1st Timers to Aruba - a trip report

Aruba Day 1 - Monday Oct 8 – We left our house at 6:09 am, ontime for us! Drove to Smartpark JFK (great company), arriving at 9:00 am. Thank goodness for Columbus Day – no traffic! Took the shuttle to the airport and was checked in by 9:45 am. Not much in terminal, but thankfully they had an indoor playground for Jackson! Boarded at 11:15 am and left ontime. Arrived at 4:10 pm to Aruba! The landing was nice, and the run way was huge compared to other islands we have been to!

Went through Aruba customs in about 15 minutes, and grabbed our bags. Was in rental car by 4:45 pm and on way! VERY easy to drive around – just one main road. Arrived at Marriott Surf Club at 5:15 pm and checked in quickly. Was given amazing 14th floor room overlooking ocean and lighthouse! Doug grabbed a Balashi on the way up – first one of the trip!

Timeshare is AMAZING – honestly best we have been in. We have a 2 bedroom lockout (1 bed and studio connected in living rooms to each other). I love the internal connection, much better than Wyndham common hallway. Two balconies overlooking ocean and lighthouse and ocean club complex.

We quickly unpacked and headed to the amazing pool! Jackson immediately made friends and we swam for an hour. Back up to the room for 7 pm, quick change and to dinner at Moomba Bar and Grill.

Brought the life saver aka the Ipad 2 for J! We ordered him the kids hamburger and French fries with applesauce ($8) but of course, all he wanted to eat were the dinner rolls . Doug and I split the special 3 course meal and added on a huge salad ($27 and $9). Shrimp and tenderloin on crostini for appetizer, red snapper in creole sauce with steamed veggies and rice for main dish, and watermelon mousse with strawberries for dessert, and chopped garden salad. One word – AMAZING. The red snapper was fresh, caught today and it tasted it. Ya cant get fish like that in upstate NY! Add 4 glasses of wine (don’t judge ). And bill came to $60 (which I thought was incredibly reasonable). $72 after tip.

Since J was a great boy at dinner (again – thanks Apple – youre my new best friend!), we took him to Marriott Arcade and played a few games. Back to room for 9 pm, all of us exhausted. J watched Madagascar til 10 pm then we all passed out. Cant wait for tomorrow!

First impressions – resort is simply amazing. Too many pools to count, waterslide, zero entry, playground, swim up bars, in pool volleyball. Cannot wait to try it all out! Havent checked out beach yet, as it was dark by the time we got down there, but love that you can walk from resort to resort on path in front.

Also, the little “town” behind high rises looks nice too, looking forward to walking around today/tonight to check it all out!

krmlaw said:

Aruba Day 1 - Monday Oct 8 – We left our house at 6:09 am, ontime for us! Drove to Smartpark JFK (great company), arriving at 9:00 am. Thank goodness for Columbus Day – no traffic! Took the shuttle to the airport and was checked in by 9:45 am. Not much in terminal, but thankfully they had an indoor playground for Jackson! Boarded at 11:15 am and left ontime. Arrived at 4:10 pm to Aruba! The landing was nice, and the run way was huge compared to other islands we have been to!

Went through Aruba customs in about 15 minutes, and grabbed our bags. Was in rental car by 4:45 pm and on way! VERY easy to drive around – just one main road. Arrived at Marriott Surf Club at 5:15 pm and checked in quickly. Was given amazing 14th floor room overlooking ocean and lighthouse! Doug grabbed a Balashi on the way up – first one of the trip!

Timeshare is AMAZING – honestly best we have been in. We have a 2 bedroom lockout (1 bed and studio connected in living rooms to each other). I love the internal connection, much better than Wyndham common hallway. Two balconies overlooking ocean and lighthouse and ocean club complex.

We quickly unpacked and headed to the amazing pool! Jackson immediately made friends and we swam for an hour. Back up to the room for 7 pm, quick change and to dinner at Moomba Bar and Grill.

