[fattypatty]

okay, so we ended up staying at the stellaris again (4x) and got upgraded to the ocean/pool view room which was a nice way to start the vacation. the first thing we noticed was how empty the place was - june 1-5.

this time aroud we rented a car from amigo. their service was good and the car's condition was good - the same as any other place in the USA. driving in aruba was easier than i thought. but boy was gas expensive! i think i paid about $4.50/gallon.


anyhow, we tried new places for eats:

marandi - got lost coming back home in the dark with a few drinks in my system. the food was great, but they had small portions and it was expensive imo. but the quality was good. the view was also great - no flies or mosquitoes to report.

charlie's bar - ate lunch there and vowed to never go back. it's definitely a place you go once to see what the hoopla is all about but i found it hard to find a reason to go twice. the food is expensive imo for both the quality and quantity.

passions - great food and decent price. we tried the watermelon salad and found it very interesting.....it was good and it was bad. it's hard to explain. but it's definitely something to give a try. you won't find something like that here. but it was way toooooo windy when we went - things were flying off the table and i think i ate at least a tea spoon worth of sand. but the view of the sunset is by far the best compared with old man, flying fish, and marandi (the beach/water eateries).

blossoms - same ole, good food and decent pricing - perhaps a little pricey for a chinese food but nothing out of the ordinary compared to nyc eateries. we go to for our rice fix.

belgium bistro (at the new mall - the name may be incorrect) - this is probably one of the worst places we went along with charlies. the service was way too slow and the food was bland and tateless. and it's quite expensive. although the terrace seating was nice.


baby beach - awesome. regretted not having been there the other times i went to aruba. the drive was long and the detour coupled with poor signs didn't help, but getting lost was half the fun.

casino - got my 1st full house at the caribbean stud!

ling and sons - probably the best supermarket. it's definitely nicer than many of the places near my house. we went to 3 supermarkets in aruba and found ling and sons to be the cleanest, fully stocked, diverse choice, and most americanized. i think their prices were cheaper also.