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Trip Report - Costa Linda Beach Resort
Sent in by: Ruth and Albert Pliskin
January 24, 2001
We have 2 more days in our favorite vacation paradise, Aruba. My husband & I travel to
the island 2xs a year leaving the cold up north in New York. We love Aruba and wish one
day we could retire to this lovely island. We come for 3 weeks in the winter and if
possible try to come down for Aruba's' famous Carnival. This year we will be missing this
fabulous event but hope to be here next year. We also visit for a week in November.
American Airlines is the only way we will fly - having tried several other airlines over
the years - we are always content with the excellent service they provide even though the
price of an airline ticket with them has gone sky high!
The Tamarijn Beach
Resort used to be our favorite place to stay as it is right on the beach and
we are able to hear the ocean from our room at night. It lulls us to sleep. When the
resort went all-inclusive we decided it was not for us anymore as we do not like to be
tied in to one place for everything. After that we stayed at Sonesta Suites,
in town, which we felt was a great resort - right in the center of town with a private
island & plenty of nighttime places to visit within walking distance.
The "Bonbini Festival" is one of my favorite things to do on Tuesday, 6:30pm at Fort Zoutman
and I never miss it. Here you will meet and see the wonderful local people performing and
sharing their interesting culture with us. I love the music and I especially love the
dancing. The merengue is such a very sexy dance and I admire the people who can get up
& dance to that particular rhythm. I also enjoy watching the young people who form
dance groups and dance in their local traditional custumes.
This year some friends of ours who own timesharing at the Costa Linda Beach Resort gave us
their 3-week vacation, as they were not able to use their time. We were so pleased with
this hotel - it was really top of the line and I would recommend this resort over any
other in a minute. The rooms are spacious & comfortable - complete luxury with a
spectacular view. They even had a dishwasher in the kitchen! It was heavenly. The staff
was wonderful, the pool was always clean, and the beach was gorgeous. Everything was
perfect!
We rented a car through Economy
Car Rental for 2 weeks as we enjoy driving around the island on our own.
Their prices are very reasonable and the service always good which is why we rent from
them every visit. We ate at some of our favorite restaurants - El Gaucho, Buccaneer, Le Dome & Chalet
Suisse. We again had a wonderful dinner at each establishment but do make sure you make
advance reservations, especially for El Gaucho. The Buccaneer does not take reservations
and we found out this year that they are closed on Sunday. We tried a few new places - but
nothing compares with our favorites.
The resort had different activities which I always like to participate in like pool
aerobics, an intro to scuba diving, bingo, pool volleyball & other activities which I
refrained from. The restaurants on the property were quite good - The Turtles Nest &
Frangipani. There wasn't much happening at night - it was nice & quiet. We did go to
the Wyndham Resort for their Carnival & Buffet night on Wednesday. It was fun, the
food was good and we especially enjoyed the show.
We also made use of the Activities Desk at the Costa Linda. There was a real nice young
man at the desk that was very helpful and informative. We made reservations for several
different tours and for some received special discounts, which was nice. Horseback riding
with Rancho Notorious at sunset time was fabulous. We had gone with another ranch a few
years back & the ride was not as smooth as we had to go up & down hills. One
person was thrown from their horse & taken to the hospital - so we were very happy
with our new choice as the terrain was for the most part on flat ground - which we enjoyed
100% more. WaveDancer
Trimaran Cruises was on a yacht called the "Starfish". We opted for
their sailing and snorkeling trip to the big shipwreck & the reefs, which we got a
$20.00 discount on. The trip was wonderful. The Captain & Crew were the nicest people
- helpful & friendly. The sailing was the best & there were just 6 other couples
on board. The snorkeling was real good and by the end of the day we were so relaxed that
we ended up going back to our resort & sleeping on a lounge chair under a shady hut at
the pool. We actually enjoyed this trip so much that we went a 2nd time. The other times
we had visited we had gone sailing with one of the big water sport companies. They took
about 75 people on the trip and although it was a nice time - it was really too crowded.
Aruba Kayak Adventures
was a new tour that we had not heard of. We love canoeing on the lakes & rivers
upstate NY in the summer & decided to try kayaking out. The desk offered us a $10.00
Discount. This trip was excellent. They picked us up at our hotel & the kayaks were
ready & waiting for us near one of Aruba's' Yacht Clubs. There were about 15 people
& about 8 guides. The kayak lesson was given by "Nelson" who was terrific
and we were in the water paddling away in no time. We shared a double kayak but had the
option of getting a single kayak. They take you to a part of the island where all the
mangroves grow, away from the hotels & tourist areas. It was quite interesting &
of course beautiful scenery. We made friends with another couple and ending up spending
quite a lot of time with them during our stay. They also take you to DePalm Island - which
is a wonderful place to spend the afternoon. Fantastic snorkeling is offered and a very
delicious lunch. If you are interested in trying something new - this is the trip to take.
If we had time, we would have gone again but will definitely join them next year.
The Jewel Box Revue
is a show we have never missed since it started coming to Aruba. It is at La Cabana
Casino. I don't want to spoil the fun of the show but definitely go and see it.
All in all, our trip was the best ever - till next visit anyway. We are thinking about
staying at Costa Linda Beach Resort again - if they have a vacancy because they pretty
much run full the entire year. If anyone would like more information about Aruba please
feel free to contact me: ruthpliskin@yahoo.com
On the bottom of the page you will find different links to some of the places & tours
I mentioned in this trip report. We hope you enjoy Aruba as much as we do.
Ruth and Albert Pliskin
www.costalinda-aruba.com
www.economyaruba.com
www.elgaucho-aruba.com
www.visitaruba.com/ledome
www.chaletsuisse.com
www.arubawavedancer.com
www.arubakayak.com
www.ranchonotorious.com
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