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Aruba Trip Report - Wyndham Beach Resort
November 19 - 25, 2000
Sent in by: Miriam
We are back - EXHAUSTED from all of the nothingness that we enjoyed so much this past
week. :-) I can't tell you how perfect the honeymoon was - we
were expecting SOMETHING, ANYTHING to go wrong since the wedding itself went off without a
hitch, but the perfection continued right up until the moment we had to leave the island.
I'm going to try and recapture the days for you - and hopefully "sell" some of
you on the island in the process - if you
EVER want to plan a Caribbean trip - do not think about going anywhere but Aruba. It's the
friendliest, most romantic perfect patch of paradise you can picture.
So
early Sunday morning on the 19th, we headed off anxiously to the airport.
We had one leg to Atlanta (one hour flight) and then caught the next leg to
Aruba from there (3.5 hour flight). Aruba is one hour later than us, so we arrived at
3.30ish. We were at our hotel checking in by 4, and out on the beach in time to see sunset
by 6pm. The sun sets very early in Aruba, about
6.15 or so each night. We were THRILLED with our accommodations - we were on the 17th
floor of the highrise, and had the most wonderful view of the
ocean and pool. After we watched the sunset, we went to dinner - the hotel was hosting a
Caribbean dinner night outside near the pool area. The food was delicious. After dinner we
went for a short walk on the beach. The hotel has hammocks set up at several spots right
on the oceanfront - so we curled up in one for a bit and just enjoyed the breeze. Aruba is
a very breezy island - so you have to be extra careful in the sun because you can't feel
how hot it really is. Even with temps in the high 80's, the breezes make it feel like mid
70's and you can get SCORCHED (which Ron learned quickly......keep reading!). We went to
bed after lazing around outside for a while, with plans of doing absolutely NOTHING the
next day but basking in the sun and just relaxing.
Monday
morning we were up by 8am or so, and we hit the outside breakfast
terrace for a quick bite before our big day of nothingness! We decided to hit the beach
rather than the pool the first day, and ended up spending about 5 hours there. Even though
I insisted Ron wear 15 SPF sunscreen, he got fried on his back and chest! Aruba is just 12
degrees from the equator - so the sun is just brutal. I escaped sunburn because I had
tanned beforehand, but had I not - I would have been in bad shape!!! Anyway, the beach was
wonderful. The sand is so soft and so white, and the ocean is soooo warm - like bath
water! And clear as day - you can see the bottom even when you're super deep. I can't
imagine that my camera will have captured the turquoise color of the water, but I'm hoping
that it might at least offer a little glimpse of what it was actually like. Anyway, after
lounging around for 5 hours, we were ready for a nap. :-) We went back up to the room and
napped for a couple of hours, and then headed out for dinner. We decided to try one of the
hotel restaurants - the Pago Pago - famous for its Polynesian cuisine. As was true about
all of our meals the whole week, it was delicious. We ate like absolute kings while we
were there. And every meal seemed better than the last!
Tuesday
was a carbon copy of Monday really - only we decided to hang by the pool instead of the
beach. The pool is absolute luxury. Huge cushiony chairs to lay on, and every half hour or
so, the pool staff brings around cool cloths for your head, fruit kabobs, and magazines to
read. It is absolutely amazing what kind of service the Wyndham provides. They will even
spritz you with a water fan if you want - they treat you like royalty - it almost makes
you feel guilty. Note I said ALMOST - we really couldn't get enough of it! Ron wore GOBS
of sunscreen on Tuesday - meanwhile, I was weaning from 15 to 8 SPF and getting totally
savage. The weather was PERFECT everyday, even though November is traditionally the rainy
season in Aruba - we were so lucky. Tuesday afternoon, while we were laying by the pool, I
felt some spray from what I thought was one of the nearby fountains - it turns out it was
a teeny rain cloud which spat out about 20 seconds of rain at us - the sun shining
brightly the whole time. If that's what they call the rainy season, I think we'll ALWAYS
go there in November! It wasn't rain, it was liquid sunshine.....! Tuesday evening (after
our afternoon nap) we had dinner at the Baci Café - the Italian restaurant in the hotel -
another completely yummy meal. We then did a really nice long romantic walk along the
beachfront and scoped out all the other resort hotels, deciding quickly that we had it the
best. The others have their charms, but we can't imagine getting better service and better
accommodations than what we got at the Wyndham.
Wednesday
we decided that after our pool time we would grab the bus (only
$1.25 round trip to the capital city of Oranjestad!) to the city to see the sights.
