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explorer21 · Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 11:11 pm Post subject: Divi Phoenix...10/19 - 11/04

Sat 10/19...I tried this last year for the first time so instead of a post travel trip report I'm going to try
to keep up with a boring daily report. We will be here for 16 days. A little about my gang, we are from the Hershey, PA area and this is our 6th straight year to Aruba I travel with my wife, her sister and husband. We are all in our mid 50's except my BIL who just turned 60 a couple weeks ago. We bought a 2 bdrm, 2 story penthouse unit at the Divi Phoenix during pre-construction and think we are at the best place on the island. We stay 2 weeks at the end of Oct every year and love this time of year because it is far less crowded and delays our hatred for the cold weather for a little while. We are here for 2 reasons, lay in the sun and eat(need to throw in some shopping too). We've done most of the island touring so its mostly beach time. I'm a couple of days behind but here goes. We took our flights from Harrisburg to Charlotte then to Aruba Sat afternoon. Both flights went real well getting here on time. Met up with Hans(Tropic Car)(the best!!!) and off we went to our customary first meal at Mulligans. DW had club sandwich, SIL had a nice salad, BIL had a chicken sandwich(you will see this a lot), and me a brick oven pizza. They never disappoint and it's such a welcome home feeling when we look out over the golf course and feel the warm Aruba breezes. The weather is mostly sunny and hot. We got to the Phoenix and checked in quickly and down to the beach to greet old friends. They have such great people working here. Headed out to get our grocery shopping done. Went to the new Super Foods which is very nice but still went to Ling's to finish it off. I think we still like Ling's overall but will go to both. While down that way we ate at The Kitchen. We all had sandwiches or burgers which were all good. Nice little place. We were all tired from our long day of traveling but had to muster the strength to stay up late and watch my Red Sox take the series. In-laws not so interested as they are big time Yankee fans(not a good mix). Great season so far but a tough final series with the Cardinals.

Sun 10/20...I guess I was still pumped up from the game or just excited to get my vacation started but was up at 6:30. Wife and I took a long walk up the beach to check out the new Ritz. Quite impressive and big but hope it doesn't bring too much congestion to the area. Picked up a breakfast wrap from a little shop along the walkway back then to the beach to start working on the tan. A beautiful sunny day with a little more wind than usual for this time of year. Love the breeze though, what would we do without it. Just did some snacking for lunch while running back and forth checking out football scores. I have a long list of places we eat at every year and a list of new places we want to try this year. I SIL picked Aqua Grill and very happy she did. I am not a seafood eater but my wife and SIL love it. My BIL had a heart attack in January so as picky as he was eating all his life, he has now cut himself back to basically chicken and broccoli. He was probably the most fit 59 year old you would ever meet but had his attack while running sprints in his driveway. He is fully recovered but has taken his diet to extremes. I guess you just never know. Anyway, DW had deep fried scallops which were excellent tasting and not rubbery at all, SIL had Sea Bass which was great, BIL and I both had free range chicken. His was plain but I had the rosemary and garlic which was excellent! Started with a great Caesar salad and ended with a very good brownie and ice cream. Very nice, clean, well kept place. Walked around the area a little bit and back to the room. We were all tired from our first long day in the sun and I wanted to get a good nights sleep for my first trip to Linda's for my favorite dutch pancakes(crepe).

Mon 10/21...Woke up early again just counting down the minutes to get to Linda's for my first crepe of the year. I live for my banana, walnut, and whipped cream crepe. DW doesn't share the same enthusiasm as I do but still enjoys them. She just gets hers plain with strawberry jelly and my SIL gets walnuts, brie, and honey. Fantastic!!! BIL doesn't even go with us. Stays home and eats a dry bagel. Went to check out Nafanny Spa near the Alto Vista church. Girls want to get some massages and may have me talked into it, too. Place looked very nice and come very highly recommended on Trip Advisor. Spent another beautiful day at the beach with a 10 minute break to go to our owner's meeting. Snacked again for lunch since still full from breakfast. Took our time coming off the beach and just took it easy getting ready to go eat since it's not very crowded anywhere now. Decided to to back to JH Yees Asian Bistro again this year after trying it last year. DW got lettuce wraps as her meal, SIL got some sushi and beef lo mein, BIL got chicken and broccoli in a wok, and I got Mongolian beef. All 4 dishes were very good. Really enjoyed our meal and will go back again next year! Nice place! Walked around the mall a little bit, got some ice cream and came back to watch some football.

