked in on us once doing honeymoon things even though we had a Do Not Disturb sign up, and after she knocked twice and both times I said ‘No Thanks’ in the simplest terms I could think of. It didn’t help that I don’t think one of them knew English. Twice also did I get the hotel beach towels taken from my room even though I had a note on them asking them not to take them. Once they opened the sliding door in my room (that was locked), and left it wide open all day. I’m also pretty sure they stole a bunch of postcards I had sitting in my drawer one day.
DePalm Tours: This is one thing I wished we did differently. I was disappointed. We did the half-day jeep tour which is advertised as a 4-1/2 hour tour. It was just over 3 hours. We specifically went on a Sunday as they promised to take us to the Alto Vista Chapel (?since the Aloe factory is closed on Sundays?). I really wanted to see the chapel. We never went there though. If had to do it over again, I’d either take an ATV tour from a competing company or rent a jeep for a day and tour on my own.
Casinos: I’m a big gambler and visited the Alhambra Casino three times while stopping by a couple other casinos a couple of times. They’re alright. Smaller than most casinos, but still nice. The tables at many of the casinos don’t open until the evening. Keep that in mind if you’re planning a gambling day. Also, be sure to check the payouts prior to playing. Roulette and Craps pay out pathetically compared to major U.S. casinos, at least at the Alhambra. Let it Ride and Caribbean Stud also had a few lower payouts for straights and flushes. If you like nickel slots, the first Monopoly game on the left as you walk in the front of the Alhambra paid out great for me. 4 times I put in $20. 3 of the 4 times I left the machine with $70.
Telephone: I bought a $30 card at the Tam at the beginning of the week. As far as I could tell, there is only one phone it can be used at anywhere around the two resorts. It was always tied up. I had to wait in line almost an hour once to use it. One day it was out-of-order all day. I don’t have a better suggestion, but maybe the people on this board can help with that.
Divi Beach: The beach at the Divi was huge. This is the main reason we chose this hotel and it was as anticipated. We never felt crowded, and not once did we have any issues getting chairs or a hut, at any time in the day. There weren’t many great views of the sunsets, but that didn’t matter to us.
Divi Activites: It seemed really neat that the hotel had activities planned out. Volleyball and more during the days. Entertainment at night. However, I was very disappointed that many of the activities never happened. It was very poorly run, especially during the day. The nightly entertainment was better run, but the first night the Latin show started 45 minutes late. There quite a few angry people. However, I didn’t mind, not with free cocktails in hand at all times. The Limbo was fun, my wife came in second in the contest. Just be sure to wear shoes if you’re going to compete in the Limbo contest else you’ll slip on the tile.
Honeymooners Activities (One Cool Honeymoon): I would highly suggest not wasting your time going to the Honeymooners’ Fiesta they have at the Divi. Basically you sit in a in a big circle and play games such as an overly complicated game of musical chairs. Then you get a tee-shirt and a cheap bottle of champagne. It was with-out a doubt the most boring two hours of the week. They do take your photo though, slap a Divi advertisement on it, and try to sell it to you for $4. The Sunset Dinner thing was pretty nice. They take you off-site to their restaurant on the beach, and you get chicken and shrimp with some rolls, champagne, and bad wine. Hint: try to be the first on the bus, sit at the front of the bus, then head straight for the beach when you get there. You’ll get your pick of tables. We got a super-nice table with huge comfy chairs, feet from the ocean. By far the best views/pictures of the sunset we got all week. Awesome photos actually.
Shopping: You’ll find the same souvenirs at dozens of stores around the island, but the prices will vary a ton. Make sure you comparison shop. And bring cash to shop with. Most stores accept credit cards, but will add tax to your order if you use the CC. Anyone know why this is?
Summary: We had a great time overall in Aruba, but with a few snags. If we come to Aruba again, which we probably will some time, I may or may not stay at the Divi again. If I want an all-inclusive resort again, I’ll probably go back there. If I’m indifferent to AI at that time, I’d probably try somewhere else out. The maid staff and activity planning had plenty of problems. I would give it a thumbs up if my friends were to ask about it, but not two thumbs up.
References -
Great Aruba Board: www.aruba-bb.com
Decent Aruba Board: bb.visitaruba.com
OK Aruba Bard: www.aruba.com
ARUBA REVIEW!!! (LONG)
From: Jenn100904Bride Date: 10/19/2004 at 2:12pm
I am trying to include this in my bio, but am having problems getting the paragraphs not to run together. I have the & all in place (I think)so if anyone has advice, please let me know! This is my first foray into the world of bios!
Aruba Review
Booking
We booked our HM through Aruba4u.com. They were great to work with and very helpful with choosing our hotel. They also provided all of our transfers, through KTS, which worked wonderfully. Some other people we saw leaving that had transfers through De Palm & they had to wait for a second bus because all of their luggage would not fit. Aruba4u.com also had the best prices by a couple hundred dollars that I was able to find.
Accommodations
The Radisson is wonderful, the rooms look just like they did online, the pools are great & the grounds are very lush & beautifully landscaped. We stayed in a Deluxe Ocean View room & it was perfect. All of the rooms have the dark mahogany Caribbean looking furniture and are in very nice shape. I have heard some people say that the beds were too hard, but we did not think so, in fact we slept like babies. The bathrooms are beautiful, done in marble with a huge sink & counter area. They do provide hair dryers, however they are not attached to the wall & not very powerful The bathrooms have a nice makeup mirror in them that is right on the wall. We had a few troubles with getting the shower water temperature regulated, but it was just being finicky. As part of our honeymooners package, we received a bottle of champagne and a card for discounts at some local places.
The staff at the Radisson was wonderful & the concierge was very helpful. We had a package that included breakfast & was so worth it. They put on quite a spread including waffles, french toast, pancakes, omelet station and all of the usual goodies. We usually ate a huge breakfast and basically skipped lunch. We would sometimes take snacks or split a sandwich, but as warm as it was we were never that hungry around lunch. The breakfast plan was worth every penny.
The location of the Radisson is also perfect. It is very close to several restaurants that are within walking distance, it is also close to the pier where many of the snorkeling, cruises & other boat activities depart from.
We did not have any problems with reserving the beach cabanas. I did not go down super early and there were always a few left. Most mornings I was up around 8:00 so there was never a problem. Also a lot of people leave around lunch so there were often open cabanas around.
Overall the Radisson is perfect and we will definitely return.
Restaurants
We ate breakfast every morning at the breakfast buffet at the Laguna restaurant as part of our package. Like I said this was wonderful & very filling. Breakfast buffet runs from 7:00 am-12:00 pm.
We also had some snack foods from Gilligan’s also at the Radisson. Good bar food, sandwiches, chicken tenders drinks etc. Moderate prices- not super cheap, but not too expensive either.
Salt & Pepper- we ate here the first night on the island. Good little joint, within walking distance from the hotel. Great homemade Sangria. DH had Mahi Mahi & I had a chicken dish. Their pan fried potatoes are excellent. For the two entrees & a couple drinks each the bill was under $50
El Gauchos- this place is amazing. The tenderloin (filet mignon) was one of the two best steaks that I have ever had in my life, and we eat a lot of steak. . The meat is so tender it melts in your mouth and they bring you 3 different sauces (steak sauce, garlic butter or spicy onions) to put on you steak. There are also several chicken/seafood/vegetarian entrees available. Do not miss out on this restaurant!! Our bill came to $80 for two filet mignons (8oz & 12oz) a bottle of wine, salad & dessert. http://elgaucho-aruba.com
Flying Fishbone- the ambiance and service at this restaurant are unbelievable. The tables sit on the beach with the water almost lapping at your feet. Again, wonderful food! I had steak & DH had lobster & shrimp. Make sure that your reservation is for before sunset- you get a great view as it sets into the ocean. There was also someone walking around playing the saxophone. Our bill for soup, 2 entrees, bottle of wine & 2 desserts was $120. **If you are renting a vehicle for a day, that is when you should eat here. The cab ride is $30 one way, because it is in Savaneta, east of Orjanastead. Also get directions from your concierge because it is in the middle of nowhere.** http://www.flyingfishbone.com
Sunset Grille- This is a four star restaurant located at the Radisson. We had a $100 food and beverage credit as part of our package which we used towards this meal. Food, atmosphere & service were wonderful. Everything is served ala carte so keep in mind- the side dishes & salads are meant to be shared. Both DH & I had filet mignon again (can you tell we like steak? I also do not eat seafood) and we shared a salad, garlic mashed potatoes & baked macaroni & cheese. This is the other best steak of my life. The food was absolutely superb as was the cheesecake for dessert. Our bill for all the food & a bottle of wine totaled $150, which we then only had to pay $50. http://www.arubaradisson.com/restaurants.html
Ristorante Bella Luna- within walking distance again of the hotel, great food & great atmosphere. Lots of good Italian dishes especially their eggplant parmesan, for our meal the total was $60 for wine, salads & 2 entrees.
Que Pasa- Cute, fun, funky little pub like atmosphere restaurant downtown. We ate here after we had been shopping. Very good food again. I had chicken fettuccini & DH had ribs. Couple drinks & entrees cost about $40
Things to keep in mind-
** Dress code is fairly casual. Guys can wear shorts, women can wear nice shorts, capris, skirts. At the Sunset Grille, more formal attire is required: nice skirt, dress pants etc.
**Most of the restaurants have a European feel to them, meaning that there is more time between courses. It is a much more relaxed atmosphere- not so rushed. This is mainly true for restaurants like El Gauchos & the Flying Fishbone.
To Do’s
* We rented a jeep one day and explored the island. Highly recommend this. We had so much fun and got to visit some small, secluded beaches, watch people windsurf, visit the natural bridge, pools & rock formations. We booked through our concierge and the price was $95 for a wrangler, and $75 for a Suzuki. Definitely recommend a 4 wheel drive vehicle. When we go back, we might book this ourselves through a rental company on the island called More For Less.
* Kukoo Kunuku booze bus- lots of fun, good music & dancing. They pick you up at your hotel, take you to the lighthouse for a sunset champagne toast, dinner & then on to three local bars where your first drinks are free. http://www.arubatattoo.com/kukookunuku/
* Sunset Cruise through Red Sail, booked by concierge. Left at 5:30 on a huge catamaran which had open bar & appetizers, from the pier right beside the Radisson. Very relaxing & beautiful- it was the perfect way to end the week.
http://www.aruba-redsail.com/sailing.shtml
Miscellaneous-
**Use the bus system. Very clean & safe, the cost is $2 roundtrip and they run every half hour. There are bus stops just outside most of the hotels. Taxis are much more expensive, $10 one way to downtown. I would recommend taking a taxi TO El Gaucho’s and the bus back. It is a little bit of a walk from the bus station & not on the main drag so it is a little hard to find. We ended up walking through a residential area & some guy was nice enough to walk us to the restaurant.
**Passports are much better to have than your birth certificate. It makes customs & flight check in much easier. Passports take 6-8 weeks to process, and you can get the paperwork at your local post office.
**Bring plenty of strong SPF. The sun is intense. We wore SPF 50 or SPF 35, had base tans & still got pink. Also bring chapstick with SPF in it & apply frequently. My lips still got burnt.
**It is windy there, so make sure that you bring hats, visors hair ties to keep your hair out of your face.
**Balashi is their local beer. It is very good & much cheaper than any imported beer at $2 a bottle
**Radisson rents float rafts for $5 a day. Very nice to have while floating in the ocean. These can also be charged to the room.
That is all that I can think of right now! If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me at jennb@fuse.net
Aruba Honeymoon Review
From: golfpunk1 Date: 10/22/2004 at 1:55 pm
We left for Aruba on Monday morning. I was a little nervous about the flight...b/c the longest I have ever been on a plane is 2 hours to FL...and this was 5 hours. The flight was great. We got the exit seats, so there was actual leg room...and I watched a movie...The Day After Tomorrow. We got there at 2...the bus came and took us to the Wyndham. The room was a junior oceanfront suite. Not very suite-like, but nice. Two balconies overlooking the ocean. The beach is right there.
We napped and then walked over to Texas De Brazil...a churrascaria. It's the type of restaurant where they keep bringing meat on skewers. I had the salad bar as my meal...and it was the best salad bar I have ever seen. Fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, pasta salad, hearts of palm, the works. It was the best meal we had there. We then walked on the beach. I stuck my foot in the water, expecting it to be freezing like the crappy NJ Atlantic...but it was slightly cool and perfect! The weather there is great...it's upper 80s and humid, BUT there is a constant breeze. You never sweat or anything.
On Tuesday, we had the breakfast buffet downstairs (we had a meal plan that consisted of unlimited beverages (alcohol included) and breakfast). The buffet was really good...french toast, waffles, bagels, cereal, fruit, omelet station, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, etc... We then laid on the beach. The sand is not hot either. We put SPF45 on b/c the UV there is really strong. We still got burned in some spots. Then we walked over to the pool. The pool at the Wyndham is the best. It's huge and the temperature is perfect. They have fountains there too. We had drinks by the pool. A lizard stole mine though LOL I put my mango daquiri down and one crawled into it and was drinking. We got a good picture of that.
