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Tamarijn Aruba
Beach Resort - Mega Inclusive - Trip Report
Trip Report August 15 - August 22, 1999
Sent in by: Lauren
We stayed at the Tamarijn Aruba Beach Resort August 15 - 22, on the Mega
Inclusive Package. I will try to divide this report into sections, to make it easier to
follow. Before starting though, I should probably give you some context - we are a family
of four, with two boys ages 16 and 11. We chose Aruba because the boys have not travelled
out of Canada much, and we wanted to go somewhere clean, safe and beautiful that they
would feel comfortable. None of us like the "gated community" concept; we wanted
to be able to wander around and explore. Also, since we were travelling in August, being
out of the hurricane belt was important. We chose the Tamarijn for three reasons: the
oceanview rooms, the "Kids under 18 stay and eat free" program, and the relaxed
atmosphere. We also found the Mega Inclusive concept appealing, because the boys never
stop eating so the more choices, the better. Overall, we had a fantastic time.
Travel and Arrival
We travelled with Sunquest Vacations out of Toronto (yes, we're Canadian),
so we flew Skyservice Airlines. Our flight departed exactly on time, and we actually
arrived almost 40 minutes early (must have been some tail wind!). We got through customs
very quickly as well. A note that might be helpful - the boys are actually my step-sons,
so whenever we travel we carry a notarized letter from their mother saying
that she is aware they will be out of the country with us for whatever period of
time. This avoids any customs problems, and I would recommend it for any situation where a
child is travelling without one or both parents. We used the DePalm transfer with no
problems, although in our case they loaded our luggage directly onto the bus, which I
understand is not always the case. Check in was quick and efficient, but because we
arrived at 11:30am, our room was not ready yet. The staff was very helpful though, and
they gave us our bracelets, our towel cards, and a place to store our luggage. We had
packed our bathing suits and sunscreen in our carry-ons, so it was easily
accessible, and we hit the beach. We checked back at 2:00pm and by then our room was
ready.
Accommodation
The Mega Inclusive package includes one of the recently renovated rooms.
Ours had two double beds, rattan headboards, tile floors, a large chest of
drawers, a TV, a small table and two chairs,and a nightstand with two more
good sized drawers. The closet was built in, and the bathroom was fairly spacious. With
four of us in one room it got a little cozy at times, but we expected that, and we
really didn't spend much time there. The room was spotless and nicely decorated. I had
e-mailed ahead and requested something in the fifteen hundred block on the ground floor,
and that's exactly what we got.
 Our patio doors opened onto a small terrace,
about 30 feet from the ocean. Whenever we left the door open to the screen, we could hear
the waves. It was wonderful. The fifteen hundred block was perfect - conveniently located
halfway between the Cunucu Terrace and the Bunker Bar. It is on the sea wall, but directly
out from our room there was a small path through the rocks to smooth sand, and there was
another sandy area at the base of the pier which stretches out from the end of the
fourteen hundred block. The maid service was excellent. If we hung out the sign asking for
early room clean up, we always got it. There were fresh flowers with our towels every day,
and
when she noticed that the boys were gathering the pillows to lean on while
watching TV, she left us extras.
The Beach
The beach at the Tamarijn, which is down beyond the Bunker Bar, does have a rocky, coral
stretch when you first go in, and water shoes are a good idea. We had some excellent
snorkeling there though, and we spent a lot of time just playing in the waves. There is
wonderful surf that comes rolling in, not dangerous unless the wind is really high, just
lots of fun. The beach at the Divi is just pure, lovely, white sand, much easier on the
feet and better for swimming. There's nothing much to see in terms of snorkeling though.
 We spent most of our time on the beach directly
in front of our room, or down farther towards the Bunker Bar. We did spend one day on the
Divi's beach. We never had trouble getting towels, chairs or a hut at either location, and
some days we didn't go out there until the afternoon. Although the Tam was busy, it never
felt crowded, and we more or less had our pick of where we wanted to be. It's important to
remember how close you are to the equator there. I know everyone says this, but sunscreen
is a must!! We used a 45 SPF religiously, and sat in the shade when we weren't in the
water, but we're all still deeply tanned. Be careful!