~Amy~® · Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 7:43 am Post subject:

Sounds like a great (and relaxing) trip so far! Love reading the updates! Very Happy

explorer21 · Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 10:40 pm Post subject:

Tues 10/22... Don't know why I can't sleep in. Up at 6:30, tried to talk myself back to sleep but crawled out of bed at 7 ready to start another sunny(a few clouds), beautiful day in Aruba. I told my wife instead of sitting on the beach all day everyday like the last 5 years, I wanted to just get out and drive around once in a while. We have already seen pretty much all the island we wanted to see in past years but it's been a few years since. My DW, SIL, and I jumped in the car and headed south. I wanted to head to San Nicholas to see if there was anything big going on with Xander Bogaerts(Red Sox rookie) in his hometown. Drove by the baseball stadium, Charlies Bar, and the hookers but not a sign of Xander. Went down to Baby Beach passing many goats and donkeys eating along the roadside. Stopped at the Lourdes Grotto on the way back to say some prayers for family and friends. Decided to stop at Burgers & Burgers for some lunch. Love my burger with bacon, egg, and cheese on it, which I can't find too many places. We were oiled up and on the beach by 1:00 to soak up the sun. Left the beach at 5 and sat on our balcony to chat about the day and decide where to eat. It's so nice this time of year that you don't have to be concerned about reservations for most places. The only problem is trying to find new restaurants that have good reviews and menus for the 4 of us. I've stayed away from Gianni's because their reviews are all over the board but decided to give it a try to make our own opinion. The setting is very nice and we were seated right away and had the waiter there pretty quick. He was ok, but kind of had his attention scattered all around on various things like checking to see if he got an adequate tip from the people leaving. He took our order quickly but wasn't real friendly. The food came out real fast which led me to wonder how fresh it was. My wife got the Lobster ravioli which she said was very good. Should be for $39 and kinda small portion. BIL got regular ole spaghetti which was good. I had chicken parm with carbonara sauce. I can never turned down carbonara when I see it. This was just ok. I know it's typically a heavy sauce but this was really too thick. SIL got duck which was burned to a crisp. She took 2 bites and said she couldn't eat it because it was so dry. She told the waiter and he quickly agreed with her and took it away. It was that bad that it shouldn't have even made it to a table. She got her meal after we were done with ours and I must say it was delicious. Very moist and flavorful. Overall the dining experience wasn't bad but thought it was overpriced and could have been better. Kind of doubt we will go back anytime soon. Walked up to the Mall and did a little shopping and topped it off with some Haagen dazs ice cream. Sat down to type this up and look forward to getting my Linda's crepe in the morning. Good night!

stats · Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 6:20 am Post subject:

Thanks for the updates! T-9 for us Cool

Was thinking of trying Gianni's this trip. Your review was kinda in the middle. Would u recommend?

~Amy~® · Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 1:41 pm Post subject:

So which "flavor" of crepes did you have this morning at Linda's? Wink

Or do you stick to the same one?

Sasha · Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 3:07 pm Post subject:

So what time were you at Linda's on Monday??? My husband and I went there on our way to the airport for our last meal. I always get the ham and gouda. He had bacon and mozzerlla. We actually split them and shared. It was a nice filling meal for before the flight home!

explorer21 · Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 4:18 pm Post subject:

We were there at 8:30, our usual time. That's the way I like to fly home, with a belly full of dutch pancakes! Amy, I always get bananas, walnuts, and whipped cream but usually add another topping like strawberries, mango, papaya if it's fresh.

explorer21 · Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:23 pm Post subject:

