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Hyatt Regency

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Aruba Trip Report: Hyatt Regency Resort
May 27 - June 13, 200
Sent in by: Laurie, David, Meghan and Dillon Regrut

This is a trip report submitted by the Regrut Family :-) ~~~ Bon
Bini ~~~ !!

Aruba! Sunday 05-27-01 thru' 06-03-01

Once here it can easily become an addiction ...a return visitor told us!... No wonder! We had the vacation of a lifetime!! Here's what we experienced. We would recommend Aruba to anyone! We hope that anyone who reads this trip report finds something they can take away and make their trip to Aruba as great as
ours! Reading trip reports and this B.B. and the e-mail I got back on questions certainly made our trip easier to plan.

Pack 1/2 of what you think you need for clothes...twice the money for the shopping district....and food...bring your own snorkleing equipment.....a compass for the Aruban road trips...and you are set for the time of your lives...watch out for the goats!! :-)

We made arrangements to fly Delta and stay at the Hyatt in Palm Beach. Definitely dropped major cash to do this. Wanted to get a direct flight from Pittsburgh, but needed to transfer in
Atlanta. My husband and I have lots of experience flying he in the
Military and I on Business... We decided this was the worst four flights we have ever been on and yet the time we spent in
Aruba the best in our years together....(22)!! We went for our 20 Year Anniversary!!

Leaving the "Burgh" and getting to Atlanta was uneventful until the gate change. We have two children ages 9 and 10. This was their first adventure in flying. The flight out of Pgh was perfect.
They were amazed and very excited. The crew was very attentive and they received their Delta Wings for 1st time flyers. We landed in Atlanta walked to our departure gate about 20 minutes away dragging our carry on. No people movers here as in most big cities. We had plenty of time to grab a snack as our flight took off @ 7:15 am and were not scheduled to fly out until
11:00 am. We found our gate for transfer...dropped off Dad to watch the carry on luggage and proceeded to Burger King for some breakfast sandwiches which took 40 minutes!!!!. Returned to our gate and we were surprised to see that noone except one other couple waiting. No Delta folks were at the ticket counter. The other couple decided to ask if there was a problem and
suddenly we were frantically running to a gate at least 20 minutes away again with 10 minutes 'til flight time! We barely made our
flight...Thanks Delta! The flight from Atlanta to Aruba was 4 hours. Of these 4 hours... at least 3 were full of major turbulance. Pilot was lookin for "good air"...from the lowest point to the ceiling....no relief. Lots of bouncing, dropping, noise and it was so distracting. Most of the passengers were anxious and could barely eat lunch...food sliding..drinks spilling. Lights were virtually on the whole time. Bathroom trips for anyone were a challenge. Our children were very concerned and alarmed. I am a very experienced flyer and this was probably the worst flight for turbulance I was ever on.

Alas, we landed in Aruba. The sight coming in was spectacular. The Carribean was silver and teal blue. Perfect landing...Thank you Delta. They gave us earphones...blankets...pillows and many comforts to ease the flight on the way down. The crew was great. We soon forgot our rough flight in. Customs moved along nicely...then we found out that Delta should have given us forms on the flight ...They ran out before they got to our row...so the Customs agent gave us them to fill out. We needed to get out of line and fill them out before our passports could be stamped.... An additional 1/2 hr...Make sure you get your forms from your Airline! Suddenly I was very dissapointed in Delta....this was before the disaster flight on the way home! We had no idea what we were in for there!

Although we paid in advance for a bus ride to the Hyatt with DePalm Tours....we read the BB and took advice...We took a Taxi. Our driver was awesome. Explained what we were seeing ...took us past some sights at no extra cost. Dropped us
at the front doors of the Hyatt. $19.00. Very courteous, thankful of the tip and proud of his Country! He was a pleasure!

We were greeted by Hyatt personnel and the front dest told us we could not check in until 4:00.... it was 3:15. We were all very tired and kind of stressed out from the flight. The first Hyatt employee to wait on us was as rude as rude could get!! She was arrogant and annoyed by life in general. We bided our time. The kids checked out the garden trails and exotic birds with me. Then they told us we could check in. Our room was kind of small. The bathroom was large. Two double beds and a table and 2 chairs.
A mini-bar fully stocked...Although we paid for a balcony room with a garden / ocean view.... the balcony was about 10 inches wide. Certainly no chairs and a side view of the main gardens and if you really looked for the ocean you could see it over the trees. A little dissapointing, however we decided that we would not be spending alot of time in theroom... so we didn't ask for another room worth what we were paying for. Hindsight is 20-20 and we probably should have said something. The room however was on the 1st floor and very close to everything.

