Aruba Trip Report - Wyndham Beach Resort

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Wyndham Beach Resort

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Aruba Trip Report - Wyndham Beach Resort
November 11 - 18, 2000
Sent in by: Deb

What an amazing vacation and hotel. The island was more than we could
have hoped it would be. It was a ladies vacation away and the 4 of us booked our trip though TNT and flew out of Pease Airport in New Hampshire. Our travel agent was wonderful and he highly recommended the Wyndham! He was right.

Our plane departed very early at 6:00 am but we arrived with no problems at 11:30 am in Aruba. We found the TNT reps right away and they escorted us to the bus which took us to the hotel.

Once at the hotel we were lucky to be first in line and check in was very smooth. We did have to remind the hotel that we had been given a free double upgrade on our room, but that was granted without further question. All of the staff in fact were extremely friendly and helpful. Unfortunately our rooms were not ready. We knew that checkin was not until 4:00 pm but had hoped we might be fortunate. No luck- when they mean 4:00 plan on 4:00.

We then went out to the pool and had a wonderful lunch at the Terrace where we ate almost everyday. The food was fast, tasty, and reasonably priced. We spent on average $12-15 at lunch each meal. We also ate breakfast there every morning and enjoyed waking up to the beautiful ocean views. Breakfast options were from $2.50-12:00. After lunch we were impatient waiting for our rooms. We had carried our bathing suits with us on the plane, but were so tired from our very early morning that we just sat in the shade until our rooms were available.

Our rooms were amazing and decorated in very good taste. The beds were extremely comfortable and our balcony overlooked the pool and the ocean. This view was a Must! I loved the in-room safe and the television was programmed to show you your daily bill. Watch those phone calls- 1 ten minute call to Maine was $50.00. The room came with wonderful Bath and Body works shampoo and conditioners, but I was glad I had brought my very powerful hairdryer. The one in the room was small and only good for fine short hair.

We ate that night at the Bacci- the Italian restaurant in the hotel and it was awesome. We should have eaten there again but wanted to try as many places as possible. Dinner ranged approx. $25.00 and was well worth it- too stuffed to try those yummy desserts. Once we arrived at Aruba we quickly fell into island time. I easily could have never left the resort and been very content.

We did go into town and two hours were plenty. It is small and crowed and you really need to like to shop as it was hot away from the hotel. The stores in the hotel were the same price as intown, and I chose to buy a ring at the hotel later in the week as the quality was great! Two of our group went on the Atlantis submarine and said it was a Must as well. They did say it was not for anyone who gets seasick easily. Two of us took a 3 hr bus tour and it was ok, but something I would not do again. We saw only three tourist spots and saw a lot of small neighborhoods, rocks, and learned about native trivia. The natural bridge was beautiful and the tour only cost $25. We booked the trip right at the Depalm tour desk at our hotel which was so easy! We were picked up at the hotel and returned there as well.

We did attend the barbecue at the hotel Sunday night and that was ok. Plenty of good food and it the music was good but a little loud. Tuesday we attended the managers cocktail party. It was an hour and there were munches and free Rum punches. A little boring but they did give away a free weeks stay at the hotel.

The next night we went to the French Steak House at the Manchebo Beach Resort as it was so highly recommended on other trip reports. Definitely overrated and difficult to find once the bus dropped us off. The food was ok but overpriced and we did not feel like we were at an island anymore. The bus was very safe and $2:00/round trip. It was extremely easy to use and the only problem was that it runs less frequently at night so plan carefully. This was the only really disappointing evening we had.

We also attended the Carnival night at the hotel. The food was great and the show was fun. The dancers were ok and some of the costumes were amazing. Be careful of the dance contest at the end of the show- you might get dragged up on-stage to participate. This night cost us $31.50 and we could have gotten drink bracelets for $7.00 dollars too. We did meet some very nice people at our table and it was fun to run into them throughout the week and chat about fun things to do or see.

Two great places to eat were within walking distance on the beach "sidewalk" behind the hotel. It is a cement walkway that connected all of the hotels on that beach. Gilligans at one of the other hotels (ten minute walk-forgot which
hotel) was wonderful. It was outside and the tables were covered by thatched umbrellas. The tables had candles for lighting and it was very much "island time". The plantation chicken was heavenly and a Must too. We saved the best for last and ate at the Ruines Del Mar at the Hyatt. Again a ten minute walk and beautiful. We made our reservation for 7:30 knowing we could then wait for a table outside. We were sat by 8:00 and ate by the pool where the swans were swimming. It was well worth the $45.00 a piece and the Hyatt was gorgeous. This was the only hotel that could possibly compare with the Wyndham but we decided we still liked the Wyndham better.

We also spent one evening on the Tattoo cruise which departed from the dock right behind the hotel. It was $45.00 and $1.00 drink chips. (premium drinks were 2 chips) The dancing was fun and three out of the four of us jumped off the rope swing!! If you get seasick- don't worry. Two in our group get very, very seasick and they were fine.

The water sports on the island were so fun! The banana boats were the best and $15.00/half hour/person as was the tubing. We also went parasailing and it was beautiful. The last one in our party was dipped into the water and the parasail lost the wind so it collapsed. She was scared but safe and the boat operators were very nice and cute too!. One lady was very scared of heights but had fun as well. That was $35./person for ten minutes but it was almost just as fun to be in the boat for an hour as we got a great water tour of the island! Wear sunscreen!!! Always. We started w/ spf45 and were glad we did. The wind blows lightly all of the time so you do not get really hot which makes the strength of the sun deceiving.

The huts on the beach were great, but a pain to reserve in the morning. The line grows early but the hut was a great way to limit time in the sun without having to go inside the hotel. It was very fun to have drinks delivered right out to the beach and they were yummy. We often tipped an extra $1 even though the 15% tip was included. The staff appreciated the extra $ as they do not get all of the 15%. It was explained to us that they got 12% and the other 3% was divided among the staff who were in the union. By tipping $1 extra we were never without cold drinks or a table for long!!!! Next time I could easily never leave the immediate beach area and be very happy. The time spent lying at the beach reading and swimming was worth the time it took to save for the trip. It was sooo easy to do the water sports right at the hotel and they were not that expensive.

One cannot write a trip report without speaking of the pool at the Wyndham. It was amazing!!! Besides the sheer beauty of the free form pool and fountains, the lights, landscape, and staff were above all expectations. The pool chairs were so comfortable and the staff were always there for activities, books, music, food, etc. The birds and Jose were the icing on the cake. What a wonderful way to start the morning by holding and talking to beautiful birds, and Jose could not have been nicer. The Wyndham experience was beyond imagination and so worth the $$$. It was actually a less expensive vacation than we expected and we cannot wait to go back again, and again, and again.