Tues 10/23...aahhhh Linda's...can't get enough of their crepes...my standard bananas, walnuts, whipped cream, but added fresh strawberries this morning. Wife had a plain, doesn't know what's she's missing. Left Linda's full to the top and drove up to the lighthouse looking for new construction and remodeling along the way. Saw real nice improvements on some places. Stopped in at the new residence apts being built just down from the Phoenix to talk to their sales office. They're called Blue(bluearuba.com). They showed us around and sat down with the pricing. Really beautiful places with reasonable pre-construction prices. Just not sure if we're ready for that commitment. Just another thing to dream about while working those cold winter days in the northeast. Now here i sit on our beach telling the family that's our new place. Another beautiful day on the beach. I am not taking the sun for granted! Had to leave a little early as we had 6:30 resv at Madame Janette's. Gotta get home to catch the first game of the world series. Madame Janette's was wonderful tonight as usual. We were seated outside near the singer on a beautiful breezy evening. The first I've heard this singer with his guitar player and they were very good! Now, on to the meal. Wife had their signature Almond Crusted Grouper which was crispy and delicious, SIL had a very impressive skewer of shrimp with some kind of diced fruity sauce that she loved, BIL-plain chicken(I don't know what else to say), and I ordered, for the first time ever, rack of lamb. I've always taken a bite here and there but decided to give a full order a try. Not sorry here! Very tender and moist with a nice demi glaze along with their great potatoes au gratin. Topped it off with the special dessert, brownie with cracker jack ice cream. Wonderful meal! I know there have been a few negative reviews with them lately but not from this guy. Made reservations for next Wednesday on the way out. Hurried home just in time to see the Sox score 3 in the first inning. Great day!!! Looking forward to tomorrow morning. No...not Linda's again but almost as good. DW, SIL, and I are going to Fanicita Spa(nafanny.com) for massages. A first for any of us in Aruba and first for me anywhere since Hawaii 8 years ago. Long overdue. Can't wait to tell you about it. Going into the 9th inning up 7-0. Good night!!!
Go Red Sox!!!

~Amy~® · Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:32 pm Post subject:

Another great day of sun and food! Wink

Interested to hear about your massages. Hubby and I are thinking of doing one as well and wasn't sure where to go. We usually go to Spa del Sol at Manchebo but also talked about going to Tierra del Sol this time. But we're still up in the air on where to go.

Sasha · Posted: Thu Oct 24, 2013 9:21 am Post subject:

My husband got the special brownie with cracker jack ice cream at MJ's on Saturday. It was his birthday so they gave it to him for his birthday dessert while the singers sang to him! It was wonderful...as was our entire meal!

explorer21 · Posted: Thu Oct 24, 2013 10:07 pm Post subject:

Thurs 10/24...Ate some snacks sitting around the kitchen then headed towards Alto Vista Chapel to Nafanny Spa. Read a lot of good things on Trip Advisor so thought we'd get our first massage in Aruba. What a nice place! Fanny will pick you up at your hotel, but, we drove there and were greeted in her garden area. Very nice husband and wife business. My wife and SIL both got the hot stone massage at $100 for 80 mins and said it was worth every penny. Even better than Hotel Hershey Spa. For myself, having delivered packages for UPS for over 40 years now, I chose the 30 min back and 40 min foot reflexology. Wow was that great! Love getting my feet taken care of. We will definitely do it again next year. I can't really compare it to any place else in the area but my wife said it was the best massage she ever had. Ate a chicken caesar wrap at our place, Pure Beach, then spent the rest of the day sunning. I'm a little behind on the tan this year. Beautiful sunny day but a lot of wind. Not breeze...wind. Not complaining though! Gonna head to Matthews a little early so I can catch most of game 2. Got to Matthews at 6:45 to a half full restaurant. This may be the least crowded time we've seen in Aruba. We ended up taking an elderly man who we met on the beach. He's been coming to the island 33 years and just lost his wife 2 years ago so thought it would be good to give him some company. We like it there mostly because of the setting, but enjoy the food, too. DW and "Walt" got lasagna that was "very good", SIL got linguine with clam sauce that she really enjoyed, BIL got spaghetti he said was very good, and I got chicken parm that I thought had very good flavor. Topped it off with complimentary tiramisu that was also good. Enjoyed our meal and new company. Already looking forward to my crepe at Linda's tomorrow. I'll need a pick-me-up since I don't think my Sox are going to pull this game out. Not happy right now! Enjoy your Friday! Good night!

