Aruba Ariba! A Review of One Happy Island

So we went to Aruba. I talked a little the other day about why we chose Aruba. But I decided to blog about it as people seem very intrigued about the fact that we chose that locale. The hubs and I had been saving for about 2 years for a beachy vacay that would be a little different than the uzh. We vacationed to Mexico a few years ago on a baby making expedition and came back with a little Jonah in the oven and told the friends that we went with that we would be planning to go somewhere different for our 10th anniversary and that they were all invited along for the ride. The hubs and I had already seen Mexico a couple of times, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. We knew we wanted to go somewhere with clear-ish water and smooth sand. And we decided to go the all-inclusive route, once again, because we felt like the trip would be geared toward relaxation. I think of all-inclusives as the Crockpot of vacationing. It may not be perfect, but it allows for the vacationer to set it and forget it.

So, Aruba. What can I tell you? {read: a whole lot. If you’re not up for info, bail now. Bail now!} Well, it’s an interesting little island. Home to only a little over 100,000 people, it is pretty sparsely populated. It’s darn near to Venezuela — like I think if we had packed a sturdy enough innertube, we could have floated down south with little issue {that may be slight hyperbole. slight.}. And the water is a beautiful, clear-ish teal color on the beachy side…while the opposite coast is very rocky, and basically desert-like with cacti all over that bad boy. The native language of the island is Papiamento {yeah… we don’t know what it is either} but it is a Dutch colony so apparently some people speak Dutch, as well. But really, everyone we encountered seemed familiar or fluent with English and all of the signs seemed to be in English. Also, the US dollar worked perfectly there so it made for little to no need to exchange cash for the native currency.

We flew from Omaha to Houston. Houston to Aruba. The total flight time was a little over 6 hours {which felt like 2 when our most recent air travel has included three children under age 6}. And customs were pretty easy breezy. Going in April meant we were there in the beginning of what is going into the low season {we timed it with our actual anniversary, Easter, and the schedules of the saints who were willing to watch our children.} The islanders told us that the slowest month for tourism is July and that the island basically shuts down in terms of tourism at that point. There was no rain during our 8 day stay {we put in a special order for that.}. It was pretty much 80 to 90 degrees every single day. And it was VERRRRRRY windy, which actually meant that the temps never seemed too hot. And oddly, the ocean water was very calm and any waves that existed actually went away from the shore which was really intriguing.

We stayed at the Riu Palace Antillas, an all-inclusive resort. It was an adult-only hotel and had a neighboring hotel of the same brand for people who were vacationing with kiddos. The Antillas had previously been a Westin and was still undergoing a bit of renovation but overall, the accommodations were pretty good {I didn’t step on a Lego for the first week over the last 4 years so I am calling that a win}. And the wifi access was amazeballs which made for easy facetime access to the kiddos. We looked at all of the all-inclusive options in Aruba and our kickass travel agent helped us choose the Antillas.

I think pretty much every room, even those not ocean front, had an ocean view, and included its own mini bar and fridge {as is pretty standard at many all-inclusives. Because who doesn’t want a schluck of brandy before bed?}.

The resorts were all pretty much on one long strip of beach that the hubs and I took walks along…

We were able to take a straight shot from our hotel down to the Ritz, the final hotel along that coastline {note to self: Forgo college savings next year and spring for the Ritz. End note}.

And behind the hotels, in-land, there was a sort of entertainment district that included shops, restaurants, an evening street market, mini-markets for purchasing Diet Coke, and a huge “I Love Aruba” sign {for all the crazy American tourists}.

The resort had two large pools. One with a swim-up bar that faced the ocean and included a table in the middle for the 3 pm Slip n Slide {use your imagination}.

And the beach was just a hop skip and a jump from the pool. The beaches there are all public beaches but they weren’t overcrowded and we only encountered one peddler, a very colorful dude donning festive hats selling Aloe in beer bottles.

There were little thatched umbrellas all along the beach and we took up occupancy under those for a couple of days {and also were kindly asked to remove ourselves one day by a very friendly Bostonite who clearly loved our midwest charm. Note to self: Some east coast people do not enjoy pleasantries. They also do not enjoy you “stealing their sun” (because apparently it is a finite resource)}.

We did two tours that took us away from the resort. The first was a catamaran that took us snorkeling. I sat the first round of snorkeling out due to remaining PTSD from a water-sucking-down incident on our honeymoon when they had us play fight or flight out in the middle of the deep blue sea but then grew some kahunas after one of the gals who just had a babe four months ago took the plunge. The second excursion, a Jeep tour of the island where we saw the Natural Pools, the natural bridge, and the National Park area {among other stops. I could have done without all the stops and more watching goats spar against one another in the wild and bumping in the Jeep. All in all though, very fun!}…

We also stacked some rocks to accompany the thousands of stacks that could be found along the coast.

We went out a few of the nights, once to a bar that had karaoke, once to a restaurant off a pier called the Pelican’s Nest, and once to the entertainment district to a rib joint called Smokey Joe’s. I know that Aruba got some negative coverage for the whole spring breaker gone missing thing but from all accounts, we thought the island seemed very safe. We opened up the trip to a handful of friends who have put up with our antics before and have been with us — some through college, some through marriage and some through babes — and ended up traveling with three other couples who were kind enough to put up with us all week. And we were so happy to have them along for the ride. We consumed many-an Espresso Martini on the rocks with baileys, plenty-o chips and cheese, and entertained the wait staff at every meal and kept the discotech open/tables danced on.

We all agreed that the food on the resort was pretty good, the drinks were a-ok and plentiful, and the weather was dynamo. But just as I think it is with anywhere, it was the company, the sunsets, the sand and the sea that really made it all magical.

And the very best part, for me, was spending some quality time with this lovebug.

The negatives were few…
– The amount of East Coasters who vacation there made for some interesting exchanges including being asked if we’d “ever seen a coast”. I love some very wonderful East Coasters but these people were not them.
-The hotel was still working out the kinks in terms of processes so some things seemed inconsistent
– Aruba says “one happy island” but the people working at the resort were not that happy. I mean, maybe it’s just because we are from the midwest but if I lived in a warm, beachy place, I think I’d be pretty happy… all the time.

Biggest pros:
– The food was plentiful, fresh, and there was a large variety.
– The beaches were clean, calm, and picturesque.
– The country seemed VERY safe.
– The people we traveled with are the bee’s knees
– The flights were all on time

Having not had a “couple’s vacay” since before Jonah, I had somewhat forgotten how lovely it was to have so much time with just adults and was so happy to have a little chance to miss the boys for a bit. Next on our list of possible destinations… Costa Rica… St. Lucia… Hawaii… Key West… the possibilities are endless! If you stuck through all the way to here, then you should go to Aruba! You’ll love it!

Also, one last thing: If you have not tried the Ben and Jerry’s Tonight Dough Ice Cream, go buy it today. It has nothing to do with Aruba. But everything to do with happiness.