First Visit A Success, So Long Review Ahead.

[stinky2]

We loved Aruba! So relaxing. We really enjoyed ourselves and had a blast. We rented our car from Econo Aruba, and they were so nice and provided great service. We stayed at Oceania where our
lovely hosts greeted us, and provided a chilled bottle of champagne upon arrival. Our unit was drop dead gorgeous, complete with a huge jacuzzi and an excellent view of the amazing Eagle Beach. I loved the layout, location and security of Oceania. We will definitely return there.

We enjoyed shopping for refreshments and snacks at Lings. We returned there a few times for shopping, as they had a great selection of various items . We bought Cuban rum( outstandingly delicious) and made Rum Runners and Cuba Libres with lime. We also enjoyed Balashis with lime and the Amstel Brights. We went to Eagle Beach every day, twice a day. My husband went fishing at various beaches, and caught some fish(catch and release),and enjoyed using his inflatable kayak. We also fell in love with Baby Beach where we went snorkeling a few times, and had great fun.

The driving intimidated me, but my hubby loved it. In some areas, traffic moved quite fast, and the road signs confusing. We would get confused or a little lost -but it all made for a fun challenge.

We never used so much sunscreen in our lives, but we are so glad that we did. We treated the Aruban sun with much respect. We loved the wind, which helped keep us cool, and a Palapa was always available so we had plenty of shade. The water was always amazing and beautiful.

Our food experience was for the most part, amazing. Here is a quick highlight of a few:

Marriott Lobster Buffet. Do not miss! Wood fire grilled lobster, and a large and awesome
selection of other dishes. We went twice.

Hyatt Champagne Brunch. Do not miss! A very nice brunch, and the Champagne and Mimosas were free flowing,

Driftwood. Very tasty fish with large portions. Excellent escargot and coconut shrimp appetizers.

Casa Tua Pizzeria. Excellent wood fired pizza. Very delicious. We actually got a pizza to go from Casa Tua Barcelona as well, on our way to the airport for departure, We parked by a beach and wolfed it down. We regret that we missed out on the Paella though. Next time for sure.

Zeerover. So much fun, and a great way to eat local style. We had fried mahi, huge shrimp, fries and plantains with Balashis. We did not use any utensils, and we loved the papaya hot sauce. Another Do not miss!

Hollywood Smokehouse. The owner is a super nice and very cool guy. The brisket is the best we have ever had, delicious smoke sausage, tasty sides and earth shatteringly good homemade desserts. We went twice. Do not miss!

Screaming Eagle. Our "date restaurant," and was so enjoyable we went twice. On Mother's day they presented the ladies with a beautiful, long stemmed rose. A very elegant place, with flair and style. I can't stop thinking about the Creme Brulee of Hungarian duck mousse and the pork belly with lobster. Again, Do not miss!

We will definitely return. We see why everyone loves Aruba. We do too!

[Arubalisa]

Thanks for taking the time to write the review. Did you rent the condo through VRBO?

[stinky2]

We rented the Oceania unit from Prestige Realty direct. Excellent staff.

[Love Aruba]

Thanks for the great report. I am glad you had a wonderful trip. Just one question, have you started planning your second trip? ; )
Pat

[Andrea J.]

thanks

loved it!

Originally Posted by stinky2

We loved Aruba! So relaxing. We really enjoyed ourselves and had a blast. We rented our car from Econo Aruba, and they were so nice and provided great service. We stayed at Oceania where our
lovely hosts greeted us, and provided a chilled bottle of champagne upon arrival. Our unit was drop dead gorgeous, complete with a huge jacuzzi and an excellent view of the amazing Eagle Beach. I loved the layout, location and security of Oceania. We will definitely return there.

We enjoyed shopping for refreshments and snacks at Lings. We returned there a few times for shopping, as they had a great selection of various items . We bought Cuban rum( outstandingly delicious) and made Rum Runners and Cuba Libres with lime. We also enjoyed Balashis with lime and the Amstel Brights. We went to Eagle Beach every day, twice a day. My husband went fishing at various beaches, and caught some fish(catch and release),and enjoyed using his inflatable kayak. We also fell in love with Baby Beach where we went snorkeling a few times, and had great fun.

The driving intimidated me, but my hubby loved it. In some areas, traffic moved quite fast, and the road signs confusing. We would get confused or a little lost -but it all made for a fun challenge.

We never used so much sunscreen in our lives, but we are so glad that we did. We treated the Aruban sun with much respect. We loved the wind, which helped keep us cool, and a Palapa was always available so we had plenty of shade. The water was always amazing and beautiful.

Our food experience was for the most part, amazing. Here is a quick highlight of a few:

Marriott Lobster Buffet. Do not miss! Wood fire grilled lobster, and a large and awesome
selection of other dishes. We went twice.

Hyatt Champagne Brunch. Do not miss! A very nice brunch, and the Champagne and Mimosas were free flowing,

Driftwood. Very tasty fish with large portions. Excellent escargot and coconut shrimp appetizers.

Casa Tua Pizzeria. Excellent wood fired pizza. Very delicious. We actually got a pizza to go from Casa Tua Barcelona as well, on our way to the airport for departure, We parked by a beach and wolfed it down. We regret that we missed out on the Paella though. Next time for sure.

Zeerover. So much fun, and a great way to eat local style. We had fried mahi, huge shrimp, fries and plantains with Balashis. We did not use any utensils, and we loved the papaya hot sauce. Another Do not miss!

Hollywood Smokehouse. The owner is a super nice and very cool guy. The brisket is the best we have ever had, delicious smoke sausage, tasty sides and earth shatteringly good homemade desserts. We went twice. Do not miss!

Screaming Eagle. Our "date restaurant," and was so enjoyable we went twice. On Mother's day they presented the ladies with a beautiful, long stemmed rose. A very elegant place, with flair and style. I can't stop thinking about the Creme Brulee of Hungarian duck mousse and the pork belly with lobster. Again, Do not miss!

We will definitely return. We see why everyone loves Aruba. We do too!

[DANNYO]

So glad you had a great vacation and thank you for the report.Not saying anything about the weather i guess it was great.

[stinky2]

The weather was excellent. We had a couple of small, quick showers a few times, and it was actually welcomed to cool the air.

[ecrey]

45 days to go for us.. can you please let me know which marriott you had the lobster buffet, what day, and how much per person?

thank you.

[stinky2]

The Lobster buffet is on Saturdays, apprx $54 pp(well worth it), and is at the Aruba Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino.

[Andrea J.]

are you talking about the "seafood extravaganza" at the LAVISTA at the Marriott Hotel?

we went there, using our gambling points and found the meal to be WONDERFUL.
I had nothing but protein.
I had grilled caribbean lobster which was tender and sweet, also had delicious grilled grouper and wahoo, also grilled.
Although many of us, me included are used to New England lobster, the caribbean lobster was indeed wonderful.


We have 0 gambling points remaining, but maybe we will hit up the seafood buffet anyway. we loved it.

and the sushi...............LOVED IT TOO.

Originally Posted by stinky2

The Lobster buffet is on Saturdays, apprx $54 pp(well worth it), and is at the Aruba Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino.