This year, instead of fighting with RCI for Aruba accommodations, we decided to just make reservations for 5 nights at the Marriott and 5 nights at the Radisson. That way, we felt, it would be like having two vacations in Aruba. And....it was!!! Upon our arrival at the Marriott, we were greeted with a welcome glass of refreshing punch as well as an icy cold cloth to whisk away the usual stale feeling that travelers get. The registration desk staff were their usual most pleasant selves and made us feel that warm Aruban attitude immediately. We were quickly assigned to our room and our luggage followed us up within a few minutes. Our room was, as expected, spacious, clean and overlooked the south side of the pool and we could see the Caribbean as well, from our balcony. We had dinner at Tony Roma's as per our usual first evening in Aruba. No fuss, no muss!! And, as usual, the ribs were outstanding!
The rest of the first five days were uneventful as far as Aruban visits go, as well they should be. A most pleasant time at the Marriott was reinforced by the presence of the fine ladies at the concierge desk and by Enrique at the main desk. These people were outstanding in their interpretation of what 'customer service' really means! Of course, we sent kudos on their behalf to the general manager.
Our restaurant visits were also outstanding. We enjoyed every dinner we had during our 10 night stay. We must say that Gianni's was a wonderful surprise. The staff is obviously very well trained; the menu is quite broad and the meals were very nicely prepared. We were also very pleased with dinner at Papiamento. We hadn't visited Papiamento in several years after having a most disappointing meal. But...they have, in our opinion, come the long way back to being one of the top restaurants on the island, again! Dinners at Tuscany at the Marriott were all the more pleasant because of the efforts of our waitperson, Noelia. She is an absolute joy!! We learned, unfortunately, that Tuscany will be converted to a Ruth's Chris Steak House. It's a shame that the ambience that this room has will be lost!
As we had hoped, the move from the Marriott to the Radisson made it seem like we were starting a whole new vacation. We quickly packed our bags on the morning of July 7th, checked out of the Marriott, loaded our Yaris from Hans and Dennis at Tropic and headed for the approximate one mile jaunt to the Radisson. Check in was, as usual, a bit hectic what with the tour bus having just arrived. Also, per usual, the room that we had requested in the Curasao Tower was not available and we were placed in the Bonaire Tower. So much for being a 'regular customer' for the last number of years. All in all, we did note that attitude on the part of the staff has improved over the years. Prior to this time, we have commented that they just didn't seem to be accommodating nor did they smile easily and exhibit the usual Aruban pleasantness. Our few problems with the Radisson had to do with the very poor lighting in the bathroom and the fact that the balcony had not been cleaned during the extent of our stay. There were bird droppings on the furniture on the balcony as well as on the walls and floor. We saw other balconies being mopped, etc. But...not ours! Upon check-out, we complained about this and were offered an upgrade for our next visit.
Restaurants for our 'second vacation' included Hostaria di Vittorio; the Tuscany (again) and the Sunset Grille at the Rad. Once again, all were fine meals. We think that Gianni's will give Vittorio's a run for the money!!
We've noticed that there has been an effort at Vittorio's to improve service. Maurizio is doing his best to greet incoming diners and thanking them for visiting. Of course, Benny at Chalet Suisse is still "welcoming home" in his usual pleasant manner. It may be our imagination but...we had dinner with friends and their children and grandchildren...a party of 8 people...we think that the food and the service at Chalet Suisse is better when it is only a party of 2 or 4!!
To sum up...every year (and this was our 11th or 12th to Aruba) we say that the vacation was the best EVER! And...this year was no exception!! We absolutely LOVED EVERY MOMENT!!!
