Welcome back and happy Wednesday!
I feel like I am finally ready to get in-depth with some of my travel experiences. In this post I will be writing about my experience in Aruba. I have been there three separate times, so I felt like I have plenty of knowledge to share with you. This will be a good post to read if you are planning to go to Aruba or are thinking about it in the future. When I first started traveling, I never did research about where I was going, kind of winging it, but I can see that is not how you are. Fast forward to today, I always do at least a little bit of research, so I know what to expect. My favorite type of research is always firsthand experiences from other travelers like me. They always give such honest reviews and will help you find the gem places while you avoid the horror stories.
Let me start off by talking about the flight. I live on the east coast so, for me, this plane ride is closer than going to California. It is also not a flight that will break the bank. When I am traveling, I am not only looking for the best flight price, but also what will save me the most amount of time. So, I tend to leave out of EWR (a closer drive than JFK or LGA) even if the tickets from other airports are cheaper. This might not be the cheapest option, but it is the most time effective for me. I can have my family drop me off and pick me up (saving me countless amount of money that make up for the ticket price). I do not have to worry about traffic or spend three hours in my car to get to the airport. Everything is really up to personal preference; I value saving time over saving money. Some people can be different and want the opposite, all up to you. When I left from EWR to Aruba it was close to $400 (not using cc points or miles, I have yet to really travel using those) which is cheaper than some places you can fly to in the US.
For hotels in Aruba, I cannot stress enough how much I love the Marriott Surf Club Resort. It has beach access, many pools, and a lay river just to start. It also allows you to access the other Marriott properties next door like the Ocean Club and the Ritz, giving you restaurants, a spa, and a casino right on property. Any of those three hotels will get you on the beach with beautiful rooms and amazing pools. The difference between them is the Surf Club and Ocean Club are Vacation Clubs, giving you all the perks that come along with them. (Make sure you head to my other post on Marriott Vacation Club to see some of the features that come along with the Vacation Club Resort). The Ritz is a beautiful hotel but will only give you regular room. These hotels all have extremely friendly staff and are very well maintained. You will be glad you stayed at any of these resorts!
Right down the street from these hotels (walking distance) is any type of restaurant you could think of, shopping and of course delicious drinks. I have visited some of these restaurants more than once and have not eaten at one place I did not like. The locals really do a great job with anything they do. They are always friendly and welcoming, making the Island feel very safe. I never once felt unsafe in Aruba, which is important when traveling to a foreign country. The locals love tourists because they fuel the economy and improve their infrastructure.
I love to go shopping at all the street venders. They sell my favorite, knockoff designer items that will not break my bank, but still look like authentic. There are also some nice jewelry stores that visitors at the resorts rave about. I do not have the money to buy anything but fake, if you do, I would look at some of the shops. Everyone is always talking about how good of a deal they get. Some places will even make you custom pieces from the piece you bought giving you a totally unique piece. The Marriott Resorts also have some days where they have local vendor right on property, allowing you to get to know the vendors personally and let you charge the items to your room. My sister has bought some jewelry and other items that way and loves what she got.
When I got to Aruba I try to do as little as possible, sitting on the beach and laying by the pool. I love to go out for dinner and then walk around afterwards. If more of an adventure is your style, Aruba has that covered too. Down the street from the hotels the other way is places to rent ATVs, boats and jet skis. Many people like to take ATVs up to the lighthouse. I prefer to take a car to the restaurant there and watch the sunset, but everyone is different. The island is full of adventure and has something for everyone there. You can even go to the aloe factory and take a tour to see how it is made (if you stay at the Surf Club, the resort and the aloe factory partnered together to do an educational event where you can make your own sugar scrub and learn about how aloe is made). There is a butterfly farm down the street that some people I have talked to have done and even natural pools to try.
I will do another post on all the restaurants I tried will in Aruba but will keep this one focused on my favorite ones (the ones you certainly need to stop by before you leave). When I travel food is probably my favorite activity. Some of these places have lines out the door for a table and will require a reservation, so if there is anything you should plan when in Aruba, it is the food!