We had arranged and purchased the Hyatt breakfast plan for the week. It was expensive but convenient and the food was delicious!! We enjoyed our choices on the buffet. Fresh fruit, juices, omlettes to order, pancakes, french toast, bacon, sausage, corn beef hash....Everything was great including service. Aruba coffee is very strong for the weak at heart!!
All I needed was 1/2 cup and whew!. The restaurants at the Hyatt were very very clean!! Help and workers every where. Cleaning the entire grounds, ponds, pools, beachfront, huts, bars....Amazing how much staff is employed there. We tipped generously in US $ and it was well received with return attention. Anything from extra pillows, towels, room service, cashing travelers checks, shops, booking taxis, wakeup calls......awesome service.!! Would absolutely stay there again. Outside of the first "ruder than rude clerk" we encountered at the desk the first 2 days we stayed there (she must have been off the rest of the week yeah!), everyone at the Hyatt was special and friendly!!

The Hyatt pools (3 levels) and surrounding gardens were beautiful! The swim -up bar we loved for lunch! Cordelia and Raul waited on us several times and they were great!! They loved the kids and were friendly and gracious! There was even a "Second Cook" from the Palms restaurant that waited on us one day when Cordelia was off and talked to us for an hour while he hustled back and forth. Invited us to visit next year and stay with his family! :-) All 4 of us decided from the get-go that they had the best "Burgers" we ever had in our lives!!!! Try the Balashi and or Polar Beer to rinse back those "Burgers".

We did the beach in the early hours of the day....10:00 'til 3:00...then the pools and water slide and fountains at the end of the day...Less crowded. The Carribean water at this time of year was perfect. We snorkled.... rented floaties...hung out in the "Hut"....took breaks from the sun by reading, snacking and talking! Lots of family down time! Our daughter had her hair done in Aruban braids with beads.... from the local women on the beach. It was beautifullly done.... They cleaned their combs with rubbing alchohol. Make sure if you get this done on the
beach that your combs are cleaned as such! Our lady was named "Rose"...she was fantastic!! Good job....Meghan kept her braids in for 3 weeks and they came out easily but it took time. She was sad to lose them! The girls and teachers at school when she went back all wanted an "Aruban Doo" ...too!!

We spent time on the beach for a sunset night. We just absolutely had a ball. The water is salty...easy to float. We snorkled right there at the resort site and saw tons of fish and starfish every day. We went out to the markers on floaties and saw even more. The only annoyance in front of the Hyatt were kids on these stinky, noisy, gas powered, hand held, kind of jet ski. Aruba Tourism ought to outlaw them. They stunk up the
air and water and were really loud when they passed. Fortunately there were not many!!! The Banana Boats and Jet Ski Boats were the only source of wave action. After experiencing the Atlantic waves on Hatteras Island almost every year since they were born....Meghan and Dillon were really comfortable in the water. They are avid swimmers and we had a hard time getting them out of the water to eat!! :-) There were no waves beating them up!!

Speaking of eating....

We chose to eat out or order in for dinner! We did the French
SteakHouse! Probably the best service we ever ever received. The kids ordered seafood and we ordered the steak special for $25.95 per person...which included a bottle of wine. Every single course and every single bite was spectacular. If you have ever had steak in Chicago...."you ain't seen nothing yet"!!
MMMMMMM!! Ooooo Laaa Laaa!!

We did the "La Restaurant Italiano" (I think) across the street from the Hyatt. We walked over not knowing what to expect! Our cabbie from the airport trip recommended it to us for pasta! Doesn't look like much but oh wow!! Fierce pasta and veal dishes. Pricey...had a bottle of wine...but well worth it. We share at our family dinners so everyone had a taste of everything. Veal, Eggplant Lasagna....but most delicious was the Ravioli with Walnut Pesto Sauce that Dillon ordered!!! mmmm......spectacular meal again! Worth every penny! About $125-$160 for every
meal we had out....for 4! Meghan and Dillon order adult meals!

We ordered room service from the Hyatt ...everything from daily specials to pizza and ice cream...all great....The Island Skewers and Seafood Platters are worth mentioning. The only "Bad Meal" we had was at the Hyatt's Palms Restaurant. We did their lobster night. It stunk.... Order lobster in Maine....skip this one...Very expensive for live whole Maine lobster.... Although this was the first time Dillon experienced a whole lobster....Liked the "Lobster Bib" but would only eat the tail which is what they are used too! The lobsters were small, lukewarm and soggy! Would not recommend to anyone. Close to $180 that night.