Later on we were going to go to The Flying Fishbone, but we learned it would be $35 by cab...so we scratched that and took an $11 cab (The entire country is only 19.5 mi. long, but gas is over $3 per gallon, so cabs are expensive). to La Trattoria Al Forno Blanco...which is next to the California Lighthouse. You eat outside (most places are like this, b/c the weather is so nice). It was awesome...great Italian food. Before we left to eat, we saw a little limbo show at the hotel to welcome new guests to the resort. Our hotel and most hotels, have casinos in them...so I think that night we went back and gambled. Wed. we repeated the beach and pool thing...then we ate at Valentino's. I didn't like my meal. I had vermicelli al pomodoro, and the sauce was very sweet. At night, we swam in the pool, which was awesome. Thursday we did the beach and pool...then later on we ate in the hotel at Blossoms, which is like Benihana's, but better. This couple next to us bought us a drink and then a thing of Saki. I had like a shot LOL That stuff is strong! When you tell restaurants you are honeymooners they give you stuff...so they gave us tempura bananas and ice cream for dessert. It was very nice.
Friday we spent the whole day doing this off road jeep tour. It was so much fun. We saw bat caves, baby beach, the largest natural bridge in the Carribbean, the lighthouse, and some more natural bridges, and a church. Aruba is a tropical desert, which is weird. There is cacti everywhere. I hope the pictures come out good. We were going to grab Subway that night. We get there and it is $15 for a 12 inch sub. So we ate at Smokey Joe's. I didn't like mine...the only veggie option was a salad w/ mangos and stuff in it. We then went gambling.
Saturday we did the beach/pool thing and later on ate at The Palms at the Hyatt hotel. It was very good. I played Roulette afterwards. Sunday we stayed in all day...My forehead is really sunburned and peeling. It's nasty. We were sick of getting burned LOL. We got drinks and brought them back to the room and watched football and stuff all day. Later on, we went to Rio Steakhouse. It was great.
Monday we spent all day at the airport. The bus picks you up 3 hours ahead of time. I bought some Dutch stuff though...these caramel wafers. They are really good LOL.
Also, I recommend using a travel agent. We used Liberty Travel and you get a good deal plus you get bus transfers to and from the airport
PHOTOS: ARUBA
Topic: Honeymoon in ARUBA-- Bad experience at Divi
From: AnnArbor , 10/25/2004 at 6:21 pm
My husband and I just returned last week from our honeymoon at the Divi in Aruba, and we seriously debated about whether or not to write a review. On the one hand, we hesitated to slam the Divi because the resort is a source of a lot of people's livelihood. However, we just could not let another honeymooning couple be snowed into thinking this was an acceptable place to go on such a special occasion. That being said...
The resort itself is very unclean. We had a horrible time just getting a clean room. We weren’t asking for anything particularly special - all we wanted was CLEAN. The first room we had was atrocious. Dirty floors, moldy shower curtains, and a mass of bugs scuttling about in the shower. Clearly unacceptable for any room, let alone for your honeymoon. We then asked for another room, and they looked at us as if we had two heads. Finally, we were given a new room only to find yet another colony of ants in the bathroom. We stayed in this room because, hey, at least we could identify what these bugs were.
The buffet food is horrid. And if you like flies, then you'll love this place. I've never seen so many flies swarming in one place in my whole life. We thought it was just how it was in Aruba; however, we went to several other resorts and ate outdoors without ANY fly problems. Draw your own conclusions.
The service was very hit or miss. Some people really went out of their way, but the majority acted as if they could care less. Perhaps it has something to do with October being their "off-peak" season - they didn't feel as though they needed to try as hard.
Aruba is a wonderful island and my husband and I had a fantastic time! The Divi's unfortunate problems could not dampen our honeymoon. But, just be careful when researching your honeymoon options. Based on the reviews of the Divi we read here, we were definitely expecting a higher quality resort. We were disappointed in the Divi. If you're looking for a clean resort with decent rooms and decent food, then don't look here.
Aruba Honeymoon Review
From: HellaBride Date: 11/9/2004 at 1:29 pm
Oh how I envy all of you who will be going to Aruba in the next year or so. It was AMAZING! The beaches are gorgeous, the weather is perfect, the people are extremely helpful and polite, the food is delicious, and the hotels are beautiful. We did not want to come back, especially to these chilly temperatures!
DH and I stayed at the Radisson, which was perfect. We had requested a King bed through our agent and did received it after all the info saying that one can't be "reserved" ahead of time. We had a partial ocean view room which was more than fine. (We hardly spent any time out there). The rooms were clean, the staff was helpful, and the beach/pool were great. It was paradise.
For dinner we ate at the following restaurants which were all excellent: El Gaucho (in town), La Trattoria (at the lighthouse), Texas de Brazil (HighRise hotel area), Salt & Pepper (HighRise hotel area), Pago Pago (Wyndam High Rise Hotel), Sunset Grille (Radisson High Rise hotel), French Steak House (Manchebo resort Low Rise Hotel). El Gaucho was probably our favorite, followed by the Lighthouse.)
While we were there we also rented a 4x4 vehicle and toured the island on our own (seemed to be more fun an adventurous than taking a tour and it was). It is so easy to get around. We also did the Palm Pleasure snorkel/snuba trip which was fun. Neither one of us cared for the snuba part but it was fun to try something new. We also did a tube ride behind a speed boat which was crazy! It goes so fast and you really have to hold on if you don't want to fall out. (I was sore for a few days after! DH fell out!)
The other hotels seemed to all be great, (the Hyatt being our next favorite) and all of them seemed to be nicely populated for the first week of Nov. (not too crowded, not too desolate). We always were able to get a hut on the beach, and we felt 100% comfortable leaving our things to take a dip in the water, or when asking someone for directions somewhere. I think anyone who loves the islands will think Aruba is one of the best!
If you have any questions, either post below, or email me at MRSL103004@yahoo.com
Aruba Hyatt Review
From: Ames070205 Date: 11/16/2004 at 12:36 pm
Hyatt Review:
Overall, I went into this trip in love with the Radisson, and left the island wanting to stay at the Hyatt again. There was no comparison in service. From the very first to the very last Hyatt employee I encountered, I experienced nothing less than phenomenal service and attention.
Check-in: My parents got there the day before, so I didn’t go through this, but I’ll give you their comments. They said that check-in was quick and right off the bat, the staff was very pleasant. You can help yourself to lemonade and wet towels to freshen up upon arrival. The porter walked my parents up to the room with their luggage explaining the layout of the hotel and details of their services.
My arrival: Walked into the lobby with my carry-on suitcase, expecting to carry it up myself, seeing it was small and on wheels. They took it from me and brought it up so I didn’t have to bother. We went to the Palms restaurant for a quick lunch (it was ~3pm) and service was a tad slow, but they were attentive and it was an off time. Lunch was good. We ate there again on our last day before going to the airport. Again, food was good (had something different) and our server was awesome.
Ruinas Del Mar (at Hyatt): Parents ate here the first night and loved it. Great service and great food. We went one night for dessert because my father told me about a wonderful chocolate dessert. He was right! The thing that impressed me was that when we were only there for dessert, they still treated us as if we were ordering a 5 course dinner. The staff even stopped to chat with us, asking about our day and all that.
Room: We had a deluxe pool/ocean view room. It was nice, much lighter furniture than the Radisson’s dark wood. The balcony was small, only about the width of a person. I do have to say I like the Radisson’s balcony much better though. Our view was wonderful, the grounds are so beautiful. The bathroom I wasn’t thrilled with, but again, this was only personal preference. I hated the checkerboard floor, but it was very clean and we always had enough towels and such. We had turndown service every night and got fresh towels. They left little cards with sayings about the Hyatt and the island along with chocolates.
Check-out: took about 10 minutes, it was a Sunday and they had 2 ppl at the desk. The valet put our bags in our car, shook our hands, and said, see you next year! (Have I said I LOVED the staff!?!)
General comments: Pool area was busy and it appeared you had to claim a chair early. We stayed by the beach. We went down around 7am every morning to reserve an umbrella and chairs. The wait time around then ranged from 10 to 30 minutes as you approached the weekend, but we never had a problem getting a place. Beach staff was great, and I HIGHLY recommend getting a float and relaxing in the water. It was heaven! There was a lot of seaweed this trip, don’t know if it was because of the active hurricane season or what, but it was definitely unusual. We still walked down to the Dunkin’ Donuts by the Radisson every morning to get my coffee, and it wasn’t too far. That is quite possibly my favorite Dunkin’ Donuts in the world!! (good thing I’m not addicted to coffee, right?)
I’ll review Chez Mathilde, La Dolce Vita, Madame Janette’s, The Pellican’s Nest, and Iguana Joe’s in another post.
Although this wasn’t a honeymoon for me, I would definitely recommend the Hyatt as a wonderful place to stay on your honeymoon! Please page me with any questions.
Amy :)
PHOTOS: ARUBA
Just got back from Aruba!
From: bellagirl, 4/28/2005 at 5:58 pm
Hi everyone! I wanted to pass on a quick review of our honeymoon in Aruba.
We were married on the 16th and spent last week in Aruba, Monday through Sunday. We had an absolute wonderful time! The weather was perfect, high 80's to low 90's everyday. Before we went I heard complaints about the tradewinds that blow there constantly, but I can't imagine not having those tradewinds. The last day we were there it was very still and it was stifling hot. The other days it was very comfortable and didn't seem like it was 90 degrees.
We stayed at the Bucuti, and we loved the location. It is away from the downtown high rise area, which was fine with us. The rooms were ok. Only ok. However, we did not stay in the Tara Suites, which is the new remodeled section, we stayed in the regular rooms. The Tara Suites were beautiful, our room was basically just a room to sleep in. At first we were disappointed but we were hardly in it so we ended up not minding at all. The room was clean, just no frills.
The service at the hotel was very good, they gave us a room change when a room with ocean view became available. Bucuti is starting remodeling on the other section of rooms (other meaning not Tara Suites) this June. I am sure they will be much nicer after that time.
Bucuti is on Eagle Beach which was beautiful. That more than made up for the average room. Bucuti's bar on the beach is The Sandbar which was great. If your going, make sure you hit happy hour at 4:00! And Legino is the best bartender. :)
The bus system is very easy to use for transportation and it's cheap. The hotel will give you pointers, too. We took the bus to different areas to shop or go to restuarants and never had any issues.
Some restaurants we visited:
Iguana Joes - Pink Iguana drinks are very yummy
Carlos 'n Charlies
Tango
Pirate's Nest
Pizza Bob's
The Paddock
We liked all of the restaurants, our favorite actually was The Paddock which is a very casual place. We had a great time there, and they had awesome ribs!
We rented a jeep one day and toured the island, which was a little bit difficult because the roads aren't marked very well, but we managed. We had fun and could do everything on our own schedule versus going on a jeep tour.
I'm thinking of things as I go, so I'm probably forgetting a lot. We really enjoyed Aruba. Our favorite part was the ocean. It was so clear and beautiful and very "swimmer friendly". I couldn't keep him out of it!
If anyone has questions, page me, I'll be checking back. Good luck with your planning!
Sharon
Aruba restaurant review
From: jerseygirlinATL, 4/29/2005 at 10:52 am
I just got back from my honeymoon in Aruba. We stayed the the Radisson for 7 nights and it was fabulous. We had some great dining experiences, so I figured I would pass along info:
Sunset Grille- It is in the Radisson and was so good we ate there twice. The steaks are phenominal- and we eat at good steakhouses a lot. Service was excellent too. The scallop dish was great as well. Highly recommend it, and request an outside table. Steak was about $35 a la carte.
Madame Jeanette- Excellent food and very romantic setting. I had the surf and turn, DH had rack of lamb- both were excellent. You have to make reservations days in advance to get in. Entrees were around $25-30, a la carte
Hosteria de Vittoria- Wonderful Italian food, good Italian wine list, romantic setting. Prices range from $19-$30 a la carte
El Gaucho- Food was good, but my filet was not as good there as Sunset Grille and Madame Jeanette. The best part of El Gaucho is the martini bar across the street where you wait for your table to be ready. We were there on a Friday, which was martini night, and they had a great live band. Fun place to hang out. Entrees $20-$30 includes veges.
Blossoms- Good, typical Japanese steakhouse like in the US. $17-$30
Waterfront Crabhouse- DO NOT EAT HERE! Terrible service and food was average at best. It is a tourist trap near the cruise ship docks.
Aruba really is a great place to honeymoon or vacation. We will be back!
Honeymoon Review - Aruba
From: Cutemin, 6/8/2005 at 2:49 pm
We used Liberty Travel to book our honeymoon. Everything that they did and provided was perfect and in order.
In Aruba we stayed at Divi Aruba (Tamarijn) All-Inclusive Resort. We did not fair so well here. Our bathroom had black mold around the tub. There were large cracks down the walls. The 'On-Demand' video and internet didn't work(most annoying part was that everytime we would turn on the TV it would reset to this channel and reset the volume to LOUD, so when ever we turned on the TV it would be very LOUD static, we always called it snow). Our airconditioner started dripping water one day. We came back to our room and all my stuff was wet. My favorate part, NO WATER in our room from early afternoon on Wed. until midafternoon on Thurs. Although the water problem was not the fault of the resort, the problem was only in the third floor of our building.(not enough pressure to get it to the third floor) Although I did ask for a new room(I think we asked at least twice during our stay) or at least to use a room on the ground level to take a shower. The kid at the desk said he would have to speak to his manager. Over 2 hours of waiting and still no manager, I finally went down to the beach to take the best shower I could outside. It is possible that they were sold out that night with no other rooms, but I highly doubt it from looking at the number of people around the resort. It was also disappointing that only two of the resorts(one at the Divi, the other at the Tamarijn) 3 pools were open. The third pool was torn apart for renovation, which was the view from our room. We had a lot of little problems there too like our sink getting backed up.
