Another 1st timer to Aruba. Hi everyone!

[BostonLager]

Hi everyone, Great message board. It's been very helpful so far. I figured I should sign up and say hello. We will be vacationing in Aruba for the 1st time in August
staying at the Divi All Inclusive. We plan on doing some snorkeling and a tour of
the Island etc...but not too much other than that. We plan on spending most of the time
at the Divi/Tam just relaxing. At least that's the plan at this point. We shall see when we get there.

So basically my question is since we haven't booked any excursions or a car rental yet I need your opinions.

Do you think we need to book excursions and a car rental in advance or do you think we can "wing" it and
book these things when we arrive? Is that taking too much of a risk?

How's the Bunker bar? It looks like a neat place to hang out in the afternoon. We will definitely make a daily trek down there.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions/tips you can give us 1st timers.

[Kenny Maine]

It is not necessary to book your tours, excursions in advance. You can work with the concierge at the resort once you get there.

[Jarubian]

Welcome to the Forum, you will enjoy Aruba. No, you do not need to book excursions in advance its really easy to book while there. As per car its up to you how much flesibility you need to have. Very easy to get around by taxi cab, walking, and the local bus.

Have fun, and we look forward to your report as a 1st timer.

[Andrea J.]

love your handle "boston lager"

welcome to the aruba.com community forum
my favorite piece of advice is telling folks "do not overschedule".
lay back, enjoy the sun and the water and of course the bunker bar (i think they open at 11 am)

schedule your excursions (or not) once on island

if you really want to snorkel and get in a fantastic boat ride i recommend Tranquilo for a quiet calm adventure OR Jolly pirate for a lively, less calm snorkel excursion.

andrea

Originally Posted by BostonLager

Hi everyone, Great message board. It's been very helpful so far. I figured I should sign up and say hello. We will be vacationing in Aruba for the 1st time in August
staying at the Divi All Inclusive. We plan on doing some snorkeling and a tour of
the Island etc...but not too much other than that. We plan on spending most of the time
at the Divi/Tam just relaxing. At least that's the plan at this point. We shall see when we get there.

So basically my question is since we haven't booked any excursions or a car rental yet I need your opinions.

Do you think we need to book excursions and a car rental in advance or do you think we can "wing" it and
book these things when we arrive? Is that taking too much of a risk?

How's the Bunker bar? It looks like a neat place to hang out in the afternoon. We will definitely make a daily trek down there.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions/tips you can give us 1st timers.

[Arubalisa]

Originally Posted by BostonLager

Do you think we need to book excursions and a car rental in advance or do you think we can "wing" it and book these things when we arrive? Is that taking too much of a risk?

As long as you are flexible, it shouldn't be a problem. We have waited until the last minute when we were actually on the island to rent a vehicle and on more than one occassion have not been able to find anything for our first choice of days.

How's the Bunker bar? It looks like a neat place to hang out in the afternoon. We will definitely make a daily trek down there.

View from the Bunker Bar click on the thumbnail to enlarge

[BostonLager]

Thank you to everybody who replied. It's comforting to know that we can just book excursions and rent a car once we get there if we decide to. Since we have never been to Aruba my worry was that maybe snorkeling excursions etc... would be sold out. We could book in advance but we would prefer to do it when we get there.
I doubt there is any Sam Adams Boston Lager in Aruba so I'll have to settle for Balashi. Is Balashi good? Is it like Heineken or different? Do they have other choices for beer? I did see Amstel Bright mentioned. What is that like?
I assume they have regular Amstel too?

Thanks again!

[BostonLager]

Originally Posted by Arubalisa

As long as you are flexible, it shouldn't be a problem. We have waited until the last minute when we were actually on the island to rent a vehicle and on more than one occassion have not been able to find anything for our first choice of days.


View from the Bunker Bar click on the thumbnail to enlarge

What an Awsome view!!!! Wow!!!! Thanks!!!

[Shnyda]

Originally Posted by BostonLager

Thank you to everybody who replied. Is Balashi good? Is it like Heineken or different? Do they have other choices for beer? I did see Amstel Bright mentioned. What is that like?
I assume they have regular Amstel too?

Thanks again!

Balashi has some similar characteristics of Heineken - but I find the taste of Heineken to be more pleasurable then Balashi. Balashi is decent though.

Amstel Brights are great and very comporable to Corona. Typically served with lemon or lime.

You will find some other beers served in various places on the Island.

[Andrea J.]

hey boston

that view from the bunker bar is nice indeed.
unfortunately the view in the afternoons towards sunset it gets a little distorted. all having to do with bending the elbow and in my case miami vices

enjoy boston, ask many questions and undoubtedly will get many answers.

andrea (displaced from waltham, now in maine)

Originally Posted by BostonLager

What an Awsome view!!!! Wow!!!! Thanks!!!

[mgenestra]

Hi Andrea,

Enjoy your first time to Aruba. I'm actually planning my first trip to Aruba for this November to stay at the Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusive, which is the sister hotel/resort to the Divi. Please let me know how you liked it when you get back. I keep doubting myself as to where to stay but this hotel seems the most reasonably and too I don't plan on being in the room all that much except to sleep and shower. I would like to spend most of my time at the pools and beach.

What week are you going in Aug? My husband and I are planning to go Nov 27th to Dec 4th. I hope the weather is still nice and warm. We were also considering a timeshare but no one ever got back to me on that week.