First trip to Aruba last
October was 7 days, this trip 10 days - still not enough! Thanks again to the many
contributors to the bbs - the responses are always helpful and great resource for new
ideas and recommendations! Many kudos to Mark at the Marriott for assisting us with our
room request, ensuring every day of our stay at the hotel was wonderful, and for having
dinner with us our last night and introducing us to his wife, Marlene, as well as Salt & Pepper restaurant - one of our
new favorites!
Pre-Trip
When I knew we wanted to return to Aruba this spring and take my mom & sister along, I
began pricing packages and looking at travel dates for a 10-day trip. Upon several bb
recommendations, I contacted Amy at MCM Tours and we ended up booking with her. The prices
were the best, and Amy was wonderful working with our flexible travel dates to get the
biggest bang for the buck, and coordinating flights with Rick and I traveling from
Washington Dulles and mom & sis from Pittsburgh. We got the best deal on USAir's
new(er) nonstop from Philly - and the 4 of us could connect in Philly and take the same
flight!
Wednesday, May 2
Well, the day has finally arrived! We departed Washington Dulles and mom & sis from
P-burgh. Dulles flight was fine but P-burgh leg late taking off and landed in another
concourse, so mom & sis had to really hoof it to make the Philly-Aruba leg! You may
want to be mindful of carry-ons for this reason. Philly to Aruba was on time and
uneventful. We landed in Aruba and took a cab to the Marriott, which was great. Check in
was more crowded than last time we were there - we were looking all over for Glen, who is
awesome and checked us in in October, but he wasn't around. We were finally assisted and
told that, indeed, we had the rooms we requested (650 and 652 facing the lighthouse!!!)
thanks to Mark, but they wouldn't be ready until 4. So, we went to the lobby bar for a
"welcome" cocktail, made a small donation in the casino and, sure enough, at 4
our rooms were ready! Unpacked quickly, got changed and went to Waves, the beach bar, for
2 for 1 happy hour (peach daiquiris) and then to Tuscany's for dinner @ 7 pm. Alex was our
waiter, and could not have been more friendly and professional. Mom had spinach salad, sis
had shrimp in white wine, and I had insalada mista. Entrees: Rick - fruiti di mare, sis
wanted something simple so she had angel hair pasta w/tomato basil, and mom & I both
had wild mushroom risotto - they even made mine w/o onions for me! All food was excellent!
Desserts included tiramisu, biscotti and bongo bongo, and with dinner we had 2 bottles of
Castello Banfi Sumus - just outstanding. Spent a little time at the casino, then to bed.
Thursday, May 3
Up early, as always. They added small 4-cup coffee makers to the rooms - thanks Mark! Went
down @ 7 am to have breakfast buffet - still very good but I noticed they took the smoked
salmon off every day (only on Sundays now..). Securing a palapa is still a challenge but,
since we're early risers, it was never a problem for us. The beach doesn't officially open
until 8 am, but most of the palapas are gone by 9. We spent the day on the beach just
trying to wind down and get in vacation mode! The wind was very strong today - stronger
than in October. There was a most unusual event - there was a halo and rainbow around the
sun! It was very interesting to see, and it made the papers the next day! Many naps, saw
Mergie, our favorite beach waitress, and ordered lunch and caught up on how she's doing,
had 2 for 1 happy hour at Waves, then went downtown to Cubas Cookin' for dinner. Rick really wasn't thrilled
about going, but it turned out to be one of the best surprises of the week. We all had a
few of their house drinks, which is white rum, club soda, lemon juice and sugar with fresh
mint sprigs - mmmmm! Mom, Rick and I all had the combo dinner platter, which was roast
port, shredded flank steak roasted in tomatoes, onions and spices, and ground beef
sautéed with raisins and olives all served with "Moors & Christians" beans
& rice and sweet plantains. I know the last combo sounds really strange, but the sweet
and salty flavors were wonderful. Kathy had just the shredded flank steak dinner. Mom
& Rick had flan and cappuccinos for dessert and I had "tres leches," pound
cake soaked in 3 kinds of milk. All of our food was very tasty and seemed like very
traditional Cuban food, which we love to eat. They had a great Cuban quartet that began
playing who had just arrived from Cuba the previous week. The got the audience very
involved by handing out maracas and other instruments, and Rick got up (after a few too
many rum drinks!) and danced with the lead singer! 10% discount with ArubaPlus
card. Walked a few blocks to Sonesta to catch cab back to Marriott.