The Restaurants
The Mega Inclusive package includes the use of all restaurants at both resorts, and we did
just that, going back and forth between the two many
times. We found the food to be very good everywhere we tried. The boys
liked the pizza bar at the Tam for snacks. The buffets always had good variety and the
choices did change from day to day. There was a lovely chicken cordon bleu and some
gorgeous prime rib, lots of fresh fruit, and anything you could possibly imagine for
breakfast. We also ate at Paparazzi's and the Red Parrot. Both were excellent meals, with
top quality service. You must make reservations a day ahead though. Overall, we felt that
Paparazzi's was the highlight, food-wise. The Tiramisu is out of this world!
The service at the buffet restaurants was about the same as we have encountered other
places in the Caribbean - sometimes very good, sometime
indifferent. Things do move more slowly there. The service at the Divi was
better than at the Tam, but nothing was awful. We weren't in a hurry for anything.
The bartenders at the Bunker Bar were definitely the best of the
bunch, very funny and helpful. We also made extensive use of the 24-hour
coffee stand. Great coffee any time of the day. Wonderful!
One word of warning - on Wednesday night the Tam features a
"seafood
festival". Being a seafood lover, I was in heaven, and tried just about
everything. On Thursday morning, I woke up with my bottom lip swollen halfway back
to Ontario. It was huge. Needless to say, I was more than a little perturbed. I dispatched
my partner to the front desk to see if they had any suggestions. The clerk was most
helpful, and had been through the same thing. Apparently, it's caused by an allergy to
shellfish. I have never had trouble with this at home, but whether it's a difference in
cooking styles or something else, it certainly hit me this time. Fortunately, I had packed
some antihistamines "just in case", and as soon as I took one the swelling
disappeared. I will be sure to always pack some from now on.
Shows and Activities
Not being real "joiners" we didn't take advantage of the daily activities at the
Tam. There was certainly a lot going on though, and many people seemed to enjoy the
offerings. The evening shows we a little too heavy on dance for my taste, after the first
couple I would have liked to see something different. Vincent the Limbo Man is amazing
though - you can't miss him! By the end of the day we were usually so tired that we just
wanted to sit in the room and read or go out on the beach and stargaze anyway.
Trips, Tours and Other Fun Stuff
With a GREAT deal of help from the bulletin boards, we had chosen three
activities to break up our beach time. We booked these when we arrived,
and had no problems doing so.
On Wednesday morning we took the Octopus Sailing Charter. This was an absolutely
amazing day. The Octopus is a trimaran that takes groups of
about twenty people out for half a day of snorkeling. Rosalie and Jethro are the best
hosts in the world. They supplied us with a beautiful continental breakfast of muffins and
sweet breads, accompanied by "mimosas", which are a mixture of champagne and
orange juice. There was also coffee, tea and other juices. We snorkeled at the wreck of
the Antilla, and at Catalina Reef. Both were incredible! I have never seen so many fish in
my life. The boys were absolutely awestruck, as they had snorkeled for the first time only
a couple of days before, so this was all new and wonderful. One of the women on our cruise
brought a bag of bread pieces with her, and when she threw a chunk off the side at
Catalina, the water literally boiled with fish. Jethro grabbed one with his bare hands and
pulled it out to show the boys how its mouth was red, giving it its name. (He then threw
it back in). After the two snorkel stops, they gave us a lunch of salad and sandwiches on
fresh French bread, and there was a very complete bar service too. We liked the intimacy
of the smaller cruise - Jethro seems to know everything about Aruba and patiently answered
all of our questions. It was so relaxing to sit on the deck with a drink in your hand,
watching the windsurfers whip by.
