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Flamingo78 · 01-26-2010, 12:06 PM

Here’s my trip report…

Sunday January 17, 2010: arrived in beautiful Aruba around 1:30pm. Checked into the Renaissance Ocean suites and happy to have a fantastic room facing the ocean (thanks Annie!!). Headed to the mini beach to soak in some sun and relax. Saw an extraordinary sunset. As we are used to going to Aruba in June/July, we noted that the sunsets are far more clear and vibrant in January (less hazy?). That night we went to Blossoms at the Westin for sushi. (Have been before, and really enjoy this place). After dinner, wandered around a bit stopping at some bars along the way. We also really like Café Rembrandt. Stopped by Sopranos but didn’t care for the entertainment on this night so moved on to a few other stops. Something possessed us to pop into Hooters and order fried pickles, which was funny but I don’t recommend!

Monday January 18: breakfast at the Dutch Pancake house (awesome!) & lazy day on Ren island… loved seeing old friends like George (boat driver)… saw them set up for a wedding on the island & took pictures to share with brides-to-be here (coming soon)... another fabulous sunset, followed by dinner at El Gaucho ~ one of our favorite restaurants on the planet. My husband loves the Argentine Grill (5 different meats), and I got the tenderloin steak for the first time and it was delicious. The chimichurri sauce is incredible, truly the best!

Tuesday January 19: another great day on Ren Island. Very happy to see our dear friend Jorge again too (waiter/bartender). For those that know Jorge, I can happily report that he got a promotion after 18 years w/ the Ren and is excited to be working at Papagayo and no longer walking the beaches as a server. Yay for Jorge (and his birthday was Saturday too)! We decided to go to The Old Man and The Sea for a sunset dinner, which proved to be a horrible choice and I detailed on another thread on the forum. While the ambiance is fantastic, we won’t ever return to this restaurant and won’t recommend it to anyone else.

Wednesday January 20: completely wasted/bad day, due to previous night…

Thursday January 21: very low key day, stayed close to Ren property and only had a club sandwich for dinner. Nice to see more Ren friends (hi Tino!).

Friday January 22: back to Dutch Pancake House and did some shopping downtown before heading off to the island for the day… my husband was still not feeling well from Tuesday night... went to Gianni's for a pasta dinner to be on the safe side... thought that the food was really good but very very slow. Service was good too.

Saturday January 23: breakfast at Aquarius at the Renaissance Marina hotel, had fun watching all the cruise ship folks wandering the Ren. Mall… off to Ren Island for the day… Amazonia for dinner that night. (We have gone to Texas de Brazil before, and decided to try Amazonia at the recommendation of our cab driver). My husband said he didn't want to even look at a menu with seafood on it! We thought Amazonia was good, although salad bar was better at TdB, but the service was better at Amazonia. Later, we went to Mr. Jazz – really fun place and got to watch some incredible dancers and hear live music. Hit the Seaport Casino before returning to our suite.

Sunday… sad day, headed home…

01-26-2010, 12:06 PM	#11 (permalink)
Flamingo78 Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Renaissance Island! Posts: 37	Here’s my trip report… Sunday January 17, 2010: arrived in beautiful Aruba around 1:30pm. Checked into the Renaissance Ocean suites and happy to have a fantastic room facing the ocean (thanks Annie!!). Headed to the mini beach to soak in some sun and relax. Saw an extraordinary sunset. As we are used to going to Aruba in June/July, we noted that the sunsets are far more clear and vibrant in January (less hazy?). That night we went to Blossoms at the Westin for sushi. (Have been before, and really enjoy this place). After dinner, wandered around a bit stopping at some bars along the way. We also really like Café Rembrandt. Stopped by Sopranos but didn’t care for the entertainment on this night so moved on to a few other stops. Something possessed us to pop into Hooters and order fried pickles, which was funny but I don’t recommend! Monday January 18: breakfast at the Dutch Pancake house (awesome!) & lazy day on Ren island… loved seeing old friends like George (boat driver)… saw them set up for a wedding on the island & took pictures to share with brides-to-be here (coming soon)... another fabulous sunset, followed by dinner at El Gaucho ~ one of our favorite restaurants on the planet. My husband loves the Argentine Grill (5 different meats), and I got the tenderloin steak for the first time and it was delicious. The chimichurri sauce is incredible, truly the best! Tuesday January 19: another great day on Ren Island. Very happy to see our dear friend Jorge again too (waiter/bartender). For those that know Jorge, I can happily report that he got a promotion after 18 years w/ the Ren and is excited to be working at Papagayo and no longer walking the beaches as a server. Yay for Jorge (and his birthday was Saturday too)! We decided to go to The Old Man and The Sea for a sunset dinner, which proved to be a horrible choice and I detailed on another thread on the forum. While the ambiance is fantastic, we won’t ever return to this restaurant and won’t recommend it to anyone else. Wednesday January 20: completely wasted/bad day, due to previous night… Thursday January 21: very low key day, stayed close to Ren property and only had a club sandwich for dinner. Nice to see more Ren friends (hi Tino!). Friday January 22: back to Dutch Pancake House and did some shopping downtown before heading off to the island for the day… my husband was still not feeling well from Tuesday night... went to Gianni's for a pasta dinner to be on the safe side... thought that the food was really good but very very slow. Service was good too. Saturday January 23: breakfast at Aquarius at the Renaissance Marina hotel, had fun watching all the cruise ship folks wandering the Ren. Mall… off to Ren Island for the day… Amazonia for dinner that night. (We have gone to Texas de Brazil before, and decided to try Amazonia at the recommendation of our cab driver). My husband said he didn't want to even look at a menu with seafood on it! We thought Amazonia was good, although salad bar was better at TdB, but the service was better at Amazonia. Later, we went to Mr. Jazz – really fun place and got to watch some incredible dancers and hear live music. Hit the Seaport Casino before returning to our suite. Sunday… sad day, headed home… Last edited by Flamingo78; 01-27-2010 at 09:09 AM.