Brought the life saver aka the Ipad 2 for J! We ordered him the kids hamburger and French fries with applesauce ($8) but of course, all he wanted to eat were the dinner rolls . Doug and I split the special 3 course meal and added on a huge salad ($27 and $9). Shrimp and tenderloin on crostini for appetizer, red snapper in creole sauce with steamed veggies and rice for main dish, and watermelon mousse with strawberries for dessert, and chopped garden salad. One word – AMAZING. The red snapper was fresh, caught today and it tasted it. Ya cant get fish like that in upstate NY! Add 4 glasses of wine (don’t judge ). And bill came to $60 (which I thought was incredibly reasonable). $72 after tip.

Since J was a great boy at dinner (again – thanks Apple – youre my new best friend!), we took him to Marriott Arcade and played a few games. Back to room for 9 pm, all of us exhausted. J watched Madagascar til 10 pm then we all passed out. Cant wait for tomorrow!

First impressions – resort is simply amazing. Too many pools to count, waterslide, zero entry, playground, swim up bars, in pool volleyball. Cannot wait to try it all out! Havent checked out beach yet, as it was dark by the time we got down there, but love that you can walk from resort to resort on path in front.

Also, the little “town” behind high rises looks nice too, looking forward to walking around today/tonight to check it all out!

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Great 1st day report. Have a wonderful time---if you go to Phillip's Animal Garden please report on it. I've heard good things and we may try to take our grandson there in December.

Glad you are having a good time. I can't wait to read the rest of your trip report. We are going back in April and staying at the Ocean Club. We were there in October 2006 and stayed at the Surf Club.

Thank you for sharing. Aruba is a place we are considering. I love trip reports.

Glad to hear Moomba got better. It is a great location but the food has always been meh which is too bad. Are you doing Jolly Pirates?

Be sure &

take Jackson over to the Ocean Club to "feed" the iguanas. The staff does it every morning at 10 or 11 (can't remember which.) Also check out the butterfly farm way down on the beach road. A good thing for kids. Enjoy yourselves, Aruba is my favorite.

I love Aruba! We’re going in February. So glad you’re enjoying yourself. Walk up to that "little town" up the road. They have restaurants and stores and activities for the children. Have a wonderful vacation!

I'm heading to Aruba in three weeks for 5 days. I would love to know if you recommend renting a car or not. I will be staying at Divi Village.

Marcia

Ill answer questions when we get home!


Tuesday – October 9
Got up early, around 600 am and started coffee for hubby. Went down to the beach hut to reserve our palapa (got #400, 4th row from back but still great view!). Went to ling and sons for groceries, and was shocked by prices – they were EXTREMELY reasonable! I was used to SXM, STT or GCM prices. For example – a case (24) of Aruba’s beer (Balashi which is great!) was $14. Bread, $2. Chips $3. Next time, I wouldn’t pack dry groceries but buy here. One exception – liquor was very expensive (wine cheap). Next time buy liquor in the airport in duty free.
Back to the condo by 830 am. Had to buy milk in the Marriott store as Lings wasn’t getting their shipment til Tuesday ($8 for ½ gallon, thanks Marriott!).

Around 9:30 am we ventured down to beach. Its simply beautiful. White sand for as far as you can see. One thing I don’t like – the water is not clear (sandy) on palm beach here because there are boats going in and out to take people on trips, tubing, etc. Im told its clear further down on eagle beach as there aren’t any boats to stir it up. But its beautiful Caribbean blue.
We spent a perfect day on the beach. Sand castles, swimming, and sun! At 1200 pm we went up to pool to swim for an hour before lunch. we hit the lazy river, which is awesome, and the water slide, which jackson loved. They have 2 zero entry pools which is great for jackson. Up to the room for lunch on the balcony at 1.

Took jackson for a walk and he quickly feel asleep. Doug and I (with stroller in tow) went back to the beach til 330 pm when he woke up. Then we all stroller back to the pool til 530 for more swimming. I LOVE not having to drive to the beach, having an amazing one right here. it provides so much more freedom and saves tons of time.
We drove down to Eagle Beach, which looks beautiful as well. Went to Matthews for dinner, which is at Casa del Mar and just a beautiful setting. Watched the sunset from our table. We had a huge salad and their bread was great, then both got ribs with rice and coleslaw (which was so good), which were great. jackson got spaghetti and meatballs. Bill came to $88 including tip, including a half craf of pinot grigio. Again, very reasonable.

