I hoped to get a report out quickly, but world events continue to cast a pall over another
great vacation in Aruba. We had initial concerns about going, but we were glad that we
did.
We returned to Aruba for our 16th visit since 1988 on September 22nd, came home again at
midnight on October 6th – less than 24 hours before the Afghan bombing began. We
spent a week at each - Casa Del Mar and Aruba Beach Club.
The September 11th incidents were on everyone's mind. Flights were not a problem. Security
seemed a little tighter. They did look at things more closely on x-ray at JFK and actually
examined a few things in my carry-on luggage. On the way home, Aruban authorities
"confiscated" my camcorder batteries. They were put into a "security
pouch" with flight information and returned when we reached JFK. I can only guess why
they did it, but I'm not absolutely sure of the rationale. Flights down were about 2/3
full, homeward they were 80-90% full.
Friends came with us for week 1 so we did more "dining out". They go home and my
wife and I have a second lazy week 2 with more "dining in".
Here's some of the restaurant information:
Buccaneer - I continue to believe that this is really an excellent value. The "catch
of the day" - barracuda - was $12. In my humble opinion, it was excellent. At
request, they served it with a creole sauce and a "meuniere" sauce on the side.
It was served with stuffed potato, a baked cabbage vegetable and candied plantain. The
"fish tanks" are interesting for first time and return visitors. I think our
bill for 4 was under $70 (3 people had a glass of wine with their meal, 15% was added for
service).
Tony Roma's - we don't have one in our area, so this was our second visit to TR’s in
Aruba. 3 people had ribs, 1 "dieter" with a conscience had broiled salmon. He
said the salmon was good, but my philosophy is " get ribs at a rib joint"!
Anyway, I think the ribs are quite good. We tried to warn our friends that Arubans serve
"soggy" corn as a vegetable, but they still chose it to their dismay. Otherwise,
things were good. The bill for 4 was about $72 - plus tip.
Que Pasa - 3 of us ordered from the "specials" board, 1 ordered "seafood
pasta" from the regular menu. The three fish specials were artfully and tastefully
prepared – don’t remember the names they used. We had a round of drinks, the
entrees, a special dessert (for our wedding anniversary) and coffee. The bill including
all tips was around $150 – not sure exactly because our friends insisted on picking
up the tab this night.
Pirate's Nest – 3 people had the "catch of the day" which was grouper. It
was well-prepared and enjoyed by all. I had a chicken cordon bleu that was also very good.
Two of us had the salad bar which was an extra with the meals. I think the price was about
$4. I think the total bill with 15% was around $100.
El Gaucho – we all had the churrasco steak. We were seated rather
late in the upstairs room – it turned out to be rather quiet after the first 20
minutes or so, since many diners finished and others did not come in. 3 of us brought
steak back to our timeshare which was the basis for another meal. We had one round of
drinks and the bill with 15% was about $123.
Lunch at The Paddock – In the vein of trying different things, I had a
goat cheese sandwich ($5) with a cup of asparagus soup – it was the advertised
special. It was really quite good. The other 3 had the fried fish sandwich – a good
bargain at $5 each. We shared a pitcher of beer. Don’t remember the exact cost, but
it was under $40.
Breakfast at Manchebo Beach Resort – they advertise a $2.99 breakfast special. If you
add meat, coffee and juice, you still had a reasonably-priced breakfast. 1 person had the
"smoked salmon and bagel" platter which was around $10. I believe the bill for 4
was around $32 which included 15% service. The young server was good and attentive and
waited on us again when we came back for lunch later in the week.
Lunch at Pega Pega (Best Western - Manchebo Beach) - Burgers are generous and good at
$6.95. They come with fries and a little salad. 2 people had fish and chips at $7.95. It
was served as a platter and they said it was quite good. With a round of beer, the bill
was about $44 – which included the 15% tip. We had the same server as for the earlier
breakfast – hope that the extra tip reflected the fact that he really tried to do a
good job. He was only 18 years old. Villa Germania – all of us had sauerbraten. It
was not a huge portion, but quite good. We had one round of beer and wine. The bill
(without service) was $92.