Hertz Rental car. If you want to go sightseeing on Aruba, you MUST MUST MUST make sure your jeep is 4-wheel drive BEFORE you leave the rental place!!!!! We went to the Hertz counter in the hotel lobby to rent a 4-wheel drive jeep to tour the island and go to the natural pool (I don't recommend it). They gave us a Daihatsu Terios. Now I told her where we were going and that we needed 4 wheel drive. We found out very quickly that this thing only had REAR wheel drive when we spent an hour stuck on in the middle of no where on the side of a hill. Some other tourists finally came through in a REAL jeep and helped tow us out and up the hill. We truely believed that we would never get out of there!!!!!!!!
Helcopter tour in Orajanstead. These were two German Guys. The helicopter tour was by far the BEST part of our trip. Well worth it! I would definately recommend this to anyone going to Aruba. And definately do it first. It will help orient you to the island.
Paradise Island (DePalm Island) Snorkling: Absolutely cool. Definately a highlight of the trip. But don't waste your money on the SNUBA! And thier buffet kinda sucked.
US Airways: Departed Aruba over an hour late, only had 4 minutes to make our connector(supposed to have 2 hours, we missed dinner of course). We did just barely make our flight, but our luggage didn't make it. We got it about 7pm of the following day.
Aruba Honeymoon (Marriott, etc.)
From: Shamrock0421, 6/20/2005 at 2:31 pm
Some pictures from our honeymoon and some wedding (prof & non-prof) pics in bio.
My review is more the vendors from our Cape May, NJ wedding - but the Aruba Marriott was absolutely amazing. We would highly recommend it to anyone and are already planning a trip back.
Dinner:
We had dinner at Simply Fish (Marriott restaurant) on the beach at sunset.
Tuscany's restaurant in the Marriott had great Italian food.
El Gaucho - of course - was amazing.
Salt & Pepper was a small informal restaurant with great food, we had lunch there one day.
Some of our excursions was the half day snorkeling trip with DePalm tours. It was a lot of fun. We also did two hours of horseback riding on the "other" side of the island - beautiful scenery (but it's hot!) KuKu Kanukoo had to be the best - everyone should do it - young or old or anywhere in between.
We relaxed on our balcony with room service for breakfast, we went shopping, to the beach, it was a perfect vacation/honeymoon.
For all of you going to Aruba - ENJOY! You're going to love it.
PHOTOS: ARUBA
VERY BELATED Honeymoon Review: ARUBA
From: hunterbo, 6/20/2005 at 2:07 pm
I am back to work and greatly miss the beautiful blue waters in Aruba. We had such a great time! Our first day there was actually the first day that Natalee Hollaway came up missing. But i never once fealt unsafe on this island. the local people were great and they were very sad and upset about Natalie. well, we stayed at the Bucuti Beach Resort in the Tara Suites. we had a wonderful view and the rooms were extremely clean and nice. the hotel staff was extremely friendly. we rented a jeep one day and explored the island visitying the lighthouse and the natural bridge, this is a must see!!! we also went snorkling at baby beach and it was beautiful there. we went on a pirate ship ride and snokled in three spots and had a lot of tasty drinks. we also went on a sunset sail and saw the most beasutiful sunset ever! Aruba is the most beautiful island i have ever seen and there is so much to do and see there.
the beachs are gorgeous. if you are looking for a quiet romantic get away i would recommend staying in the low rise area where the Bucuti Beach resort is, we visited the high rise hotels and they were gorgeous too, but there were a lot of people on the beach. the low rise is more secluded for honeymooners.
we also went shopping downtown and got some great deals on jewelery since it's duty free. My husband and i usually don't go back to the same place twice on vacations because we love to visit different beaches but we would definetly make the trip back to Aruba!!
Aruba Honeymoon Review - LONG
From: Lisa51405, 7/5/2005 at 9:27 am
Honeymoon Review – The highlights and other info
Aruba is a wonderful place for a honeymoon! Most of the hotels participate in the One Cool Honeymoon program. If you are staying at least five nights, you get a gift from your hotel, 2 free drink coupons, a bottle of champagne, an Aruba Value Card (which gets you discounts at various places), and a coupon for a free night stay in the future.
We flew Delta airlines from Minneapolis to Aruba via/Atlanta. Great service, the flight from Atlanta to Aruba was fun, as everyone on the plane was excited to get their vacations going. We arrived at around 8:30pm on a Saturday night, and customs/immigration was a breeze. We took a cab to our hotel – cab rates are set in Aruba (no meters) and it was $20 from the airport to the hotel.
After research and recommendations from friends, we narrowed our hotel choices to the Hyatt and the Radisson. We finally decided on the Hyatt. I read many great reviews on the hotel’s service, which was really important to me. Upon arrival, we walked in the beautiful open air lobby – unfortunately, it was already dark, so we weren’t able to see the beautiful grounds (pool area, beach, etc.). The rooms at the Hyatt are pretty basic – and their balconies are very small – only big enough to stand on, no chairs. Throughout our trip, we felt like we were treated like royalty, which is a credit to the Hyatt’s outstanding service!
The first morning we woke up to RAIN! I couldn’t believe it! It was storming all night, and rained pretty hard for about 4 hours. But it didn’t rain again the whole time we were there. We got ready and walked down to the lobby, where we found the Shoco Market Café, which has donuts, pastries, fruit, for breakfast. We probably spent about $10-$15 between the 2 of us for pastries and coffee – and we went down there every morning. Another tip for those staying at the Hyatt – 4:30-6:30 go to Piet’s pier bar for Happy hour, as there are a lot of half price drinks. Drinks at the hotel are expensive! Because it was raining the first morning, that gave us the opportunity to do some activity planning. We decided to book the Sunset Sail with Red Sail Sports, and rent a car from Avis. Both Red Sail and Avis have desks at the Hyatt, which made everything very convenient.
For the beach, you have the opportunity to reserve huts every day. The stand opens at 7am, and if you want a primo hut (one right next to the water) you’d probably have to reserve it right around 7-8am. But if you’re not as picky, there are plenty of huts, I saw open ones pretty much every day. As long as you have chairs with towels on them, that reserves it. But after 11am, if you are away from your hut for more than 2 hours, they can assign it to someone else. You can also rent floats for the day for $2 each. The Hyatt beach was very clean, and not too crowded – this may have been because we were there in June – and I understand that during peak months it can get really crowded. The Radisson beach seemed much bigger. On the days we didn’t want to get up as early, we would just park it by the pools. The pools are beautiful, I think there are 3 of them, there is a swim up bar and a waterslide also.
On Monday morning, we went in to Oranjestad to do some shopping. This is where we bought the souvenirs/gifts for friends/family. We ate lunch at Carlos and Charlies. The food was great, wasn’t very crowded for lunch.
That evening was our sunset sail – free appetizers and open bar, on a catamaran for 2 hours. We had a great time, the guys on the boat were really fun. I believe it was around $30 per person.
Tuesday afternoon we picked up our car and went down to the Flying Fishbone for dinner. A coworker recommended it for the romantic atmosphere and great food, so I made a reservation on their website. It is kind of far away from the high rise hotel area, and I guess it is a $25 cab ride each way. If you are interested in going to the Flying Fishbone, and you are renting a car, try to arrange it so you can drive there. It is easy to get around in Aruba, and the directions on the website were perfect. It is outdoor dining on the beach – ask for a waterside table. Because it is further from the resort area, it is a lot quieter and peaceful. Absolutely beautiful and romantic – make a reservation so you can see the sunset! The food was great as well, we were stuffed when we left!
On Wednesday morning, we decided to explore the island in our car – rent a 4 wd vehicle. We asked for a soft-top, but we weren’t prepared for what we got, which was a little Suzuki mini-jeep looking thing – there was no AC, so if you are looking for comfort, a hard top may be the way to go. The concierge at the Hyatt (they are very helpful) mapped out a route for us, pointing out the things to see. We drove to the lighthouse, then around to the other side of the island on a dirt “road”. You could tell it was a road only because there were other tire tracks on it. It was a rough ride, but fun! We liked the flexibility of driving ourselves. We caught up with a jeep tour at the Natural Bridge, which is a must see.
The hotel has a dinner called Pampered in Paradise – although all of the nights we were interested in were booked, it looked so romantic! It is a private dinner on the beach during sunset with your own personal waiter – I think it costs $225. If you can afford it, it would be great for a honeymoon.
Everyone we came in contact with in Aruba was so friendly/helpful. The weather was great, hot, about 90 degrees and there is always a breeze. Perfect beach weather. Aruba was a great place for us because we could go out and explore if we felt like it, but also could just be lazy on the beach. A great honeymoon, we will definitely go back!
PHOTOS: ARUBA
Review of Honeymoon at Aruba Wyndham in bio
From: ccodbride05 7/13/2005
Our week in Aruba at the Wyndham was amazing, and I would definitely recommend it. We decided to do the all inclusive, despite the many great restaurants in Aruba it was so nice to not have to worry about making dinner reservations, bringing money with you to the beach for a drink or worrying about the credit card bill! Here are some more detailed reviews:
Wyndham Aruba: I believe our room was a superior room, but it actually had a separate living room and bedroom, and two balconies. There was plenty of space and everything was very clean. We were on the odd side, so we didn't look out over the pool but we could see the ocean. It really didn't matter because didn't spend much time there anyways. I joined Wyndham by Request so we had cheese and crackers and drinks for our welcome snack. We also had a bottle of champagne for our honeymoon. When we first checked in around noon, the room was not ready yet, but the bellman stored our bags and by the time we had finished lunch the room was ready.
All inclusive plan: for us this was the perfect way to go and it was definitely worth it. The breakfast buffet at the Terrace was very good and had a wide selection to choose from (omelette station, eggs, pancakes, waffles, fresh fruit etc). We usually ate lunch outside and there was a good selection - neither of us had the same thing two days. You also could order as much as you wanted - appetizers, soup, dessert - whatever. The bar outside by pool/beach was sometimes kind of slow, sometimes during the day there was only one bar tender. Also, whether you are AI or not they have to print out a reciept for everything (and if you are AI you have to sign for it all) which slows things down. But they had great pina coladas!
Dinner: dinner choices included Cafe Bacci and Pago Pago, and Azull, you also got a coupon to use at one additional restaurant. With the AI an appetizer, entree and dessert for each person were included. Some of the higher end items also had a surcharge, but not more than $10.
Cafe Bacci: this was more casual of the restaurants, Italian food. It was pretty good - there was a wide selection of appetizers and entrees (though I wouldn't recommend the Penne a la vodka)
Pago Pago: this is a steakhouse and you need a reservation. We really enjoyed our meal here and it has a nice atmosphere.
Blossoms: we chose to use our additional dinner at Blossoms (at the Wyndham). They have Chinese, sushi and the Japanese Tepanyaki. I would definitely recommend the Tepanyaki. The presentation by the chef was excellent the food was really good as well!
Azull: each night the hotel sets up this "restaurant" right on the beach with about 12 tables and beach chairs in front of the tables. Dinner begins with a bottle of champagne or wine to enjoy while you sit and watch the sunset. Then we had an amazing meal with soup, salad, entree and dessert. The wait staff was great - very friendly and had no problems taking pictures for all of us. It was really a wonderful night! Just be sure to make your reservations early - even before you go, I heard people complaining that they could not get a reservation!
Beach and Pool: The beach at the Wyndham is, for whatever reason, quite windy! but the wind is definitely nice because the sun is so hot. The last few days we were there it was really windy and the sand was blowing quite a bit, so we would just go up to the pool. The pool was a lot of fun - the concierge would bring around fruit, spritz you with cold water and even shine your sunglasses! They also had pool volleyball and some other activities.
As part of the all inclusive we had use of the floats, snorkels and kayaks included. We took a kayak out and brought the snorkels out down past the Marriot where some of the snorkel trips dock. We also snorkeled nearby the hotel beach along rocks/coral and there were a lot of fish there too.
The staff at the Wyndham were all very friendly. We really had great service all around.
Excursions: Jetskiing: we went through Go Native Aruba, which had its stand right on the beach next to the Wyndham. It was $65 for half an hour on a double and they picked you up right at the beach on a jet ski and drove you over to the left of the Wyndham where they keep all the jet skis. The area you can ride in is wide open and we had a blast! Though the rides over and back were a little wild!
Horseback riding: we booked through the concierge with Rancho Daimari. They picked us up at the hotel and there were 8 people in the group, all from the Wyndham. the ride in the jeep down the rocky terrain to the ranch was quite an adventure. Although it was my first time on a horse, the tour was amazing. through the countryside (very rocky terrain, lots of cactuses too!) to the natural pool. We only had about half an hour to actually stop at the pool which isn't much time because you have to walk down a long hill to get to it and then to actually get into the pool you have to climb over quite a few rocks. I would definitely recommend beach shoes if you want to go in. then we went along the beach for a short time and back to the ranch. Altogether it was about 4 hours. The views were absolutely amazing and it was really a unique experience.
Tattoo Party Boat: if you like to party you will have fun on this! The boat goes from Palm Beach to Downtown and basically a floating club. It included dinner (nothing very special) and drinks were $1-3. At the end of the cruise you can either go down the water slide or the rope swing. We had a blast!
