Thinking about a four/five day vacation in Aruba for late October but I am in need of some help. All inclusive or not? Is it a safe town to walk around? Any hotel/food/bar suggestions? Any other info that you may want to add would be greatly appreciated!
O.T. Aruba Vacation...
- Thread starter Pa_catamount
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I found the area up around the ‘high rise’ hotel area to be relatively safe. Just don’t do stupid stuff
All inclusive? Idk there seemed to be lots of great choices for places to eat. The steaks there are great. We went to one place that brought you a steak uncooked and a ‘rock’ that was super hot for you to cook it on. I thought it was wonderful
The beach was nice. The water is good but subject to heavy currents. We dove there it wasn’t bad but it was all drift dives plus not much of a reef
We stayed at a Marriott casino
The back side uninhibited part is open for jeep tours. I thought it was fun
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I went in April and it was honestly one of the best times I've ever had. Stayed at the Holiday Inn Inclusive Resort. Its smack dab in the middle of everything. Restaurants within and outside of the resort incredible. Especially an Italian Place which is famous for Celebs (Can't think of the name). They make a pasta in a cheese bowl, divine.
Shalom
Shalom
Have been to Aruba 3 times and really enjoyed it. You’ll want to stay on Palm Beach and highly recommend the Hilton Resort on Palm Beach. Great central location & I believe with the best overall grounds & beach area. While some great restaurant options on property, would definitely recommend a non all inclusive. Experience some other restaurants on island, to include Madame Janette, short cab ride away & Ruinas Del Mar at the Hyatt (very short walk from Hilton). There’s also a really good Brazilian steak house downtown Oranjestad, but name escapes me. Unless something has changed of late, it’s a very safe island. BTW…great local beer, Balashi. Set up shop under a palapa on beach at Hilton with buckets of Balashi all day, and enjoy!
Perfect time although the weather is usually 88-92 degrees year round.. Very little rain and below hurricane paths. . Been there about 15 times
I stay in a Marriott timeshare or a hotel in the High Rise district. Hyatt , Marriott, and Ritz are all nice.
I think one of the island's best offerings is the food. So many unique dining experiences mostly outdoor.
Long drive but good food and unique dining at Flying Fishbone. Dinner on the beach at sunset is great at Barefoot close to airport or in the Low Rise district at Passions. Old time favorites like Madam Janettes or El Gaucho (steak) downtown area are enjoyed by many. So many good places that all inclusive isn't the way to go in my opinion. Safe place. Buses and lot's of taxi service typically driven by women. Lately I stopped renting a car and use the taxis when needed. Downtown is mostly a typical port with shops aimed at the cruise ship folks. There are some shops and dining you can walk to in the high rise district.
Water is beautiful and lots of activities............GO!
It's been a few years since I've been to Aruba, but I'm pretty sure the Flying Fishbone is still in business and if so it is a very good restaurant wrt both food and ambiance. Stayed at the Marriott for my honeymoon and then at the Renaissance multiple times for meetings. Both are safe, IMO. If time permits absolutely rent a Jeep and explore the north side of the island - many beautiful sites to see.
Really? I hope you are scheduling it during the off week. We need our internet coaching staff in full force fir every game.
My girlfriend and I stayed 5 nights at the Hilton this past April that I booked with points and immediately got upgraded to an ocean front room in the Aruba tower.
Couldn’t agree more with everything you said, except I prefer a Chill on the beach over the Balashi. Loved the layout. Loved the open lobby. Loved that it didn’t feel crowded. Loved the little casino. Loved the random bird exhibit. Loved how close the bar was to the pool and beach. Loved spending hours under the palapa.
Definitely didn’t love the wind, though it did seem to keep things comfortable.
The island in general felt much safer than the other carribean countries I’ve been to (Bahamas, PR, St Kitts, and Barbados).
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We did a RZR tour in the desert. I think it was 5 hours. I really enjoyed it as I wanted to see that part of the island, but towards the end, I was ready to get back to the resort and into the water.
Still in business as of April. Usually I don’t rent a vehicle for more relaxing type vacations, but we drove from Palm Beach to the southern part of the island to eat at Flying Fishbone. The food wasn’t any better than anywhere else we ate while there, but my gf and I both really enjoyed it and are happy we made it down.
I agree with this. We had a great time. However overall, Aruba was about the least favorite of our Carribbean vacations. With the constant wind, the water was choppy and cloudy. We had a difficult time finding good snorkeling. All-inclusives are few and expensive.
Loved my one time trip to Aruba. I felt very safe. It's a Dutch island so I think that's why it's much safer than say Jamaica or DR. They have a water filtration system on the island too so the water is very much safe to drink there. It's also far enough south to not really be in a bad spot during hurricane season. I can't wait to go back. Easily my favorite spot in the Caribbean. Also customs is so simple coming back home.
well not all are open. But when they are, I'll go to Grand Cayman over Aruba anyday. Water is much nicer, the island is very safe, the beaches are fantastic. Plus it has more of a Caribbean feel than a New Jersey feel, as they dont have casinos.
I stayed at the Hotel Riu Palace Aruba for a week and my wife and I liked the resort. The pool, beach, and the food were nice, but it was windy on the island. Several months prior, my wife and I stayed at the Excellence Riviera Cancun, and we both agreed that the Excellence Riviera Cancun was a better resort.
There are lots of very nice places, but if you take cost into consideration, Riviera Maya south of Playa Del Carmen is our favorite with Jamaica 2nd.
Damn, that's terrible. I didnt have this experience, but if this was recent during the pandemic maybe that plays a role? My friend was just in the Bahamas and apparently it was terribly long process to get through customs.
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