It’s been a minute since the last time I wrote a blog. But I am very excited to write about my experience in Aruba, not to impress you or anything of that sort, but to hopefully help you plan your future vacations there.

There is nothing I like more when planning a vacation than to search online for things to do in that destination. So, ideally I always look for travel blogs. Why? Because I am also looking for that picturesque scene, landmark or cool activity any travel blogger wants to share with their audience.

I want to start off with a few tips when traveling to Aruba:

Aruba is an expensive island. Specially for booze. So I recommend to either bring a bottle with you (you can only bring 1 liter per person). Or purchase beers, alcohol at the supermarket. But unless you travel to an all-inclusive hotel; my recommendation is to buy alcohol beverages outside and keep it in your cooler.
Rent a car! I personally dislike going on vacations and staying in the hotel the entire week. I prefer to have a different activity every day. Of course, staying in the hotel is one of the activities for the week, but I personally do not like to stay in the whole week. In this case, Aruba is a very small island. You can cover from west to east in one hour. And each coast is completely different. Some hotels offer on-site rental car services, so you don’t need to book a car for the entire week, just the days you want to discover some parts of the islands.

HOTEL

During our stay in Aruba, we chose the Ritz Hotel as our accommodation. One of the main reasons is because the Ritz its located on the north-west part of the island, in my opinion the most beautiful part of the island. And, to top it off, it is the last hotel from the hotel chains along the coast. West of the Ritz, there is nothing more than beach, sand dunes and some of the best sunsets ever.

The Ritz is not an adult only hotel, but it feels like it because of its serenity. When walking along the shore, you get a feeling on the vibe of each hotel. They are all next to the other ones, and being the Ritz the last one along the coast, it is consider the quiet, less active one. The Marriott, which is the neighbor hotel was always partying and loud. Super fun and cool. But a different vibe from what I wanted. There was always some kind of party going on at the pool and loud, fun music. The entertainment crew looked phenomenal and the guests seemed very engaged.

If I were to chose again, I would chose the Ritz. It was what I was looking for, people woke up in the morning to go to the gym and rested wearing the day at the beach under a bimini or cabana.

The waters along the coast are turquoise of color and still like a pool. The temperature is lukewarm. I mean, you couldn’t find a better spot to chill.

ACTIVITIES

Arikok National Park

We landed on Monday afternoon, so Tuesday was our first day for tourism. We booked an ATV Tour to the Arikok National Park. We rented a double ATV ride for $160 and honestly, it is the ONLY way to do that you can guarantee fun and wilderness. You can rent a private car (expensive and looses the point of the excursion). The Tour picks you up at 9am and drops you off around 1pm. They take you to Philip´s Animal Garden where you can feed and pet animals while they set up your ride.

The Tour guide takes you to the most iconic landmarks in the park. You stop at the natural bridge, two natural pools and the ruins of an old gold mine.

Flamingo Beach at Renaissance Hotel

Wednesday was the only day I rented a car. At the Ritz, they offer you an on-site rental car service. We rented an economy car for $65. We could probably have rented something cheaper if we were prepared ahead of time, but only for the convenience to having the car in 5 mins and having to drop it off at the hotel, was for me worth the $65. Once you book the hotel, call the front desk to ask if they offer on-site rental car services; you might be able to book something cheaper.

I wanted to go to the Flamingo Beach at the Renaissance Island since the day we talked about going to Aruba. It is a pricey activity, because day passes run for $125 per person. You will meet at the Rennaissance Resort & Casino, and wait for your water taxi that transfers you from the main island to this coral strip of land. Honestly, it is a cool experience, because the boat comes pick you up inside the hotel, through an underground water access. I thought it was worth it.

At the Renaissance island, they have two beaches: the Flamingo beach and the Iguana beach. The Flamingo beach is smaller and always packed. Everyone wants to go see the flamingos. And to tell you the truth, I lost the drive of taking photos with them after I saw how suffocated they were with hesitant tourists. I did take a few without having them even notice me, and then I stopped. If you decide to spend the entire day, I recommend you to get there early to save a spot and make your money’s worth.

BABY BEACH

We took advantage of our day rental and drive east to visit Baby beach. These beaches are a bit more rough, tourist-deserted, and wild. It seems like if you are in a totally different island. On our way there, we stop at a supermarket to buy water, beers and a bag a chips. Supermarkets are a bit shady in this area, so don’t freak out.

We also made a pit stop at an iconic beach, Bachelor’s beach. Which due to its high winds, it is the perfect spot for kite surfers.
I managed to let loose at this location and celebrate life. I feel so grateful to be who I am, always positive and bubbly; despite any setbacks I had to face in the past with my injuries that disabled my chances to continue playing on the LPGA. A few criticized this photo, but I love it. In this photo I break free from a daunting lack of self-identity, I celebrate the purest joy of feeling vulnerable and being able to push through and find new passions. To be able to turn a sad story into a happy one. I was able to find freedom and enjoy life outside of golf. I found new passions and projects in life and I even got engaged to my best friend. A stage in my life that I will cherish.

DEEP SEA FISHING

December is high season for deep sea fishing. Even though Rob gets sea sick and I do not enjoy going fishing, in every relationship there has to be some kind of compromise. So every vacation, we go fishing. We just have to load up in Dramamine and Sun Chips for me.

Most of the fisherman take off from Hadicurari Pier, which is walking distance from the all the hotels by the shore. And the best part, is that Hadicurari Bar cooks your fresh game for $10. We went on Tuy’s boat, and the fisherman’s name was Alexander. We had a great time and Rob caught a super big wahoo, which was our lunch for both days and we were also able to feed the fisherman’s families.

MONFORTE SUNSET CRUISE

Hopping on a cruise was a no brainer for this vacation. And when I did my research, I had a top 2 choices: Tranquilo and Monforte. We chose the Monforte because we wanted something more exclusive, since we were celebrating our engagement; and the Monforte has a very goof Chef cooking for you.

RESTAURANTS

FARO BLANCO

I loved this restaurant. Is at the north part of the island, right at the California light house. it is a wonderful place to dine and watch the sunset. Make a reservation for 5.30-6 pm to make sure you can drink wine while watching the sun set, and then enjoy good food.

FLYING FISHBONE

Flying Fishbone is one of the top restaurants they recommend you to go in Aruba. If you stay near the Ritz, in the north west side of the island, its a 40 min ride. That is why its super important to rent a car for the day you made your reservation. Because a taxi ride is $60-$80 each way!!

My recommendation is that if you decide to go, you must reserve ahead of time and make them book a table in the water! It was an amazing experience, and the sunsets are the best. However, the food was not worth the drive over there, to be honest. We enjoyed our time there because of the location. I believe we had the best table!

ATARDI

However, the best restaurant I went in the island was at the Marriott Hotel, right next to the Ritz. Atardi is at the beach of the hotel, right in the water (as well) and the sunsets in this location of the island are the best! The location was excellent, the service was top notch, but the food was the best of all! We were so impressed with the quality of the food that we wanted to repeat every night!

Anyhow, thank you so much for your time. I hope you enjoy the blog, tips and photos. Please let me know if you ever go to Aruba, I would love to know how your experience was.

Love,

B

ARUBA:MY FIRST TRIP AS AN ENGAGED WOMAN