Oranjestad is basically a tourist haven - the cruise ships dock there, and there are about
80 jillion jewelry stores and other specialty shops to browse through. We stopped in an
"internet café" - a little place where you can have a drink and check your
email for just $6/hour! We wrote a quick message to our parents to tell them that we
wouldn't be able to call for Thanksgiving - the local phone company had just gone on
strike! Anyway,
we decided to do some shopping and Ron decided that I HAD TO HAVE more jewelry (is he a
prince or what????). We knew in advance that Aruba was a great place to buy tanzanite - a
beautiful bluish/purplish gemstone, and so that's what we looked for. After looking at
various necklaces, rings, and
other stuff, we chose a gorgeous diamond and tanzanite pendant - I love it.
It was completely unnecessary and I know that I am already spoiled ROTTEN, but Ron
insisted that I should have a memento from the honeymoon. So I didn't argue! After
shopping, we ate at El Gaucho's - a fantastic steak place - and Ron's new
favorite restaurant. The steaks were incredible - much better than the even the best
steakhouses in Indy. Just undescribably good. After dinner we headed back to the hotel so
that we could swim in the ocean at sunset, and then we planned our next day - offroading
on the back of the island!
Thursday
morning we got up early and rented a Suzuki Samurai - a little open top 4 wheeler that we
could offroad in. With map in hand, we headed off to see the sights. The whole back of the
island is rough - no beaches or build
up of any kind - just rough ocean, crashing waves, ruins, caves, and lots of
land to explore. We had an absolute blast. We explored old ruins, went through a cave and
watched the bats (which are friendly!), and just toured the whole countryside. We drove
around the entire island in just under 5 hours. Thursday night we took the Samurai back
into the city for dinner - we had originally planned on doing the Thanksgiving feast
offered by the hotel, but later decided against it. Instead, we had dinner at Frankie's -
MY new favorite restaurant. We had lobster and steak brought out to us on a hot stone -
just absolutely delicious - and WAY better than turkey! :-) We also stopped in another
jewelry store because Ron decided that I needed earrings to match my new pendant. Can you
even just believe him? After shopping, we stopped at the Seaport Marina
to catch a glimpse of Tessa the tiger - the 600 pound, 9 year old Tiger they have on
display there. We caught sight of her behind the glass and she plopped down in front of us
and gave us a silly little grin - we saw the sign saying that we could get a polaroid with
her and of course I couldn't resist. Ron was hesitant at first - he was convinced it was a
Fox Special - When Animals Attack! just waiting to happen - but I just HAD to get my hands
on that tiger - after all, how many times in your life do you get an opportunity to touch
a tiger? So I dragged Ron into the den and the trainer sat us on either side of her, told
us to pet her firmly so that she didn't think we were flies on her back to swat, and took
our picture. It came out great - I am cheesing as usual, Ron is smiling his typical lazy
grin, and Tessa the tiger is sitting in between us just looking huge and gorgeous. I was
surprised by the feel of her fur - not at all snuggly and soft like I expected - it was
actually very
course and a little oily. I didn't ever want to leave - but there were others who wanted a
chance so we had to go. It was sooooo worth it. I just loved it. All in all, this
Thanksgiving was the best one I can remember.
Friday
morning we headed back down to the pool before our afternoon submarine ride! Between the
hotel lobby and the pool, there are about 6-8 cages with cockatoos and parrots, often
released from their cages to get photographed with the guests. Their trainer is the
sweetest little guy - and he had Candy, one of the white cockatoos, sit on my shoulder and
chat with me. Hopefully those pictures will turn out! After we layed out for a while, we
walked down the beach to the pier to catch a ferry to the semisubmarine. This was really
cool - we were literally sitting in a glass case and seeing the reefs up close and
personal underwater. The fish were extraordinary and just everywhere - it was like scuba
diving only without having to deal with all of the gear. We also got to explore the
Antilla wreckage - a huge boat that sank in 1940 - it was so neat. We were on the sub tour
for about 2 hours, and afterwords we showered up and got ready for our sunset cruise. This
was definitely one of the highlights of the trip - we climbed aboard a huge catamaran and
set out to sea to watch our last sunset. It felt amazing - so romantic and the sunset was
the best ever. The cruise lasted about 2 and a half hours - when we go back there, we will
do it every night. It's just the best. After the cruise, we headed to the Tango
restaurant, where we were served more fantastic food while professional tango dancers
performed right in front of our table. Amazing.
Saturday
morning we hit the pool and beach for the last time. We actually
cried when we were leaving the hotel - it was such a wonderful honeymoon we
hated for it to end. We were apart from each other for only 45 minutes the entire week -
when Ron returned the rental car and let me sleep in. And we just felt like we were the
only two people on the island. We never had to wait to get in anywhere, we never wanted
for anything, and we were constantly treated like royalty. It was just amazing. Aruba
definitely brought out the romance in us both - we felt and acted like, well, newlyweds.
The experience was extraordinary, and totally unforgettable. We are already planning our
return trip in 2002, just 724 more days, according to my new husband. We will never visit
another island - Aruba gave us everything we'd hoped for and more. I could go on and on
and on and on.......
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