Friday, May 4
Up early again, breakfast. A little overcast in the am, but by late morning sun bright and
shiny. Treated mom to early Mother's Day present and booked us both 50-min. aromatherapy
"Massage de la Aruba" at Mandara Spa over at the Ocean Club. They ask you to
arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled time - you fill out a short questionnaire to alert
them to any health problems, then they assign you to a locker and take you to the locker
room. In the locker there's a beautiful white cotton robe, rubber sandals, a towel and
bottle of water. You can shower, take a steam or Jacuzzi before your treatment, but we
just put our robes on and returned to the beautiful sitting area with big-cushioned wicker
chairs. They then present you with a plate with a chilled washcloth soaked in mint and
cucumber to rejuvenate your face and neck - it was luscious. Then, they also serve you a
cup of chilled ginger tea. While you relax, they explain the scents and benefits of the 4
beautiful cobalt blue oil bottles on the table in front of you so that you can select the
scent for your massage. Since we chose not to sauna or anything before our treatment, we
had to wait @ 15 minutes before we went in, but the room smells so wonderful and they
played soft Indonesian music that it was very relaxing. The treatment rooms are very
softly lit and beautiful, with very crisp cotton sheets on the massage table. Massage
therapists got mixed reviews: Mom had Sharmaine, who she said was great and worked out all
of her kinks. She asked her what areas were bothering her, and spent extra time ensuring
they were well tended to. My therapist, Maria, was very nice but didn't ask that question.
Her massage was more like gently rubbing the oil in to my skin and not much
"massage" per se. I still enjoyed it and left feeling relaxed but still had lots
of kinks that didn't get worked out. I guess I'm accustomed to a much more intense massage
experience. After your treatment, you return to the beautiful waiting area and can enjoy
bowls of fresh fruit, small pretzels and other snacks with your water. After our massage,
we chatted with a couple who had just had a "couples deep tissue massage," which
is where you're in the room together with 2 massage therapists. They enjoyed the
experience, but said it wasn't as "deep tissue" as they had hoped for. Each
50-minute session was $90, with a 15% service charge added for both of us (like they do in
some restaurants to share among the staff). Then, we added an additional gratuity for each
masseuse. Am I glad we tried the Mandara experience - yes. Would I go there again - well,
it is pricier than most massages, and I would like to try Cosmos
or Intermezzo Spas to compare, and they're services are less expensive, so I guess the
answer would be not in the near future. I think had I felt exceptional about my massage, I
would have gone back to try some of the more interesting treatments, which is what I was
interested in before I got there.
Before dinner, we went and were playing the nickel slots, and Kathy hit for $60! We had 7
pm dinner reservations at Madame Janette - our favorite. We had a table on the inside
section right in front of the small stage. At first we weren't thrilled - it's very warm
at the inside tables, but our friendly and excellent waiter greeted us and we began to
feel more at ease. Also, when the performer came on - he's a gentleman that was there in
October and he sings very mellow tunes and plays guitar, a good mix of music - our waiter
is good friends with him and encouraged us to make requests, so we had the whole inside
singing along to Buffet, Neal Diamond, Jim Croce, etc. Very fun! Rick had special Lobster
Bisque and I had mushrooms in puff pastry. Dinner: mom - special snapper parmesan with
fettuccini, Rick - special duck breast in gran marnier sauce, and Kathy and I both had
surf & turf - filet, lobster tail and shrimp. All were simply excellent. Enjoyed 2
bottles of the St. Emillion - one of the chef's recommendations. Desserts - Kathy had the
cheesecake, mom the special Sacher cake (a light chocolate cake from Austria), Rick the
special butterflake cake (recipe from the Titanic!) and I had the Mama Jamaica, which is
dark rum-soaked pineapple with vanilla ice cream and toasted coconut. As always, Madame
Janette never disappoints!
Saturday, May 5
Up early, had breakfast, lots of glorious sun all day. Decided to stay at beach until
3:30, then showered and dressed for casual dinner. Before dinner, Mom hit the 3 double
diamond jackpot on nickel machine and won the $250 jackpot! Walked over to Hadacurari,
right next to Ocean Club. Very casual place with outdoor tables - we watched the sunset
sipping Balashis - all was right with the world. The "catch of the day" was
Wahoo, which Rick and mom ordered, but Kathy and I had the bbq ribs. Delish! While we were
eating dinner, the fishing boats were coming in at the dock in front of the restaurant,
and we saw a guy put 4 huge fish in a shopping cart and wheel it toward the restaurant.
Sure enough, he was bringing it to Hadacurari - so it's really fresh! Went to casino for a
little while, then decided we needed something sweet. Thought perhaps we could just sit in
the bar area at Tuscany and have dessert - nope! So we went to our room, ordered room
service - tiramisu and biscotti from Tuscany as well as key lime pie and a big pot of
decaf - room service came in @ 20 minutes and was great!