Downtown: we took the bus downtown, which was really easy, it pick us up right outside the hotel and drops you off in the center of downtown for $1.50 each way. I have to say I wasn't really impressed by downtown, it seemed to be mostly jewelry stores or souvineir stores (which all had the same things!) The Renaissance Mall was nice and we walked through the casino and marketplace near the casino as well. There are quite a few restaurants and bars there too.
California Lighthouse: we went out to the end of the island to see the lighthouse. There were some beautiful views of the island, but if you go to see the sunset, beware that the KuKuKunu party bus stops there at that time (at least on a Saturday night)! The restaurant right there looked very nice (and was very busy!) It was about a $10 cab ride from the hotel.
PHOTOS: ARUBA
Honeymoon review Aruba
From: lisaemilie, 7/20/2005 at 8:31 am
Renaissance in Aruba A++++++++
I have never been anywhere outside US so this was a change. Aruba is so beautiful and your are treated like royalty. We did not do all inclusive since it was an additional 250 a day instead we stayed an extra day. It is right in town but its a different place then what we have when you say in town. The pool is right at the road but there is glass all around you and you can't see the road when you are in the pool. The private island made it worth it we didn't have to deal with a lot of people. We went Snorkeling once and on the public beaches there the water was roped off and so many people from so many hotels around the area. I am so glad we stayed there. If you go make sure you eat at Texas De Brazil and the L.G. Smith steak houses. It was the best food I have ever had in my life.
Aruba honeymoon review
From: austinjuly05, 7/21/2005 at 12:58 pm
RADISSON- We were happy with our choice since we like the ammenities of a bigger hotel. That being said, the place was nice but not at all fancy. The rooms were good, but not really what I would expect considering what we paid. The staff was friendly, and we loved the grounds. There were waterfalls everywhere surrounded by palm trees and other spectacular plants. The beaches were nice, and the water is an amazing color. We walked over to the Hyatt, it did have a nicer lobby but no balconies. We would choose the Radison over it if we go again. From what we've been told the rooms are bigger at the Radisson, it's a little less expensive, and the baclony's are a plus.
RESTAURANTS- First of all, I must say that we're so happy to not have done an all inclusive because dining out at the fabulous Aruba restaurants was a great experience. We adored the ambiance of Papiamento and Madam Jeanettes. We sat outside in both places and had incredible food and service. It's hard to say, but these are probably are two favorites.
Flying Fishbone was worth the cab ride from the high rise hotel area (about $26 each way). We sat outside with our shoes off while drinking a good bottle of wine, eating great food,and watching the unbelievable sunset.
Other great restaurants were Gasperito (really great), Sunset Grill, Chateau Suissez (sp), El Gaucho. My least favorite was probably El Gaucho, but there is a great little bar across the street and listened to a band that was surprisingly very good.
All of the restaurants were great and not cheap, but not to pricey if you don't order like we did. We had a bottle of wine, either steak or a steak/seafood combo, an appetizer, and either a after dinner coffee drink or dessert at every meal!!! If you don't do all that, you'll probably be OK. Plus, you won't gain weight like we did!
ACTIVITIES- We did a happy hour cruise that was just OK. Too many people and really windy.
The ATV tour was so much fun. My husband and I think this is a must! You really get to see the island and its history. Plus, you get your own vehicle which was a lot of fun, but beware...you'll get VERY dirty! It was worth it though.
Couples massage on the beach- We did this though the Renaissance hotel. They take you in a little boat to their private island (this is their beach) where you then walk to a little hut. It was incredible! Even though there were others on the island, all you could hear was the waves crashing. Wonderful experience but much more then we would normally pay for a massage. We thought for our honeymoon that it was worth it! Golf- It was really windy so DH was a little frustrated, but it was still fun. Shopping downtown- I've never seen so many jewelry stores in such a compact area. We ended up buying me a bracelet for my birthday...make sure you talk them down. She said she went as low as she could, but after we urged her to ask her manager the price went down $130.
PHOTOS: ARUBA
Just Returned From Aruba Honeymoon
From: prissybride, 7/25/2005 at 11:16 am
Review posted on trip advisor...Long
Thanks everyone for posting reviews, everything I heard helped a lot. I stayed at the Aruba Grand from July 11-19 and my honeymoon was awesome, my eyes actually watered at the airport at the thought of going home. Just to give you a price suggestion I will list how much I spent. Aruba Grand Room was $235 a night; I took $2000 spending money and came home with $200 and 3 bags of souvenirs, and a 6 pound heavier husband.
Aruba Grand
1) Rooms are outdated, I hate the flowery sheets and curtains but higher level rooms have a great view
2) The Lanai -which i switched to-is spacious and the balcony is great. It has a medium sized fridge, robes, walk in closet and it is about 20 steps to white sandy un crowded beach with lots of available palapas all day long.
3) The Restaurant stinks service-wise and I hate the flies because its open air, I ordered room service, it costs $3 extra but the food was great and came in like 15 minutes!!
4) The hotel is by a bus stop, but walking distance to Wyndham, Renaissance, restaurants like AMici, salt & pepper, iguana joes, Texas de brazil, hooters, tomato Charlie’s, and so much more. However, you are not as far from downtown like the other high rises.
5) Internet is $10 for 30 minutes; the store is a rip off, take the bus and go to the grocery store.
5) It is on the Depalm pier as well as Tattoo and Mi Dushi Boats
Everyone comes off the boasts tired, but you walk a few steps and you're back in your room
6) There is a water activities desk as well because the pool provides no activities at all; it is the most quiet, dead hotel I have ever been on vacation
7) Quietness can be great for relaxation on the beautiful beach
Until 4pm when the live band plays the same mixed tape every night (yeah live would indicate they sang but they lip-sing or something)
8) All in all I would give it 3 stars for effort, location and beach really helped.
Bus/Cars/Taxi
1) $1.25 each way or $2 for two way, low-rise hotels are closer to downtown, high rise hotels are close to all the restaurants and water activities.
2) Its very safe, runs until 11.40 pm then you are screwed paying high taxi prices, I don't blame them though, gas is $4 a gallon so I wouldn't rent a car but that’s my opinion.
3) I wouldn't do the Depalm Airport Shuttle, it makes like 12 stops!! Pay the $21 and get a cab (they have nice cars as cabs)
Restaurants
1) El Gaucho.....what a big let down, I was so ready to have this fabulous steak, it was nothing to scream about, I’m from Texas, my $10 Texas Roadhouse steak tasted better, I was pissed because this place is like in the middle of downtown, away from the tourist area, so you take a cab and bump into these scary looking people to pay $90 for dinner for what??? At least order the shrimp appetizer, its $12.95 for 3 GIGANTIC, coaster size pieces of shrimp. Worth to see the shrimp but the whole steak thing was totally OVERRATED.
2) Salt N Pepper- I ate there 3 times. Nuff Said. Yes the Sangria is heavenly, the salads are huge and the prices are unbelievable, my highest bill there was I think $26, during lunch we had like $12 bills for 2 people! Warning, the tapas are very small, I mean bite sized but well worth it.
3) Iguana Joes/Crazy Joes- two locations, downtown and hotel district, huge, I mean huge portions, great ribs, chicken, anything I think would have been good. Now the drinks, STRONG and big cups, I mean one will knock you out. Wait till happy hour and they are $4 instead of $6 oh my goodness, don't be tempted to get 3 drinks, you will be dragged home.
4) Blossoms- Another favorite, I ate there twice, Japanese side and Chinese side. Both excellent choices. Chinese side bill was around $48 with two entrees and one alcoholic bev. The Japanese side was about $80 with two entrees and 4 drinks. Now the Japanese side comes with salad and a dessert (this ice cream is out of the world, I believe I will have uncontrollable cravings for it, the best ice cream I have ever tasted in my life, it has brownies mashed in it and reeses pieces, I will attempt to make it at home) Now compared to Benihana, I like Benihana's salad, and food better but the ice cream will bring me back to Blossoms
5) Texas De Brazil- $38 flat fee each, without drinks, the salad bar is out of this world, the meat is overwhelming but can get tiring and boring. Great for a first timer, but Houston has a Fogo de Chao, same concept I wouldn't return.
6) Ventanas Del Mar- my goodness, this was a hidden secret, it was empty, the food was fabulous (I had chicken in white wine sauce), I mean I was studying it to see how I would make it when I got home, my husband loved it, the prices were like so cheap I said" ok so show me the real thing cause you're kidding right???" and the restaurant was BEA--UTIF-UL with the golf course and island views.
7) Jamaica Me Krazy- great jerk chicken, red beans and rice, I had it on the Tattoo party cruise
8) Carlos and Charlie’s- The food was not that awesome, it is a party atmosphere at night, if you like 18 yr olds who've never been out before acting like total idiots fun. After a few yards, it’s funny to watch them.
6)Okay I screwed up and cancelled my Madame Jeanette’s and French steakhouse reservations because I was stuck on salt n pepper and blossoms, sorry guys..next time
7) Breakfasts/Other- Le Petite Cafe $8 all you can eat- yuck, what a waste of time and a walk. Its not a buffet, its is a standard, here is your plate of all the items, it smelled bad, was hot and crowded, took forever to get more juice served in a 6 oz cup, so of course we couldn't get seconds. Never went again.
Depalm Pier Donut Shop- Yummy bagels and donuts about $4 every morning
Aruba Grand Room Service- Delicious, hot, customized omelettes and waffles, so it cost me $26, its vacation, live a little
AMici- Great Desserts, wow it’s like a cigarette after you know what. their chocolate chip ice cream reminds me, not quite the same but reminds me of Blossoms great ice cream.
Hooters- Husband made me go, I know we have that in Houston but it was on a research assignment to see if all Arubian girls were flat chested, and our theory was right. Great Wings nevertheless
Tomato Charlie’s- Great thin crust Pizza, $15 for a medium however !! wow, thank goodness I had a buy one get one free coupon, by the way get all the Aruba free books in your lobby and airport, tons of coupons.
Activities
1) First off all, Mi Dushi ripped me off, their office/pier did not open for 4 days, I kept calling and calling, every one who had a scheduled tattoo ship, mi dushi snorkeling, sunset cruises were screwed, we showed up everyday in groups wondering where they were and they never open their doors, the Depalm guys were laughing and saying "that’s how they are, you should have bought depalm" Yeah definitely words of wisdom.
2) Tattoo Party Cruise- they were opened that day thank goodness, it was a blast and worth the money, three level boat, good music, food catered by Jamaica Me Crazy, and great drink prices. I would do it again, except I’m scared they would run away with my money.
3) Jolly Pirates Ship- I don't know about this one, the snorkeling spots suuucked, no fish could be seen in 2 of 3 spots. The ship wreck, was very dangerous waters, rough and high tides, but you could actually see marine life. The food was not so great, the pirate poison drink was flavored pina colada mixed with rum punch, the rope swing was fun to watch at first but after 30 minutes, I was like okay already please move on the sun is burning and SPF 50 was not helping. I wouldn't do it again.
4) ATV trip- OH MY GOODNESS. It was so dangerous, I almost fell down the freaking mountain/hill or whatever the heck you climb up to reach the natural bridge. I would not let my kids do this, very rocky terrain, but at the end you see the beautiful sights, you look down and saw wow" how the F@%^ are we going to get down" When you do, you feel like you just won a gold medal and you appreciate life more. Yeah I would do it again, I’m a freaking adventurous (reaching for inhaler, which you will need even if you don't have asthma)
5) Horse riding, rancho el campo, I asked...where are these horses taking us, they said "natural bridge" I gently yelled stop got down, the end of that activity, I am NOT riding a horse up that hill.
6) Jet Skiing and Tubing --So I flipped over and filled my lungs with salt water, I would do it everyday if I had the $65 for 30 minutes everyday. It was awesome!!
7) Golf- Divi Links 9 hole, $65 5 star service, you hear me, you would think you were the king of Saudi Arabia the way they treat you, They washed our freaking shoes!!!!!, it was amazing how they carried your bag once you got out the car and gave you a rid eon the golf cart to the office, I mean offering water at each hole and just being awesome!!!!
Tierra del Sol- Okay its $98, $78 after 2pm, big and beautiful-however, they are mountain goats and all kinds of wild animals on the course, do not attempt to get your ball out of the grassy areas for there lies snakes!! yes SNAKES!!!
Tierra del Sol SPA- $145 couples massage with complimentary use of spa facilities - WOW , amazing service, romantic setting, stay have lunch, restaurant is awesome , sip some coladas by the pool, lounge in the couples heart/spade shaped Jacuzzi, go in the dry sauna, then take a shower in a 9 head shower room(yes 9 shower heads in one) best $145 I spent.
Nightlife
Every night we went to the Casino, Aruba Grand and Wyndham and Renaissance, after night 3 stuck to the Slots.
All the Clubs are dead, I swear there was not more than 5 other people everywhere.
Carlos and Charlie’s was a unique experience, everyone was young, drunk, making out, grinding, I did like the free shots and beer contests but I couldn't take watching those young girls be so vulnerable especially thinking about natalee-i wanted to slap some sense into them and say” what are you thinking, you are drunk and several guys are getting cheap feels all over you" So I left right before midnight, by the way, I’m 23 and I like to party and I was still put away by the young high school looking kids.
KooKunuKu Bus- Since everywhere is dead, the bus brings a large group to every empty club you stop at so make sure you're pretty wasted, because your bus mates will be the only people you are partying with, which could be good thing if you went with a group. Would not do again.