On Thursday afternoon we took the Discover Aruba bus tour from DePalm
Tours. This was also an excellent trip. We packed a lot into half a day,
but we never felt rushed or hurried along. The tour took us to the California Lighthouse,
the Ayo rock formations, the Caves, Arikok National Park, Santa Ana Church, San Nicolas,
Baby Beach and the Natural Bridge. We took tons of pictures. Having the air-conditioned
bus to get back onto between stops was a real bonus! They also supplied cold soft drinks
at a couple of the stops. We enjoyed seeing some of the interior, as well as the North
coast.
On Friday morning my older son and I went horseback riding with Rancho
Notorious. We took a two-hour, private ride along Malmok Beach. This was
wonderful, because we got ride through some of the Cunucu on the way. It
was like being in the middle of a cactus forest. The parakeets and trupials were singing
away at us. Riding along the beach was lovely, and our guide, Jose, who was Venezuelan,
did his best to fill us in on the things we passed. Rancho Notorious transports you to and
from your hotel in their van. The horses were very healthy and well cared for. We are both
intermediate riders, and the horses they gave us were well suited to our abilities -
spirited but not difficult, and definitely not "old armchair" types. I would
absolutely recommend doing this type of trip in the morning. Even by the time we
were done it was plenty hot.
Wildlife
We found lots of interesting wildlife in Aruba. There were parakeets and
trupials in the interior, stunning with their bright plumage. At the resort, we saw
iguanas and many smaller lizards, some green, some gray, and some with bright turquoise
spots. We spent our mornings sitting on the terrace watching the Pelicans fish. In the
water, they would come within five feet of us as they floated along, sunning themselves.
There were many other birds as well, small black and yellow finches, terns, and something
that sang like a myna bird but was dark brown and beige in color.
Now, for my two bits into the doves and flies debate. As I said, we ate at both resorts.
We did not see a single fly, anywhere, at all, not even once. The doves were just that,
doves. Cute little grey birds that bounced along on the floor while you were eating. Were
there lots of them around? Yes. Did they ever bother us? No, not at all. We did see them
land on vacated tables, but they didn't seem to come too close if there were actually
people sitting there. It simply wasn't an issue.
The Tam vs. The Divi
Again, my two bits into another often heated debate. We loved the Tam. It was
exactly what we wanted - comfortable, relaxed and casual. We wanted to be able to eat
lunch in our bathing suits with sand on our feet if that's we felt like. It was very
pretty, very clean and we found almost all the staff really helpful. We loved being able
to walk out our door and onto the beach. The Divi has rather a more classy feel to it. It
is much more lushly landscaped, and the rooms do not all face the water. If we were going
back as just a couple, I think we might try the Divi, because we found it quite beautiful.
But we would also quite happily return to the Tamarijn, and I would certainly recommend it
to others.
Other Assorted Bits and Pieces
We only used the golf carts that run between the Tam and the Divi once.
Generally, we preferred to walk (it only takes about eight minutes) and the carts were
often full, or not there when we wanted to go.
At the Seaport Village mall in town, there is a white Bengal tiger. He is used in one of
the Vegas-style shows. He has quite a nice habitat there and the boys really got a kick
out of seeing him.
When returning from the Octopus cruise, we had trouble getting a taxi back
to the resort because the drivers thought we were wet from swimming. We
weren't, but one guy went so far as to get out and feel my younger son's shorts, and he
still wouldn't take us! You can understand why it would be a problem, but, my, it was
bizarre.
The Final Assessment
 We
thoroughly enjoyed Aruba and our stay at the Tamarijn. The information from the bulletin
boards was a huge help - there are so many options once you get there it's easy to feel
overwhelmed. We wanted to relax in the sun and the surf, and that's exactly what we did.
Aruba is the only place I've ever been that looks exactly like the pictures in the
brochures. We came home with about six hundred photos of sunsets, because each one was
more breathtaking than the last. We can't afford to travel very often, and so we really
wanted this trip to be wonderful. It was.
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