Readers Digest Version
Flight from Toronto to Aruba on Skyservice on time and uneventful. Spent one week
all-inclusive at the Holiday Inn. Thanks to trip reports and bulletin boards we knew not
to expect a 5 star resort and were very happy with our choice. Food was pretty good on the
average. Service was excellent. Pool nothing special. Beach was spectacular. Would
recommend all-inclusive to Canadians (due to unfavorable exchange rate) unless money is no
object .
Epic Version
My husband and I celebrated our anniversary with a trip to Aruba with our best friends
(another married couple who were best man and his date at our wedding 20 years ago!). I
had planned this trip for a loooong time (our original travel date was postponed) and
frankly was wondering if Aruba would live up to my expectations (which were pretty high
after reading all the glowing reports on the B.B.s. My fears were totally unfounded as our
trip was wonderful from start to finish.
Took a taxi from the airport and beat the crowd that took the shuttle bus. A big thank you
to all who offered up that gem of advice. Were greeted at the lobby with a cup of rum
punch, Mmm
mmm. So nice after that hot taxi ride.
There are hotels in Aruba far nicer than the Holiday Inn (although IMHO none with
a better beach). The difference in price made our choice easy though. We got a great
package: air, hotel, A.I. for $1230 Cdn + tax pp (about $750 US + tax pp). Non-inclusive
at the Radisson was $1899 + tax pp. We figured we could go out to a nice restaurant for
dinner and drinks every night and still save money by staying at the H.I. Drinks can
really add up over the course of a week (even non-alcoholic ones).
Rooms
Typical H.I. style. Carpeting, furniture, drapes, bedding etc. looked to be fairly new.
Bathroom although clean really needs to have tub & tile replaced. Lots of
drawer/closet space. Received free upgrade from standard to oceanview. A/C was freezing
even on the lowest setting.
Staff
All were wonderful. Requests to housekeeping for extra pillows, coffee, light bulb
replacement, etc. were all looked after promptly and rooms were kept clean. Service at
bars and restaurants was consistently good.
Restaurants
Breakfast buffet was really good. Lots of choices. Pass on the pancakes and waffles; try
the made to order omelets and fresh fruit instead. Seabreeze Bar & Grill was
only open for 2 days during our stay but had good chicken fingers, ribs, fries, etc. for
lunch. Dinner buffets were hit or miss. Some were better than others but we could always
find something we liked. The entertainment at the buffets was somewhat cheesy but we
enjoyed it nevertheless! Miramar ala carte restaurant was great. The menu was kind of
limited but we really enjoyed our dinners here. Yes, there was a $6.00 surcharge for the
filet mignon but considering what we paid for our package this didn’t bother us in
the least. Make reservations for the Miramar the day before at the activities desk in the
lobby or at the restaurant itself. Although we were happy overall with the food at the
H.I., I don’t think we would have eaten there much if we had to pay the prices listed
on the menus. Have seen other recommendations on the B.B.’s that I think would be a
better bet.
Drinks
There were $1.75 surcharges on top shelf liquor and wine and beer not on the all-inclusive
list. I was happy to see 36 (!) different kinds of cocktails on that list. Didn’t
find drinks were watered down at all but then again I don’t like my drinks really
strong. If you find them weak I’m sure the bartenders would be happy to add an extra
shot (or two) if you ask.
Casino seemed to be a popular place at bingo time in the afternoon. Lost
a few quarters in the slots and headed back to the beach.
Did some good shopping in the stores at the H.I. esp. for beachwear. Make sure you bring
enough sunscreen from home because that kind of thing is very pricy here. Next trip
I’ll pass on the shopping in Oranjestad, pick up what I need at the hotel
shops, and head on back to the beach.
Beach at the H.I. was the best. We loved having a hut just a few steps from that amazing
water. Huts were available up until 9:30 or so and then again in the late afternoon.
We were there during “low” season and just a few months after 9/11 so the hut
situation may be different now. It was fun watching the banana boat rides, parasailers,
pelicans, windsurfers, etc. Beach was busy enough as far as we’re concerned.