I would defiantly go back in the future, one day bring my kids when I have some because it is definitely family oriented( By the way, the Holiday Inn looked like a crappy hotel..you know just like a holiday inn.. but if I had kids I would definitely go there, they have water falls and fountains and so many kids just having a wonderful time by the pool, I realized why it was so crowded, definitely recommend holiday inn for families.)
All in All Aruba was Beautiful, the water is not so clear but it is so relaxing and peaceful and SAFE, We walked home at almost 1am every morning and felt no worries. It was a wonderful, very expensive but wonderful honeymoon and I will have memories of it forever.
Aruba honeymoon review & Pics in bio (Bucuti)
From: EEC1979, 7/23/2005 at 10:47 am
We stayed at the Bucuti Beach Resort: Tara Beach Suites. We had an excellent time, I think Aruba is a great Honeymoon destination. Our room at the Bucuti was very nice, new and clean. The view from the balcony is amazing. The beach was great, larger than some of the high rise hotels that we looked at. There were a lot of hut things and the water was warm, fairly calm and a really pretty color blue. The staff was very friendly and helpful, they have staff that will make your dinner reservations for you every night and book any activities or rental cars that you want. You can order drinks and lunch food from the bar and they will serve you on the beach. We weren't impressed with either breakfast buffet at the bucuti, but there is a bagel stand and a Dunkin Doughnuts within short walking distance from the Bucuti. We also bought a few things from the grocery store for breakfast and snacks. I didn’t see any kids at the Bucuti and is wasn’t over crowded, so it made for a very private, quiet, relaxing environment. The pool at the Bucuti isn’t any thing great, but when you have warm ocean water right there, we didn’t need a pool. Although we did go for one late night swim which was nice because we were all alone. It cost $8 one way for a cab to most places for dinner, including the high-rise area. All the restaurants we ate at were really good, in general they are fairly expensive, but we found a few less costly places. We rented a car one day to explore the Island a bit, we went to the lighthouse, the natural bridge and baby beach. I highly recommend baby beach, it has good snorkeling and the water is so warm and calm. Overall, I think the Bucuti is great if you are looking for a romantic, private atmosphere. If you want to be near the action, then you would probably prefer the high rise hotels.
Restaurant recommendations:
The Flying Fishbone- Tables are right on the beach, very romantic setting. Make sure you make your reservation a few days ahead and ask for a table close to the water. The seafood is great. This is further from most hotels than other restaurants, go there the day you rent a jeep or car. Entrees $20-$30.
Papiamento- Romantic setting, tables set around a pool, excellent service. Good food. Entrees $20-$30.
Texas de Brazil- Salad bar and waiters that bring skewers of meat to your table. The salad bar is really good and my DH loved the meat. High rise area.
Mambo Jambo- Good frozen drinks and lunch food. Downtown.
Iguana Joes- Good frozen drinks and lunch food. Downtown.
Smokey Joes- High rise area. The grilled mahi-mahi is really good and DH liked the ribs. Less Expensive, $15-$20 entrees.
PHOTOS: ARUBA
I added pics & review to my bio-Bucuti/Aruba
From: newportbride715, 8/3/2005 at 3:33 pm
Aruba is beautiful! The people are friendly, the beaches are gorgeous and there are lots of great restaurants. We loved El Gaucho and Marandi the best. Cuba's Cookin was good. Chez Mathilde was good, but compared to nice NYC or nice Newport restaurants, I thought it was a bit overrated for the prices. Iguana Joe's and Pizza Bob's were good for quick and casual. We had a buffet breakfast at the Hyatt once and that was fine, lots of food, great omelettes. There are grocery stores within a short drive from the low-rise area. They sell liquor as well. Cab rides are $8 from low rise hotels into town. The bus is very qick too, $2 round trip. We booked through Hayley at Beach Bum vacations and got a good deal.
We loved the Bucuti Beach Resort! It was quiet, relaxing and romantic. I think it was a great deal for the price. Our suite was much larger than an average hotel room, with extra kitchen ammenities and a balcony with a view. The clientele was quiet and mature, no loud partiers, which we liked. The staff was friendly and helpful with dinner reservations and jeep rentals.The restaurant was fine for lunch on the beach- blt's, onion rings, chicken tenders were all good. The burgers and fries were just ok. The beach was spacious and most guests were couples. The Tara Suites were nice, big and new. Great views. We also enjoyed our massages at the spa. It is a small spa, nothing extravagent, but the massages were great and reasonably priced. I would not suggest this hotel to people who want big fun pools, rowdy bar scenes, several restaurant choices or constant action. I highly recommend it to couples who like smaller boutique hotels, and to relax and enjoy eachother's company, swim and sunbathe. Aruba in general is great for people who like nice beaches and who like to go out to dinner since there are a lot of great restaurants.
PHOTOS: ARUBA
ARUBA rave! - Just got back
From: ToledoBride2B Date: 8/16/2005 at 4:09 PM
Hey Girls, Thought I'd post to give those going to Aruba some ideas. We were there from 8/7-8/13. If you need more info, page me on the Toledo Board. We stayed at the Wyndham and it was great. I recommend going all-inclusive because the food and drinks really add up quickly! The food there was really good and the staff was insanely nice and helpful! Great pool, great beach, lots to do. Request a top floor so you get a better view. Ask the concierge desk for free honeymooner tee-shirts. The Hyatt looked like the most gorgeous hotel, but I think it was more expensive. I didn't see the Holiday Inn, but someone I talked to there said there was alot of kids. The Renaissance was downtown, and it looked nice - but you aren't right on the beach, so what's the point? Activities we did: Parasailing - by Pelican tours - very fun and not scary! All Day Jeep Tour and Snorkling - This was great. For $80 a person you got Jeep rental, a guide to take you around the island, cave tours, lunch, snacks, sweet photo ops, sailing (with open bar) and snorkling (Catalina Reef and the German shipwreck). It was basically 8 hours of entertainment! Mi Dushi - Happy hour cruise - all you can drink and a beautiful sunset boat cruise. It's a pirate ship-looking boat with three huge sails. So quiet and the staff were funny. My recommendations? Don't rent a car for the week. You can take the bus downtown for $1.00. Take a Jeep tour one day to check out the rest of the island, but you'll likely want to spend most of your time by the beach anyways. Plus, the Arubans are kind of crazy drivers. Snuba - mix of snokling and scuba. We wanted to try it, but didn't have time. You don't need your ID to buy drinks at anywhere in the high rise hotel area, but you WILL need it in downtown Orangestad to get into the clubs. Everyone takes american money, but if you take some American currency to an aruban bank, you can exchange it for some cool square shaped coins (florins) you could keep for souveniers. Don't take a million pics of the sunsets like we did. They never come out as well as you want them to! Anyways, it was paradise and the weather was consistently perfect. Hot, but with constant tradewinds that really made it comfortable.
Honeymoon Review ~ Aruba & the Hyatt
From: ang25 Date: 8/12/2005 at 1:52 PM
We stayed at the Hyatt for a week for our honeymoon and it was fantastic! I haven't downloaded the pictures off of my camera yet but once I do I'll get them posted. If you have any questions in the meantime email me at ajacobini@hotmail.com. Just as a warning this is pretty long. They Hyatt was a fantastic hotel. We were upgraded to a pool/ocean view and it was great. Our TA had warned us that these rooms may be a bit louder even though they were more expensive and they were but we didn't mind that too much. In the morning you could hear the parrots squwaking when they were being woken up and until about 10-11 at night you could hear the music from the bars below. The room wasn't huge but it was comfortable. The bathroom was very comfortable to have two people getting ready in it. The decor is a bit outdated, typical hotel style, but we were really only in our room to shower and sleep so it didn't bother us. A lot of people complain about the balcony at the Hyatt, yes you can only stand on it but we went out on it maybe twice to take some pictures and that was it, I really don't consider it to be a huge drawback. The staff at the Hyatt were incredible. I definitely got used to being called by my new last name since they always address you that way. We made all of our reservations through the concierge either the day of or the day before we wanted to go somewhere. We were able to book our jeep right at the Avis desk in the hotel. The grounds were also really beautiful. We walked through the pool area of the Wyndham, Radisson, & Marriott and I thought the Hyatt's grounds were ten times nicer. They might not have been as big (the Hyatt is probably the smallest of the high-rise hotels) but they were much more lush and pretty. We flew American Airlines from Dulles to Aruba and were there in about 6 hours even with our layover in Miami. We used DePalm Tours as our transfer between airport & hotel, it worked fine and you got to see some of the other hotels along the way. We had to wait about two hours before we could check in so we had lunch at The Palms in the Hyatt, toured around a bit and then I actually fell asleep for a bit on one of the couches in the main lobby. We didn't do too much after we checked in, napped some more, and then went out to a late dinner at Salt & Pepper which is across the street. The food was good, not fantastic compared to the other places we ate, but it was good and the prices weren't bad. I think we paid maybe $50 with tax & tip. We shared 3-4 tapas, had salads, and a few drinks.
Monday we got a beach hut (I'm a morning person so I was out there no later than 7:15 to reserve a hut) and a raft ($2) and pretty spent our time laying out, laying on a raft in the ocean, or playing in the pool. We were still recovering from the wedding so we didn't really want to do much of anything. Right on the beach you can sign up for tubing, water skiing, parasailing, etc if you want to do those things. From 4:30-6:30 the pier bar at the Hyatt has happy hour which I recommend you going to b/c it's the cheapest you'll ever drink at the Hyatt. A drink there costs about $7-8 even beer. We had lunch at the bar that day. We averaged about $30/day on lunch when we ate at the Hyatt. A little less if we didn't drink or if we split lunch (their portions are huge so we split lunch a few times). For dinner that night we went to El Gauchos. Absolutely amazing steak. I'm not a huge steak fan and normally eat a few bites and then I'm done but I polished off my whole steak. It was fantastic. The veggies, wine, & dessert were also amazing. I think with tax & tip it cost about $75. The taxi ride there was about $10 each way.
Tuesday we rented a 4wd jeep (about $80 through Avis) and spent the day touring the island. The island is so small you don't need to worry about getting lost. We saw the California Lighthouse which was nice I guess. Watch out for people wanting to talk to you about buying a timeshare, they cornered my DH so he really didn't get to enjoy that part of the trip. We saw the old chapel (can't remember the name) and it was under construction but still a beautiful little church. We then went out to the natural bridge. That was pretty cool but covered with tourists and tour groups. I highly recommend touring the island on your own and not in a tour I just don't think the experince would have been the same. We then went to the Natural Pool which was just amazing. To get to the Natural Pool you need 4wd, you will not make it without it. I saw people actually trying to walk there and it's a few miles of rough terrain and it's hot and desert like, I don't recommend walking. When we were leaving we passed a couple with 3 kids walking in and we told them they had at least another hour of walking b/c of the terrain and the heat was so intense I was actually really pissed off that these people were taking their kids in completely unprepared. We got to the last hill where you could finally see down to the steps that take you down to the Natural Pool (about a .5 mile from the pool) and decided to park our jeep and hike down. The ruts in the 'road' were so big and rough and the road was so steep we decided not to tempt it. Don't be stupid like us and bring sneakers. We only had flip flops and it was a little rough walking down and then back up that hill/mountain. Getting to the natural pool was worth it though, absolutely amazing, one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. We just missed a tour group and when we were hiking back a tour group was going down so it was so fantastic to have the pool to ourselves. From there were drove over to Baby Beach on the tip of Aruba and we rented snorkeling equiptment but we didn't have a lot of time before we had to go back to get ready for dinner so we just played around in the water and cooled off and then left. Since we had rented the jeep made dinner reservations at Flying Fishbone for that night. These were the only reservations I made in advance. Make your reservation before sunset and bring your camera. It was the most amazing sunset I've ever seen and stupid me forgot the camera. I was pissed at myself. The food was amazing and again I think it cost about $75 or so.
Wednesday was pretty much the same as Monday with us laying around on the beach. That night we got a pizza from Tomato Charlies and ate by the pool around 8pm. The pizza was really not too good, I would find a different place for that. Thursday we laid around the beach/pool and then that afternoon we went snorkeling through Jolly Pirates. They take you to 3 sites and it's open bar. It was a lot of fun. That night we went to Madame Janettes for dinner. I had the best chicken dish here. I think this was our 2nd favorite restaurant after El Gauchos. The food was great and reasonable, about $70 for everything. Again, it was about a $10 cab ride each way. Friday we laid on the beach and then went on a sunset cruise through Red Sail. It was a nice cruise but it was kind of cloudy that day so the sunset wasn't that great. When we got back we went to the Palms for all you can eat fajitas night. It was $20/pp and included a margarita which I thought was really really good considering a margarita is $8. They brought out a plate of chicken for my fajitas that probably could have made 8-10 huge fajitas. I had 3 normal size ones and didn't even make a dent in the chicken. Saturday we again were lazy and stayed beachside. We went to Chez Mathilde that night for dinner. This was the most expensive dinner we had and it cost us about $125 with tax & tip. The food was really good, the wine was fantastic, but the thing to go for was the chocolate souffle. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I ate that. It is definitely the fanciest restaurant I've been to. We ended up being a lot lazier than we had planned on but it was nice, we needed that week to do nothing and have no obligations except to get to each restaurant on time. All the restaurants are pretty casual except Chez Mathilde. That was the one restaurant Jeff decided to wear shorts & flip flops to and he was very underdressed. Just about every morning we walked down the beach to the Dunkin Doughnuts to get our morning bagel and then went back to our beach hut to eat breakfast. We did eat at Ruinas del Mar at the Hyatt one morning for the breakfast buffett. It's $22 a person and it's a great buffett, all the fruit was really fresh and the rest of the food was great. The only thing is that I don't really like eating a huge breakfast so we only did that once. I think I covered just about everything. Don't hesitate to email me with any questions! Angela
Wyndham Aruba Review 8-13/8-20
From: Tracey&Kyle812 Date: 8/23/2005 at 3:57 PM
My DH and I just returned from our honeymoon at the Wyndham. It was fantastic, the food, the beaches, the staff; it was all top notch!
