Aruba
"One Happy Island". Aruba's latest tourism slogan says it all. Where else will you find 18 hole golf courses, glitzy resort hotels, wind swept coastlines, and manicured beaches all within a space that's only 19 miles long and 6 miles wide - the answer, no place else on earth! And what is even more beautiful than the island itself, is her people.

Balashi Cocktail
One important thing, when you go to Aruba, you have to drink the water. The island gets it's water directly from the Ocean and purifies it at a desalination plant. It gives the water a mineral taste that is unlike even those fancy bottled waters. They even have a nickname for it, Balashi Cocktail. Trust me, it's that good.

Useful Information
>> Map of Aruba
>> Aruba Message Board (great recommendations and reviews on restaurants, hotels, and excursions)
>> Debbie's Caribbean Travel - Aruba

Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino

We chose the Hyatt Regency Aruba based on recommendations from our Travel Agent and also from the many rave reviews I came across on Aruba Message Boards. It was one of the pricier resorts on the island, but it was definitely worth it. The grounds are absolutely stunning, the multi-level pool is breathtaking, it truly is a luxury resort. Our room was a standard ocean/pool view located on the 5th floor. I normally love to get the highest floor possible for the view, but actually the 5th floor is probably one of the best floors to be on. We were just high enough to be above the palm trees, but still low enough that we could look onto the beautiful gardens and landscaping, and could even hear a trickle of steel drum music if we opened our balcony door. We also had a wonderful view of the ocean. Only the suites at the Hyatt are truly ocean front, however the view from our balcony was not disappointing in the least. I would definitely opt for the Ocean/Pool view as opposed to the Ocean/Island view.

The Hyatt has over 7 restaurants, although we only ate at 2 of them. Most of the time we were too busy exploring and simply ate on the road. We ate at Ruinas Del Mar for their famous Sunday Brunch. I'm not sure exactly what we paid, but I think it was close to $40 or $50 US/person. We weren't quite expecting it to be that expensive, but as soon as we walked into the buffet we realized why it was so pricey (and also so popular). There was an entire room filled with food! Hot food, cold food, breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and anything else you can imagine. Unfortunately we weren't quite hungry enough to really do it justice, but trust me, I have never seen or tasted a better stocked buffet in all my life! If you do eat at Ruinas (either for the buffet or for dinner) I recommend sitting outside on the patio overlooking the Hyatt gardens and waterfalls and with the most amazing black swans swimming right in front of you. Definitely an experience not to be missed. We also ate at The Palms restaurant for a quick lunch. They have wonderful burgers and are located right off the beach. Most nights after returning from dinner elsewhere, we would spend an hour or two at the Hyatt's Alfresco Lobby Bar. It's an open air bar located among the waterfalls and tropical plants of the Hyatt grounds. A few nights they had live bands that were quite good.

Downtown Oranjestad

The capital city of Oranjestad is the main drag in Aruba. It contains the majority of the restaurants and shops that most tourists visit. It is also where the many cruise ships that visit Aruba dock. Therefore the city can get quite congested when several large ships are in port on the same day. We probably spent less time in Oranjestad than most visitors to the island. Don't get me wrong, we love to shop and eat, however we prefer to find places a little more off the beaten path. That said, we did spend plenty of time in Oranjestad. Almost each morning we stopped at the indoor mall to enjoy a dish of Chicken Satay for a late breakfast. We had a hard time finding typical breakfast items in Aruba (other than at the hotels) so we instead ate breakfast late and made it an early lunch. It was also nice to enjoy air conditioning during the heat of the day. We also enjoyed eating at Don Carlo's Italian restaurant. It's located downtown, right alongside the water. Very casual atmosphere and I had the best red snapper dish one evening for dinner. It was also fun to sit at the restaurant and watch all the cruise ship activity.

Downtown Oranjestad

Island Drives

By far our favorite activity on the island was driving around the rugged coastline and exploring deserted beaches and inlets. We had been upgraded to a 4x4 vehicle when we arrived in Aruba and at first were not very pleased. The vehicle was small, noisy, and pretty basic. After a few days of driving around the island though, we were very happy to have been upgraded. The 4x4 allowed us to do many of the off-roading adventures that the other tourists were paying a premium to go on. We could come and go as we pleased and there was almost no road that our little truck couldn't go on. I highly recommend upgrading to a 4x4 if you visit the island.

Our off-roading adventures mainly took us to the rugged and windswept north shore of the island. There are many small paths along the shore, a few feet from the water. There appears to be no laws preventing off-roading so even when there weren't roads we were able to make our own. We rarely ran into anyone on these drives and it was a nice escape from the populated hotels and downtown area.

Natural Pool or "Conchi"

One of our favorite drives was to the Natural Pool which the natives call Conchi. We had heard that a trip out to the Natural Pool was not to be missed. Only problem was, we couldn't find a single map that indicated how to get there. I remembered from the message boards that the Natural Pool was located in the vicinity of the Natural Bridge. On our first attempt we drove out to the Natural Bridge hoping to find signs indicating where the Natural Pool was located. We didn't find any.

We eventually gave up and headed back towards the hotels. We went through several neighborhoods and at one intersection we caught a small hand painted sign that simply read "Natural Pool" with a small arrow. We decided to head in the direction of the sign and see if we could find the path to the pool. After driving for several minutes through neighborhoods we spotted another sign for the pool. We found ourselves on winding dirt roads, slowly making our way to the coast. Eventually we came across one final sign that pointed to a narrow dirt road. We started on the dirt road and it soon turned into nothing more than a dirt trail. We passed several groups of 3 wheelers loaded with tourists and a few horses. We began to think that maybe the road wasn't meant for cars.

