Destination of the Month

A R U B A
Dasa and Lisa both had a chance to spend a week long vacation on the island of Aruba and they want to share their experience with you.

The island of Aruba is one of the most popular Caribbean destinations. It was voted as #7 on the list of Top of 10 Caribbean Islands by Conde Nest Traveler and was also named Best all round Destination, best night life and friendliest people.

Aruba’s climate with its low humidity and average temperature of 82 F and constant cooling breeze makes it a fabulous year round destination. Aruba lies outside of the hurricane belt and therefore is very popular also in the summer months.

Beaches in Aruba are quite legendary with the beautiful white sand and turquoise waters. Among the best are Eagle Beach, Palm Beach and Manchebo Beach.

The capital of Aruba Oranjestad is a duty free capital of the “world”. US dollars are accepted as local currency and major credit cards are welcome everywhere.

For the purpose of accommodations, Aruba is divided into 2 areas,  Low rise and High-rise hotel area.

Among the best in Low rise area are All-inclusive sister properties of Divi and Tamarijn Resorts, Bucuti Beach Resort and Manchebo.

Dasa and her family stayed in Divi All inclusive resort and loved it! The beaches at both Divi and Tam are amazing, spacious with soft white sand beaches, stunning turquoise waters and gentle waves.

As these 2 are sister properties, you can use facilities in both. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are buffet style- the food is great, very big selection, even picky eaters can find something they will like.
The non motorized water sports are included, so you can rent a canoe or get a lesson in windsurfing. There is a great climbing rock right on the beach.

At night both of the properties offer entertainment- our favorite was carnival (with beautiful costumes and incredible head pieces) and outside movie theater, where you can watch movie right from the beach.

While in the resort, you do not need to carry any money with you, however it is customary to offer the tips to wait stuff and cleaning personnel at the end of the stay.
Any sightseeing trips can be arranged through concierge- we went snorkeling to the ship wreck from World War II, and to the shallow reef- it was a great trip even for 10 years old.

High-rise area boasts newly renovated Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino,
Westin, Hyatt, Radisson and brand-new upscale all inclusive property Riu Palace.

Lisa and her family were in Aruba June of 2007 and stayed at the beautiful Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino.

What we loved about this property was the fact that it is the last hotel as you are coming from the airport and therefore the beach is not as crowded and also the Marriott has one of the largest balconies on the island which is a great plus for those who would like to dine, read or sunbath on their lounge chairs.

You can walk your way down from one resort to another and you will find lots of action, from lively casinos, entertainment, beach activities and wonderful variety of restaurants to choose from.

What we found to be a bargain were the hotel buffets especially traveling with kids.
You could contact the properties for their buffet specials and their price, as each property has a different price range and restrictions for example the Marriott’s dinner buffets were 28.95 p.p. plus 15% service charge and kids under the age of 5 eat free and on the other hand the Radisson’s dinner buffet’s were 19.95 p.p. plus 15% and kids under the age of 12 eat free, we had the chance to experience both and both were great!

If you wish to stay in Downtown, there is a beautiful Renaissance hotel that offers shuttle to private beach.

The island is very small- only 19.6 miles long and 6 miles across at its widest point and its major draw is its perfect climate, beautiful beaches, really friendly people and great variety of restaurants and wonderful food.

With the visibility up to 90 feet, Aruban waters are excellent for snorkeling and scuba diving.
If water sports are not your favorite, than there are plenty of other options, like jeep tours, horseback riding, golf or exciting casinos and great international shopping.

To see more pictures please visit our A R U B A Photo Gallery

We invite you towith us.