Thanks for checking in. Happy to hear all is going well. Remember when traveling to Aruba , anticipation is half the fun.

So what's the story behind THAT avatar?

Aruba Bound! ~ Hoosier Kitties ~ Our-Cruises ~ Blogging to Aruba
Back to paradise Trip #18
Christmas & New Years Aboard the Queen Mary 2

Lol yeah I change my picture a lot. I know I know. We have to burn our trash out here so our enemy cant dig threw it and find anything that would hurt us. It takes hours to burn it all to ashes so we get kind bored sometimes and that was one of them lol.

I'm taking my wife to Aruba!!!

See I learn something new EACH and EVERY day in this lifetime. Interesting.

Aruba Bound! ~ Hoosier Kitties ~ Our-Cruises ~ Blogging to Aruba
Back to paradise Trip #18
Christmas & New Years Aboard the Queen Mary 2

Hi Arubalisa! Read the info you sent and it was very helpful. We will be staying at Bucuti for our visit. Can you make a suggestion of how you would fill a week? We plan lots of beach time, but if you where going, what are some things you would be sure to do? There are so many options and possiblities it is overwhelming and hard to decide. Please could you suggest your favorite tours, cruise, shops you would not miss, etc??? THANK YOU!

I am trying to come up with similar info for our family and 3 different Caribbean islands and it IS an unsurmountable task.

First off, if you are staying at the Bucuti, see Romance with Your Soulmate.

Below is a recap of some of what I have written previously...

For a first time visitor, depending on when you are going, renting a car for a week, is relatively inexpensive and you could explore the island and shop at your own pace.

If you plan on spending most of your time on the beach just relaxing, then renting a vehicle for week when it is going to sit in the parking lot may be a waste of money. The big advantage of staying along Palm Beach is the fact that there are so many activities within walking distance.

I would suggest setting aside at least half a day to see the island. This can be done on your own by car or 4 x 4, or by guided tour.

ABC Jeep Tours http://www.abc-aruba.com/ is extremely popular and gets excellent reviews.
Our family just took a tour with Kini Kini http://www.kinikini.com/kk/servlet/Home via ATV which we really enjoyed. They do jeep tours as well.

The other popular activity is a snorkel excursion. Two of my favorite choices are Jolly Pirates and Tranquilo.

Depending on how how long you are going to be on the island, you can easily spend one full day exploring the island either by jeep or on your own. Another full day on the water with either Tranquilo or JP's. That is two full days of your visit to the island right there. Add on a half day for shopping and you are already well into your vacation time. A half day horseback riding or a sunset sail?

Or another "thing to do" which only takes a short time, but well worthwhile imo, the heliopter tour. Our family took the helicopter tour for the first time, this is from my review:
"Dh and I always wanted to take the helicopter tour, but had a tough time justifying the expense. This year we decide to bite the bullet and in lieu of exchanging gifts for our wedding anniversary, do the helicopter tour instead. Thursday morning was our helicopter tour of the island.

There is only one operator on the island,Aruba Heli Tours. We decided to reserve the first tour of the day at 10 a.m. in order to have the rest of the day at the beach.

Christian was our pilot and tour guide. We felt it was well worth the extra money for the island tour versus the beach tour. The island tour begins at the helipad at the marina in Oranjestad. We headed north and saw Druif, Eagle, Palm Beach, Malmok, Arashi and beyond. We out over the wreck of the Antilla for a very unique view. From there it was on around the lighthouse and Tierra del Sol Country Club with all of it's palatial homes, flying along the northeast coast all the way up to the Aruba Drag Raceway Park.

Christian then took us back towards the west coast with a view of the refinery, heading back northward over the barrier islands towards to Oranjestad over Savaneta and past the airport, finally land back in Oranjestad. The color of the water during this portion of the flight was just as breathtaking as it is over Palm Beach.

Through 17 visits to Aruba, this ranks in the top 3 excursions we have taken. The other 2 being Tranquilo and the Kini Kini ATV tour."

Admitedly, it is very expensive, $130 per person for the island tour and $85 per person for the beach tour. In my mind, the tour of the entire island is a much much better value.

Photo below was taken during the island heliopter tour of Mike's Reef. The dock at the very top of the photo is the one used by Tranquilo for snorkelers to cross over the reef.

Aruba Bound! ~ Hoosier Kitties ~ Our-Cruises ~ Blogging to Aruba
Back to paradise Trip #18
Christmas & New Years Aboard the Queen Mary 2