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Aruba Trip Report - Allegro Beach Resort
September 2 - 9, 2000
Sent in by: Lisa2199@aol.com
Just returned from our first trip to
Aruba.
I was hesitant upon the Allegro having read some of the trip reports but our vacation was
nothing but relaxing and I give the Allegro two thumbs up.
Arrival
We arrived in Aruba at 12:30 and took a cab to the hotel and arrived in 10 minutes. Check
in wasn't until 4:00pm but the front desk was great. They gave my boyfriend and I our all
inclusive bracelets so we could have lunch and drinks. By the time we were done with lunch
our room was ready. I have to admit, I was a little scared especially since I bought the
trip off of an internet site but the room was great. It was on the 5th floor in the North
Tower with a view of the pool and ocean. It wasn't a lavish room, but it was very
comfortable and seemed to have been updated fairly recently. I was very happy to know they
honored my email room request.
We spent most of our days between the beach and the pool. I can't imagine
there being anything more relaxing than lying in the Carribean on a float with a mixed
drink in hand. We never had any problems getting beach huts or floats. If you spend
anytime on the beach you'll run into Scooby Doo. He sells watersports on the beach and is
quite the character. We decided to go with Scooby when we went parasailing. It was well
worth it for $35/pp and for that we gave him $40/pp. You'll understand what we mean when
you meet him.
We also spent a day on a Jeep Tour with ABC Jeep. We thought it was a deal for $48/pp.
They pick you up at your hotel and provide you with a nice lunch at a local establishment.
There are 2 couples in each Jeep and you can take turns driving as your tour guide shows
you the sights. Our favorite stop was Baby Beach
where we stopped in the middle of the day for some swimming and snorkeling. If you do go
on a Jeep Tour one hint: Do not wear white. I wore a white tank top and came back looking
like it was brown. Staying at the hotel we didn't know what the rest of the island was
like. It reminded us of the dessert. There are cactuses and boulders everywhere and the
majority of roads are not paved. It's a fun day and definitely worth it. Be ready for an
adventure.
Drinks
I don't know who said the drinks were weak, but ours were strong!!! They definitely didn't
try to cheat us out of alcohol. The best drinks were made by Paris at the Beach Hut Bar.
Make sure you find him. He always had a new drink for us each day. Try his Frozen
Sombrero's. They were one of our favorites. The pool bar has great daquiri's and was very
convenient. If you're looking for strong drinks the Jardins Brasilien, the indoor bar/club
is the place to go.
Food
Both my boyfriend and I thought the food was better than we expected and had no
complaints. Breakfast - We went to Topaz every morning. There is a large breakfast buffet
plus an omellette and eggs stations. They have
everything from French Toast to Croissants and Fresh Fruit. You can't go wrong here.
Lunch - We alternated between Topaz and Tradewinds. Topaz has a lunch buffet with a
sandwich station along with a pasta station and each day there is a different theme.
Tradewinds has a set menu. We had the club sandwich and burgers twice. They also have fish
and chips and chicken. Dinner-By far the best dinner we had there was at Caruso's - the
Italian Specialty restaurant. Guests are entitled to one seating there but we loved it so
much that we asked if we could go back for our last night. Our first night we had the
fried calamari for an appetizer and substitued the pesto sauce for marinara. It was
delicious. The fried shrimp with fettucine in lobster sauce was equally
good. My boyfriend had chicken parm and said it was so-so so I don't highly recommend it.
Our second night, we had the fried calamari again. I had the lasagne which was very good
and my boyfriend had the beef which he really enjoyed. Make sure you leave room for
dessert. We tried the cheesecake and banana flambe and left very happy and satisfied.
There is plenty of food and a great variety of it. If you ever choose to dine out, I would
recommend El Gaucho.
My boyfriend is a huge steak lover and had heard good things about this restaurant. Even
though I am not a steak lover, this place had the best steak I had ever tasted. The
service was great and the food was excellent. If you're going to go out for dinner then El Gaucho is
well worth it and very reasonably priced.
The staff at the Allegro was great. From the moment we arrived, they did everything they
could to enable us to have a relaxing carefree vacation.
I would love to go back and would have no problems staying here again.
If you're not interested in the All Inclusive Plan, the HYATT next door was breathtaking.
I heard the rooms are average but the grounds are beautiful.
There are swams surrounding an outdoor restaurant and there is a large pool slide. The
Radisson also next door was beautiful. There is a lazy man's river pool that I could see
myself relaxing in easily for the day. Hope you enjoy your trip as much as we did.
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