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My bride and I decided to honeymoon in Aruba. While she was carefully planning our wedding, my joy was to arrange our honeymoon. The trip reports and bulletin boards were immensely helpful. It was exciting to share in so many peoples' vacations. The information was outstanding and heightened my anticipation of our first trip to a tropical paradise. Many thanks to Kim who answered some of my "last minute jitters" questions. Aruba was everything we dreamed of and more.
Traveling to Aruba We flew American Airlines out of Baltimore, MD. The flight was uneventful, just very early in the morning. We arrived in Aruba and breezed through the airport, stopping to pick up our car from National Car Rental (Toyota Tercel with air conditioning $251.00 for the week, included insurance) and looking for brochures (coupons!). The car was clean and in fine working condition. We enjoyed the flexibility provided by renting a car and enjoyed being able to easily travel about the island on our own schedule. I think that if we had not rented a car, we would have stayed in the high rise area and not experienced as much of the island as we did.
We did an exchange on our time share and selected the Aruba Phoenix. It had RCI's top rating. Check-in was very easy. We found the staff to be cordial and friendly. As suggested by the trip reports, I called ahead of time to ensure a room on the higher levels. The Divi reservationist over the phone was very accommodating by placing a note to that effect on our reservation, and when we arrived for check-in we were placed in room 1406 (top floor). We had a great view of the ocean and beach out our bedroom balcony and could see Oranjestad and the Island's interior (including the Bubali Bird Sanctuary) out the livingroom window. I ordered a floral arrangement to be presented to my bride at the check-in desk through Aruba Services. Anneke of Aruba Services charged a minimal fee for what turned out to be a spectacular arrangement of local, tropical flowers, and Anneke successfully arranged with the front desk staff to present the flowers at our arrival. My wife was very touched by my thoughtfulness, and I was inwardly thanking Anneke for her fine service. She provided us a great welcome to our new life as husband and wife. I had received an e-mail confirmation that the Aruba Advantage card would also be at the front desk when we arrived, but it wasn't. It would have been nice and I am certain that if I had called it would have been delivered, c'est la vie. [ Editor's note: re VisitAruba Plus card click here ] Our room was spacious for two and the amenities met our needs. We prepared our breakfasts and lunches with the utensils and pans in the room. We brought dish detergent, paper towels, napkins, and a sponge. There was daily maid service which included changing linens, making the bed, and sweeping and mopping the floor. I had been concerned about needing beach towels, but they were provided by the Aruba Phoenix. A $50.00 towel deposit was placed on my room bill, but when we returned the towel card the deposit was removed. We never used the towels since we brought towels we received as a gift. There was also a $100.00 key deposit and a $25.00 TV remote control deposit that were placed on the room bill, but they were also removed when we returned them. These deposits were actually only paper transactions since the Phoenix's property was returned to them. We did have to pay a daily $6.00 room tax and a one time $10.00 energy tax. There was a safety deposit box in the closet which we used. If we had lost that key, there would have been a $100.00 charge. The beach was just as described in the trip reports. We were glad we took water shoes, but we could have easily gotten by without them. There was always a hut available to get out of the sun. We were primarily interested in sitting on the beach, lapping up drinks, and catching rays. Periodically we would wade into the water or splash in the pool. Relaxation was the operative word of the day and the beach at the Phoenix met our expectations.
OUR ISLAND EXPERIENCE Our honeymoon plan was to enjoy the beaches, see some Aruba sights, eat well, visit the Casinos and have a memorable time. Aruba was all that we wanted. In preparation for our trip, we made
arrangements/reservations via the Internet before our departure at National Car Rental, the Aruba Advantage Card, Octopus
Sailing Cruises, La Trattoria: El Faro Blanco, and El Gaucho
Restaurant. I e-mailed Anneke of Aruba Services asking her to arrange that a bouquet of
flowers be available for my bride when we checked in. We called long distance and Raymond
at the Flying Fishbone arranged our dinner reservation at his restaurant. We confirmed all
reservations on the day of our arrival and all of the arrangements went smoothly (except
for the Aruba Advantage card). My
wife thinks I tend to over plan, but as long as I show flexibility, she really appreciates
our being prepared.
