Travelling to Aruba

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Today was mostly a travel day. There are direct flights from Chicago to Aruba but apparently only on the weekend so we had to connect in Miami. Our day started out leaving home at 4:30 AM, chauffeured by our dad, for O’Hare. The temperature was a balmy 12 degrees with a windchill of 1. We arrived, checked our bags, went through security and were to our gate with time to grab a quick breakfast. WE boarded, took off and landed in Miami, all on time. And by some stroke of luck our arriving gate was right next to our departing gate. That never happens! Again we had time for a quick bite and then were on a plane once again. 3 hours later we landed in Oranjestad, Aruba, where it was not 12 degrees with no snow on the ground.

Customs was super easy with self-service passport scanning, although I was kind of disappointed not to get a stamp. Then we had to wait for what seemed like forever for our bags to show up on the conveyor belt. I will say, the American app is pretty great as it records your bag tag and you can follow it along its journey and know it arrived at your destination. A quick walk out to the arrivals area, where we were greeted by Holman signs so we knew where to wait for the shuttle to the hotel.

This trip is at the Aruba Marriott and Stellaris Casino, which is located along Palm Beach, a short drive from Oranjestad. We arrived with enough time to check in, go to our room and change for dinner. The room has a partial ocean/hillside view from the balcony, comfy beds, a bathroom with double sinks and robes! One thing I really like is the shampoo, conditioner and shower gel are in pump containers in the shower. Less waste and more environmentally friendly. Aruba is pretty eco-conscious, which I am really enjoying

Tonight was a mandatory dinner to celebrate my work’s winners of two annual awards. The dinner was on the south beach where the temperature was a lovely 75 degrees at 7 PM. Dinner was a buffet with delicious salad greens, a corn salad, roasted pineapple, crispy potatoes and a really good steak with chimichurri sauce. There was also a dessert table with several choices. I had a little brownie and some coconut flan with pineapple. After a really long day we were ready to call it a night, but not before we went and stuck our feet in the ocean.

A bottle of champagne was waiting for us when we returned to the room. We don't drink so it will just sit here but it was a nice gesture!

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Photos

Room 666
An unfortunate room number, but easy to remember!

Room with a view
The Ritz is next to us. It looks very fancy.