Hi everyone!!

My boyfriend and I just booked our trip! (It was a birthday present from him) We are leaving March 24! I am so excited I can barely think about anything else. We are staying at the Westin (7 nights). I have heard mixed things about this - but it is what it is. I already took people's advise and made reservations for every night of the week! Screaming Eagle, Flying Fishbones, Passion, etc. We both love to gamble, drink and have fun at night, but also are total beach bums during the day. We do want to do a snorkel trip (maybe snuba). So here are my questions.

Which snorkel/snuba trip is the best for a couple our age (we are both 26)?
Which casinos have the most action and are the most fun?
Besides the Comix (which I read is good) - are there any other good places to see a show - or a live band?
What are some other cool night spots?
Any tips or tricks for the Westin?

Any help would be great! If you have ANY other advice... BRING IT ON!

THANKS
Christina

Westin is 1 of the top hotels- their Casino is 1 of the nicest.

I stay at the Radisson for poker (Westin didnt have any last year)
The biggest (& most Action) Casinos are probably the Marriot( a 15 min walk from the Westin) & the Rennaisance 15 min by cab in the city Oranj.

If you like steak- try Texas de Brazil(our favorite dinner)
For breakfast we eat at Salt & pepper a lot
( in between Radisson & Occidental)

As you might be aware, the Westin is the southern end of Palm Beach.
Most of the Restaurants are a 5-10 min walk north.
A brand new outside mall with entertainment & many restaurants just opened a few months ago across from Playa Linda & Holiday inn
( a 10-15 min walk for you)

The pier on the water between the RIU & Radisson (5 min walk north on beach)is rocking every night for the younger crowd.

Read this forum more before you go- great info & discussion
Enjoy your trip- I'm 6 weeks behind you.

You are in for a treat. Have a wonderful time.

Thanks guys!!!! Those tips helped out alot. I am so excited. I think its like 10 days now. I have done so much researching and shopping... ha. But yesterday I felt like I was coming down with something and today I'm hacking up a storm. I hope I get better before we leave.!!!

Which casino you will like depends on several factors. What games do you like to play? If it's poker, there are only two choices: The Excelsior (Holiday Inn) and The Casino (Radisson). Of the two, the Excelsior is the more informal, and has the most games. Do you like glitz (Crystal, Stellaris, Hyatt Regency) or casual (Alhambra, Seaport, Excelsior, Key Largo). Casablanca in the Westin is also fun, and runs somewhere in the middle, along with the Radisson and the Occidental. The only casino I cannot recommend is the Occidental/Allegro. I just didn't really like it. I have never been to the Cool Casino in the Riu, but I have heard it's small.

I would recommend getting both of the nightlife magazines (very small, the size of a large paperback, but not as thick). They have great coupons. Aruba Nights always has matchplay coupons for the Occidental.

I hope this helps. You can PM me with more specific questions. I will help if I can, but I don't know much about the slots there.

Have a great time.

We Stayed At The Westin Last April. We Really Enjoyed It. If You Like Japensese Food The Retaurant There Was Excellent. The Casino Was Small However And Not Very Exciting. We Preferred The Casino At The Hyatt The Best. There Was Construction Next Door At The Riu But I Think That Is Complete? Otherwise We Had A Great Stay - Good Location. You Can Walk Behind It To The Hotels North - There Is A Little Board Walk. Also, Azull The Restaurant On The Beach Is So Romantic. They Only Take 6 Couples And It Was Our Best Nite There. Got Engaged There!!! Enjoy. We Are Going 4/9 But Are Going To Stay At The Hyatt This Time. But Have No Regrets With The Westin. One Tip - If You Open The Balcony Door And Do Not Close It Tight - The Ac Goes Off In The Room.

Joanie

Yes, the Riu construction is finished.

http://www.westinaruba.com/pdf/menu_azull.pdf

Aruba Bound! ~ Hoosier Kitties ~ Our-Cruises ~ Blogging to Aruba
When Will Dh Take Me Back to Aruba?

Hi Christina,

Here are the answers to your questions.
1. For a snorkeling trip in Aruba you could go with the Jolly Pirates. They are the most fun you'll have with a snorkeling trip. For snuba you'll can go with the Palm Tours, I believe they are the only ones who offer the snuba activity in Aruba.

2. My favorite casino in Aruba is the Seaport Casino. Why? That's where I'm the luckiest and win the most money. They have live entertainment and the drinks are good. You can also go to the Radisson or the Marriott. The casinos there are great too.

3. There aren't any other shows other than the comix that I know of. They were planned on opening a new show (showtime aruba) at the crystal theater but the costs were to high.

For live bands and nightlife there are a couple of options.
- Every Wednesday nights there is a live band at the Mambo Jambo (at the royal plaza, downtown) they play salsa, merengue and other latin music. It's really nice and some locals also go.
- Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night there is a live band at Mr. Jazz (at the paseo herencia mall in front of the holiday inn) They also play latin music. Salsa, merengue and more.
- Every Friday and Saturday night there is a live band at Tropical Cafe. I don't like the service there but the music makes up for it. Some locals also go there. They play salsa, merengue and local music as well.
- Senor frogs opened up their doors about 2 weeks ago. It's a restaurant during the day and at night it goes crazy. They actually have a waterslide in the club!
- The Paddock is where the Dutchmen on the island go to party. They usually have house, techno and trance music. Every weekend it's packed with interns from the Netherlands.
- Garufa (a sigar and cocktail lounge) situated in front of El Gaucho restaurant also has live entertainment.
- Cafe Bahia is a nightclub where most of the time is visited by the locals.
- Every friday from 6:30 to 10:00 pm there's a great live band and happy hour at the Mill resort. It's great fun. The mill is situated in front of your resort the Westin.

Have a great vacation. Enjoy Aruba and hope to see you at one of the clubs or parties!

Salsa Greetings,

Reggie
www.arubasalsa.com

Oh my!!!! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! We actually already made reservations at Azull's and now I'm even more excited to go. CONGRATS on the engagement - that's so exciting!!! I can't wait. It's coming up so fast. We both like poker. Especially Hold Em'. I like three card poker as well. I have been hearing things about the Palapas that aren't good - but I am not one to complain and i like to get up early so I won't have a problem reserving one (and then maybe going back to bed). Thanks for the live music tips too!! You guys are freakin great!

This is certainly eye opening palapa information :

"We booked for the whole week about a month prior to arriving. We were there for President's Week, so I figured it would be a bit chaotic, and it was. I was VERY happy we booked it. It seemed that reserving one the night before was tough...they keep a certain amount for the morning system.

It sure was a lot. We did get a day free and four bottles of water a day with it. Came to about $230 for the week. But, let me tell ya...if we didn't have the palapa, we would've been right on top of the gazillion other people on the beach. It was NUTS!! You do not have to pay if you reserve one in the morning. There are also different prices depending on which 'row' of the palapas you are in. We were in the 2nd row.

The sun was also so hot, it was a pleasure to have shade to hide under after 20 minutes or so."

Aruba Bound! ~ Hoosier Kitties ~ Our-Cruises ~ Blogging to Aruba
When Will Dh Take Me Back to Aruba?