We did the AI, which was well worth it b/c everything is so expensive; but we did go outside the resort to eat as well. The restaurants, Pago Pago, Blossoms (used dine around card) & Caffe Baci were all so yummy I gained 5 lbs. :) But the best reason to stay is to eat at Azull, the sunset, barefoot restaurant. It was 3.5 hours of watching the sunset, drinking champagne, eating the most delicious food; so romantic we didn't want to leave that night and it was included in the AI deal. Our room was huge, we upgraded to a Jr. suite from a pretty much standard room w/ no view. The suite had 2 balconies with panoramic views of the beach and the Carribean; what a way to wake up in the morning! Also, the staff at the Wyndham was wonderful, accomedating; although booking through the Conceirge could be frustrating at times, it was fine. At this resort, they treat you like royalty, especially if you are a honeymooner. Go, you won't regret it.
Review--Renaissance Aruba Ocean Suites!!
From: star1460 Date: 9/29/2005 at 5:11 PM
We just got back from our 10-day honeymoon in Aruba. We stayed at the Renaissance Ocean Suites and loved it!! I wanted to post about it because I don't normally see much about anything besides the Bucuti. The resort itself is nice, not as visually beautiful as some of the other resorts, but still very nice. Our room was huge and very nicely furnished. There is a small beach beyond the pool area that you can lay out at, nothing big but still a beach. But by far the best thing about the hotel is their private island-- it is AWESOME! We did the couples massage in their private cove, it was amazing!! You get the cove to yourself for the morning and/or afternoon, they serve you drinks and fruit, so relaxing!! What I liked about the private island was that you didn't have all the water sport vendors etc that you find by some of the other hotels on Palm Beach, etc. The hotel is downtown, so it is a little busier area than some of the other resorts and you definitely don't want to stay in the Renaissance Marina hotel unless you are looking for lots of action. But overall, we loved the convenience of the Ocean Suites... it was close to tons of restaurants and shopping. And Aruba is a perfect honeymoon destination-- the weather is nice, and there is enough to do to keep you busy, but not so much that you are running around the whole time. For restaurants, we LOVED Flying Fishbone and Marandi... but everywhere we went was good, I swear we did not have one bad meal!! I love Aruba, and can't wait to go back!!
Renaissance Hotel, Aruba Review
From: H&W05 Date: 11/18/2005 at 10:54 AM
We just returned from a week at the Renaissance Ocean Suites in Aruba. We really liked this hotel. Most hotels are located on Palm Beach, but Renaissance is near the center city and cruise ship ports. It is much more busy here, which was perfect for us since we're not the type to lay on the beach all day. (If you are, you'd probably be better off at another hotel). There are some pics in my bio. Any questions, email me at hp1278@yahoo.com
PHOTOS: ARUBA
Aruba Honeymoon Review
From: FrannyS Date: 2/12/2006 at 4:14 PM
Just returned from our (delayed) honeymoon in Aruba. We stayed at the Bucuti for 6 days/5 nights at the Tara Beach Suites.
Highly recommend the Bucuti! The staff is very friendly and helpful and the Tara Beach Suite is nicely decorated and has a fantastic oceanfront view. You can see the ocean from your bed! We were surprised that the suite wasn't larger but it was deluxe with granite countertops and a very comfy bed. Eagle Beach is very wide and roomy. You are never sitting to close to anyone and they have the red flags you can put up for a waiter to take your food and drink order. Dacquiris were yummy! We spent quite a bit of time at the bar which is outside on the beach.
Weather was perfect beach weather! 85 and sunny with some clouds that always passed.
Food - we got breakfast each morning at either Dushi Bagels or Dunkin Donuts, both short walks from the hotel. We did several lunches at Pizza Bob's also right by the hotel. Pizza is on wheat (?) crust and hit the spot each time. We constantly drank the Aruban beer, Balashi, which is like Miller. I wasn't as fond of the Amstel Brights which is not like Amstel Light here!
Dinners we loved - El Goucho for steaks (try the Argentian steak sauce) and the best of all - Flying Fishbone. Delicious food, excellent service, sax player walking from table to table, right on the beach and very romantic. Go early to see the sunset. Also we did the romantic dinner at the Bucuti which is very intimate and about 4-5 courses. I get totally bitten up by mosquitoes. Bring calamine or benedryl!
Fun stuff we did - jetskis! We rented a tandem for 1 hour and it was a blast! Also we rented a Jeep for 3 days and went offroading. I highly recommend this. We pulled off several times to our own private beach to hang out and take photos. It can be very hairy so you must get a Wrangler 4x4 (as opposed to Trackers and Suzukis that couldn't handle the hills and rocks). Also we hit the casino and played blackjack several times. We ultimately lost a bit but it was fun when we were ahead. Lastly, we did quite a bit of shopping downtown. We both got jewelry and there are tons of shops.
I'd recommend the Bucuti to anyone. Even though we seemed to be the youngest there (and we're in our mid 30s) guest and staff are super friendly. Also having the Jeep 3 days was very handy. It was great to go downtown, to the restaurants, etc. without bothering with cabs or buses.
If anyone has specific questions, please let me know!
Aruba and Bucuti review inside
From: Bubbly-Bride Date: 3/1/2006 at 11:48 PM
Ahhh...We just got back from Aruba last Friday. This was a do-over HM for us, since our Belize HM was an utter disaster (story linked in bio if you need a laugh). Sorry this is disorganized...Bear with me as I try to recall it all!
We spent a week in the Tara Suites. The room looked just like the pics on their website. Modern, soothing and very spacious. Having a kitchenette was great, and we hopped on the bus the first full day to get breakfast items, beer (Balashi is the local brew) and snacks. It's an easy bus ride (2$ round trip). The 3 grocery stores are right next to each other. The one called "Super Food" or something similar is supposed to have great breads. Every place takes dollars, which is so convenient.
Our suite was on the right side of the building if you are facing the ocean. This is the better side to avoid hearing noise from the Bucuti restaurant, but any room is going to be pretty fabulous. We did not want the 1st floor so we would not have to worry about people walking by and having the curtains open, but they have shears, so it shouldn't be too big of a deal. You can walk right out on the beach if you are on the 1st floor.
We were there at the peak of high season, and we found we needed to get up at 7 to 8 to get a front row palapa (beach hut). I am sure you don't have to do this year round, and there are plenty of palapas to go around further back on the beach. What the early risers did was throw some towels on the beach chairs under the desired palapa and then go back to bed or to breakfast. Breakfast (cold buffet) is now included for everyone. I went once. It was fine. Nothing epic, but OK.
The beach is huge. The best on Aruba, IMO. Bucuti is on Eagle Beach (where the low rises are) and it was named one of the top ten beaches by Travel & Leisure. Powder white sand, bright and clear Caribbean ocean. It is heavenly. It is SO uncrowded. You will not even hear anyone else's conversation, let alone have a line of beach chairs to contend with like at the high rises (which we visited forperspective). You get a flag that you can plant in the sand to have a beach captain come to you. We had lunch or frozen drinks under our palapa everyday. The Pirate's Nest restaurant is fine for lunch, but we didn't do dinner there. Did not hear great things about it.
There is a pool about the size of a backyard pool at the Bucuti. Clean, but boring. It was rarely used. The ocean is fantastic for swimming. Some days it was a little rough at the shoreline, but you just walk/swim out 10 feet and stand chest deep with no difficulty. Not a lot of jet skis in this area, and barely any kids, as they are not allowed in the Tara building and only one per room in the old building. The kids we did see were not wild. The overall vibe at the hotel is mellow and quiet. There is a well attended happy hour at the outdoor bar. There were about 50% Europeans at the hotel.
We made big plans to do all sorts of activities, but we found ourselves enjoying the beach and ocean so freaking much, that we just relaxed on the beach almost everyday.
We made our dinner reservations before we arrived, since it was high season. Places not to miss are: Flying Fishbone (ask for ocean front seating, alhough they won't guarantee it, and eat at sunset), Papiamento, Madame Jeanette, El Gaucho, Gasparitos. We were not thrilled with: Le Dome (but def. eat inside here if you do go) or Mirandi. We loved Pizza Bob's by the Bucuti for a casual dinner. Let me say that the food is very good overall for an island, but if you are a fairly sophisticated eater or live in one of the best restaurant cities in the US (We live in SF), the food is not going to blow you away. We brought wine and champagne with us from home (4 bottles per couple are legal), and we were glad to do that (but DH is in the wine industry and a wine snob!).
We are definitely not the kind of people to do the party bus or booze cruise, but they are available if you want. The casinos are the size of a church social hall and pretty boring compared to Vegas, AC, etc. We walked through a few, but couldn't take the smoke. No need to go to Orangestad (downtown) to shop unless that is really your thing. We did a snorkel boat trip on the Mi Dushi on our free extra day, and that was great fun. You get free drinks and a hot lunch catered by Le Dome that was better than the meal we ate at the restaurant! The last snorkel stop is the Anguilla, a WWII German war ship that sunk and is now covered in coral and teeming with fish. Wow! Don't miss this.
Aruba has a constant tradewind, so you never feel sweaty or hot. Only maybe twice was the wind strong enough to kick up a little sand, but please do not feel like the wind will be a problem. It is to your benefit! You have to be so, so careful with the sun. Because of the breeze, you don't realize you are burning. You will burn even if you stay in the shade all day, so bring your 30 and 50 and your Aloe.
We rented a Jimmy 4X4 one day and did some snorkeling on our own. We decided to skip the rugged North side of the island since we live on a coast at home and the Natural Bridge has collapsed. Rent your car the day you go to Flying Fishbone, as it is the only expensive cab ride you will need to take (30$ each way!). Cabs to everwhere else are plentiful and 8-10$ each way.
This is a great website and message board for Aruba: http://www.aruba-b b.com/
We used Jennifer at the Tropical Traveller and loved her for a TA.
We adored Bucuti and Aruba and would definitely return. Just for refernce, I have done a lot of islands (St. John, St Martin, St Thomas, Tortolla, Curacao). Aruba is way up there at the top of list.
We ended up staying at the Renaissance downtown (with the "private island") two extra nights on American Air after our flight got cancelled. Yuk! We thought this place was gross and like a bad Vegas hotel. It is right on a busy street and the "island" is the only place we saw flies and mosquitos the whole 9 days. The way they built this thing blocks all the wind, so there is little breeze. Also, it's a fake beachfront, with the ocean rocked in. Wouldn't stay here for free again.
Hope that helps! Page me on the Northern Cali board with questions. I'll try to get some pics in my bio soon.
Wyndham Aruba review
From: LRLaura Date: 4/17/2006 at 1:51 PM
My husband and I stayed for 6 nights in the beginning of April. I attended a medical conference 3 of the 6 days which is why we stayed at the Wyndham and we were also celebrating our 2 year anniversary. We were very pleased with the resort as a whole. The lobby and grounds were very nice. The rooms were fine, nothing fancy but clean, and had a nice balcony. The halls and rooms had a bit of a musty smell not unlike many tropical hotels. The beach was beautiful as was the pool. What we really liked most was the variety of things to do. This resort offered more than any other at which we have stayed. The pool bar had a fun band for happy hour. The casino would get hopping later in the evening and also had a band. And there were great food options. We only ate at Blossoms, the hibachi restaurant, for dinner and it was good. Pago Pago and Cafe Bacci had a nice selection and smelled great too. We ate at the poolside restaurant for lunch several times. They had a good variety and suprisingly good food. You can also get drinks and a small selection of lunch items on the beach too. There are also several other good restaurants that you can easily walk to just down the street.
As suggested in the reviews, I joined Wyndham By Request and we did get complimentary beers and fruit brought to the room. We also got a bottle of complimentary champagne since it was our 2 year anniversary! We got upgraded to a 1 bedroom suite but actually changed back to our originally booked room the next night because the view was better. We also got a late check-out as a By Request perk. The concierge desk was very helpful and the service all around was very good. The beach boys drag your chairs wherever you want and even tuck your towels onto the chairs and roll up little pillows for you. We never woke up early to get a hut but we wanted to get sun anyway. Some days a few huts were still available by 11 or so. By late afternoon many huts were empty and you could take one over then. So don't stress about the huts!
All in all not the fanciest of all resorts we've been too, but the great beach and the variety of restaurants, the music, the service, and the great destination that is Aruba made this stay exceptional!
(Question from another Knottie: Would you recommend this as a HM? Do they offer an all-inclusive package?)
Yes and yes. I don't think I'd do the all-inclusive though. I think it's $150 or so per person per day. The Wyndham does have good restaurants but there are lots of other good restaurants so you wouldn't want to feel tied to the resort. A lot of knotties stay at Bucuti in the low rise area. It may be a little quieter there but we would have been happy with the Wyndham and Aruba for our honeymoon. I think it may be a little cheaper too! It was every bit as good of a trip as our honeymoon in Maui!
