Aruba, Jamaica, Oh, I Want to take you....

Little32 · #1 11-20-2009, 11:50 AM

I am thinking about going to Aruba. Has anyone been? Where did you go? What did you do? Where did you stay?

I am an adventure travel kind of gal (hiking through rainforests, climbing up waterfalls, Yay!) So any suggestions along those lines would be great.

kddani · #2 11-20-2009, 01:32 PM

Sorry to crash your forum, but my husband and I went to Aruba for our honeymoon at the end of October last year. We loved it!

We stayed at the Occidental Grand, which is one of the all-inclusive resorts. We liked it a lot, and it wasn't terribly expensive when you included the meals (which included excellent on-site restaurants, including a great Hibachi place). It was heavy on the honeymooners, as I think may all-inclusives are. I've also heard great things about the Riu (I think that's how it is spelled).

As to where to stay, there seems to be a separation on the island of high rise hotels versus the low rise - don't know if this was something the government planned out or what. You'll probably want to stay in one of those areas because there are more things to do. I'm not sure how many hotels there are in downtown Oranjestad.

One of the things that we did that we loved was an all day Jeep tour. We went through ABC Tours (they have a pretty good website) and did it on our second day there. They had been recommended by a friend who had been on his honeymoon just a few weeks before us. There's another company who has the relationship with most of the hotels, but they cost more and don't go to as many stops. It was a great way to see the island.

I would HIGHLY recommended, especially if you're into adverturous stuff, to find a tour that will take you to the Natural Pool. Tour buses can't get there, you have to have a four-by-four and I would NOT recommend trying to drive a rental car there. It was a ridiculously bumpy off road ride to get there, and a somewhat treacherous walk down to the pool (it's a naturally forming pool thanks to the rock formation), but it was fantastic. You'd love it.

We also played golf at the Tierra Del Sole course, my husband is a huge golfer.

One thing we had heard about but were not prepared for was how HOT Aruba was. The sun absolutely BEATS down on you. There's a constant breeze of about 15 miles an hour, so you don't always feel as hot but you are getting baked.

For ANYONE going to Aruba, regardless of skin type, ability to tan, etc. - USE HEAVY AMOUNTS OF SUNSCREEN AND APPLY EARLY AND OFTEN. For most people, this is the closest you have ever been to the equator. Aruba is only 15 miles from the coast of Venezuela. Use the regular kind of sunblock in a high SPF- the spray kind (which I always use at home) is not as effective to take this amount of sun. And with the constant breeze is difficult to reapply. Try to wear a hat and a longsleeve shirt.

TRUST ME. I reapplied sunblock throughout the day, but wound up with a horrendous burn over most of my back (from riding on the Jeep tour) and shoulders on the second day of my honeymoon. I literally sobbed in pain every time my husband touched me and tried to put aloe on me (aloe is one of the big industries on the island, so there's plenty of it- buy some, because you'll need it). We had to watch how often I went outside during the full sunlight the rest of the trip, and I was just in pain a lot.

Regardless of my sunburn, we really enjoyed Aruba. There's a lot of adventurous things to do, but we did take the relaxation route most of that trip.

ETA: FYI, the need for a rental car is probably minimal. The public bus system is awesome and the taxi system is pretty good and taxis are plentiful. Taxis and buses both take US dollars, as does pretty much anywhere on the island.

agzg · #3 11-20-2009, 03:05 PM

Sorry for my crash, but my parents took my brother and I for his graduation present and we loved it!

I'd also recommend the jeep tour. You see so much more and for such a small island there's so much to see! We also rented sea doos one day, which was super fun as well and great if you're of the more adventurous type (my parents would have liked to sit by the pool or on the beach all day but my brother and I definitely had much more fun doing things on the more active side).

Another thing, if you're on the beach, wear flip flops always or even water shoes or crocs. You'll look like a dork but the sand was hot hot hot and I was definitely glad to have some protection on my feet.

And ditto on the sunscreen!

I can't remember the name of where we stayed (it was over 10 years ago, now, and I didn't do any of the planning), but it had like 4 hotel buildings over some resort space with great pools and everything. And it was really close to a casino.

ladygreek · #4 11-20-2009, 04:33 PM

My daughter and I went three years ago. It was wonderful. Ditto on doing the Jeep tour--caution--you and your jeep mates do the driving following the guide along with other tourist driven jeeps. Also ditto on wearing flip flos at the beach and sunscreen. We went for In Dec. and it was overcast a lot, but the rays still got through. It was actually better than having the hot sun beating down on you.

We stayed at the Radisson Aruba Resort, which had it's own private beach. A motor boat picked us up from a canal at the hotel and took us to the beach. I highly recommend it.

The moniker One Happy Island is the TRUTH. You are treated royally.

Little32 · #5 11-20-2009, 05:29 PM

Oh, exciting. Makes me even more excited to plan the trip. Keep it coming everyone.

New questions: Does it matter which part of the island you stay on? I see a lot of hotels in the Palm Beach area. Is that a nice area?

treblk · #6 11-20-2009, 08:16 PM

I just went to Aruba for my birthday and it was so relaxing!! I co-sign on all the above posts!! the best! Oh yea..loved the party bus!!

ladygreek · #7 11-21-2009, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Little32

Oh, exciting. Makes me even more excited to plan the trip. Keep it coming everyone.

New questions: Does it matter which part of the island you stay on? I see a lot of hotels in the Palm Beach area. Is that a nice area?

Where we stayed was in the Palm Beach area. Easily accessible to shopping, movies, restaurants, etc.

LikeASista · #8 12-27-2009, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Little32

I am thinking about going to Aruba. Has anyone been? Where did you go? What did you do? Where did you stay?

I am an adventure travel kind of gal (hiking through rainforests, climbing up waterfalls, Yay!) So any suggestions along those lines would be great.

Hey, lady!! Let us know how it goes. Though I'm not going to Aruba, I'm actually supposed to be taking a trip to Jamaica this summer. Never been there, ... or ANY island for that matter, so I'm curious as to what to expect. Keep us posted. I know you'll have a fabulous time. I leave for NYC in three days, so I'm pretty excited about that at least. (Let's pray my flight isn't cancelled due to any snow storms. Brrrr ... )

Little32 · #9 12-28-2009, 01:58 AM

I will let you know. Though I guess I should get on with planning the trip, because I don't want to be there in the heat of the summer burning my feet on the sand.

I was in Jamaica a couple of years ago, my first time visiting a Caribbean island too. We stayed at one of those all-inclusive places and I didn't get off of the resort too much except for planned excursions, so I didn't really get much of a sense of the local flavor. However, going there made me understand how people can go to these islands just to sit on the beach. I could stare at those caribbean blue waters all day long.

Have fun in NYC and be safe.