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First trip to Aruba Marriott and Palm Beach
February 5 - February 13, 2001
Sent in by: BillP
These are personal impressions from a first time, nine-day vacation in Aruba. The success
of our trip was mostly due to all the great information shared with others on the
Internet. We're not the typical tourists but still have some useful and unique information
to share.
Travel and Customs
We flew US Airways from Albany, NY just missing 10 inches of snow that fell on the capital
district area. The flight was uneventful and entry in the country was quick and easy. I
had a passport and Cindi had her driver's license and birth certificate. On the plane we
were given an entry document to fill out and one used for leaving the island.
We weren't sure what to expect leaving the island so we arrived two hours early at the
airport. It was plenty of time. Once checking in with the airlines we proceeded to
immigrations which checked our ID's and then we passed the last shopping, eating and gift
area before US Customs. This was great because it meant we wouldn't have to go through
customs again in the US. We picked up our checked bags, showed our ID's again and then put
our bags back on a new carrousel. Nobody ever looked through our bags but I
guess it can happen to anyone.
Where to Stay
Most of the resort hotels are on the western end of the island. What they call the
high-rise resorts are located on Palm Beach.
You'd have to be a pretty cranky person not to enjoy any of the hotels on Palm Beach.
If you're looking for the best I'd have to say Marriott, Hyatt or Radisson depending on
your personal preferences. The Marriott and Radisson have the best beach area. They have a
much larger and cleaner beach area. The Radisson has a huge property and was recently
remodeled. The Hyatt's pool area has a little
more to offer in atmosphere and includes a cool water slide. Unfortunately, the Hyatt was
sandwiched between the Playa Linda and the Allegro. Except for the Marriott all the hotels
are connected with a walkway so you have plenty of choices for places to eat and shop. The
Marriott is separated a little which good and bad. You have to walk on some beach sand to
get to the other hotels but it's not far, and gives the Marriott more privacy.
The so called low-rise resorts on Eagle Beach
all looked top rate as well but in many cases guests had to cross the street to enjoy the
beach.
The hot ticket in town was the Sonesta
Beach Resort. The
Sonesta is known for having it's own 40 acre island which makes up for its
lack of beach. If you like to be where the action is, this might be the place. You just
have to allow for a little more noise from traffic and proximity to the airport.
Alerts!
Aruba is another country! While it's amazing clean and safe they have their own set of
rules. You can't turn right on red yet kids aren't required to be strapped into car seats
If you have a fear of Iguana's you won't want to go to Aruba. You'll be sharing the island
and even the pool areas with these ugly yet harmless creatures. You don't bother them,
they won't bother you.
Aruba doesn't have competition for long distance rates. Our hotel charged $5.00 a minute
to call home to the US and always rounded up an extra minute. AOL hasn't updated all of
its access number documents. They list one for Aruba but it's no longer active. In you
need to check your Email, many resorts have Cyber Stations and in town there is a Cyber
Cafe on the 2nd floor of Iguana Joes.
There is no sales tax which was great but there are additional taxes you should consider
on your hotel bill. There is a 6% goverment tax, and a 11% hotel service charge. Keep this
in mind especially if you're considering a hotel package that includes meals. Add 17% to
what you think you'll spend on meals before you decide if an inclusive package will
benefit you.
Dining and Pepsi
There are plenty of unique restaurants in Oranjestad, and the area surrounding the hotel.
You'll want to check with other trip reports for fine dining advice since we're plain
eaters and tend stick with hotel buffets, My biggest concern was if they were going to
have Diet Pepsi. I was pleased that unlike Walt Disney World, there was plenty of Pepsi in
Aruba. Unfortunately, it wasn't the same quality. There was a definite citrus taste
similar to the old PepsiLite. The other problem was that NutraSweet breaks down when
exposed to heat. So depending on how it was stored some diet drinks had the aftertaste you
get from diet drinks sold past their date.
Transportation
Taxis were clean and have a set rate for a trip from one area to another.
There's no meter. The trip from the airport to the Marriott was $18. Leaving the hotel,
there was always a taxi available to take us back to the airport or into town.
Buses were great. They passed by all the hotels every 20 minutes so going
into town was a piece of cake. It cost $1.25 to go from our hotel to the bus station in
Oranjestad in the heart of the shopping and restaurant district. There were plenty of bus
stops along the way. Just look for the yellow "Bushalte" signs.
Rental Car availability is plentiful and competitive. We rented a car one
day just to tour the island and that really gave us a flavor of the island. If you really
want to see all the island sites you might consider a three-day rental but I enjoyed the
pool and beaches much more.
We've also posted over a 150 of our favorite photos on website at http://www.billp.com/aruba.
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