Just got back from Wyndham in Aruba-reviews inside
From: springgirl2005 Date: 6/4/2006 at 8:06 PM
This was our 2nd trip to Aruba as well at the Wyndham. Like many people mentioned its not the Wyndham anymore. Its the Aruba Spa/Resort. Now maybe I was just so glad to get away for our honeymoon 3 years ago and didnt realize the hotel but who knows? The weather was perfect each day! Couldnt have asked for a better weather. The pool/beach staff were great! They are all young kids who work very hard! We ended up at the Radisson most nights though. They ( Radisson) have a great outdoor martini bar and the casino is a bit more modern ( and they had the Red Sox on too for those Boston Fans)
Words of advice-bring some snacks.. everything in the hotel stores are very expensive (chips, candy, lotion) Buy all your beach needs before you leave. We found a Dunkin Donuts stand near the Radisson that we went to almost every morning so we went there.
Pros:
Weather
Dinner/restaurants in the hotel was great (if you didnt feel like leaving hotel)
Beach was pretty much a few steps away from hotel.
The hotel was only at 40% occupancy so it wasnt crowded at all. We got up at 8am to reserve a hut but you do not need to.
Dinners/food there is great
Cons:
I think they can do a lot more with their outdoor bar in the evening or better happy hour specials. But again we went to the Radisson at night.
Rooms defintley need to be updated. Our sheets were dirty-even the down comforter was too. It was pretty unappealing.
Prices- I just dont see how paying $3/soda with no refills is allowed and they are in a dixie cup!
Some service can be soo slow (breakfast buffet) however service at Pago Pago was amazing!
Renovations are being done at Aruba Grand right next door but I didnt notice the noise too much at all.
If you eat outside be prepared for all the bugs to fly around-it got pretty bad.
Think they can do more at night.
Check in was also a nightmare. Took 45 minutes
All and all it was a great vacation! You cant go wrong with Aruba.
Review of Aruba
From: NJLH Date: 6/12/2006 at 12:23 PM
I spent my HM in Aruba May 30-June 6 and had a wonderful time. We stayed at the Hyatt. The outdoors is amazing with waterslides, pools, beautiful beaches. The rooms are ok, pretty standard. Unfortunately, there was some loud construction by the pool, but we got used to it.
Restaurants we enjoyed: The Palm, Blossoms, Madame Janettes, Smokey Joes, El Gauchos, Aqua Grill and Ruins del Mare.
Activities: Sea Explorer glass bottom boat, Jolly Pirates snorkeling cruise, and ABC jeep tour (1/2 day with a guide).
Despite wearing SPF 50 everyday, we got bad sunburns! Beware. But overall, Aruba is a great honeymoon place.
Aruba Honeymoon Report
From: Erin06Bride Date: 8/9/2006 at 9:59 PM
Erin & Rob’s Honeymoon 7.24.06 – 8.8.06
15 nights/16 days – This was my 8th Aruba trip, his 3rd. By far, the longest amount of time we've ever spent there.
We flew Continental Airlines, non-stop from Newark, NJ. Four hours and two minutes and we arrived in Aruba.
For the first 5 nights we stayed at the Divi Aruba All-Inclusive. I highly recommend this hotel if you decide to go AI.
Room: We had room #517 in Vista II. You cannot see the sunset from this side of Vista II because it sets behind the building, however, you have an amazing view of the beach. Food: We ate at Paparazzi at the Tamarijn twice and the Red Parrot twice. We liked Paparazzi better, but we do tend to like Italian food so that may have swayed our opinions. With the Honeymoon Package you get a bottle of champagne, two t-shirts, and a sunset honeymoon dinner at the Sunset Bistro at the Divi Phoenix. I’d skip it… the view is pretty but the food isn’t all that great. We ate at the buffet for breakfast and lunch. You can also get brick oven pizzas and panninis at the grill.
Drinks: Always great! With fabulous bartenders too. Even though it’s AI and they don’t expect tips, throw them a few. They work hard and deserve it.
For the next 7 nights we stayed at the Aruba Beach Club. I got a deal on redweek.com that I couldn’t pass up. We figured that we enjoy the AI, but know that the restaurants are amazing. So we rented a car and decided to explore.
Room: Room #148. Looked newly renovated. Very clean, nice bathroom. Kitchenette with everything you need.
Beach: the beach is very wide in this area. There are plenty of beach palapas for shade. We never had a problem getting one.
Food: the only meal we ate at the Tortuga Grill was lunch one day. (very good burgers and salads) We went to Ling & Sons supermarket and bought things to eat for breakfast and lunch as well as alcohol. We saved so much money by doing this. We ate out at: The French Steakhouse, Madame Janette, Cuba’s Cookin’, El Gaucho, Chez Mathilde, and Amazonia. We enjoyed them all and would return.
Excursions: Le Dome on the Ocean, Jolly Pirates, Kuckoo Kunuku, ATV’s, and the Banana Bus Bar-Hop
For the last three nights we stayed at the Divi Aruba All-Inclusive again. This time in Room #523 of Vista II which is considered their Jr. Suite. The room is a bit bigger and it has a double balcony that faces west so you can see the sunset as well as a picture window. Once again, the food and drinks we great. We’re already planning to return to the Divi next year and many years after that!
Honeymoon Review: Aruba (long)
From: MrsSandro Date: 10/13/2006 at 12:32 PM
Our pics:
http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=524417
17/a=24501201_24501201/t_=24501201
Aruba in General:
One Happy Island is very true, in fact you never see a person who wasn't happy and everything was clean and relaxing. Some things to keep in mind while traveling their is the different cultures and everyday things that are little different. This is the same in any foreign country. The thing that sticks out to me is the fact I felt completely safe and that never once was a nervous about the people around me like I am in the US. The driving in Aruba was interesting. You could literally travel the whole island in one day. There are were many sites to see and explore. I higher recommend renting a jeep if you are the explorer type. Sandro rented a Jimmy and he drove me everywhere. Yes, their aren't many street signs, however we managed not once to get lost. This is funny since we live in DFW and we manage almost everytime to get lost when driving somewhere new. However, this was not the case in Aruba.
Bucuti Resort (A++)
http://www.bucuti.com/
We loved the resort. It was clean and modern and I loved the view of the beach. The breakfast was good and made us gain some massive weight. We loaded up every morning. The coneriage took care of reservations. The only thing to be aware of is that you have to pay cash for some deposits. This normally isn't a issue for experienced travels...however for those who didn't think ahead not having cash became a problem. They don't have onsite ATMs so we often had to go to the stinky casino's or a bank to make cash withdrawals. Location is great. Not in the over crowded high rise area but close enough to everything. I loved the movie on the beach. We stayed in the Tara Suites in Suite 322. Loved it.
Food:
Pizza Bob's (A+)
A must go place. We ate their when we arrived and once more when we left. The pizza is very yummy and was one of my favorite casual restaurants. It was right in front of Bucuti Resort and the staff is extremely friendly and funny. I highly recommend this place. $25-30
Misc Cafe Downtown (A+)
Sorry I can't remember the name and it's not listed on a website anywhere. We were walking downtown and we got hungry. It's was supposed to be 100% Arubans food. This was our first lunch in Aruba so I wanted it to be authentic. The food was absolutely amazing. I had chicken soup and meatballs. They had this spicy sauce that you add to your soup and let me tell that stuff gets hot. DH had fish and octopus soup. It was a cheaper meal and cost us $25 US dollars. It's one of those places only open for lunch and they change the menu daily. Sorry I have no other info. This was one of my favorite places.
Subway (A)
Ok, the first few days I was not 100% so my exploring wants to try different things just wasn't what it should have been. It's alright. You have to pay in florins and they don't speak good English. Not a issue. Cost: $20
Salt And Pepper Tapas (A+)
Second night in Aruba. We sat on the patio and enjoy a yummy meal. I had some beer battered fish and FI has some other type of fish. The food was so good. We also had the apple dessert. Service was amazing. You didn't need reservations. One of my favorite dinners though because it was so casual and I felt like I was on vacation for a change. This is when I finally got my bag and I got to change clothes. Cost:$65
Texas De Brazil (A++)
Most expensive meal we got on the island. We have one in Dallas that I never went to. Lets just say it will be officially our anniversary restaurant. My FI still raves about this place and talks about how good everything was. It wasn't crowded and we didn't make reservations. Cost: $115 or so w/one glass of wine. This was DH favorite.
Flying Fishbone (A)
The restaurant was nice and to us easy to find. It had a beautiful sunset. The only issue we had was with the sand in our feet. They had ants so taking of our shoes was a bad idea. But everyone seemed to do it. The food was yummy..but not OMG to die for. Cost $75-85 or so. (one alcoholic beverage) The chocolate brownie dessert was yummy.
La Trattoria El Faro Blano (A+)
http://ww
w.aruba-latrattoria.com/
The food was pretty darn good. The scenary was nice being on top of a hill and next to the lighthouse;. I wish I had brought my camera. The sunset was just a little easier to see than at the Flying Fishbone. No reservations needed. I had lasagna and DH had shrimp pasta. We shared a glass of wine. This is one of my favorites because it was our last night and was so romantic. It was about $65.
Mobo's? near Baby Beach (Beach Shack) (A)
Great view of the beautiful baby beach. Food was good and a decent price. DH said they had the best hamburgers. My club sandwich was pretty darn yummy. $25.00
Misc Beach Shack (near caves)(B)
Food was ok. I had a hamburger and FI and some buffalo wings. Not my favorite place. $25.00
We did not do the dine around program. But really we didn't see ourselves wanting to feel restricted. It's a cool idea if your a foodie but we wanted to keep our options open. As you can tell it wouldn't have saved us a ton of money or anything.
Shopping:
When shopping in Aruba look only at places that price in Florins. If they are pricing most of their gift merchandise in American Dollars they are over charging you. Just a observation. The florins are about double in value than the US dollars. So if you see 40 florins it's about $20 in US dollars. Downtown has some pretty nice shops. Take the bus from your hotel. It's a quick and cheap options. However, if you plan on buying a ton of stuff it can be a pain carrying all of it.
Flight:
US Airways (A)
Ok I really should be upset with them but I am not. Our flight got delayed out of Dallas so our connecting flight was just about to take off when we arrived. We had to run to the other terminal which was about 2-3 miles away literally. :) So one of those nice car people picked us up and took us to the other side. They made a call to our terminal and held the flight for us. Well they didn't hold the flight for our luggage though. So we had to stay at the Airport in Aruba and make arrangements for them to deliver our luggage. The next day we get a call that our luggage was their in Aruba...great awesome..well they delivered it to the wrong hotel. So we didn't get it until the end of our second day in Aruba. This would have been fine however, not having fresh clothes for a few days was a PITA. However, it got to us and they were friendly with everything. Also, leaving Aruba was better. The American Airlines and Delta lines were really long, our however nobody was waiting in. I would recommend getting their 3 hours early. You have 5 levels of customs. Wear slip ons because you will have to take your shoes off at least 3 of these times.
Tips:
Carry two sets of clothing (not 1 1/2) and a bathing suit in your carry on. Carry a toothbrush and deodorant Even if your not scheduled for your monthly visit take extras pads/tampons anyways. Trust me on this!
Take Travelers checks and cash. Most of the small shops only take cash or they charge a minimum. Using your cash back feature on your credit card is expensive. Also, if you opt to use the credit card cash back option when your traveling call your credit card company a head of time. We ran into issues at the ATM's and ended up calling them multiple of times to tell them we were on vacation. We had some cash..but we thought we would be using more of our Credit cards.
My Aruba honeymoon review!!!
From: redsox123 Date: 10/11/2006 at 12:02 AM
Honeymoon-Aruba Bucuti Beach Resort and Tara Suites A++++++++++
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ucuti.com/STRONG>
I loved Aruba so much. The Bucuti was awesome. We stayed at the Tara Suites and had a first floor room that had a beautiful ocean front view of the carribean. You walk out our slider and you were about 50 yards to the water. From our arrival everyone was so nice. Gave us champagne and a welcome basket in our room with wine and toasting glasses that we had engraved for free with the hotels name on it. We also had our picture taken that will be on their honeymooners website. Their activity people were awesome and set up and confirmed everything for us. The "Sandbar" that is located on the beach was great and the bartender Lionel is so nice. The food is awesome there. Lets see we had....first night we had the pizza place across the st, so yummy. Then ate seafood at Buccinears, italian at Bella Luna's, dinner with the kuku kunuko drinking bus (that is a must, so much fun), dinner on the beach for our romantic honeymooners dinner, we did the snorkling trip which was open bar the whole time that was awesome, ate at beach front bistro...so beautiful during sunset and awesome food. And then the last night at dinner at Texas de Brazil. Such good meat to choose from. We won and lost at the casino. Taxi's there are really alot of $$$ so we travled by bus. It took a little longer but saved $$. The Friday that just passed the band Stixx was playing and Saturday DH recognized the singer/guitair player Tommy Shaw at the Bucuti and just so when we were checking out he walked by and of course DH said hello and he was so nice. Talked with us asked where we ate and wished us well with our marriage and I took his pic with DH. LOL
Overall it was just awesome. Perfect weather and perfect people....ARUBA IS ONE HAPPY ISLAND!!!
