My daughter and I just spent 10 days in Aruba, in late Sept. early Oct. We stayed at the
Allegro Hotel, {all inclusive.} Before we left, I checked and read a lot of the trip
reports and the Bulletin Board. I read and took notes about the best places to go, the
best restaurants and the best tours. I found those recommendations to be misleading in
several ways. I was very anxious to go to the Flying Fishbone Restaurant, it did have all
the atmosphere mentioned, a table right on the beach, watching the only truly memorable
sunset we saw in 10 days. The food was very unremarkable especially a lobster plate for
$35, a truly bland tiny lobster tail a-la-carte. We paid $132 for two dinners which
included two glasses of wine. The crab salad was just as unremarkable. { it was also
highly recommended} After we paid $45 plus tips for taxi's, I felt a little cheated. I was
somewhat disappointed, for the price we paid, we both felt we could have enjoyed a much
better vacation. As Californians, we are used to a having a smoke-free restaurants, when
we asked to be put in a smoke free section, we told "you can smoke anywhere you want
to". Unfortunately we were uncomfortable most of the time, except in the Ballroom at
the Allegro, where smoking was prohibited. The Allegro Hotel is quite a nice place, I
didn't find the staff to be unfriendly but we did follow some very good advice tot ip with
sacajaweah gold dollars and were well treated. The Hotel was clean and comfortable, we
were upgraded to the 5th floor, because the hotel was not at full capacity secondary to
the Sept 11th horror. We decided if we cancelled our trip then Bin Laden was the winner.
There were many honeymooners and many young couples, most people were very friendly and
polite. We were only woken once during the night by party goers. I was not aware that
Aruba imports all their fruits and vegetables, the food was a little disappointing. { we
spent two vacations at the Beach Palace Hotels in Cancun, whose buffets were to die for}
The Allegro food was just OK. the drinks were OK too. I had no difficulty getting what
ever I wanted, I am not much of a drinker either, so I am not the expert. The beach at the
Allegro is breathtaking and well maintained. The pool is also OK. I loved the iguanas who
roam freely in the grounds and outdoor restaurants, they are fed regularly by the guests
but I worry about their consumption of French Fries, probably not recommended diet for
lizards. :) We took the Mi Dushi sail/snorkel trip, which I thought was excellent, the ship is
very attractive, well maintained and the crew entertained and fed us royally. The drinks
flowed freely. People snorkeled and did the rope swing, which looked like a lot of fun.
Unfortunately the coral is dying in Aruba and there was not much to see underwater. It was
the same when we took the semi- submarine trip out to the German wreck. I felt that trip
was overpriced. Most of the trips were between $40 and $69. The Notorious Ranch Horseback
riding trip was a lot of fun and well worth the money. We took the late afternoon trip
which made for a more comfortable ride. I was warned, the sun is Hot and even with the
Trade winds the humidity is quite something. I would take advice and use the best
sunscreen available. I found myself searching for shade a lot. In all, I enjoyed my visit
but I wouldn't return. We took the Watanabi Bus Tour, not the best, the lunch at Coco
Beach was a rip off, and we were told we had 30 mins to snorkel at Baby Beach, not even
enough time to warrant putting on your gear. I would recommend renting a car for a couple
of days. The bus service is very good but so hot at mid -day. Iguana Joe's in town was as
recommended, good food and good service.
The island is small and it is true the roads are not marked very well. The best advice we
had was to take a taxi to and from the Airport, that eliminated a problem of getting to
the Hotel in good time. To sum it all up I took the word of the general consensus and now
wished I hadn't. It was OK but I have had better. Aruba is expensive.
Barbara
