Aruba Ocean Club soon--suggestions?

My trade into Ocean club is less than a month away so I'm starting to plan.
We are a family of 4 w/one 4 yo and one 1 yo.

Any suggestions on:
Specific room requests?
Rental car vs taxi?
Grocery stores? We'll probably try to eat breakfasts and a few lunches in.
Dining? a favorite pastime
snorkeling off the beach (needs to be close since my kids don't swim)
specific family friendly excursions?

I hope you get lots of answers as my trade is coming up in May. However after speaking with my friend these are some things she told me to do;

- rent a car
- view Lighthouse, Natural Bridge, Casinos, and Baby Beach
- Grocery Shopping: Ling & Sons
- Restaurants: Must do
- Chez Mathilde-297/583-4968, downtown Oranjestad, In Oranjestad, no shorts
- L.G. Smiths-297/583-6000, downtown Oranjestad, Oranjestad
- Pago Pago - 297/586-4466, palm beach
- Sunset Grille - 297/586-6555, palm beach (steaks ***)
Tours with http://reservations.aruba.com/servlet/aruba.QS

We went to the Surf Club in Aug (although we own at the Ocean Club) and we found LOTS of family friendly places to eat. For lunches we tended to get quick things like Subway or Sbarro. For dinners, we LOVED Salt and Pepper and Smokey Joes. These are all in the High Rise area. Also, we enjoyed Sole Mare (for Italian). Practically every restaurant welcomes kids with open arms (and a kids menu). But I would save Madame Jannette (the highest rated restaurant on the island) for when the kids get older- Janis

I would also recommend El Gaucho for steak.

Lots of really good restaurants. Make sure you make reservations so you don't have to wait. As for some of the really good ones I've seen kids there, so if your kids are good in restaurants you could take them to places like Madame Janette's even. Other good choices: Chef's Table, Aqua Grill, Chalet Suisse, Sole Mare (very family friendly) or Gianni's (same owner; I've never been there but supposed to be very good). Wacky Wahoo has gotten same great reviews; I was going to try it this year but we unfortunately had to cancel our trip, but a lot of people have highly recommended it.

As for renting a car versus taking taxis: you can go either way. I like the convenience of having a car, but I have friends who prefer taxis. With little one and car seats for safety, though, prob. a car would be best.

Snorkeling- Baby Beach, a relatively short car ride away, is noce. Arashi beach is about 2-3 miles north of the Marriott and has great snorkeling. Marmok is the beach a little closer to the Marriott, next to Arashi and the snorkeling is supposed to be good there too.

Haven't been to the butterfly or ostrich farms, but they are supposed to be fun family places.

The concierge at the OC can give you maps/directions to all the places. The island is small, so it is easy to get anywhere. If you intend to go to some of the places on the other side of the island (the now defunct natural bridge, etc.) that side can be very rough terrain and is better traversed in a Jeep.

Have fun!

You're So Lucky To Have

a nice condo when you have young children. We've been there, done that & I'm sure you will have a great time. Don't let the children go, go and go so that the get hot, sweaty, over tired and crabby. Be extra careful of the sun for the first few days especially. We've seen families actually "wipped" with sun and too much crammed into a day only to have to spend the next 2 days in the room. That's no fun for anyone. As previous posts have explained, most of the restaurants welcome children. This is how Aruba got its name of ONE HAPPY ISLAND!

FROM ONE HAPPY KID FRIENDLY LADY.

A feast of a meal.....

Best place for ribs is Smoky Joe's which is only a ten minute walk from the OC and SC. Try the sampler rib platter, it's big enough for two, costs about $20, and comes with two sides. Mmmmmm, I can taste them now...

Thanks for all the great suggestions

Everything sounds great. I actually bought 2 marriott dinner for 2 certificates to use at Simply Fish and will go again if it's an enjoyable experience.

I'm trying to rent a Yaris from Tropical car rental but so far, no reply from Hans; I'll try again in a few days or maybe just stick to taxis.

As far as snorkeling, are the currents strong? Can I rent gear or buy it inexpensively there or do people pack it?

I really don't swim much and my 4 yo doesn't swim at all. My 1 yo probably can only play in the water. I've snorkeled w/life vest or floatation belt in Kauai and loved it since there was plenty to see close to the beach and the water was calm. I've also snorkeled in St. John and would have been swept out to sea if I wasn't rescued by one of the guys in his boat.

Enjoy Simply Fish

ffxjack said:

Everything sounds great. I actually bought 2 marriott dinner for 2 certificates to use at Simply Fish and will go again if it's an enjoyable experience.

Click to expand...

We had two dinners at Simply Fish last month. Wonderful Chilean Sea Bass.
Reserve early and for seating just before sunset.