Don’t think we’d like being there during “high” season. We loved
taking walks along the beach and along the path that connects all the hotels in the
high-rise section. In the evenings we’d often take a walk to the Hyatt, or
Radisson, or Marriott, or Wyndham for a drink on their patios and enjoyed the live
music they had.
Pool at the H.I. was nothing special. Took a dip once or twice more or less just to say I
did and it was nice. If a pool is important to you, you’d probably be happier at
another hotel. We really didn’t care since that awesome beach was just steps away.
National Car Rental had a desk at the H.I. and decent rates so rented there for
convenience sake. $87 US for 3 day rental of a dinged-up 4-door Tercel w. auto. & air.
Glad we didn’t have a brand new vehicle when we were following the Extreme Jeep
Tour on the back roads of the Kunuku! We had so much fun exploring off the beaten
path. Locals were all so friendly and we always felt safe. Never worried about taking a
wrong turn and stumbling upon some drug deal gone bad.
We drove to Baby Beach one day for snorkeling (equipment included in our pkg. at the H.I.,
as were kayaks and pedal boats). Lots of fish out near the end of the breakwater. Bring a
disposable underwater camera. This was so much fun. I wish we had the chance to go a
second time.
Old Master, Mark at the Marriot, and Marlene did a great job
organizing the BB party at Champions Sports Bar at the Marriot. I was surprised at the
turn out and glad we went (even though we didn’t win any of those great door
prizes!).
Spent one night reveling on the Kukoo Kunuku Party Bus. Champagne toast on the beach. Then dinner at
the “Minister of Protocol”s house. Food wasn’t great but it was a
fun albeit weird experience. After dinner we visited three different watering holes for
drinking and dancing. The best part though was riding on the bus music blaring, shaking
our maracas. Local children would wave to us, tourists would take our picture, what a
RIOT! I suppose how much fun you have depends on the group your with.
Our friends took the morning Rancho
Daimari horseback riding tour and enjoyed it. They would like to have spent more time
riding on the beach and more time at the Natural Pool but they were happy and
would go again. Bring lots of sunscreen and drinking water. You will get HOT.
Wind
I was concerned that we would find the wind annoying but that was not the case. In fact,
our first 5 days were not windy enough for our windsurfer friend. I suspect this was
unusual though. Even after the wind picked up we were never sandblasted on the beach and
the breezes were welcomed.
Windsurfing
No wind until second last day. Sailed for 4 windy hours at Fisherman’s Huts
on Palm Beach for $45 US. Sailing harness was extra. Bring your own booties.
Water
Color, temp., waves: Perfect, Perfect, Perfect
Hairstyling
An exercise in futility. Despite all the reports I read describing how impossible it is to
keep any kind of hairstyle going, I arrived in Aruba armed with an arsenal of hairstyling
products:
spray, gel, volumizer, mousse, wax, glue. None were a match for the wind and humidity of
Aruba. After two days of battle I raised the white flag and accepted the fact that every
day in Aruba is a
bad hair day.
Coconut Warning
About 15 minutes after arriving in Aruba: THUNK! I narrowly missed getting hit with a
falling coconut while under a palm tree on the beach. If that thing had hit me on the head
it would have been one week all-inclusive at Dr. Horacio Oduber Hospital! After
that, we were sure to scope out the coconut situation before parking our lounge chairs
under the palm trees.
Next Time (and there WILL be a next time!)
I will pack half the amount of clothes and shoes. I will leave the hairstyling aids at
home. I will tear myself away from the beach long enough to try some of the great
restaurants Aruba has to offer. I will try the Banana Bus just to see how it
compares to the Kukoo. I will make more snorkeling trips. I will do a sunset sail trip.
Maybe we’ll try the Wyndham for something a little more upscale (without
having to sell our firstborn son!). In the meantime, I’ll continue to monitor the
B.B.s and look forward the all the new trip reports. It’s the next best thing to
being there!
Carol