We rented a vehicle from Avis at the Hyatt.....a little more expensive but convenient! Wow what an adventure....getting around Aruba was wild.... You go from highway (no signs.... mostly unmarked...confusing) to total desert backroads......We howled....we had a blast....We eventually found Baby Beach.... past the goats...the cactus fences.....the prison....the Balashi brewery...ect. Holy Cow what a road trip!! You definitely need 4 wheel drive to do this!! Ours was a purple 4 seater with a hatch with a 13 inch wheel base!!$$$ Take your time...order a jeep on line...but get air!! HOT!! HOT!! HOT!! cruising! Everyone drives faster than you do....we had this little engine cranked
out!! But when they pass you like crazy people everyone is
friendly...waving!! Highways are narrow and sandy! We hit 4 drops of rain on the road the whole time! Watch out for the stray dogs crossing (they all limp), the goats and donkeys! Too much :-)!!

When we found Baby Beach it was a relief....there is a small snack bar thet serves snacks, hot dogs and drinks. We did some of our best snorkeling here with the kids. Shallow...we took tropical fish food with us...released a little bit and wham!! :-) Beautiful fish everywhere!! It was too rough for the kids to go further out past the breakers to the coral...I am a very strong swimmer but could not master the rip tides further out that day... I recommend that if you want to explore the reefs at Baby Beach you look into tide times!

We then ventured out to find the Natural Bridge....Oh Wow what a beautiful rural drive.... don't give up...it's right over there! Aruban
direction..... "You Go"...then you see sign..."Then You Go"...we were lost as can be... felt like we were on planet Mars...then there it is in front of you.... What a sight...Spectacular!!! Nice gift shop and snack parlor! At this point we ordered our first mixed drinks on Aruba....That road trip did us in...Piņa Coladas...we seldom drink anything but beer but David and I couldn't get enough!! :-) Had 2 each....dropped tons of cash in the gift shop on X-mas and family souveniers, beach towels and we all had ice cream! When someone on the B.B. tells you that being at the Natural Bridge is like being in another world believe us. The view is so wonderous....!!!! Never to be forgotten! Meghan and Dillon had a great time running from the waves down below and searching for long legged crabs on the rocks...there are plenty!!

After that we set out to find the Natural Pool.........more back
roads...more desert.....impassable roads in our little 4x4....had to
turn back after an hour and 1/2....never quite found it!! Thought we
were close following a Jeep....but they got too far ahead of us on a down hill run...that we would not have made it back up most likely!!

We took a Red Sail Sports Snorkling Cruise. It started at 9:00 am and we returned around 2:00p.m. We took off for 2 coral reef expeditions and a dive at the shipwreck Antilla. We boarded "The Fiesta" a catamaran sail boat...(huge)!! The four of us had a continental breakfast of danishes, juice and fruit. A buffet lunch that was positively awesome and fresh!! Sandwiches, fruit, salads....and open bar and 3 snorkeling stops for $138. We saved this trip 'till friday...had we known that it was going
to be this terrific...we would have done this twice!! The boat was
exceptionally clean...the CREW!!!! was fantastic...The snorkeling stops were not only EDUCATIONAL but Positively AWESOME!! We saw so much...took two underwater cameras and used evey shot way before we returned to land! We met some really cool people!! The crew, the honeymooners (lots of them), retired folks and one other family!! The boat was not at all crowed...(The perfect time of year). So we had some extra special attention from the crew!! If you are a family with young children....make sure you all bring your own comfortable fitting life jackets and snorkeling equipment as we did! The cruise provided us with
flippers!! You will need them! The water by the Antilla was very
choppy....but still got some great pictures. Meghan, Dillon, David and I are all very strong swimmers....but this snorkeling drop was rough and choppy! We used up alot of energy on this drop! We could not let go of the children...the current going out was very strong We danced and sang and learned a new line dance on this cruise!! I only wish that I could remember all the words and moves to "The Windshield Wiper Song"....our crew was a blast!! David and I chose not to drink anything with alchohol until we were all done with the 3rd and final snorkeling drop....but
then we enjoyed the "Captain's Rum Special".....Mmmmmmm!!!

We saved our shopping day for saturday....good thing we chose saturday for sundays on "ARUBA" ...one happy island is family day....virtually nothing is open! We had lots of time before our flight on sunday and almost planned our shopping excursion to Oranjestead until then!! We decided to go saturday and had a blast! The shopping booths are lined up on the right side of the street and the mall is on your left going to the airport! Shop the stalls and booths first unless you are after gold....which we were not!!

