After checking out this
bulletin board in anticipation of my trip, I not only received some great tips but I also
could not wait to go! Hopefully this report will help some other people out.
First of all, I want to say - we will be back! Aruba is one of the most beautiful islands
(well as far as the beach side of the island goes) and everyone was so nice. We could not
have asked for a better place to spend our honeymoon.
Our trip started out of Logan International at 4:00 Sunday morning - this was not the best
time to leave, considering my wedding reception ended at 1:30 Sunday morning, but we
sucked it up and knew that the end result would be worth it. Security at the airport was
super tight, but that just made us feel better, the
flight down was uneventful but I have no complaints about that. We arrived in Aruba at
12:30, took the DePalm tour bus (we had booked our trip through GWV) and were at the
Allegro Resort by 2:00. The only problem was that we could not check in until 3:00 and
neither one of us was up for checking out the island in the meantime considering we had
been up for over 24 hours, but we got something to eat and were able to check in at 3:00
at which point we put our bags on the floor and promptly fell asleep until 7:30.
I had heard about the restaurant Salt&Pepper from this board so we headed over there
to check it out (we did not do all inclusive at the Allegro and to eat there was
outrageous price wise) and I am so happy we had heard about this restaurant. The wait
staff are super friendly and my husband and I ordered some tapas and
Amstel Brights - if you go, check out this beer - it's a lot like a Corona and in my
opinion better than the Aruba brewed Balashi. We ended up eating at Salt&Pepper a lot
for lunches - it was very convenient and you could not beat the prices for a nice sit down
lunch - if you go definitely sample the garlic calamari - so tasty!
On Monday we stayed on the beach and relaxed, Aruba was going through a dry spell in
tourists due to the September 11th tragedy, and you could see it all over the island.
Everything we did was down about 1/2 the normal tourists and it was no problem getting a
"hut" on the beach. The Allegro was probably one of the most packed hotels as
far as people go, and even there you could tell there were not many people around.
That night we did the sunset cruise on the Jolly Pirates boat - so much fun (although
there were only 10 of us) but the crew was great and we drank lots of "Pirate's
Potion" along with taking a ride off the rope swing - it was a total blast and a
great way to
see the island. For dinner we headed to El Gaucho - I can totally understand why everyone raves about this
restaurant - it was fantastic. I am not a red meat eater (my husband is) but the shrimp
was out of this world and there was so much food to be eaten. We had 7:30 reservations and
were promptly seated (but I
suspect this had something to do with the lack of tourists on the island). I highly
recommend this restaurant! We went on to Mambo Jambo’s for drinks, a nice place to
relax and people watch.
Tuesday we woke to another beautiful day and went on the Mi Dushi snorkeling trip, which left dock at 9:30. I HIGHLY recommend
this snorkeling trip – the crew was fantastic – and for a beginner to snorkeling
this was a great way to learn. You first go to Catalina Bay – which is nice and calm
and the fish there are so pretty and then you go to the shipwreck Antilla where
the water is a bit rougher but you get to see the shipwreck. The crew watches you 100% of
the time – at Catalina Bay I thought I could not get my mask on my face correctly
– every time I went under it filled up with water – one of the crew was at my
side in moments asking me if I was ok and it turned out I had a leak
in the mask, so he gave me a new one of the spot. We also settled back at Catalina Bay
after the shipwreck to go off the rope swing and have some lunch. I was so impressed with
lunch – it was gourmet quality – filo shell with olive spread and spinach (SOO
good) and also a mixture of seafood and some great potatoes. This trip also includes open
bar and no one is stingy
with the alcohol. We docked around 2:30 after a fantastic day at sea. For dinner we ended
up at Boonoonoonoos – again, 7:30 reservation but we were promptly seated when we
arrived (7:15). The food was fantastic – started with the Pumpkin Soup (we split a
bowl – a must try) and then had the Carib Combo – I
highly recommend this – it’s a little more expensive than the regular menu, $30
a person, but you get such an array of food – everything from beef to chicken to
eggplant and it’s a great way to try new foods. The service was great and the food
even better!
