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Renaissance Island's Private Beach
Our little private beach in Aruba, flamingos and all.Aruba Baby!
February 18, 2006 - February 25, 2006 What can I say about Aruba? You really can't beat the weather consistency you get in Aruba. If a beach vacation with great weather, friendly locals, affordable dining, and complete relaxation is in your future plans, you have to at least consider Aruba. I will admit that as a whole, Aruba seemed better suited for families and couples. I never really got the impression that there was a late night scene that really catered to the younger, single traveler. If late night partying is your thing, there are definitely better options in the Caribbean.
We stayed at the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino. The location for my interests was top notch, as it was right in the center of the capital. Several attractions were in walking distance, and on numerous occassions the in-hotel casino was visited. The biggest perk by far was the private island that was exclusive to the hotel guests. Hopping on a short 10 minute boat ride would escort us away from the city and into a quiet paradise (minus the occassional landing plane of course). After visiting a few public beaches on the island later in
Flying Fishbone Sunset
Dining waterside at The Flying Fishbone. our stay, it became clear to us that the resort beaches were definitely the way to go.
If you're big on exploring, it'll only take a few days before you feel like you've covered all the notable sights on the small island. I recommend the jeep tour for seeing the island. We really enjoyed the half day excursion (the full day seems overkill). The earlier in your stay, the better. Our comfort level with exploring the island alone definitely went up after experiencing the jeep tour. Some of the sights included an ostrich farm, Aruba's highest point, the once Natural Bridge, and my favorite, the natural pool. A half day will definitely have you ready for a short nap before dinner upon your return to your hotel.
By far the worst experience on the whole trip was the flight back to Washington DC. Based on my experience, I would tell people to be at the airport at least 3 hours before their flight. Since U.S. customs are processed in Aruba, you go through about 4-5 different lines, 2-3 xray machines, and probably 10 or more jerks who feel as if their missing their flight is so much more
Flying Fishbone Dinner
Tcup and I near the end of our dinner at The Flying Fishbone. important than you missing yours. The Aruba airport was one huge bottleneck after another. It's hard enough leaving paradise for the cold. Once you add the exiting process to that feeling, you really feel the drain of your vacation coming to an end. On the bright side, I guess it's not the worst place to be stuck if you miss your flight.
Top 3 restaurants while in Aruba:1) El Guacho: Wonderful steakhouse. Good atmosphere, with fantastic food. I'd almost go back to Aruba just to eat here.
2) Flying Fishbone: Good food, terrific atmosphere! Nothing beats good food with the sand between your toes while the sun sets.
3) La Trattoria: El Faro Blanco: One of the best dining views of the island. Hilltop, beautiful sunset. The food was not impressive, yet good.
Quote of the trip... after accidentally taking the merchant receipt, and leaving the customer carbon copy behind from lunch, the local waitress runs two blocks to catch me. After making the exchange and seeing that I had balled the receipt up, the waitress in a very thick accent and with an angry grimmace scolds...
"It's the most important part, and you
La Trattoria
View from La Trattoria crumpled it!!!"
I was so blown away by her passion, and the fact that she knew the word "crumpled". Learned my lesson!
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