Aruba Bucuti Review & Pictures (LONG)
From: amamba Date: 10/20/2006 at 1:17 PM
Just got back last night from a 10 night stay at the Bucuti (10/9 - 10/19). I had such a fabulous time, and I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone for their HM. You can visit our pictures at http://amamba.shutterfly.com
The Bucuti is located on a very wide, beautiful stretch of beach in Aruba. It is quiet and secluded, with plenty of palapas for everyone. Upon arrival in the Tara Suites, we were greeted with champagne. We were first assigned a suite on the ground floor, but I had put in a request for a high floor so that we could have a better view of the sunsets. I asked if they could switch our room, and after a quick phone call at the front desk, we were whisked upstairs to the third floor to room 324. It did have a slightly musty smell, but with the two dehumdifiers running it didn't really bother me.
The room had a very nice welcome basket waiting for us (addressed to another couple - I'm sure our basket was in the room they originally had assigned to us), but we dug in anyways to the champagne and cheese and crackers.
The rooms are gorgeous - just like the photos onthe website. The best part was the huge balcony that overlooked the beach and had great views of the sunset. We enjoyed our days on the beach - only slight annoyance is that sometimes they were out of towels at the towel hut.
We rented a jeep for three days and explored the island - it was great to have that flexibility and freedom. We also ate out at tons of fabulous restaurants - the best three were Le Dome, Flying Fishbone, and Madame Janette's. The concierge at the hotel (Bonny, Alfons & Tione) were all very helpful at making reservations for us for dinner and recommending restaurants. They also booked activities for us.
We went horseback riding with Rancho Del Campo to the natural pool, and used our free snorkel cruise to upgrade to Snuba, which was also great.
All in all we had a great time. We walked around the high rise hotel section and were SO happy that we stayed at the Bucuti. The beach there was crowded and busy with boats and jet skis, not quiet and relaxing like at the bucuti. DH and I really enjoyed the fact that there were NO children (except for one very well behaved dutch girl) at the resort the entire time we were there.
If you have any questions, feel free to page me on this board or the maine board! HTH.
Honeymoon Review Aruba -Bucuti
From: Anna&Josh520 Date: 10/20/2006 at 10:23 AM
Hey guys, I just wanted to write a review of our honeymoon since I found them so helpful when we were planning.
We were there from 10/10-10/17 and stayed at the Bucuti Beach Resort in the Tara Suites, on the first floor.
The Hotel: The rooms were gorgeous; they look exactly like the website pictures. The view from the room was amazing, and you could see the sunset from the bed. The sand was like 5 feet from our porch. I know people previously mentioned the mildew smell, there were two dehumidifers going -which was sufficient. We didn't have any complaints, other than the water was not very hot or cold -just lukewarm. I think this was to conserve energy. The water was good to drink though. The service was amazing. Housekeeping comes in daily, unless you specify otherwise. They don't change the sheets and towels daily to conserve water, unless you leave the sign out that you want them to. The concierge was fabulous. They helped us book some dinners, excursions and provided suggestions for entertainment, etc. The breakfast was decent, bakery goods, cheese/meats, cereal -only cold items, but it was enough to fill us up for most of the day. The beach was I think the best on the island, it was not overly crowded, and barely had any kids. There were enough palpapas- unless you went out late in the day. There was beach service from the bar, you just had to put up your red flag and they would come take your order. The service was relatively fast, with happy hour 4-6pm and 9-10pm for cocktails only daily. We definitely took advanatage of this. We also made a trip to the grocery store for snacks and to purchase some beer, water and soda. This was well worth it to tie us over while on the beach until dinner. I would recommend bring a soft sided cooler for your drinks and LOTS of sunscreen. Overall, this hotel was wonderful. It's very intimate, and the staff is very friendly. They don't have the facilities of the hotels in the high-rise section, but the friendly staff, gorgeous rooms and beach make up for it. I wouldn't stay anywhere else.
Food: I think by far the best place we ate was Flying Fishbone. I emailed for reservations about 2 months ahead of time, and you have to call and confirm once you get to Aruba. Get reservations for 5:30pm so they can confirm your seating for sunset. We rented a jeep, which was suggested -and I highly recommend doing this as well since a cab fare one-way is at least $25. We booked table #1 on the tip of the beach- it had the best view of the sunset and a few little crabs to entertain you on the rocks :) You take your shoes off to dine, since you are in the sand and some tables are partially in the water. The services was wonderful, they were very attentive. We had appetizer (calamari -wonderful!), soup (try the corn soup), dinner and dessert. Since it was our honeymoon, they brought out a little sparkler with our dessert. There was a guy that came around and played the saxaphone while we ate. By far, the best meal we had. My husband had the grouper and I had the shrimp shii-take. Amazing! It was also the most expensive meal, but well worth it!
Other places we really enjoyed: Le Dome, L.G. Smith (in the Renaissance), and Pizza Bob (right by the Bucuti). We ate at Pizza Bob's a few times -it's great for take-out. The pizza is wonderful- probably some of the best I've had. It's a great alternative to all the fancy restaurants.
Excursions: We rented a jeep and went exploring -we got lost a little bit- the streets are not well marked, but the island is only so big. I would highly recommended a 4x4 since some of the roads especially by the Baby Beach are pretty rocky. We rented snorkle equipment from Bucuti ($15/day) and snorkled at Baby Beach -we were able to see quite a few fish-but you have to go out a bit.
We went on the sunset sail which was included in our package. They came and picked us up from the hotel and we went out on a sailboat with mostly all honeymoon couples. It was a 2-hr sail with open bar and snacks.
KukuKanuku Bus- a GREAT time! They take you to dinner and 4 bars- and buy your first drink at each. We met some great people on this trip and the people who run this are crazy fun! I would highly recommend doing this.
Massages at Manchebo (hotel right next to Bucuti)- probably the BEST thing we did! You can book it online ahead of time. We did the couples massage on a beach front cabana the day after we got there (don't wait too long in case you get a burn). They give you robes and comfy flip flops to wear -let you shower and they you have a 55min massage. When it's over they let you just relax in the cabana for a while and then you are able to shower and change. I was told it was the best place on the island to get a massage and I believe it!
Let's Go Latin -we did this on our last night there after we saw a mini performance by the acrobats while we were shopping. The show is 90minutes straight through. The acrobats were very good and they also featured some traditional dance from various countries. It was pretty good, but I don't know that I would go again. Truely, the acrobats made the show -they could do some amazing tricks.
Bus system: It is $2 round trip to most places on the island and is fairly easy and the people are very friendly. Sometimes you have to wait a bit, but there is usually some shade. We tried to look at a bus schedule, but it's almost easier to just go out there and wait :)
Other tips: Bucuti has movies on the beach on Wed, In the downtown section- they have a welcoming on Tuesday evenings with traditional dance, Tranquilo and Octopus (good if you want a small group snorkling trip), bring lots of sunscreen and a softsided cooler,they take dollars everywhere so no need to change money.
Just FYI: We did met a couple staying at the Aruba Casino and something (I think it used to be the Wyndham) said that the kids of the schools came to their beach for swim lessons daily :)
Feel free to email me at ascoglietti at yahoo dot com if you have any questions! Happy planning!
Back from Aruba!
From: oct14bride06 Date: 10/31/2006 at 7:17
PMDH and I are back from Aruba and we had a fantastic time! We stayed at the Bucuti in a penthouse and it was amazing. The last 3 nights we stayed at the Radisson, and we spent each of those days wishing we were back at the Bucuti. It was beautiful!
We did the full day jeep safari tour, took a helicopter ride, a submarine ride, and did a couples massage. We loved all of these except for the submarine ride, since it was far too crowded and we didn't really see too many cool fish.
If you want to see some of our pics, I put some together in a shutterly album. Just leave your e-mail and I'll be happy to forward you them. If you like to be surprised though, you may not want to see them. I did so much research on Aruba before we left, I kind of felt like I had already been there before. But it was still amazing!
Aruba trip review
From: Jells Date: 1/8/07 at 9:46AM
I visited the island of Aruba for a week with some friends for a nice vacation. I exchanged my timeshare in St. John, USVI, for something a little more lively and entertaining, but of course, relaxing! I chose the Renaissance Ocean Suites in downtown Oranjestad because it is located in the thick of things since my friends wanted to be within walking distance of shopping, restaurants, and nightlife.
Flights: I had a somewhat strange flight itinerary that consisted of flying from Phoenix to Las Vegas in the early evening to catch an overnight flight from Las Vegas to Miami, which allowed me to arrive in Aruba by midday the following day. I flew Southwest to Las Vegas and then American from Las Vegas to Aruba. Returning, I flew American from Aruba to Phoenix via Miami and Dallas/Fort Worth.
When I checked in with American in Las Vegas, they had oversold the flight and were offering $300 vouchers if passengers voluntarily bumped themselves. I was in no rush, so I took the voucher and they also comped my upgrades to first class (I always try to upgrade since I am an elite member of Aadvantage.) Taking the voucher was probably a mistake since I received it at midnight, but by the time the hotel shuttle came, I did not get to bed until after 2am and had to be up again at 5am. The hotel they put me up at was the Emerald Suites near the Orleans Casino. It was definitely an economy hotel, but surprisingly clean and well kept.
The flights home were relatively calm and without major incident, other than a slightly delayed flight from Miami to Dallas.
Renaissance Aruba Resort- The Renaissance, part of the Marriott brand, is actually two different hotels on the island only a block a part. The Marina Hotel is across the street from the water and the beach, but a bit more upscale, with most of the restaurants and more up-to-date facilities. The Ocean Tower is home to the timeshare units, as well as the larger pool and a small stretch of beach. There is no direct access to the ocean, as it tended to be rough our entire stay. The Renaissance also has their own private island, in which you can get to via a boat shuttle from both hotels. The Private Island has a restaurant and two beaches- one for families and one for adults. The adult side is a topless beach for those who wish to participate or avoid it. There is also a small nature trail, but it is riddled with mosquitos. The only downside to the private island is the sound of the incoming or outgoing jets since it’s right in front of the airport. It’s VERY loud.
The resort grounds were somewhat nice, with a nice pool and swim up bar, a nice wood walking path to get to and from the shuttle to the private island. The beach area at the hotel itself was actually pretty nice and served as a nice substitute if you chose not to go to the private island. The Marina Hotel did not have as nice of grounds, mostly because it was more of a city setting. The pool, however, was very nice and had a covered cabana area.
The room we stayed in, on the 3rd floor facing a parking lot, was a little dated, but not terrible. The mold and mildew, although not visible, did cause some issues for some of my friends who have allergies. That issue is hard to avoid is tropical climates, but Aruba does not tend to be as humid as other tropical locales (more arid environment). The room had one king bed, a queen size pull out couch and we also had a cot rolled in. The room also has a kitchenette with two burners and two small refrigerators. The hotel does supply some utensils and dishware, but not any condiments or any type of food or drink, other than coffee packets. We definitely took advantage of this opportunity to save money by cooking some of our own meals and buying some of our own alcohol. It saved us a ton by having cereals and bagels for breakfast, the same for lunch, and pasta for dinner. We were able to supplement our meals with coffee from a nearby Dunkin Donuts, breadsticks from Sbarro, and dessert from Haagen Das, all located outside of the Ocean Tower. There are also a few other restaurants, such as Wendy’s, Taco Bell, The Waterfront, a Dutch Pancake House and a Japanese restaurant to name a few.
As I mentioned above, we chose to eat a lot of our meals in our room to save money, but we did venture out on the town for dinner three of our nights. The first night we went to a local favorite called Que Pasa. It’s a few blocks behind the Marina Hotel in Oranjestad. It’s small, but has an extensive menu and we were all very happy with our meal. We also tried El Gaucho, which is a more upscale Argentinian steak house. The portions were immense and again, we all enjoyed our meals very much. Same goes for our third choice, Aruba Destiny. Aruba Destiny is further away from Oranjestad near the hotel row and Eagle Beach. We were referred to this restaurant by Danny, our guide on our four wheeling ATV tour (see below for the ATV tour information). Danny’s uncle owns the restaurant, so he, of course, highly recommended it. I can honestly say I would recommend it as well. It’s a more intimate setting, and perhaps a bit romantic. We were very pleased with the food and the service, especially since there was only one other couple there. After Aruba Destiny, we headed to the famous Carlos n’ Charlies for drinks. The crowd there was very young and the music was very modern, which suited me very well, but it’s not for a more refined, older crowd or anyone who hates loud, obnoxious places.
As I mentioned above, I did the ATV tour with Four Wheelin’ Aruba. Some of my other friends did a snorkeling happy hour tour with De Palms Tours, and while I did not experience it, they said it was a little sketchy in that there were a lot of drunk people on board. Yes, it is a drinking tour, but it was a little wild from what I hear. Anyway, the ATV tour was also a bit wild, in that the trails we took were very steep and somewhat dangerous. The De Palms version of the tour is much more tame, as they do not visit the Natural Pool. The Natural Pool is at the bottom of a very steep hill on a very unpaved and rocky trail. We also visited the Natural Bridge, which unfortunately no longer exists, but it was still a neat thing to see and you can see some smaller versions of the bridge while there.
Overall, I’d say the trip to Aruba was one to remember, but I probably would never go back and stay in Oranjestad ever again. It was too much “city” and not enough beach areas. If I do ever return to Aruba, it would be to stay in the area near Eagle Beach at a smaller, more intimate hotel or resort. All in all, Aruba is a great place for getting a taste of everything- city, shopping, nightlife, and tropical paradise.