Going 2 Aruba in May is it crowded? How is Weather?

[lprstn]

My DH and I are going on 1 of our alone trips to Aruba. My friend exchanged with me and gave me her Marriott Aruba ocean club (I think) and we booked it for May 23rd. As I have never been here, wanted to ask some questions...

- What is the weather like?
- Are there things to do in walking distance?
- About how much should I budget per day for lunch/dinner?
- are the drinks watered down?
- Should we get a car? How much are taxis?
- Do they have a spa onsite?
- Is there something I must do in case I don't come back?
- Should I bypass the TS tour @ Marriott? is it as grueling as it was in MX?
- What are the water temps like?
- Is it a place where if I bought my kids (14,11,7,5) they would have fun or whould they rather be in Disney?
- Oh and who are the most reputable tours operators?

Thanks!!!

[Blondie]

It will be HOT HOT HOT so be sure you get under a palapa on the beach and wear a hat. A car is a good idea if even for a few days and we alwasy get one for the week. Driving is fairly easy BUT they are not know for their good street signage. When we go downtown we used to park at the bus station on your left as you enter town. Food prices are what you would expect in any big US city I think-not sure about the Marriott though. We LOVE Linda's pancakes on the road to Noord about a mile on the left in a little strip mall with Bingo's a restaurant which I recommend for dinner. Neither is fancy as you will see. Dinner prices are in the $17-20's range I think and some places, like Le Dome, are higher. My conservative estimate for 2 people would be $200 per day for food. The good thing about the Marriott is it is walkable to many smallish eateries on the main drag. The one timeshare tour we took at the Marriott was nice with NO pressure. They gave us a voucher for $100 at a great restaurant. This was 4 years ago, though so things may have changed. Have a great time. DePalm tours are pretty good I hear and kids love Aruba!

[Weimaraner]

What is the weather like? usually 84 and windy. I haven't been in there is May so I can't say for sure.
- Are there things to do in walking distance? Yes
- About how much should I budget per day for lunch/dinner? We usually spend $30 pp for dinner for adults. Haven't taken a child there yet. Also they have very nice grocery stores (our fav: Ling & Sons) where we buy breakfast and lunch items. Ling delivers to timeshares.
- are the drinks watered down? No. On DePalm's Palm Pleasure I had more alcohol than mixer in my drink. Drinks are expensive at the pool.
- Should we get a car? How much are taxis? We always get a car. Is it a requirement - no. It's more of a convenience for us. Taxis are fine too.
- Do they have a spa onsite? YES - Mandara Spa at the Marriott. It's very very nice.
- Is there something I must do in case I don't come back? You'll want to come back LOL
- Should I bypass the TS tour @ Marriott? is it as grueling as it was in MX? Go ahead and do it. They are very low pressure and you get points or gift certificate.
- What are the water temps like? Nice
- Is it a place where if I bought my kids (14,11,7,5) they would have fun or whould they rather be in Disney? Marriott and Aruba are very family friendly. They have a kids club with fun activities all day such as pool bingo, iguana feedings.
- Oh and who are the most reputable tours operators? Everything we've done with DePalm has exceeded our expectations.

[lprstn]

Thanks! Keep it coming with anything I may have missed.

[BonBiniGirl]

We will be down there at the Surf Club the same time as you and we can't wait!

My husband and I have been going since 2002. The first time we went in May and the weather was perfect. Hot and sunny with a little breeze every day. The years after that we started going in October. Each year got more cloudy, more rainy and less windy. Needless to say, this year we are going to switch back to May and hope the weather is better. Of course, even with the rain/showers we had on our October vacations, we still enjoyed every minute!

Here are my thoughts on the rest of your questions:
- Are there things to do in walking distance?
Yup! We have never rented a car down there (our preference). There are plenty of restaurants and there is a new mall opening up across the street. Not all the stores are open yet, but its getting there. As for activities, there are a few things to do as you walk down the beach from the Ocean Club (snorkeling trips, deep sea fishing, etc.)

- About how much should I budget per day for lunch/dinner?
I agree with Blondie - conservative estimate is about $200 a day for 2 people. We usually eat breakfast in our room (get some food and snacks from Ling & Sons), split a lunch at the pool bar (portions are pretty good size - just ask them to split it and they will bring it out in 2 containers for you), and then we splurge on nice dinner places. Some nights are cheaper than others and the food is great down there! If you want to have food delivered to the timeshare, Ling & Sons lets you order online: http://www.lingandsons.com.

- are the drinks watered down?
Some places they are. Also depends on the bartender. Try a drink. If you don't like it, move on to the next bar. We have always been happy with the pool bars at the Marriott facilities and at most restaurants.