Grill House – just my wife and I dined here in week 2. It is in downtown Oranjestad
on the Zoutmanstraat by the old fort. They had an ad in the Aruba evening newspaper that
offered a free (half) carafe of wine and a mixed salad for 2. We both had the
"freebies", a cup of soup, the Aruban-style fish ($14 each) and 1 shared dessert
(carmel flan). Total was a very reasonable $39 plus tip – no service added. There
were some Arubans clustered around the bar, but other than that, only 1 other
(English-speaking) couple came in for dinner while we were there.
Car Rentals:
We had a car in week 1 from Economy. The arrangements were made last winter when they offered a
choice of cars for $175 per week. I get the impression that world events caused prices to
come down as the year progressed because we were offered prices from $170 to $185 by
different vendors as we passed by the various airport rental offices. The car was a Toyota
Yaris (sold as an Echo in the US). Good basic transportation. In week 2, we got a 3 day
rental from Econo. It was $75 for a US (actually Canada) Geo Metro. Basic, basic
transportation (no power steering). Getting a car at the airport and returning a car to
the airport saves the cost of taxi and you have the use of the car for other purposes.
Gas converted to US measure and US prices was $2.85 a gallon. For our two rentals, 10
days, the cost was $24.
Activities:
We tried to show our friends the major points of the island as they were
"first-timers". They said that they really enjoyed snorkeling at Baby Beach. It
was their first time and it is a great place for beginners. We all (4 of us) signed up for
an afternoon snorkeling cruise with the Pelican operation. They do 2 snorkeling stops
– at shallow Boca Catalina and at 60-foot depth of the Antilla wreck site. It was our
first stop at the Antilla and it was awesome, but a bit scary. It was fairly choppy and
easy to lose your orientation to the boat, but there were "big" (dinner-size)
fish down there. Seeing the submerged wreck and trying to figure its orientation were
interesting. The cruise included open bar, chicken snacks, bread and cheese snacks.
In week 2, my wife and I also did a sunset cruise with Pelican. They called it sunset
"booze cruise". There was an open bar from the time we left the pier, they also
served some snacks. We did enjoy it – but we have seen some other spectacular Aruban
sunsets – this one was just OK.
For all of the above – because of a group purchase and a 20% discount as a result
– it was about $24 per person per event.
Summary:
Arubans need the US vacation dollar, but they still seem to welcome it – with
sincerity. Many were saddened and touched deeply by the 9/11 events. They genuinely
expressed their sorrow and concern. Our friend was wearing a "US flag pin" when
we dined one evening. One of the servers saw it and commented that it was beautiful. Our
friend took it off, gave it to her, pinned it on her uniform lapel. She broke down in
tears and thanked him profusely.
Another touching moment for us was when we went to church in Aruba. The final hymn (for a
congregation at our resort that was mostly from the US) was "God Bless America"
– the same hymn that we sang at our local parish on September 16th.
The weather was EXCELLENT – even by Aruban standards. Warm, breezy, sunny every day.
One night about 3 AM, I heard rain hitting the window – no sign of it by morning. No
rain observed during the day.
Casa Del Mar and Aruba Beach Club are both looking good. The hassle was minimal in
checking out of CDM for week 1 and
checking in to ABC for week 2. They moved our luggage without problem. There were small
lines or no lines for check in. Staff at
both places were friendly and efficient. The beach was in good shape – especially in
front of ABC.
If you have been to Aruba and are considering it again, GO! You’ll find the same
people who really like Americans. In our 16 trips (mostly 2 weeks each), we realized that
we have now spent a cumulative 6 months of our lives on Aruba. We have not regretted a day
of it.
If you have any questions or comments, send e-mail. The address is: ormond02@hotmail.com
John
