Holidays at the Hilton

[ideastowords]

At this time tomorrow, I will be on a Minneapolis-to-Aruba flight on Sun Country. And so much to do between now and then. I put off packing and prepping because I was anxious about Covid testing and worried about a positive result, what with this new variant. But, it was negative for both my friend and me, yay! (Last time I went, I had Covid and recovered within 90 days of visiting so I avoided the testing requirements, and the anxiety and uncertainty that accompany them.)

I feel *fairly* bulletproof, though. Having been vaccinated and boosted, plus recovered from the virus. But still, I worry. So I'm bringing my work computer and if I do end up catching it in Aruba, I can just pick up from there.

My friend enjoyed his trip with me in April so much he booked this trip with this hotel and airline points - he was a traveling computer contractor so he had a ton of them. He's a big foodie so last April I took him to some tasting tables and he was wildly impressed. He is very well traveled - having been to Europe more than 30 times and the Philippines several (his brother lives there), and said the last Aruba trip was definitely one of his favorites, which is why he booked this trip over Christmas immediately upon returning in April. Very grateful for his generosity, considering I could never afford to stay at the Hilton over the high season without it.

Looking forward to the new experience of staying in Palm Beach as opposed to Eagle; definitely a different vibe. Here's hoping my next post is all about a smooth travel day! Thanks for reading.

[Pegmeister]

Enjoy the holidays on our favorite island! Safe travels.

[cpjones]

Be safe and enjoy the stay!

[WaltVB]

Have a great time, can't wait to read about the Hilton!

[Andrea J.]

glad that you are able to get out of that frigid area!
enjoy your travels and happy holidays.

At this time tomorrow, I will be on a Minneapolis-to-Aruba flight on Sun Country. And so much to do between now and then. I put off packing and prepping because I was anxious about Covid testing and worried about a positive result, what with this new variant. But, it was negative for both my friend and me, yay! (Last time I went, I had Covid and recovered within 90 days of visiting so I avoided the testing requirements, and the anxiety and uncertainty that accompany them.)

I feel *fairly* bulletproof, though. Having been vaccinated and boosted, plus recovered from the virus. But still, I worry. So I'm bringing my work computer and if I do end up catching it in Aruba, I can just pick up from there.

My friend enjoyed his trip with me in April so much he booked this trip with this hotel and airline points - he was a traveling computer contractor so he had a ton of them. He's a big foodie so last April I took him to some tasting tables and he was wildly impressed. He is very well traveled - having been to Europe more than 30 times and the Philippines several (his brother lives there), and said the last Aruba trip was definitely one of his favorites, which is why he booked this trip over Christmas immediately upon returning in April. Very grateful for his generosity, considering I could never afford to stay at the Hilton over the high season without it.

Looking forward to the new experience of staying in Palm Beach as opposed to Eagle; definitely a different vibe. Here's hoping my next post is all about a smooth travel day! Thanks for reading.

[SusieLovesAruba]

Enjoy your trip - looking forward to your trip report Safe travels!

[B Likes To Travel]

Have fun! Try Bohemian for dinner.

[Aruba4ever]

Enjoy! Please keep us in the loop.

[ideastowords]

Well, we made it! Which was no small feat, considering:

- The black car I ordered and paid way too much for (but they guaranteed service and it being Christmas day and all, I was willing to pay extra) never showed. Miraculously, an Uber driver came to our rescue at 5:30 a.m. and we made it in plenty of time. Best of all, I saved myself $65.
- The plane had malfunctioning equipment, but fortunately the mechanic was able to fix it within a half hour (another Christmas miracle perhaps).

Another potential disaster: I had the bright idea to have a bloody mary on a totally empty stomach while waiting to board. It was fun in the moment. Not so much fun six hours later. (Do you know Sun Country has a BYOBB policy? That is, bring your own barf bag. No, I didn't need one, but in the future I will bring my own just in case.)

Fortunately, deplaning was mercifully and surprisingly quick. We were through customs and health checkpoints in about 25 minutes, and this was with another plane landing at the same time.

Check in at the Hilton was both friendly and efficient - we're staying in the Curacao tower. Our room is small (after staying in condos) but lovely. The shower is fabulous. We were going to have dinner at Papillon, but my stomach wasn't in agreement so we ate boring stuff at the bar (quesadillas, french fries, hamburgers). What made it super special was a band there playing traditional Venezuelan Christmas music. I am an enormous world-music fan and I had never heard this genre before, so that was a real thrill. I hope they play other nights, too. It was so much fun watching the kids dance.

So far, the Hilton has been wonderful. The service is excellent - at the front desk, at the bar and when I called to request extra blankets. (They were there in literally two minutes.) The staff is exceptionally responsive and I appreciate that very, very much, especially after a sketchy start to a long travel day.

Tomorrow I am looking forward to their "endless breakfast." Because my friend is a Diamond club member, we get it for $8 per person, which includes bottomless mimosas - and, after today's fiasco, I will be certain to include plenty of food.

[cpjones]

Glad you're there... sounds like the travel hassles were worth it. I woulda lost my mind if my ride didn't show up!