Been there done that! ...........Next!!!!!!!!
Written: Sep 22 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: clear waters, clean beaches, no beach solicitation, safe, friendly islanders, beautifully landscaped resorts
Cons: uninteresting terrain, colorless coral, extremely expensive, time consuming to get there, couples paradise
The Bottom Line: Aruba is the place for you if you want to relax.............really relax. No worries, no hassles, and most importantly, no HURRICANES!.
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| ncgirlie_2000's Full Review: Aruba |
First of all let me say that I read all the reviews before I selected Aruba as my vacation destination for Labor Day 2001. In saying that, most of what I say here I expected… to some degree. However there were instances where I was pleasantly surprised at how much better some things I had heard were, and also somewhat more disappointed by others.
Aruba is a tourism dependent island. They don't manufacture or grow anything on this island. (with the exception of some of the best water I have ever tasted, and a distinctly European type pilsner beer called "Balashi") Once you touch down you see why. In a way the interior reminded me of the landscape of Arizona. It was very uninteresting. It was chock full of cacti, dried grass, and rocks. And that was pretty much it. That being said, the resort areas tried to compensate for the lack of scenery by transplanting plant life from other regions creating some very lush and enchanting locals. We stayed at the Marriott Stellaris resort. The landscaping both outside and inside was simply breathtaking. But, once you leave the resort areas, be prepared for some very dull and uninteresting scenery.
Being that the island is so dependent on tourism, everyone that we encountered was extremely friendly. Everyone smiled, and spoke in passing on the streets, and even outside the resort areas where they are not catering to the guests. Another plus was that everyone spoke English, and American money was accepted everywhere so you did not have to worry about calculating the exchange rates. The island was amazingly clean even in the capital city of Oranjestad. This was a bustling city and often crowded with bargain hunters looking for that perfect find that unfortunately would be as elusive as Bigfoot. I found no bargains here as far as shopping. Everything was expensive. Most prices I found were comparable to that I would find in the States in places such as Tommy Hilfiger, Boss, and the jewelry stores were outrageous. (even though they had some beautiful pieces) Another thing that I found disappointing was the quality of the food. As I stated before, I was prepared to pay for a good meal, because previous reviews indicated that dining was expensive. But the quality of what we got was not that great, and we were hard pressed to find any "native" cuisine. Granted the population is basically like any borough of New York in that they are transplants from all over the world. However, I would have loved to find more truly "Aruban" establishments as opposed to Italian, French, and yes American. The one thing that I got down here that I had never had before was a "Slippery Monkey". The best and most original drink I have ever had. I truly recommend it.
Of course the island has those trademark white sand beaches and water quality to die for. Hanging out on the beach is a truly relaxing experience if you can get up at the crack of dawn to go down and commander a spot under a cabana or shade tree. We stayed at the Marriott, and the beach was always quite crowded. But one thing that I truly did not like is that people would get down to the beach and get all the good spots saving them by leaving their things, and taking off to return hours later. I did express my dissatisfaction to Marriott staff at this. Keep in mind that even though there is a constant trade wind, the sun is extremely strong. Myself I needed to be in the shade as much as possible. Even though I slathered on the SPF 45 I still came back 4 shades darker! The water was great, and at the resort extremely shallow. My plan was to do a few snorkel/scuba trips. However after going down once, I was so unimpressed with the coral formations that I decided to save some coins and try something else. Of course they had many varieties of fish that were truly colorful, including some of the biggest blue Parrot fish I have ever seen! But that was it!!! The rest of the underwater world was just, well just booooring. So we decided to go horseback riding instead. Which was fun, however just to warn you again, don't expect a scenic trip.
We spent a lot of time in Oranjestad and at other resorts hanging out. A word of warning about the Marriott. It is a very nice hotel, however don't go expecting there to be a lot of activity. It is the place to go relax, and be pampered. And it is definitely not a place to stay if you are single. I swear everyone there was on a honeymoon or anniversary trip. It got to be a bit much by the end of our 7-day trip. The only thing going on at the resort is the casino, and the occasional dinner show, which we found to be a lot better further down the beach at of all places the Holiday Inn, and the Allegro resorts.
In all the trip was relaxing and an enjoyable experience. However, this is one place that will go on the been there, done that list. There are a lot more places in this world I would like to go, before venturing back there. And I definitely won't be honeymooning there! The honeymoon upgrade is pretty much non-existent!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
ncgirlie_2000
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Location: NC, USA
Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 1 member
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