Sunday, May 6
Rick and I overslept a little, but mom & kath to the rescue with the palapas!
Breakfast and beach for the day! We had dinner at Papiamento, which was one of our
favorites in October. We had an excellent table right by the pool --the pool was very
clean, with fresh flowers and tea candles floating - just beautiful. Rick and I had
escargot apps. Mom, Rick and I had the Neptune for dinner - catch of the day (mahi mahi),
lobster and shrimp cooked on a stone and Kathy had the snapper - all very good. Enjoyed
with a bottle of Sancere. Mom & I shared apple pie and Rick had poached pear dessert -
both good. Back to hotel to watch Sopranos (can't miss it!) and to bed.
Monday, May 7
Knew we were going downtown to shop in the am, so slept in a little and had breakfast.
Headed to Oranjestad in search of souvenirs and a "bauble" for Kathy. Went to
Shivas, and Kathy began looking at small diamond pendants. We eventually selected a loose
stone that was of the quality and size we were looking for - they went out of their way to
get some stones from their other store to meet our needs. Kathy just wanted a plain
4-prong setting, which they did for no charge, and gave us a good deal on a gold chain
too. We worked with Larry and the owner (forget his name), but we were very pleased with
the price and the service. Shopped around for souvenirs also went to Birkenstock shoe
store and they had good prices - cheaper than states - so Rick and mom bought new Birkies.
We wondered over to the vendors along the wharf by the Paddock, and had an awesome fresh fruit drink at
one of the little stands - must have next time too! Had 6 pm reservation for Chalet Suisse
for early bird special. We had never been there and it's now on our Top 2 list of
favorites! Mom, Kathy and I all had the Early Bird special - choice of Caesar salad or
soup of day, choice of 4 entrees, choice of 2 desserts and coffee for (I think) $23.99.
Mom & sis had Caesar salad, I had mushroom soup - both delish. Mom & I had
Wienerschnitzel (sp?), which was as good as we had in Vienna, Austria! Come to find out
one of the owners is from Austria - mmm! Kathy had a NY strip steak, and we all tasted it
and remarked it was one of the tastiest, best pieces of steak we'd ever had! Rick started
out with escargot and had one of the dinner specials - rack of lamb, which was done to
perfection and carved tableside. Had 2 delicious bottles of Poulliac. Since mom & I
wanted infamous Tobleroni fondue for dessert and not one of the 2 choices (apple strudel
and one other one…), that's what we ordered - the waiter was so sweet - he wrapped 2
pieces of strudel for us to take with us and we had them as a late-night snack! Kathy got
the strudel as well - it was truly excellent. Service, ambiance, menu - all tops in our
book.
Tuesday, May 8
We knew Tuesday would be a busy day - renting car, BB Happy Hour @ Manchebo, manager's cocktail party at Marriott, and
dinner @ Promenade over in San Nicholas! I had rented a Dihatsu Terios (thanks for the
suggestion, ArubaLisa!) from Economy over the internet - they had a 3-day special
price and I got 10% discount at the end from ArubaPlus card
- all in all, a good deal! The Economy guy brought the car right to the Marriott - we
filled out all the paperwork, looked over the car very carefully and he marked down every
scratch or ding, and then went inside to rent snorkel equipment from Red Sail. If only the
snorkel equipment was as easy to rent as the car! You have to go to the Red Sail hut on
the beach for the equipment, which was fine except we couldn't find anyone that was
manning the hut! After @ 15 minutes, someone finally came and he told us that there was a
$50 (I think…) security deposit per day per set of equipment that couldn't be charged
to our room, so Rick had to run up and get a credit card. The cost of the rental itself
could be charged to the room - just not the security deposit. It took the guy what seemed
like forever to get 4 sets of equipment together, but finally we were on our way. We
headed up toward the lighthouse,
then decided to stop at Arashi
Beach. It was great! There was hardly anyone there, we got a palapa and a
shelter, and we began teaching mom how to snorkel. The snorkeling was really fun there,
but you had to go out pretty far to see the good stuff! Went to BB party organized by
JanGail at the Manchebo @ 4 pm. So much fun to meet everyone - let's
see if I can remember who all was there: JanGail and her hubby, Scott & Helen, Julie
and Bart, Steve and Joy, Audrey, and JJ with his wife - sorry if I forgot anyone or got
names wrong! It was really fun finding out where everyone was from, where they were
staying, etc. We had to leave then to get to the Marriott's manager's cocktail party,
where we stayed for a little while, then headed toward San Nicholas for dinner at the
Promenade. Thanks to Carol's directions, we found it with no problem! It's a beautiful
little restaurant that smells of this great potpourri. Had bottle of Australian
chardonnay-semillion blend while we looked over the menu. We had a terrible waiter - which
I think was one of the main reasons we didn't like the restaurant that much - we were
inquiring about the menu and asking him for some recommendations - he was less than
pleased to respond to us and walked away while we were finalizing our decisions. The food,
when it came, was ok - Rick had the Lobster Thermador, Mom & I had twin tournedos and
Kathy had what she thought was Cajun shrimp but turned out to be Creole shrimp instead. As
I said, the food was ok, but didn't really hold up to the other restaurants we'd been to.