Sunday After checking into our room, we sat on the balcony to catch our breaths from the activities of the day before. The view was fantastic and we were overjoyed with our arrival at a tropical paradise. We decided to dine at Papiamentos. We received directions from the front desk and off we went. Papiamento was the perfect first dinner in Aruba restaurant. Papiamento was an old home with a pool. There are trees with spreading limbs that provide a canopy of leaves over head. Tables are beside the pool or in areas around the pool deck and back yard. There are many red, ceramic pots of varying sizes that surround the grounds. The ceramic red of the pots against the background of the white walls of the home and out buildings created an overall effect that was warm and comfortable. The service was attentive but not demanding and the food great. My wife ordered the mahi-mahi on a skewer, and I ordered the pardow papiamento (fried grouper fillets in a special sauce). The dishes were nicely spiced to provide a delicious taste sensation, but not so spicy as to overwhelm your taste buds. The initial flavor was soon replaced by a wholly new second flavor. The cost for 1 balashi beer, 1 clam chowder, 2 entrees and an extra tip was $75.00.
Monday Our first stop was Ling and Son's Grocery store. The store is not on the main highway. It is set back, behind Hong Lin grocery store. We picked up typical daily breakfast and lunch food items, and drinks. The shelf prices were in florins so they appeared more expensive than they actually were. At the cash register, the cashier provided us the bill in US dollars, but advised us she would give us change in Florins. The shopping trip gave us some insights into what local food is available to the Arubans. It was also interesting to walk the aisles and listen to the papiamento language spoken around us. The bakery was outstanding and we greatly enjoyed the Dutch cookies. We returned later in the week to buy a round of Gouda cheese to take home. While driving around the Island, we drove by schools in Oranjestad and San Nicolas. In both cities, we noted how happy the children were and how neatly dressed. It wasn't just that the children were wearing uniforms (same shirt/blouse and same colored skirt/slacks), but also their clothes were clean and neatly pressed. We drove by the school yards and we noted that, unlike here at home, there were no little groups of students whose dress and demeanor indicated they felt alienated from their school. When one sees the slogan "Aruba-one happy island", this slogan also seemed to reflect the way the kids felt about their home, too. We had lunch at the Old Dutch Restaurant on the edge of downtown Oranjestad. Part of the property includes a bakery where we once again enjoyed some Dutch cookies. For lunch, we ate their omelets. The omelets were substantial and tasted very good. The Dutch serve a strong coffee and include a cookie with your order. My wife's Dutch heritage emerged as she told me stories about the small town she grew up in California and its continuation of Dutch traditions. Many of the town's people were of Dutch heritage and kept many of the ways of their home Country. For dinner, we ate at the Flying Fishbone. The intimate setting, the lapping waves at our feet as we ate by the sea, attentive but unobtrusive service, great food, a lovely sunset, twinkling stars and a small number of diners combined to make this our most romantic dinner of the trip. For an appetizer, we shared the crab salad. Our entrees were barracuda steak and a seafood hot pot (the hot pot was formed by a cut out cantaloupe). For desert we ordered 2 creme broules. They were outstanding. A pleasant but unexpected touch added by the Chef occurred when our desert arrived with a message written in chocolate wishing us a happy honeymoon. We also ordered a bottle of wine with our dinner. The total cost, including an extra tip, was $122.00. It was such a wonderful, romantic experience that any cost would have been just right.
Tuesday We spent most of the day either in our apartment eating and enjoying the view or sunning ourselves and swimming at the beach. For the evening, we visited the Bonbini festival at Fort Zoutman in Oranjestad. It cost $3.00 per adult and there were about a hundred people sitting in the courtyard listening to local musicians perform. We purchased some Tee shirts and a beautiful watercolor. We wanted to gain some insights into the traditional/historic Aruba and this festival provided us with that experience. Since Boonoonoo's was right around the corner from the festival, we decided to dine there. My bride ordered the Keshi Yena pollo, a traditional Aruban dish, and I ordered the pepper pot (I had some congestion so I thought this dish may open up my passages). My dish was very good, but the next time I go to Aruba I will return for the Keshi Yena. It was delicious. The decor was very festive and added to our enjoyment. Our waitress was very prompt and attentive. Our meal cost $55.00, 1 pumpkin soup (it was tasty, surprising us at its sweetness), 1 tropical punch drink, and 2 entrees.