Giovanni’s
This place needs a reservation if you do not want to wait over an hour for a table. People book for next year when they are leaving the restaurant. It is one of the cutest Italian places I have been too, and they serve up some delicious food. I would also wear a more well put together outfit. You could wear jeans, but a nicer top is needed. I wore a cute black sundress and sandals.
To start you must get the prosciutto that is hanging from the rack. It comes with a bunch of different meats and chesses, but the show is the prosciutto. This is an appetizer that is better if more than two people are at the table, it is large but could be a perfect meal for one person or that one person can just bring the leftover back to the room.
The menu is loaded with tons of options that will make your mouth water. I got the simplest dish (spaghetti with red sauce) but it was one of the best things I ever ate. My family got the famous fire cheese wheel. If you like cheese (which I do not) this is not only dinner, but a show! They bring out a big cheese wheel, light it on fire and throw your pasta in there, all in front of you. It is fun to watch and smells so good. This is for two people, but if you love pasta, I am sure you can finish the plates yourself.
After all that food, I could not possibly order desert, but the menu looked particularly good with all the traditional Italian dishes. Maybe next time I will leave enough room, but down on my list is my favorite spot for a treat and maybe the reason I do not get desert at any other place.
Faro Blanco
This is the restaurant that is by the famous California Lighthouse on the island. It is another cute Italian restaurant that requires you to call for reservations to get a table at the most optimal time. That is sun set. This restaurant is situated up on the mountain that it gives the most incredible view. You want to get your reservations for around sunset to have the most spectacular view of the sunsetting. You can obviously go at other times for your meal (they offer lunch too), but you would be missing one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. I would wear a nicer outfit, as this place is also a great area to get some cute pictures.
The prices are a little more expensive than some other restaurants, but it is worth the splurge. To start, I got the bruschetta which was made with the best oil I ever tasted. Light and delicious. I then had the lobster tail with ravioli for my main meal. The lobster basically melted in my mouth and the raviolis had the best cheese filling. It was $50, but cheaper than some of the restaurants in America that offer the same meal with a way less spectacular of a view.
Chicken and Lobster
The last couple of times we were in Aruba my family walked right past this restaurant because of the silly name. This time we gave it a chance and were impressed by how good it was. They offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I would go back to try those other menus too.
We were drawn in by their early bird dinner deal (my family does things early). You got an appetizer, main meal, and desert for like $30. Not a bad deal. We actually ended up ordering from the regular menu, since we found other meals we wanted to try. I ended up getting lobster and chicken. Both were absolutely fanatics. My family also really enjoyed their meals and this was one of the only times none of us left room for desert.
Smokey Joes
This restaurant is one of the first ones you will see when walking to the shops from the hotel. It is completely outside and is the size of a backyard patio (big but not crazy big). Do not let this fool you! It is only opened for dinner starting at 5pm. During this time, if you come after the sunsets (it outside so it can be hot sitting in the sun before it goes down) you probably will have to wait in line to get a table.
They serve up the most delicious BBQ. I got a pulled pork sandwich and it was better then half of the ones I have gotten in Texas or Tennessee. They have all you can eat ribs on some nights, those nights the place is packed! Everything looks and smells so good when coming out of the kitchen. There is not one thing I would not try on the menu. It is not a fancy place, so whatever you have on should be perfect to get some BBQ.
Planet Gelato
This is right down the street from the Marriott properties. It is such an easy walk after a late nigh swim or after coming back from dinner. They have such unique flavor like Bounty Bar (the best coconut candy bar on the market!) and offer a wide range of options to pick from to make the most delicious treat. The treat is very reasonably priced coming in at half the price of the hotel gelato, making it an affordable place to add onto your food list. You will be stopping here everyday after you try it.
Aruba is worth a trip to see. There’s a reason why they call it “one happy island” and why people go back year after year. They have such amazing restaurants and fun activities that everyone will find something that they love.
If you have any questions regarding any of the things I talked about in this post, please feel free to post them in the forum. I would be more then happy to answer any questions. If there is something that you would like me to share more about, also post it in the forum, I can always write another blog post that goes more in depth.
Thank you for reading this week. I hope your week is full of adventure and little enjoyments to make it extra special.
-G
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