We had a few other waiters helping out with the table - they all help each other - and
they were so very nice, we were really disappointed we were stuck with this nasty guy who
reminded us of Big Pussy from the Sopranos! The best part of dinner is the homemade corn
pudding that they serve. A gentleman at the next table heard us raving about it, and said
they'd give me the recipe if I asked. Well, of course when I asked the waiter for it, he
said they didn't give it out, so I just let it pass. Sure enough, the gentleman heard this
and asked his waitress for a copy for me. Out it came, and the waitress happily handed me
a copy. Dessert was disappointing - "homemade" apple pie that was really like
cake with tiny chopped apples on top, and not so good crème caramel. Perhaps we just
ordered badly, perhaps we let the nasty waiter ruin our experience - either way, we'll
skip the Promenade next time. Kathy won $562.50 on the 5x quarter slot - she got triple
bars and two 5x icons, which meant 25x the payout of 90 quarters!
Wednesday, May 9
Decided this would be our "adventure" day with the car. Even though the guy from
Economy reminded me the Terios is only all-wheel
drive - not 4-wheel - and I should absolutely not try and go to the Natural
Pool in the Terios, I wanted to try anyways, so we set off looking for it.
Thanks to directions posted on the bb, we found our way there, but it was an experience!
When we finally began going up the hill, we stopped and let Kathy go to the top to survey
what we were about to get into. The first part of the hill is very steep with very large,
sharp rocks and I was beginning to understand Economy's advice! Well, she came back over the hill
shouting, "retreat!" so we all had a good laugh and headed off for the Natural
Bridge - very cool - then headed toward San Nicholas and to find Baby Beach.
Baby Beach
was our favorite but please know that there is no shade there, so either wear tons of
sunscreen or only plan to stay a few hours. We were off to the side in a smaller cove, and
we pulled the Terios up to the beach to unload. We had a blast snorkeling, and mom felt
much more comfortable snorkeling there since there was hardly any current and she could
sit in the very shallow water and get her gear on. We only stayed for @ 3 hours - walked
over and got hotdogs, sodas and chips from the little snack bar - then headed back to
hotel fairly crispy from the lack of shade. We decided to go back to Madame Janette for
dinner, and this time I requested a table outside. The hostess remembered us from the
previous night and gave us an excellent table outside with a great breeze. The specials
were the same as the previous Friday, which thrilled Rick - he repeated with both the
Lobster Bisque and duck breasts in gran mariner sauce! Mom had the grilled grouper
special, which came in the huge clay bowl with fresh salad. I asked if they would do the
"grouper & salad special" but make it with snapper, and they happily
obliged. I had been raving about the rack of lamb, so that's what Kathy ordered. Had
another 2 bottles of St. Emillion - starting to feel effects of too much sun @ Baby Beach!
Rick repeated butterflake dessert while Kathy and mom split vanilla ice cream with fresh
strawberries. Another awesome dining experience at Madame Janette!
Thursday, May 10
Last full day in Aruba - sad! Woke up not feeling so well - got too much sun @ Baby Beach
even though I wore 30 sunscreen, so I stayed in room in the am. Mom, Rick and sis took off
in car for another snorkeling morning at Baby Beach.
They came back to the hotel @ 1:30 to pick me up, then we went up to Arashi again where the
snorkeling is good and there are palapas & shelters for shade. There was a front in
the Atlantic the past few days and there was hardly any wind - very hot and humid! Today
the tradewinds returned - a refreshing change! For dinner, we met Mark (at the Marriott)
Purcell and his wife Marlene at Salt & Pepper
for dinner. We had delicious sangria
(by the pitcher!) and ordered a variety of hot and cold tapas. We sat at a table outside
and there was a live band playing out in front of the restaurant. Mom, Kathy Rick and I
shared this huge dessert, which is a sampling of everything on the dessert menu! We had a
blast getting to know Mark and Marlene, and hope to see them again the next time we're in
Aruba. Salt & Pepper was really
fun and good - a definite for next time too!
