Hello Blog world!! I know its been awhile but I have been on another epic adventure! So let me just tell you Aruba was amazing and I can't wait to tell you all about it!
First a little background on Aruba. Its a very small island country in the Caribbean very close to Venezuela that is only 18 miles wide. Its a Dutch country and most of the people speak Dutch, English, and Spanish. It is a desert island so it has a beauty different than most of the other Caribbean islands. The US dollar is accepted everywhere however most businesses will not break a 100 dollar bill.
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Day 1- Settling in and exploring!
We checked into our Renaissance Marriott Hotel. We chose the Renaissance for a couple of reasons. One the location of being downtown and close to the airport was nice, and the exclusive access to the resort's private island. The hotel has a taxi boat that shuttles every 15 minutes to the private island. The hotel also has a casino, but most of the slots are older slots from Vegas so have patience, because they crash a lot and an attendant has to pay you out if you win.
We had a laid back day and made our way to the private island to enjoy the sunset on the island. After the beach closed ( at 7), we made our way to the pool. The Renaissance Resort pool is a swim up bar concept pool, it is smaller than most pools, however staying at this resort gives you access to the Renaissance Ocean Front Suites which is a five minute walk and has a huge pool and a small beach. The first day we also planned our excursions for the week through our hotel. I am always a fan of using the hotel based excursion desks for convenience. They pick you up, drop you off, and assume any responsibility of complications.
Day 2- Flamingo Beach!!
We started the day by having a GREAT breakfast at the Dutch Pancake House, they have the so many types of pancakes from basic, gourmet, and savory pancakes. This is one of the most popular restaurants on the island so getting there before 9 is key if you do not want an hour wait. It also was in walking distance of our hotel with a great view of the ocean.
Besides the famous Beach Boys song, Instagram was pretty much the deciding factor on this trip, seeing the blow up of the flamingo beach I thought "I HAVE to go there" and let me tell you it did not disappoint. We arrived to the island and our first sight was huge pelicans in a tree right by the boat. It was amazing they were just perching so close to us. Then we rounded the corner and saw them. The BEAUTIFUL PINK BIRDS. I have never seen one so up close, and for only 1 quarter you can feed them right out of your hand. One suggestion is arriving early because throughout the day more tourists come and the birds do lose interest. Another point of the beach is it is an adults only beach, so it is not kid friendly. Another cool thing about this beach has iguanas and a very cool nature trail. Wear shoes on the nature trail and bug spray. Learn from my mistakes!! Or you will return like me with busted up feet and mosquito bites on your back!
This island is also exclusive to Renaissance guests. Anyone can visit however it does cost 100 dollars a day.
Day 3-
The next day we had the island Jeep tour planned. This was the best option for us because we wanted to be sure to see as much of the island as possible in a day. This excursion is not for the faint hearted though. The jeep is a very bumpy ride however there is not top or windows so you get to enjoy the wind in your hair and the views of the beautiful island! The first stop on the tour was an ostrich farm! These are the ugliest birds I have ever seen in my life. Definitely different from the majestic flamingoes the day before! This was an eventful stop. We saw a mating dance, a bird get mounted, and Chris' butt got attacked. We also got to feed the ostriches which was a scary experience where they tried to peck the food to death like they are raptors.
The next stop was a donkey sanctuary! Years ago Aruba had a donkey population problem due to the technology of cars so the Aruban government decided to kill all the donkeys (poor donkeys!) So this sanctuary was made to save the last 20 of them and to try to repopulate them in Aruba. We got to feed them and they were the friendliest little asses you ever did see.
The next stop was the beautiful natural bridge and black beach! This was breathtaking. Sadly the larger natural bridge collapsed in 2005 due to a massive storm but the baby bridge was just as marvelous.
The next natural wonder we got to see was the caves in Arikok National Park. This was one of the big must sees on our list!
The tour ended in Baby Beach which was a beautiful beach with the funniest themed restaurant bar! There was Flintstone memorabilia everywhere! Just call us Barney and Betty!
After this long day we headed to our hotel to take a little cat nap and getting ready for dinner! We heard the best restaurant on the island was El Gaucho so of course we had to check it out. Be sure to make reservations because it is a hot spot! The ambiance was magical and the food was even better. We left with food babies, but it was so worth it. However I would suggest splitting a meal unless you want to be hurting the next day! The restaurant is an Argentina steak house with one of the best steaks I have had in my life.
Day 4 A Day at Sea-
Catamaran Day! Ahoy!! This day was so fun! Again the tour company picked us up from our hotel and we headed to the boat! Today was very relaxing and included 4 hours of sailing, snorkeling, open bar and two meals! The snorkeling in Aruba is pretty good! Chris also got to try Snuba! However he said he wasn't much of a fan because you are restrained to the distance the little raft has. We also saw the famous tree today that is on all the Aruba postcards! Too bad there were jerks sunbathing under them and wouldn't let us get a picture! Oh well!
Aruba was an amazing little island! This is a great 3-5 day destination! A few tips are 1. When returning back to the States get to the airport about an hour earlier than usual because you have to go through US customs THERE! so weird! Also the tap water is AMAZING here! I'm not sure why! Its so refreshing a clean tasting! Most places CAN NOT break a 100 dollar bill so bring smaller bills. Places do not open for breakfast before 7-8. There are a lot of businesses closed on Sunday and Mondays so if you want to shop plan accordingly. The weather is always beautiful and they are out of the risk of hurricanes! We booked our trip through American Airlines they had a great deal for our hotel and flights!