On Wednesday we went on the ABC Jeep Tour. We had a great time although the Jeeps are in
not-so-great shape. Our tour guide Claudio was fantastic and we only had 3 other Jeeps on
the tour besides the tour guide. People are put 4 to a car and everyone has a chance to
drive – this is a great way to see the other
side of the island and it was all day. We started at the California Lighthouse and then
went through the desert and visited sites such as where people make the wishing rocks, a
church, a ruins site, the Natural Bridge, Bat Cave (could have done without this) and then
went to lunch – where we had a nice lunch of BBQ
chicken and ribs, rice, corn and iced tea. Do not expect not to get dirty on this tour (or
any jeep ride) 5 minutes into the tour on the desert we were all covered in dirt, but
that’s half the fun. We were told to keep our rolls for the fish when we went
snorkeling and after about an hour we were on the road again to Baby Beach. This was one
of the most beautiful beaches – you must go there – rent a jeep, do the Jeep
Tour – but definitely visit it. Our tour guide told us not to freak out when the fish
ate the
roll from your hand – but this is definitely easier said than done – the fish
were absolutely HUGE – the Angel Fish were beautiful and the others were too,
although I have no idea what they were. We were provided with snorkeling gear and were
able to spend a
little over an hour there. After that we were back on the road and on our way home. I
definitely think that when we go to Aruba again we will rent a jeep – it’s
cheaper and all’s you have to do is tag along behind another Jeep tour to see all the
sites. The tour was good – but definitely only a one-time event for us –
next time we’ll be seeing what we want to on our own time. Plus, the Jeeps were
falling apart and the ones you received when you rented your own were so much better. Once
we arrived back at the hotel (around 4:30) we had an hour to clean up before we were met
with the Kukoo Kunuku bus. This was so much fun!!!
We started with a champagne toast at sunset and then it was on to dinner and then partying
at 3 local bars. Every bar we went to was fantastic and drinks were all very reasonably
priced – we met a lot of people and basically just had an absolute blast – I
highly
recommend taking one night to do this as it is both a great way to meet some other people
(yes, we were there on our honeymoon but it is nice to talk to other people) and a great
way to go to some off the beaten path bars (and for those women who ever felt the need to
dance on a bar – you get your chance!)
Thursday we ended up going down town to buy some souvenirs – remember to bring cash
as you can get some great buys on t-shirts and bags on the boardwalk. We also made a trip
to Little Switzerland where I got a great deal on a silver bracelet (2 days later my
husband bought me the matching necklace) and where he got a great deal on a Fossil watch.
There is no sales
tax in Aruba and the jewelry stores are abundant in town – I know we got a good deal,
but I do wish I had shopped around in the States a bit more – but I had a wedding to
plan! We had lunch at Iguana Joe’s – nothing extraordinary, but convenient and
then back to the beach to lounge. We went to Madame Janette’s for
dinner – perhaps my favorite place – ambiance, food, everything was amazing. The
restaurant is inland, but you would never know it once you walk in the door, tiki torches
and plank floors made for an amazing looking place. Again, we had 7:30 reservations –
were there early and were instantaneously seated. Everyone
was so nice and there was a photographer taking pictures, which we received, at our hotel
the next morning (only $6 for a nice shot).
Friday was another lazy day spent at the beach and we had dinner at Flying Fishbones. This
is a MUST GO TO restaurant. The restaurant is completely on the beach – I had my toes
in the sand and the water was about a foot away from the table. We had 6:00 reservations
– a must because the sun sets around 6:30 and it was the best place to watch the sun
set over the ocean while eating dinner. The food was fantastic (I feel like I
am repeating myself from all the restaurants) and the staff was great – no one minded
snapping pictures and everyone wanted to know what you thought of Aruba. They asked
if we were on our honeymoon and for desert the plate was decorated with frosting that said
“Happy Honeymoon” and there was a sparkler lit when it was delivered – it
was great! This was a $21 cab ride
because it is at the opposite end of the island, but well worth it.
Saturday was spent doing some last minute shopping and then lounging, once again, on the
beach. We went to dinner at Driftwood. This was my least favorite restaurant. The food was
ok – we had calamari and coconut shrimp for an appetizer, but I did not think either
was outstanding. My scallops were smothered in
a very heavy garlic sauce, which took away from the scallop’s natural tastes.