Friday, May 11
We awoke very early to get a good place on the beach, had breakfast, then got in our last
hours of sunshine. Showered and checked out of our room by noon - stored our luggage with
bell desk, then mom, sis & I had lunch at La Vista - didn't want to rely on airplane
food for dinner! We all 3 had double cheeseburgers - to carry us through lunch and dinner
- they were delicious! Lost a few last $ in casino, then off to airport. Flight full again
back to Philly but uneventful. We were glad we had such a filling lunch - dinner on USAir
was terrible. All flights on time, connections fine. Got home @ 11:45 pm, had our 2 big
black labs greet us at the door, and all-in-all glad we were home. We had a fantastic
vacation again - Aruba never disappoints - and are already trying to figure out when our
next trip will be.
Basic Prices and Info on Mandara Spa @ Marriott Ocean Club
Massage de la Aruba -aromatherapy massage
50 min one guest - $90 two
guests sharing $165
80 min one guest - $125 two
guests sharing $225
Sports Massage -
50 min one guest - $100 two
guests sharing $180
Reflex Foot Massage
50 min one guest - $85 two
guests sharing $155
Heaven and Earth - Massage that focuses on head and feet
50 min one guest - $85 two
guests sharing $155
Traditional Facial - 80-min treatment includes Thalasso footbath and longer massage
50 min one guest - $90 two
guests sharing $165
80 min one guest - $125 two
guests sharing $225
Gentleman's Face Care - Facial designed especially for men; 80-min treatment includes
Thalasso footbath and longer massage
50 min one guest - $90 two
guests sharing $165
80 min one guest - $125 two
guests sharing $225
Caribbean InSPAration - Naturally cleansing and exfoliating facial treatment; 80-min
treatment includes Thalasso footbath and longer massage
50 min one guest - $90 two
guests sharing $165
80 min one guest - $125 two
guests sharing $225
Balinese Boreh Scrub and Aloe Cucumber Wrap - Enjoy a unique and secret Balinese
combination of warming spices to assist in cleansing your body from the inside out, while
you relax in our self-warming blanket. Follow that with a cooling fresh aloe and cucumber
wrap to balance your body.
80 min one guest - $125 two
guests sharing $225
Aromatic Body Scrub - We grind natural corn and blend it with other fresh ingredients for
our most satisfying body scrubs. Experience the tingle and silk like feeling of your
polished skin, followed by an aloe vera body conditioning mask.
50 min one guest - $90 two
guests sharing $165
Caribbean Coffee Scrub - Made from a blend of finely ground coffee and pumice, this scrub
will smooth and refine your skin and elevate your mood. Delight in the intoxicating aroma
and enjoy its rejuvenating effects. A fresh carrot conditioner is used to soothe your
skin.
50 min one guest - $90 two
guests sharing $165
Coconut Scrub - This gentle scrub is made from freshly grated coconuts and is perfect for
sensitive or sunburned skin. A carrot and aloe vera conditioner completes the treatment.
50 min one guest - $90 two
guests sharing $165
Aruba Salt Glow and Tropical Rain Shower - An Aruba must - our salt glow incorporates and
enhancing blend of our selection of aromatherapy oils and mineral rich sea salt granules.
The deeply soothing pressure of our tropical rain shower, which is centered on your main
energy or "Chakra" points, will create a wonderful balance of external cleansing
with internal peace.
45 min one guest - $70
Balinese Aromatherapy Bath
20 min one guest - $35 two
guests sharing $50
Lavender Body Wash and Tropical Rain Shower
25 min one guest - $45
Aruba's Spa Sampler - Start with a cooling Thalasso footbath, followed by an Aruba Salt
Glow. Follow this with a 50-min Massage de la Aruba then settle in for a Caribbean day to
remember.
90 min one guest - $155 two
guests sharing $280
Delicious Dreaming - We soak and scrub your feet in our luxurious Thalasso Foot Bath.
Prime your body with a Lavender Body Wash then Aromatic Body Scrub, and follow with a
50-min traditional facial.
2 hours one guest - $200 two
guests sharing $360
That's a Wrap! - We treat you to a Thalasso Foot Bath and Lavender Body Wash. Be pampered
with our Balinese Scrub and Aloe Cucumber Wrap then let your body rest in our Balinese
Aromatherapy Floral Bath with private tea service, before enjoying an 80-min Massage de la
Aruba.
3 hours one guest - $275 two
guests sharing $500
They also offer a wide variety of manicures, pedicures and waxing services.