Back to resort and we walked over to ocean club and Marriott to explore. Had ice cream in the ocean club and sat and played in the Marriott lobby, which is beautiful. Another great Aruba day!

Oct 10 – Day 3 in paradise
Up around 645 and down to grab a palapa. I made pancakes and bacon for breakfast which were a big hit with jackson. We planned to go down to the beach but J wanted to hit the pool first. He made a new friend and played with him in the main pool and kids pool all day! Went on the lazy river, waterfountain area, just had a blast. J didn’t want to water slide today. One thing, its always slightly breezy which is great as it never gets too hot (even though its 90). Around 1:00 we came up for lunch on the balcony. Then walked Jackson to sleep and Doug and I (stroller in tow) headed to the beach. We were able to grab a palapa in the front row, which was great! We swam and laid in the sun til J got up at 330 pm, then back to pool. His other friends were at pool, so we played til 530 and had a blast. All the kids and parents are so nice – and everyone is from NY!

Up to room for appetizers and wine then to dinner for 630 at Madame Jeanettes. Honestly – it was the best meal I have EVER had in my life. Filet and lobster medallions with augratin potatoes. Doug got prok cordon blu with rice pilaf and steamed spinach. We had a huge salad (note all the salads here are huge and enough to split) and J had spaghetti and butter with cheese. Bread was again great. Madame Jeanettes was the most beautiful setting, not on ocean, with trees and lights, all outside. They had great musicians playing the ‘classics’ – billy joel, eric clapton, etc. We had chocolate mousse with fresh whipped cream for dessert. Bill came to $125 including tip, and was worth every penny. Best meal we have had.

Back to resort for 8:00 movie in the kids club, which J loved. After we walked around the “strip” which is just lovely. Music everywhere, beautiful fountains, restaurants and shops. We haven’t found a place this nice to walk around in all the islands we have been to.
Back to condo for 10 and to bed for J! Another perfect day.

Glad to read you're having such a good timing! I know you have been planning and looking forward to it.

Make sure to have dinner at one of the great restaurants on the beach- there's something to be said for eating with toes in the sand, watching the sun set.

Enjoy the rest of your trip- remember, Aruba can become addictive :whoopie:

Marcia3641 said:

I'm heading to Aruba in three weeks for 5 days. I would love to know if you recommend renting a car or not. I will be staying at Divi Village.

Marcia

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We rented a car the first time we went to see the Island but used taxi's on all our other trips.If it's your first time in Aruba you could rent a car for a day or two.If your party will be more than 5 people(the limit for the taxi's) you'll need to consider that you may need 2 taxi's when you travel.Taxi's are reasonable and convenient and Aruba is approximately 6 miles by 20 miles,so see what will work for your group.Have a wonderful time!

Oct 11 –day 4
Up early as usual with J. They have the best bread made from corn here, so we had corn bread toast for breakfast with melon and grapes on the balcony. We were at the beach by 830 am, which was great! it was empty. Walked and swam til 10, then went to Iguana show. There were over 30 iguanas all eating lettuce from our hands! It was great. jackson loved seeing the little baby iguanas everywhere, not so much on the huge ones! A few were over 2 feet long.

Went back to beach and found J’s friend and played with him and his parents til 12 in the ocean, we had a blast. Again, the only bummer – water is sandy from all the activity.

Back to the pool for 1230 and went in lazy river, waterslide and pool til around 130. Up to room for lunch (you can see a pattern!) and ate on the balcony. Walked J to sleep (in all of 2 minutes) and Doug and I went back to beach til he woke at 330 pm.

Back to pool and ordered our pina coladas (which J loves). To room for 530 for wine and snacks.

Walked down to Pelican Nest for dinner and sunset. It was THE MOST amazing sunset we have ever seen. We love that location! Saw my first green flash so that was so great!!

Had a great dinner, doug had mahi mahi, I had red snapper (with polenta, rice, plantains and steamed veggies) and J had chicken nuggets. Appetizers of salad and crab cakes. 2 glasses of wine and sodas. Bill came to $80 with tip after 10% off coupon, which I thought was really reasonable.

J’s friend was at next table, so we walked to get gelato with them at Aroma Di Italia. Gelato was great!

