How do you rebuff these people?

Megan8607: Honestly, 9 times out of 10, you tell the people no thank you and they say okay and leave you alone. However, these people I encountered were different. If you encounter them near the Occidental, the best thing to do is to keep walking. That is what we should have done and even if they surround you like they did us, just push on through. If you walk far enough, they won't follow because then you are making them leave their spot to annoy tourists. You probably won't have any problems with any of these people. We just happened to be unlucky that day.

Detroit Red Wings-2008 Stanley Cup Champions

We were "accosted" twice on our last trip. First time was in the evening as we were walking past the Occidental - sales people were standing outside hawking the resort! They were a bit pushy, but we said "no thank you" and kept walking.

Second time surprised us - we were at the lighthouse when a guy came over and struck up a conversation. Very pleasant, typical friendly local ... or so we thought! About 5 minutes into the conversation he led into his sales pitch by asking us where we were staying. He was selling The Aruban! When we told him we were in the process of buying at Gold Coast, he quickly lost interest and went on his way to catch other unsuspecting tourists!

Pretty annoying, but as Digger said, just keep walking and you're all set!

Return to One Happy Island, January 7, 2009!