Aruba rubs us the right way
Written: Feb 03 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Weather, convenience, safety
Cons: Maybe too Americanized?
The Bottom Line: If you value relaxation above all, it can't be beat.
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| crowder's Full Review: Aruba |
When I say that my wife and I are leisure travelers, I really mean it. We don't plan our days at all....even a dinner reservation is too strong a commitment for us to manage. Think of that as essential background for this review of our recent trip to Aruba.
We flew directly to Aruba from Atlanta, a 3.5 hour flight moving across one time zone. The flights were uneventful by today's standards with only the routine delays for Customs, which we cleared in Aruba for both flights. We stayed for four nights at the Renaissance Beach Resort and Casino, formerly the Aruba Sonesta Beach Resort, which I will review separately.
Aruba is a very easy place for an American to travel. Nearly everyone speaks English as a first, second or third language, USD and charge cards are accepted everywhere, even the channels on the resort's TVs were the likes of CNN, CNN HN, TNN, HBO along with NBC, CBS and ABC affiliates via satellite. You will find Wendy's, Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, etc. on the island. Some people might find that offensive, but we saw it as an advantage for those who might travel with children. There are even first-run movies from the States at the local, modern theater. Taxis are easy to find, the drivers are pleasant and the fares are fixed so it's unlikely you'll get cheated.
The main road near our resort was a busy thoroughfare, but the sidewalks are broad so walking is an easy alternative. The Renaissance Beach Resort is in Oranjestaad, the capital of the island, and is also near the main harbor where cruise ships dock. Understandably, the area is filled with modern open-air malls, restaurants and casinos, along with a few live theatres. There were nearly always two ships in port, though nothing seemed excessively crowded and we never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a table at the most popular restaurants. Further on up the coast there are a few different groups of resorts on other beaches, but we never got that far. Everything we needed to enjoy our trip was close at hand.
So what makes this island so special? For one, the extremely consistent weather. Most people can only get to the tropics every once in a long while, and I would suspect it's a huge disappointment to wind up stuck in a resort town with lousy weather. Aruba features clear skies with a cooling trade wind about 95% of the time. It's near the Equator and out of the hurricane zone. Some people may find the constant breeze annoying, but it encouraged me to lay out in the sun and enjoy the outdoors a lot more than I would have if the wind was down and the sun was beating on us. Also, beach vending is not allowed on Aruba, so once you find your place in the sun you don't have a thing to concern you. If you dream of sitting under the sun with a drink in your hand, the bright blue sky above and the bright blue water nearby, a warm sun above and a cooling breeze blowing, Aruba is your place.
As far as activities go, there seemed to be plenty. I'm not a diver or snorkler, but there were at least 20 dive sites noted on a touring map we saw, and there are glass-walled boats and submarines to take you out to the reefs and wrecks. There are all sorts of water sports, kayak rentals, etc. It is popular to rent a jeep and roam the countryside. There are two golf courses, but I wasn't tempted to play due to the strong winds. Again, we travel to relax and that's about all we do!
There are numerous good restaurants on the island with every type of food represented. On successive nights we ate seafood, sandwiches, sushi, and steak. Surprisingly, none of the seafood we had was spectacular, but there are many steakhouses in the South American tradition. El Gaucho is a local favorite that was very good. We also had an excellent Sunday Brunch at L'Escale.
If you're into taking more risk on vacation, you might prefer Jamaica, the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico for Caribbean fun. But if you want to know exactly what you're getting into, and you want to be sure you can relax, Aruba is hard to beat.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
crowder
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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