We walked through the mall area and there was a circus performance on the stage – like a cirque de solei performance. We watch for 20 minutes – the kids loved it. Then back to the resort for 9. We stopped at the playground so J could play til about 930. Had a great day and night!

Oct 12 – Day 5
No rush to get chairs or a palapa, as we were headed off to a half day sail on Red Sail. Had pancakes and bacon for bfast then headed downstairs. Van picked us up at 9:00 and drove us to the boat (by the pier at the hyatt). We boarded and off we were – tickets were reasonable, I had a 15% off coupon.

They served fruit and there great cheese danishes on the way to the first stop. J had 5 dishes of fruit!

The cat was huge, and there were only about 20 people on board – so it was great! We first sailed to a Boca Cantina (im sure im getting this wrong).

Snorkelling was great there. took great underwater pictures. Jackson came with us and we pulled him along in his tube – which he thought was great. J and I swam into the beach there, and spent about 20 minutes playing and looking for treasures.

Back up onboard after about 40 minutes at the first stop.

The second stop was the shipwreck antilla (sic). It was so amazing. I have never seen anything like it before and I think this was my favorite stop! We stayed for about 30 minutes (J didn’t go in here). Doug and I took turns snorkeling. My pics came out great! it was like looking at titanic underwater! 

Next stop was mamroneck rock (sic). Again we loved this stop (J came this time to just swim after we snorkeled). I loved the underwater caves – wish I dove.
After the third stop we had an amazing lunch on the cat – cesar salad, tomato and cucumber salad, chicken and pasta, rice and fish with dessert. It was great!
Sailed back to pier and arrived just after 1:15. Quick shuttle back to the hotel and we were in the room by 1:30.

Spent time relaxing and checking in with work til about 2:30. Then we walked J down to the pool and he was asleep by the elevator! Doug and I laid by the ‘wind tunnel’ pool til 430 (J slept whole time) because it was so hot – but it really never feels hot here bc of the breeze.

Back to condo for daiquiris, appetizers and wine. Left around 630 to walk to dinner and town. Went to Smokey Joes for BBQ. We loved the food! We ordered sodas, shrimp on the Barbie, salad, Rotisserie Chicken with rice and beans and slaw, and pulled chicken. BBQ was great (and service was quick). Bill came to a whopping $40 and we had a great dinner!

We walked to strip and I got my mom a present from the jewelry store. Then got J ice cream at baskin robbins. Walked into see Playa Linda, which looks like a nice trade. Then got J a pirate Aruba tshirt.

Walked back to the condo around 830 and J played on the playground. Back to the room for 9 and we played J’s first game of Uno! We had so much fun!

Marcia3641 said:

I'm heading to Aruba in three weeks for 5 days. I would love to know if you recommend renting a car or not. I will be staying at Divi Village.

Marcia

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We go to Aruba annually during weeks 51 and 52. We always rent a car as it is very busy that time of year and it can be a 30 minute wait for a cab at the condo. Also they are scarce during Christmas and New Year's. We also find it much more convenient to rent a car. It is really your choice.

krmlaw said:

Walked into see Playa Linda, which looks like a nice trade.

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If you get a chance, check out Costa Linda at Eagle Beach and the Beach Villas at Divi Phoenix for future trades also.

Costa Linda has a new restaurant - Water's Edge (because it is) - and it's open for b-fast, lunch and dinner. Good way to check out the resort!

krmlaw said:

The second stop was the shipwreck antilla (sic). It was so amazing.

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I'm really enjoying your trip report!!! We were just there a couple of weeks ago and you're bringing back very fond memories -- thank you!

You are correct on the Antilla -- that was a favorite of our trip too, we went scuba diving there through Red Sail Sports.

The Antilla was a German freighter that took refuge in neutral Aruba when WW II broke out. When the Germans invaded the Netherlands in 1940, the local government tried to seize the freighter, but the ship's captain scuttled the freighter before they could board. It sits at 50 foot depth (but the top of the wreck is approx 15 feet from the surface) and at 400' long is the second largest wreck in the Caribbean. It was a fantastic dive and I highly recommend it.

Thanks again!

Best,

Greg