International-
Aruba 🇦🇼 – FIVE STARS!!
Travel Dates: June 2-6
Cost: $781 PP Flight and 4 star beach front hotel
Sovereign State: Kingdom of the Netherlands
Overview:
Aruba, is a tiny Dutch Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela, with dry, sunny weather, blond beaches, and gentle surf.
Let me start by saying I loved everything about the island of Aruba. It is truly one of my favorite places in the world to visit. The weather is amazing year around, hovering in the low to mid 80’s during the day and low to mid 70’s degrees with a gentle breeze at night. The water is warm and calm, perfect for an early morning swim or simply meditating right on the beach.
The people are friendly and many residents speak multiple languages, which makes it easy to get directions and get around the island. Aruba is small, 69.1 square miles to be exact, yet has plenty of activities to offer you to occupy your time for five days. The island encompasses everything that makes exploring a new destination exciting and fun. Everything from exotic beaches, casinos, nightlife and national parks that take you back in time.
My first experience in Aruba was as a couples trip, we stayed at the Renaissance Hotel ( Four Star) located in the capital Oranjestad. The best part about staying at the Renaissance Hotel is that they have a private island in which they take about 10 to 12 people every 15 minutes throughout the day. The island is sexy, secluded and worth the short 15-minute boat ride.
The Renaissance private island is really a 40-acre private tropical retreat with white sand beaches and crystal clear waters. That is a must-see. The beautiful pink feathered flamingos that walk around are absolutely a sight to see. We rented a cabana for the day ( I think it was priced at around $200 US) which included a personal server. The food on the private island was was decent, however, the servers were gracious and kind which made up for the mediocre food selection.
There is a small beach located on the Renaissance hotel property near the pool bar that isn’t great. It’s kind of small, enclosed by rocks not very clear. The location of this hotel is more on the upscale part of the island which is great if that is what you are looking for. There are several good restaurants on and around the property so we were able to get some pretty good seafood and walk to the marina and explore other hotels that were nearby which is nice.
Second time around
The following week when I returned to Aruba with my girls and we stayed at the Holiday Inn Resort and Casino (4 Star, now a 3 star). The rooms were desperately in need of a makeover, from the paint to the comforters, everything was out of date. But! With that being said. The beach located directly on the property made all the flaws I saw quickly disappear!
I am a beach bum! In every sense of the word. So for me, the beach on the property is one of the most important features. If the Holiday Inn Resort undergoes some major renovations then I will stay there again. If not I will go up or down the street to the Hyatt or Marriott, both are beautiful upscale hotels located on the same beach in the same area.
What I liked most about the area of Noord (where the Holiday Inn is located) is that there were so many things to do right within walking distance. Although we rented a car there was really no need to use it for most of our daily activities around the hotel, including dinner, and going out at night. The Hard Rock is close by and many other eateries and nightclubs.
Long Story Short…
Aruba is a perfect destination for couples, group trips, girls trips, guys trips, family trips, or a solo getaway.
I highly recommend putting Aruba on your must-go destinations list.
Package prices from Atlanta as low as $700pp flight and hotel depending on travel dates.
Flights:
Delta: recommend
Spirit : DO NOT FLY WITH THEM- Spend the extra money to fly Delta or another airline just not Spirit
Hotels:
I stayed at the Renaissance in the capital and Holiday Inn in Noord. I highly recommend the Palm Beach, Noord area for more things to do.
Rental car:
Get one. You will save hundreds if you plan to explore the Aloe factory, or the national park or drive to different restaurants, not in your area. However, if you plan to go and stay put, you may not need a car.
Where to stay:
As I mentioned above I like the northern part of the island which include the hotels such as Marriott, Hyatt, Holiday Inn and you may find a get deal on Airbnb
There are a few all-inclusive places to stay at, which I don’t recommend because I don’t think that you can truly get a taste of the island cuisine eating at only the restaurants located on the resort.
Here is my list of things to do:
Tour the aloe plant its FREE, educational, and I certainly bought some aloe to help with my sunburn
Go to the natural pools located inside the National Park. If you do a self-tour, which we did, it cost about $11 person to enter the park. If you purchase a tour through your hotel is costs around $100 person… I’m sure you can see why we chose to DIY it. Another little tip is, while we were inside the park we asked one of the park employees for guidance and he ended up giving us a complete park tour for a tip.
One of the most romantic, beautiful and delicious restaurants we went to was Flying Bone Fish! OMG!!! A MUST! Just experience it one time, it’s worth the drive.
The most important thing is that you Have Fun, leave no stone unturned.
Aruba, One Happy Island!