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We stayed at the Wyndham Resort and when we told the desk clerk at check in that we were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary, we were upgraded to a lovely suite on the 12th floor. We got settled and immediately headed to the beach and pool where we were greeted by friendly, helpful staff explaining how the process of reserving a beach hut and getting towels worked. Can't say enough about the Wyndham staff, they were great from the concierge to the pool staff to the restaurant staff and including the head chef that I shared an elevator with one day. We spent Monday at the hotel (we didn't get a car until Tuesday). We explored some of the other hotels and their grounds and pools and at lunch found our way walking to the McDonald's and the SETAR store where I purchased a long distance calling card to call home. We got a hut on the beach and staff set up our chairs. The beach was great, white sand that didn't burn your feet and the ocean swimming was great, you could easily walk on the ocean bottom and no rocks or seaweed. We were surprised by a quick rain shower that lasted about 5 minutes and quickly stopped and the sun returned. The wind was pretty bad that day, the sand was blowing so we went to the pool and enjoyed it immensely. The frozen fruit skewers and cold towels are an added plus. That night since we didn't have a car we stayed and enjoyed the Havana Revue at the hotel. It was very entertaining and the meal was excellent too. Some other guests had some service problems there but ours was great. Tuesday morning it was breakfast on the terrace. This was our one disappointment at the Wyndham. Breakfast at the terrace and the inside restaurant was fairly expensive and the food we had was not very good at all. Later in the week we went down the beach to Le Petite Café at the Playa Linda and had their breakfast buffet that was very good and less expensive. We also stocked the refrigerator in our room (after we had a car to go shopping) with breakfast items, as well as pop and beer. We went to the beach awhile before getting picked up to get our rental car about noon. We used Econo Car Rental. I reserved it on line before we left and have no complaints with their service or the cost. We did some shopping Tuesday afternoon. It sure is easy to get turned around and lost on the streets in town! Picked up a few things at the open market across from Iguana Joes and checked out the mall too. Tuesday night was our wonderful anniversary celebration at the Flying Fishbone. I called and made reservations before we left. We got there at 6:30 thanks to directions from the concierge. It was a lovely evening, gentle breezes, dined right on the beach only a few feet from water's edge, watched a lovely sunset, had wine and dinner (the red snapper was out of this world) and we loved the whole experience. Cost was about $90 including tip. Wednesday we drove ourselves to see some of the sights, the natural bridge, California lighthouse, Alto Vista Chapel, etc. We found it difficult to find our way at times because there are very few signs pointing the way even though they are well known tourist attractions. We found it much easier to find our way to Baby Beach the next day, the signs were much better. Wednesday afternoon we shopped some more and went into town. Couldn't decide on a place to eat and happened into Carlos and Charlie's. What a great find! The food was very good and inexpensive too. The ambiance is very casual and kind of loud but a fun place for an informal dinner. We also tried the casino at Seaport Village and I actually came out ahead at the blackjack table before we left that evening. We played a little every day at one of the casinos, just slots and blackjack, and didn't win but didn't lose too much either. Thursday, our last full day on the island, we drove to Baby Beach which was great. We really enjoyed being about to swim so far out in such shallow water. Once again we were caught in a rain shower but we waited under the grass shelter and it blew over quickly. We also went by Rodgers Beach and Boca Grandi while we were in the area. Had no problems getting there or back to our hotel. Dinner our last night was at El Gaucho. Once again I made reservations ahead of time online. We were very pleased with our food. The steaks were great and the prices reasonable compared to Chicago restaurants! The service was good too. We had an especially friendly bus boy that was quite helpful. Recommended the flan for dessert and boy was he right! Our only disappointment here was the noise level, especially when I had told them we were anniversary celebrants. They put us in one of the main rooms with lots of noise and children. I since found out there was another quieter room for couples which would have been much better I'm sure. Friday was our last day so after spending the morning at the pool, we packed and headed for the airport. It started raining pretty hard and traffic through Oranjestadt was bad but we had plenty of time. Returning the rental car was a breeze. We ran into problems getting home thanks to bad weather stateside and American Airlines. We were moved from one flight to another to expedite getting out of Aruba and ended up being delayed longer. Coming back through Miami we missed the last connecting flight to Chicago and ended up staying over at the Best Western, not a pleasant experience. Got up at 5:00 a.m. Saturday morning to get the first flight to Chicago. Not a very good way to end what was otherwise a wonderful trip. We loved Aruba and definitely want to go back, maybe our 35th anniversary! Nancy and Chuck
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[ This page was last updated on Friday, January 04, 2008 ] [Facts] [Business]
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