A few minutes later we saw that we weren't the only car on the path. There was another 4x4 vehicle out in the distance and also a 2 wheel drive sedan following us from behind. It appeared that the car behind us had also come looking for the pool and was now following us, assuming that we knew where we were going! Up until this point the road had been fairly flat and wide open on both sides. As we came over a small hill we saw a steep descent to the ocean below. I didn't think our little 4x4 could make it, but my husband was confident that it could. He was also excited to get to do some "real" off-roading.

We followed the narrow path which by now was getting almost impossible to see. The landscape had turned to pure rock and no tire tracks were visible to guide us. We did our best to follow the 4x4 in front of us. To top it all off, the path seemed to branch off into several smaller paths. Some of which looked like they ended with a sudden drop-off to the sea below. After reaching several dead-ends and having to drive in reverse, we eventually made our way down to a small clearing that was being used as a parking lot for the cars, 3 wheelers, and horses.

Getting to the Natural Pool itself involved a steep climb down a set of stairs carved into the rock. When we arrived at the bottom we had to walk out along narrow rocks to reach the actual pool. The Natural Pool is an isolated pocket of water created by the large rocks which surround it. The pool is actually out into the ocean quite a bit but is shallow due to the rocks. There were a number of people out in the pool that day, a nice mix of Arubans and tourists. I can see why the pool is not listed on many maps, I suppose most car rental companies would not like their cars attempting the rocky and steep trip to the pool. I'm pretty sure the drive to the Natural Pool was the highlight of the trip for my husband.

The Natural Pool

Ostrich Farm

To me, the Ostrich Farm was one of the highlights of the entire trip. We stumbled upon it quite on accident on one of our last days in Aruba.

When we were there in October of 2003, the farm was brand new and the permanent structures were not even fully built. Because it was so new, not many people knew about it and it was nearly deserted. This worked out perfectly for us as we received a private tour from one of the owners. We were able to hold baby ostriches and my husband got to stand on an ostrich egg to prove how strong they are.

The scenery around the Ostrich Farm is absolutely beautiful. You can see the ocean off in the distance, however it feels as if you are in the middle of an African savannah. They were in the process of building an authentic thatched roof structure that will one day house a bar, park offices, and even a restaurant that will serve ostrich burgers. I'm sure the Ostrich Farm is now a well known tourist stop, so I'm glad that we were able to enjoy it while it was still relatively unknown.

Ostrich Farm

Restaurants

Madame Janette's
This restaurant was by far our favorite on the island. I learned of it through the Aruba message boards. Everyone who had dined there gave it rave reviews. We visited Madame Janette's several times throughout our trip and each time tried a different meal. By far the best meal we had was a combination of lobster medallions and filet mignon. The dish consisted of 2 filets, each topped with a large lobster medallion and finished off with a béarnaise sauce. Not only was it delicious, but it was also cheap at only $20 US!

La Trattoria El Faro Blanco (Lighthouse Restaurant)
This restaurant wins the award for best scenery. Located on the northernmost tip of the Island, La Trattoria enjoys panoramic views of the coast, Palm Beach, the California Lighthouse, and an 18 hole golf course. As you can tell by the name, La Trattoria specializes in Italian food. Our meal was enjoyable, but nothing special. It also came with a high price tag, one of the most expensive we ate on the island. After you arrive at La Trattoria though, you'll realize they could serve cold dog food and you'd still have an enjoyable time. The views are just that good. We were lucky enough to be seated for the sunset, and we were not disappointed. I believe this spot is probably the prime location to witness one of Aruba's famous sunsets.

Salt & Pepper
This casual restaurant was located right across the street from the Hyatt. We ate several light meals there throughout our stay and they were always quite good. The restaurant gets it's name from the many salt & pepper shakers that customers have brought in throughout the years. I believe you get a free drink or dessert if you bring in a pair that they do not already have. Trust me, it's easier said than done.

Marina Pirata
We learned about this restaurant from a local we meet while listening to one of those timeshare presentations. My husband just couldn't pass up the casino vouchers they were giving out. We were lucky and had a nice gentleman giving us the sales pitch. We politely told him we were just in it for the vouchers and we actually ended up having a really nice chat. He told us what tourist traps to avoid and also which local restaurants were the best. Marina Pirata was his personal favorite. Marina Pirata is located directly on the ocean. You actually have to walk across a bridge to get into the restaurant. We arrived just as the sun was beginning to set and were immediately seated outside on the patio. They had many fish specialties and we both ordered based on the waiter's recommendations. Our meals were very good and it was fun to sit right on the water and watch as the fish jumped out to grab the bread other patrons were tossing into the water (okay, we tossed some in too!)

We ate at several other restaurants throughout or trip, but those listed above are the ones that really stuck out and that we would return to again.

Baby Beach

Located at the southeastern end of the island, Baby Beach is mostly known to locals, although it has become increasingly popular with tourists. It gets it's name from the calm and shallow waters that make this beach ideal for children and inexperienced swimmers. We spent a day relaxing and swimming at Baby Beach. It wasn't overly crowded which was a nice change from Palm Beach and the hotel area. The only downside to Baby Beach is the nearby oil refinery. You can see the grim outline of the factory in the distance which takes away from the scenery a bit. The water however is not polluted, nor the air. The refinery is more of an eyesore than anything else.