My boyfriend and I just returned from our first annual trip to Aruba! We loved it! For those that haven't been before, you're going to love it as well. We've traveled to Mexico and Bahamas, and this was our favorite by far. Hotel: We stayed at the Westin. It was nice, but we will probably stay elsewhere next time. If you're booked to stay there for an upcoming trip - no worries! It was a nice hotel. They're completing a renovation and that was a bit of a drag. The old lobby was nothing to write home about. The casino wasn't great either - didn't find it warm and welcoming. We didn't visit any restaurants at the Westin - the other restaurants around had so many rave reviews, we couldn't pass them up. The room at the Westin was nice, but the bathroom could use a deep clean. It was acceptable, but not perfect. We requested a balcony ocean view king bed. When we arrived, we had 2 Queens, balcony island view. They changed this without trouble, but we didn't really have an ocean view, unless you call leaning over the balcony to catch a glimpse of the turquoise blue water. We looked at the Rui Hotel and the HVAC system. The bed truly was "heavenly" and the room was clean and nicely decorated. The pool was fine and the bar near the ocean was good too. We found the beach to be fine - cleaned daily, not a lot of trash left by others. Fairly crowded. We had no problems finding lounge chairs to lay in. Ocean: Wow. The water was incredible. Clear, no seaweed by the Westin, no unwanted critters, white sugary sand, and the bluest water I've ever seen. Things to Do: Gambling: We love to play blackjack, so we ended each day winning or losing money at the blackjack tables. Our favorite casino was at the Hyatt. The staff are nice, except for one dealer - Susan. Watch out for her. If she becomes your dealer, walk away. She seems to enjoy having losers at her table, cannot crack a smile, and is very quick to deal when you make a mistake. I found her personality as nice as a pitbull. Otherwise, the staff were great. The waitress with long red hair took excellent care of us and they serve many American beers on tap. (the local beer is a bit to bitter for me.) Exploring: We rented a 4x4 with Hertz. The car was a P.O.S., but it got us around. Be sure to rent a car with a/c. I felt sorry for the tourists that had jeeps with no cover and no a/c. It can be quite toasty in the sun and there's little or no shade anywhere. We explored the island in about 8 hours and went everywhere. It was fun and there's plenty to see. Be sure to have someone with you that has a good sense of direction or good eyes to see the tiny signs telling you where to go. Arubans must just know where to go because there are literally NO road signs to speak of. Sea Kayaking and Snorkling: We booked with Kayak Adventure, 582-5520. $99 per person, which I found to be a good value. Our guide was Clamp-O. (He spelled his name about five times.) He was a good guide. The tour included kayaking in the Spanish Lagoon, lunch at De Palm Island (good), drinks, and snorkling at the De Palm Island. Good fun. Clamp-O picked us up at 8:30 and we were back to the hotel by 2:30. Restaurants: We were happy with all our choices. We followed the advice by many and booked reservations as soon as we arrived. However, after a day of fun, we decided to just stay close rather than going elsewhere on the Island. We ate at two restaurants at Hyatt: the Italian and the Sushi restaurant. Both were excellent. We asked for the best table at the Sushi restaurant and the hostess took great care of us - had a table for two along there manmade lagoon and visited with the black swans that seem to enjoy the puffed rice crackers. We also ate at Smoky Joe's which had excellent ribs. Excellent. The Gasparito was excellent as well. Great local menu. The host was extremely courteous and took the time to explain the menu and gave great recommendations. We tried the local cuisine and found it to be very good. We gave Goat Stew a try. Don't wrinkle your nose - it was very good if you can get past eating a kid. Other miscellaneous tips: We took a collapsable cooler with us and had Ling and Sons (local grocery) deliver food to our hotel. The Westin provided a fridge free of charge. Each day, we packed our food for the day and took it to the beach. We also had them deliever the essentials - beer. We packed this as well. This was the best idea we had for the trip. We chose to not get the all inclusive because we wanted to try different restaurants. The hotel provided in-room Starbucks coffee which was great. Don't waste your time with the Visit Aruba discount card unless you're staying long enough to use it a lot. We stayed six days and didn't use it at all. Waste of money, but could be a benefit if you stay longer and explore a lot to other restaurants. Take lots of small bills for tip money. Take sunscreen! We used SPF 15 and it was adequate. I'm sure there's much more to tell you - We loved Aruba! The locals are very nice, well developed Island, good shopping - fun, fun, fun!

Glad you had a great time.First annual trip,when are you going back?

Great review!

Aruba Bound! ~ Hoosier Kitties ~ Our-Cruises ~ Blogging to Aruba
Back to paradise Trip #18

Thats funny that you would mention Susan, the dealer at The Hyatt. We were there from 11/17-11/25 this year and have had many problems when she came to the blackjack table. I feel that maybe we could have played together, but who knows. We go there every year and its something that I will certainly look forward to next year staying at the Hyatt again.

Cheers!

Glad you had a good time, join the crowd of those of us who return over the years. Looking forward to returning in July. In between trips to Aruba we go to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico twice a year. We get sunshine but its nowhere as nice as Aruba. Bon Bini

We go to Cabo San Lucas also between Aruba vacations!! But love Aruba better!
Terry Joz

Terry Jozwiak