Wednesday Our morning (9:00 am to 1:00 pm) was devoted to enjoying the snorkeling provided by Octopus Sailing Cruise. Their web site spoke about the breakfast provided by Rosalie Gesterkamp. It was the perfect start to our exciting morning. It was my first time snorkeling and Jethro Gesterkamp's instructions were excellent. Actually, snorkeling is pretty easy, a very exciting way to see things underwater, and most especially, it is a lot of fun. Although Hurricane Deborah was far north, on this day the seas were pretty turbulent and there was some drinking of the sea as we were tossed around a bit at the Antillian wreck. The next site was much calmer and the fish were spectacular. There were only 16 people on the trimaran so the whole trip was very relaxing. We saw other party boats that took people snorkeling, but there were more people on these trips and although there were a number of people who were loudly having fun, there also appeared to be a number of other people who were happy to find a quiet spot from which they could enjoy their cruise. My wife and I agreed that the Octopus Sailing Cruise was more suited to what we wanted. As suggested by Jethro in his e-mail, we found a coupon at the airport which gave us $5.00 off per couple so the breakfast with ambrosias, two sites for snorkeling (including instruction and equipment), a pleasant sail about the Island, and lunch cost $70.00 per couple. We were really pleased with the way this went. Our evening began with dinner at El Gaucho. I had read a lot about El Gaucho's and found it all to be true. We enjoyed our 2 steaks, 2 soups (the pumpkin soup was good, my beef vegetable soup was very good), 2 glasses of wine, and 2 deserts for $85.00. The food was good and the service was also very good, but I think we have better steaks here in the US. It was a good dining experience and within prices I found common in Aruba, but I think the hype on the BB sets a higher standard than the restaurant can meet. To put my comments into proper perspective, I have no hesitancy in returning to El Gaucho's, it just didn't live up to the rave reviews I read on the BB.
Thursday It was time to stop at the Grocery store again
and replenish our supplies. I wished we had The
Aruba Advantage Card to save us some money. This was the shopping for taking
things home. We returned to our room to drop off the groceries then headed for Baby Beach.
There were two stops, though, first. We picked up our watercolor from the painter at his
stall on the waterfront. During this excursion, it rained three times- once for 20
seconds, once for two minutes and once for 1 2 minutes. This was not a problem. We stopped
in some jewelry stores to make certain our watercolor did not get wet and waited the rain
out. We found the shopping to be conveniently located around the port, but wondered if
better bargains would not have been found elsewhere. After a stop in Saint Nicolas, we
concluded that Aruba has nice things to buy, just not at bargain prices. Our second stop was at the Old Dutch Restaurant, again. Parking was easy to find there and we were ready for another cup of coffee and some Dutch butter cookies. Our stop in town convinced me that driving through Oranjestad was fine, but you don't want to have to try and find a parking place. Baby Beach provided us the high point of our adventures on the Island. We took our snorkeling gear and swam to the breakers. We thought the fish were spectacular on the beach side of the breakers and kept pointing out to each other the many bright colored fish. After gaining a little courage, we went through the breakers (actually, it was easy) and began swimming among the fish there. My wife was like a Dutch Mermaid! She was so excited by the colorful fish and being able to swim among them, in their own environment. Fortunately, we still had some film left from our disposable underwater cameras so some of those moments have been captured and are a part of our honeymoon photos. I agree that the refinery is not a pretty object on the horizon, but seeing and swimming with the tropical fish in their own environment was so enthralling, we forgot about the Coastal Refinery and barely noticed it. After Baby Beach (and pictures of my Bride standing in front of the Rodgers Beach sign), we drove to the Natural Bridge. We were warned by the BB'ers that road signs were rare, so we figured we would get lost. Well, it really didn't matter. We had the entire Island at our disposal and were prepared for whatever adventures came our way. I got lost a couple of times, but found there were good signs identifying the major roads so we never really got too far astray. The drive to the Natural Bridge was not always on paved roads, but our Toyota did well. We were glad we had air conditioning. The island reminded me of the desert Southwest- dry, rocky land and cactus. What was so unique and wonderful was that the Sea formed the background to so many of the vistas. The incongruity of cactus plants growing within yards of the sea was...mind boggling. Nope, we weren't in Kansas. The natural bridge is a sight, but the scenery as you drive to the natural bridge is what stands out most in my mind. After returning to our room, we decided that we wanted to try Keshi Yena again. This time, we selected the Old Cunucu House. The hostess was very friendly and pleasant. Our first waiter smiled often. The server was very business like. We had two appetizers, 2 tropical rum drinks, 2 entrees (coconut shrimp and Keshi Yena) and 2 glasses of wine. The bill came to $75.00 including our tip. This was the only restaurant that did not include a service charge. We enjoyed our meal and had a pleasant experience.
Friday This was our last full day. As we sat on the balcony in the morning, we reminisced about our past few days and welcomed our remaining day. We decided that for our last day we would return to Baby Beach. It was just as wonderful as the previous day, but we were more tired and so we did not stay as long as before. We brought bread to feed the fish. My excitement came when the fish zoomed by my mask, from the rear, and seemingly from out of nowhere, startled me and began taking the bread away. My wife was flushed with excitement as she told me about how some of the fish have teeth. Once again, Baby Beach provided us with new experiences that we will always cherish. The evening was planned for a romantic dinner at La Trattoria: El Faro Blanco, located adjacent to the California Light House. When I originally made the reservation via the Internet, I advised them that it was our last night on our honeymoon and we had selected their restaurant to enjoy the ambiance and see the setting sun, from what is reportedly the best location on the Island. In response to our reservation, Jessica e-mailed a suggestion that we should arrive a little earlier to ensure our view of the sunset. That considerate suggestion was our first taste of the quality of the restaurant's service and attention to their patron's needs. Our food was very good and the service was helpful as they assisted the many couples in photographing the setting sun as a backdrop to pictures of them. We had 2 appetizers, 4 glasses of wine, 2 entrees (lasagna and seafood linguini) and 2 deserts. The bill came to $105.00 including a 16% gratuity (the highest of any restaurant we visited). Unfortunately, a couple of families brought their children who played on a porch level below the dining area. They were being typical kids, laughing and carrying on as kids are wont to do. This diminished our chance to get emotionally close during our meal and I wished that the parents, who had seated themselves inside the restaurant, had been more considerate of the other patrons.
Saturday We woke up on our last day of our honeymoon and enjoyed our morning ritual on the balcony. Packing was easy and we had the car loaded in no time. There was a certain sadness as we prepared to leave Aruba, but we were also happy about our many wonderful experiences. We returned the car at the airport and went through ticket check-in. Our bags were checked, then we picked them up to go through Customs. The airport is lacking in amenities, but I'm certain that Aruba will make its adjustments to accommodate the tourists. The flight on American Air Lines was pleasant, we appreciated the extra leg room they provided to even tourist class passengers.
GENERAL COMMENTS Hurricane Debora convinced us that if you are going to vacation in the Carribean during August, September or October, Aruba is your best choice. Although the hurricane was raging to the north, we were relatively unaffected. As we watched the weather reports from the Aruba Phoenix on CNN, we were glad our plans placed us in an area where the hurricane posed no threat. We couldn't imagine how different our honeymoon would have been if we had chosen to be in the Bahamas or the Dominican Republic that week. We felt very fortunate with our choice. With regards to the trade winds, they were something we were aware of. Every so often I held onto my hat, but it was also a welcome relief from the sun and humidity. As we walked between buildings, there were times when we were sheltered from the breeze. I would pick up my pace so that I could return to the breeze's cooling touch. The main highways are well marked. There are, however, times when you are driving through areas, looking for places, and the lack of signs is a problem. The solution, though, is to roll down your window and get to meet some really friendly people. I enjoyed receiving directions like "this is the time when many people are moving, so just follow the traffic and you will see it on your right in a couple of miles." Or how often the Aruba landmarks (or business properties) became key aspect of directions, and gave us more insights into Aruba life. My wife and I enjoyed renting a car. The Casinos are many and varied. There was a wide assortment of video poker games, slot machines and table games. Each Casino had its own architecture, some prettier than others. One common thread among all of them was that we lost, but we still enjoyed ourselves immensely. The casinos are smaller than most I have been to in the US, but they are so close to one another you can easily walk to the next one (Two exceptions being AlHambra and La Cabana). One down side to them was that they all seemed it necessary to provide loud, unending live entertainment every evening. The bands were usually pretty good, it was just that when I gamble I like to relax. Live, usually very loud, music made that difficult. Finally, we enjoyed Aruba. Nothing spoke as fluently about the wonderfulness of Aruba as the smiles on the children's faces. Anyplace that can raise such happy children is also a really great place for adults, too. So often I read on the BB about the Arubans being so friendly and pleasant, and it was a real treat to have been able to meet these wonderful people.
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07 March 2000 |
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