Budget Traveling to Aruba

[Andrea J.]

If keeping within a certain budget is essential ….. what do you do in Aruba to make it work?
We eat 6 meals in instead of restaurants for our 14 days. We also try to limit casino time.
Our high end restaurant days have come and gone. We now prefer local and casual!

[Aruba4ever]

We have changed so much in the last few years. We went from staying at the Ritz and dining only at the Ritz....basically breakfast, lunch and dinner. To now we try to move around a bit. We no longer stay at the Ritz, almost never do breakfast anymore to save a few bucks. We do enjoy our lunches at the Ritz but in Feb we are cutting down..and not staying in walking distance to the Ritz so that will help, lol. We have more casual meals these days as well. Whether its leftovers, pizza from the Marriott or just a simple meal at Bugaloe or the Local Store.

We decided a few years ago that if we wanted to continue coming as often as we do we needed to make a few changes to make it less painful on the bank account. We love Aruba but its getting more expensive by the day. Part of the issue for us is we always travel during school breaks so our trips cost almost double what they would if we could travel at other times....soon that will be possible but for now we will tone it down a bit so we can continue to enjoy the island we love. The other thing that I have changed is my gambling!!! I use to gamble until the wee hours of the morning...no more. I might bring out 200 and when its gone, so am I. And when I am up a bit, I leave, lol.

[SusieLovesAruba]

I am in the watching the budget category the trips I've made I research flight costs, when's the best time to travel costs - research where to stay and the costs. This past trip I did splurge on where I stayed but it was very much worth it I eat out less often, and I don't spend a lot of money when I do eat out. There are many great restaurants on Aruba that are fantastic places that don't break the bank.

I don't really do excursions as I like to explore and do things on my own or when my travel buddy is with me, we like to do that. An Aruba vacation is very doable even if you have a limited budget, it takes research and figuring out what's important to you on a vacation. Lady Luck is not with me so I don't gamble which saves me a lot of money With today's economy it's pricey everywhere so if folks feel going to Aruba for vacation is going to be a ton of money it really isn't compared to other vacation spots. That's part of why I love Aruba so much, you can do so many things that are free and get to see so many beautiful beaches and places to explore that are all free.

[qlaval]

We usually go for long period of time, like next wednesday we are leaving for a month, to keep budget under control we simply skip the Casinos... We go maybe only once or twice on a budget and that's it.

[Andrea J.]

yes staying out of the casino is really the best way to save $

We usually go for long period of time, like next wednesday we are leaving for a month, to keep budget under control we simply skip the Casinos... We go maybe only once or twice on a budget and that's it.

[schexc]

yes staying out of the casino is really the best way to save $

Not of you're Pegmeister

[Pegmeister]

Not of you're Pegmeister

Ha ha ha! I was just going to post those exact words!

[Aruba4ever]

I use to feel the same way! I played poker at night and it payed for several trips with more money when I came home than left with...Then I ran into Freddy Deeb (wsp) and one of his buddies and I lost more than I care to admit over 2 days playing against a couple of pros....Freddy and I were pretty even, his friend cleaned my clock!!!! That was the end of me gambling. If you don't know who Freddy is google him.

Ha ha ha! I was just going to post those exact words!

[Pegmeister]

I use to feel the same way! I played poker at night and it payed for several trips with more money when I came home than left with...Then I ran into Freddy Deeb (wsp) and one of his buddies and I lost more than I care to admit over 2 days playing against a couple of pros....Freddy and I were pretty even, his friend cleaned my clock!!!! That was the end of me gambling. If you don't know who Freddy is google him.

I didn’t always enjoy the casinos; it was Tom’s thing and I just went along. However, after a bit I discovered it was the table games I didn’t like. Love playing video slots but not the old reel slots. Never ever break my budget so I just think of it as an entertainment expense. I did have to Google the Freddy guy!!

[Colette M]

I use to feel the same way! I played poker at night and it payed for several trips with more money when I came home than left with...Then I ran into Freddy Deeb (wsp) and one of his buddies and I lost more than I care to admit over 2 days playing against a couple of pros....Freddy and I were pretty even, his friend cleaned my clock!!!! That was the end of me gambling. If you don't know who Freddy is google him.

So sorry to hear you had a bad experience. Gambling can be very dangerous for those addicted to it.