Hey all, My wife and I are planning a trip for next month. 2 years ago we found a realy quiet fishing town in Mexico named Puerto Morelos and we were planning on spending a few days there. Now we are thinking about Aruba. We don't like touristy areas, so we will be staying away from the capital city of Oranjestad(sp?) for the most part. We are focused on staying on the southeast part of the island in the fishing area of Savaneta. It sounds very much like the quiet fishing touristless (except for ourselves) area we crave. Can those who have been weigh in with there experiences?
My wife and I went to Aruba about three years ago and loved it. We can't wait to go back. We stayed at the Marriott the nicer one, forgot the name. The island is so small you can drive from one side to the other in like 30-45 minutes. We did one of the excursions and that was a lot of fun. The beach is awesome you can walk far out and be in shallow water a ways out. The whole time you see your feet, crystal clear water. We did go fishing but this side of the island there are practically no waves. On the other side the wave are huge. We rented a Jeep and we really did not need it besides the two times we went out. If I would go again I would not rent a car.
It was one of the stops on a cruise I went on years ago. From what I've heard, outside of the touristy areas it's really boring. Maybe it's changed since I went. I did like the area we stopped in though.
Never been to Aruba but do tend to spend Christmas' on the islands (Jamaica, Tobago, etc.) and found our best vacations have always involved renting a house for the week. We did an all-inclusive resort in Bahamas once...although convient it wasn't even the same as renting. We just feel closer to the locals and their cuisine when we stay in their neighborhoods. Another thing about renting, if you find a place big enough you can save a bit by going with another couple or two, or family.
My parents went on their honeymoon and liked it, but I think they stayed on a resort. If I were going, personally I would do what others said and rent- try to feel more of the culture.
I have been twice and enjoyed it a bunch each time. First of all, while Aruba is not on the level of Cancun, there are still plenty of hotel resorts to stay at (the Marriot is very nice). The island is very, very small, so which part you think you are going to spend most of your time on is pretty irrelivant. stuff do: - baby beach is the only beach name i recall off hand, but they are all nice. Some are better for snorkling/diving than others. - rent some dune buggies. It is a great way to see the island on a guided tour; they will take you to some old caves (how do you feel about bats?), a natural bridge (eh, its collapsed, you are few years too late), and some other stuff worth seeing. - There isn't crap, but more tourists at the port (where the cruise ship comes in) ie, not where you want to be. - Deep sea fishing is great- you'll bring up some Mahi mahi and eat it for dinner. - Polar is the local beer, go to the grocery store and buy yourself a case and take it to the beach with you. - look to see if their will be any events while you are there (windsurfing, kitesurfing tournaments are a lot of fun to watch) - sit on the beach, drink and not do ****. Its a beautiful island with very, very friendly locals. Ignore all the bad press, i've never felt unsafe there
I've been. It's a cool little island. It's actually a desert island, very hot and dry. Water is beautiful anywhere you stay and they have casinos. I did the outdoors stuff like renting ATV's and cruising around. I stayed in the touristy area but I like a nice all inclusive hotel with a nice pool.
Aruba is very touristy and very expensive!! Very expensive. I was there for a few days for work and it was very laid back. The Marriot at Stellaris is a very nice hotel. One of the best on the island. It is a very small island and laid back (maybe a bit boring) away from the tourist resorts. The beaches and water are very nice and as mentioned above.
The two times we vacationed as a family out of the country: Cancun in '92 and Aruba in '01, our father's company paid for it because he was working on projects down there. As opposed to our Disneyworld trip, where we drove in a van across the Confederacy and ate Spaghetti-Os in a single-wide at Thousand Trails in Orlando. Aruba in '01 was expensive, but seemed sufficiently Western to get around: grocery stores, chinese buffetts, decent but crowded mall and Dominos, but low key enough to not be totally unpleasant.