explorer21 · Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 10:07 pm Post subject:

Fri 10/25...So upset from the Sox losing I just couldn't go to Linda's for my crepe. Ha, just kidding! Not a chance. Bananas, walnuts, whipped cream, and added some fresh papaya. Just what I needed to get me out of my losing funk. My wife had a plain and both were perfectly crisp around the edges. We went down to Ling's to pick up a few snacks and drinks then headed back to park our butts on the beach. Broken record...another beautiful sunny day. Again, a little more wind than usual. The gusts would whip up the sand every now and then but we just moved our chairs down closer to the water and were fine. Came off the beach around 5 for a 7:00 resv at Daniel's Steakhouse. We discovered this place last year and went twice so we were looking forward to it again this year. Just a fantastic meal. SIL had a mixed grill with filet, chorizo, chicken, and shrimp. All were very good. DW, BIL, and I all had filet mignon, all were perfectly prepared. I also had a 4 cheese risotto, and roasted potatoes with bacon, onion, and rosemary...outstanding! Such a good meal, we will be back next week. We then walked around the mall and got some Haagen Dazs ice cream and back home to sit on the balcony to enjoy a beautiful quiet evening. Excited to see a new batch of friends come in tomorrow with nothing planned. Have a great Saturday! Goodnight!

ARUBAISLANDGIRL · Posted: Sat Oct 26, 2013 5:44 pm Post subject:

I love your updates, keep them coming! Reading them have made my day a little easier as I still have 12 days left, believe me they are DRAGGING!

explorer21 · Posted: Sat Oct 26, 2013 8:19 pm Post subject:

I would love to say I hope your time goes quickly but that would mean time in Aruba would be over.

explorer21 · Posted: Sat Oct 26, 2013 9:41 pm Post subject:

Sat 10/26...actually slept in till 8 this morning. Ate some snacks(cookies and other junk) and took the girls up the beach to look for shells and sea glass. Pulled back along the dirt roads by the lighthouse and got to see some different sights. There must have been 25 pelicans sitting on the rocks and diving right next to us. The waves at the north end are quite impressive smashing the jagged shoreline. We then drove down by Lings to checkout Waka Waka. They weren't open yet but let us in to look around and check out the menu. They didn't have a chicken dish on the menu so we asked if they could do a simple chicken breast for my BIL. The chef came out and said let him know what day we were coming in and he would make him chicken. We told him we could come in tonight and he said I'm going to the store now and he'll get it. We got back and on the beach about 12 and walked up to Bugaloe Bar for some lunch. This was our first time there and they have a very nice menu. My wife and I split a chicken wrap and fries. Nice enjoyable lunch, we will definitely go back. What a great sunny day AGAIN. The wind died down to more of the Aruba breeze we're used to. Wow is this weather spoiling us. Left the beach at 5 to get ready to eat. We got to Waka Waka at 7 and the waitress came to our table and asked who gets the chicken. They were ready for my BIL. They also have a great early bird special good until 7:30. You get and appetizer, entree, and dessert for $25 and they don't skimp on anything. PLUS a free bottle of wine for the table. My wife got seafood tempura and a salad that she said was great. SIL got the special with plantain chips, grouper, and brownie. She said the grouper may have been the best she's had on the island, EVER. I must say, coming from a non seafood eater, it was delicious. I was hungry for a burger and it also was very good. I highly recommend Waka Waka. Very clean, nicely decorated place with very good service and great customer service. Chef Andrew came to our table to see how everything was. Very well run place! Hurried home to watch the game. Right now Sox are in a 2-2 tie in a very big game. I'll let you know if I have an appetite in the morning. Happy Sunday to all! Good night!