- Should we get a car? How much are taxis?
Getting a car is a personal preference. We do not. For the amount that we actually go farther than we can walk, then we take a cab. There are a lot of people that rent cars simply for the convenience. If you want to rent a car, I would post something in the Carribean section of this message board and you can probably get some good recommendations. As for taxi fares, they are fixed. This website will tell you how much they are: http://www.taxiaruba.com/farelist.html. Aruba Ocean Club also has this on their website: http://www.arubaoceanclub.com/pdfs/t...tes%202007.xls. Watch out for the $5 fares. Most of those are within walking distance of the Marriott.

- Do they have a spa onsite?
Yup! This is the website if you want to see what they have: http://www.mandaraspa.com/Main/SpaView.aspx?SpaID=9

- Is there something I must do in case I don't come back?
I would take one of the island tours so you can get a good feel for Aruba. Downtown is a fun area and pretty with the colorful buildings. The other side of the island is very different from the hotel side. One of the island tours will show you a little bit of everything.

- Should I bypass the TS tour @ Marriott? is it as grueling as it was in MX?
We have gone on the timeshare tour a few times at the Marriott. It wasn't high stress for us. If you have an hour or two to spend and want some points or a gift certificate, I would take it.

- What are the water temps like?
Not sure what the exact water temps are but it is nice and warm.

- Is it a place where if I bought my kids (14,11,7,5) they would have fun or whould they rather be in Disney?
I don't have kids so I can't personally speak to this. I think they would like the Surf Club because of the water slide and lazy river. I also believe the Marriott has kid activities: http://www.arubaoceanclub.com/pages/activities.html

- Oh and who are the most reputable tours operators?
We have used DePalm for the island tour (jeep tour) and Jolly Pirates for snorkeling. However I know there are some smaller and more local businesses who I have read about on this message board that are very good. May be worth it to pass your money on to them. I can't recommend anyone specific though. We are probably going to go Deep Sea Fishing this year and will be looking for someone local as opposed to a big company.

Have fun! May be will will bump in to you by the pool

[lvhmbh]

You will receive loads of information if you go to www.aruba-bb.com and/or www.visitaruba.com. This will be our 11th year for 3 weeks each year. We go in Feb/March and love it. I use the bb's very extensively to find out about restaurants,etc. There is also a website for the lastest Aruba restaurant reviews but the reviews on the bbs are splendid. You can walk to some things from the Marriott but you are missing some of the best restaurant's (Madame Jeanette, etc.) if you stay within walking distance - and it is not that easy a walk. Don't miss Azzuro at Playa Linda or Gianni (same owners) - much better than Hostaria. We always rent a car as taxis really add up quickly and its nice to just hop in a car. We don't find the driving a problem - I even go out on my own. I say Azzuro first because it has a nice ocean view. Mirandi is also a drive (go for sunset on the water). JMHO, Linda

[laxmom]

We were at Surf Club last year on Memorial Day week. It was about 90 but the tradewinds kept us cool. The water in the lazy river was so warm that you couldn't tell if your hand was in our out. It was the weirdest thing. It wasn't that the water was hot just that it was about the same as the air and our body temp. We swam every night after dinner; it was more refreshing and less crowded.

We did rent a car. We paid $130 for a Yaris and would do it again. We beach hopped with our snorkel gear. We did the jeep tour and island getaway with DePalm Tours and would highly recommend them. Our 16 yo loved it. We rode in a jeep with several other people and took turns driving. The tour guide had his own vehicle. There is a bus stop out front of the Ocean Club that was something like 50 cents pp. We took that downtown after trying to drive and park once with no luck. Parking is at a premium so take the bus.

Did the TS tour and it was no pressure.

Agree with the previous post about Ling & Sons. Just inquire about their hours - they weren't the kind of hours we were used to here. Also, the prices are in florines not dollars on the shelves.

I thought the drinks at the resorts were a little watered down but we only drank at happy hour. We did walk to the high rise area for dinner once, dinner at Madame Jeanettes once and dinner on the beach once. Other than that we ate in our room for breakfast and lunch when not on our tour with DePalm.(There are coupons in the magazines for some of their tours)

Jolly Pirates docks right next to Surf Club and I have heard great things about their snorkel adventures. The tour we did was an all day thing with some offroading on the back side of the island and then a trip to DePalm Island which was all inclusive. It was the highlight of our trip. We got to see a lot of the island this way.

We took our 16 yo and at first he thought the lazy river was boring. Couldn't get him out by the end of the week. We also drove up the coast a little bit to an area where the kite boarders practice and watched them for quite a while. They are there after work hours. There is a race from Venezuela to Aruba sometime in May. One night there was a mini concert at Moomba's, next to the Surf Club, that we sat on the beach and listened to. All in all, DS said this was his favorite trip so far out of all that we have taken. He wants to know when we are going back....so do I!!

[lprstn]

Thanks everyone! Keep it coming! My girlfriend owns at this resort and I am sending her information that I found here. She said its opening her eyes to a whole different vacation than she was taking.