Although my husband enjoyed his mahi-mahi, I was very unimpressed with everything.
Although the staff was very nice and attentive, I would have rather have gone to any one
of the other restaurants we had already visited. After dinner it
was on to Carlos and Charlie’s for some drinks – a great place to have fun
– never a dull moment there!
Sunday morning we awoke early for one last walk on the beach and then it was downstairs to
check out. We left our hotel around 10:00 and by the time we went through immigration and
customs it was close to noon. They were very cautions about searching everything (we
were randomly picked and had to open ALL of our
suitcases, which was a pain but I did feel better knowing they were being careful) and
then it was on to wait for the plane to come in. I had read here before that there was no
food at the airport, but the airport has been completely finished – granted the food
is not cheap – but there are lots of little places to grab
something to munch on. We boarded the plane late and then it was almost 45 minutes after
the time we were scheduled to leave before we actually took off. We had a stop over in
Connecticut at which point the whole plane had to get off and be rechecked. I’m not
sure why this was done – yes, I understand for security reasons, but really – we
were all checked in Aruba and then did not stop off anywhere else until Connecticut. This
was frustrating because by the time we arrived in Boston it was 8:30 and essentially we
had spent our whole day flying. Also, GWV sends a little note with your flight information
and a phone #
for people to call and check the arrival status – we left Aruba 45 minutes after we
were supposed to, so as of 2:00 GWV knew we were going to be late, but according to the
phone #, we were on time – this was frustrating to our ride and I was a little
disappointed in this service.
As for the hotel – the Allegro property is beautiful and is in a great location. The
dock for a lot of the boat excursions take off about 100 feet away and the beach in front
of the hotel is great. Our room was nothing special – we requested ocean view and
were given a room on the 6th floor that overlooked both the
pool and the ocean, which was nice, but I thought the bathrooms needed to be redone. The
bathroom floors have been stained from all the people traipsing in and out with sand on
their feet and I honestly thought that they could have been cleaner, but it’s a room.
And we literally spent only our sleeping hours in it.
I am not a picky person at all, but this was definitely my one complaint. Also, we
did not do all-inclusive and neither one of
us regretted that decision at all. I had read about all the great restaurants on the
island and did not want to be stuck at one place the whole time. By Wednesday we saw many
couple that were all-inclusive going off and eating in restaurants because they were tired
of the same old food. Yes, it is nice to be
able to get a drink (and as much as you want) anytime you want – but there are a lot
of stores on the island (Hong King for one) that you can buy alcohol and beer at and we
were content doing that. Allegro does cater to all-inclusive though, there is a swim up
bar and activities all day, but there are ways to get around
it (drinks for non-inclusive people are very pricey). We spent a lot of money eating
out, but in the end it averaged out to less than what we would have spent on
all-inclusive. Aruba is not an island that you should feel you need to spend at the hotel
– it is one to be explored. In our case it worked better, but for everyone it is
different. Right across the street from the Allegro is Salt&Pepper, where we at lunch
almost every day, but there is also a Wendy’s and McDonald’s and also a Dunkin
Donuts. I didn’t give
prices on the meals at each restaurant – I don’t really remember – but they
all averaged a little under $100 a night, including drinks – but we were on our
honeymoon and we weren’t (for the first time ever) looking at prices.
One side note – when we were there Arubians were in the middle of elections. On
Thursday at 6:oo PM until Saturday 6:00 AM no drinks were served on the island except at
the resorts. Although this was kind of a pain in terms of us getting drinks at dinner, it
was cool to see people so active in their political culture. We had a great time talking
to the cab drivers about whom they were going to vote for (the Yellow Party came away with
the most seats) and learning about Aruba’s political atmosphere. But, we
had heard about the no drinking days before, and made sure to stock up on some drinks in
the room and we also visited the hotel bar. But – this only happens every four years,
so for all those traveling soon, you won’t encounter this problem.
Please feel free to email me with any questions – we had a fantastic time and Aruba
is literally “One Happy Island”!
Melissa