Art....Islandcrafts...hats...t-shirts....cigars....musical instruments... dolls...coconut animals!! We dropped $500 in about an hour not including drinks and lunch!! We took a cab both ways! As a matter of fact you can get anywhere on the island for $5 - $7 in a cab.Although we rented a 4x4 for our island adventures a cab can get you anywhere!! We were sad packing up to go home...so much fun...we decided we needed two weeks at least to cover the entire island of Aruba! So many great people so many great times each day!! But it was time to head home!!

We made arrangements for tthe cab to pick us up at noon. We had an absolutely fantastic sunday brunch at the Hyatt...... Wow what a layout....everything from sushi to rice crispie french toast. The entire restaurant was maxed out!! We ate out front in the Ruinas Del Mar on the Pond with the Black Swans!! This
breakfast was not we found out included in our breakfast plan. We soon dicovered why. It cost about $80. We were a little confused but decided not to fuss! You must pick your battles wisely!! After breakfast, David, Meghan and Dillon went for an hour swim in the pool which was virtually empty....I packed up the last of our stuff....and waited for the Bell Captain who never came...after an hour we carted our own "stuff" out front of the Hyatt and hailed a cab.

We made it to the airport and saw the last of the Divi Divi Trees and the "Haystack"....Aruba's only mountain which we used as an east - west marker on our road trips many times. We remembered on our way to the the airport that the famous Divi Divi treas always point north because of the trade winds.... Hmmmm! Make a note!

Customs in Aruba was consisted of at least 3 check points...We didn't have anything we shouldn't have so we didn't have a problem. However, we did see a woman arguing with the agents and she was escorted! We waited an hour and a half 'til our flight was called. If you have that long to wait....Eat a snack at their airport restaurants before you get to your final customs checkpoint. We didn't realize this!! We were only able to
get sodas... So here we go with our flight out on Delta!

OK ....We board...the plane is filthy....no blankets....no pillows that are clean...they are selling headphones for the movie for $5 each!! What gives!! Not exactly friendly service... kind of stressed out attendents!! Takes forever...!!! to get a beverage let alone lunch!! The plane once again is in turbulant skies....I resolve this to be part of the Aruba trade winds thing that we had on the way in! We are all nervous once again. The flight becomes more rough and then we find out we are not on course over Atlanta because of strong storms.....We are coming in over the Gulf of Mexico and heading into Georgia from the Northwest instead of the Southeast... at this point I'm thinking we ought to delay in another city. We stayed in the air around Atlanta for an extra forty minutes. The closer we got to Atlanta the darker the sky became. We were in a major and severe thunderstorm.
Lightning crashed...the plane surged up and down back and forth.... Stuff dropped from overhead and the kitchen in back of the plane had stuff falling and slamming to the ground. Folks on the plane became increadibly quiet. We were all lost in prayer for a safe landing....Meghan and Dillon were terrified as was everyone on the plane! You could have heard a pin drop! Everyone was closing their window blinds.......When I saw the flight attendents buckle up and sit... I promised Meghan and Dillon that God would watch over us....no matter what. We prayed for us and we prayed for the Pilot who was flying us! What an increadible job he was doing!!! Somehow by the grace of God we landed roughly but in one piece. We ...I think EVERYONE on board cried with relief. What a horrible experience for Meghan and Dillon! How
it taught them to have faith!

When we were finally getting into the airport there were about a
zillion people in the Atlanta airport...Apparently Georgia had
experienced major storms which had caused cancellations and delays all day. The airport had officially closed at least four times in the last ten hours. Yes....our flight to Pgh was cancelled.....we were put on standby and priority because of having young children....but no gaurantee that we would be sitting with the children. We accepted the standby arrangements..... Meghan and Dillon and Mom and Dad were all very much filled with anxiety... As it turned out tho' 5 hours later we were all sitting next to eachother on a flight to Pgh....without incedent...we landed in Pgh in 45 degree weather with rain.....safely..that's
all that mattered at that point....together.....!!

We had an absolutely wonderful vacation to Aruba!! Anyone young... old....family.... newlywed.....retired.... reading this trip report on this Aruba Bulletin Board...This Island... This One Happy Island!!....is worth a visit....is worth a stay.....is worth every penny...

We Loved It!!

Laurie, David, Meghan and Dillon Regrut

Please feel free to e-mail questions to lregrut@timesnet.net

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The trip reports depict individual experiences and opinions
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25 June 2001