Bucuti Beach Resort

September 16-24, 2000 - by Gerry & Sue

Words and pictures alone will not be able to capture what this trip meant to us. It was a magical and fairytale time as we dropped out of life for 9 days. Below we will share our experiences and hope it sheds some light on future first-time travellers or brings back some nostalgic moments to the more seasoned visitor.

Travel arrangements

We booked through our local AAA travel office. Our agent had offered us the best deal yet through Delta Dream Vacations. The package not only included the flight and resort price, but all the hidden charges as well, including airport to hotel transfers. Plus Delta also gave vouchers for a snorkeling trip and sunset cruise with Red Sail. Everything ran smoothly from beginning to end.

Flight

We left promptly at 8am on a small commuter flight to Atlanta. Beautiful weather, great flight. In Atlanta we met up with ArubaLisa and Jerry from the bulletin boards. They were easy to spot as they were wearing matching yellow Arubabound.com polo shirts. We spoke with them until time to board. By now I was getting a little jittery as I do not like to fly. But the flight was smooth and uneventful. Wonderful landing. We did not have to wait for baggage as we each brought 2 carry-ons, one being my camera case which never left my side. A DePalm Tour bus was waiting for us and we were on our way to our resort within 10 minutes. There were several buses waiting so we did not have to wait until our bus was full. The return trip was just as smooth in every respect. But don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean I like flying any better!

Bucuti Beach Resort

Wow! What can be said of this resort that hasn't already been said? Bucuti Beach Resort is a small, intimate, secluded hideaway with a warm and genuine atmosphere. It is geared for honeymooners and hopeless romantic couples rather than the active thrill-seekers. The resort is laid back and begs you to relax and enjoy. Our entire week there, the staff treated us with utmost respect and made us feel like we were the only couple there and very much part of their family. They were there when we needed them, otherwise they left us alone. Check in is quite different than from US hotels, it's more of an orientation. But that was fine, it left no questions. The view from our room was breathtaking! What you see in the Aruba webcam is exactly what we were seeing. The webcam was right above our balcony. And talk about a balcony! Aside from the great view, it was huge. When all is said and done, Bucuti is a great value for a romantic getaway vacation from the hectic ratrace we escaped from.

Eagle Beach

Whoaa! It's exactly as you dream a tropical beach would look like.. Wide, uncrowded and pure white sand, this is where we parked ourselves most of the week. Yes, the sun is very strong. Gerry burns very easily, but he covered himself from head to toe in SPF50 down to SPF30 and turned a golden bronze color. One day he forgot to do his ears and feet and sure enough he burned. As for me, I mostly used SPF30 & 15 and was rather dark by the end of the week. One day I forgot to cover the area above my lip and I did burn there. But that's it. We heard over and over again about the tradewinds. To be honest, the winds aren't an issue, just very much welcomed. I can't imagine what it would be like without them. Toplessness? Sure, it's there but no big deal. Americans seemed rather discreet while Europeans and/or South Americans appeared to be more comfortable. Again, it wasn't a big deal.

Activities

The Balcony and the Beach: We basically did exactly what we set out to do…rest and relax. Each morning we'd spend a couple hours on the balcony drinking endless pots of coffee, reading the paper and just taking in the view. By late morning we'd head to the beach and stayed there until late afternoon. We'd come in to clean up and again retreat to the balcony for sunset. We truly believe we had the best room at Bucuti.

Car rental

Gerry really didn't want to bother with buses or taxis. He just wanted the convenience of a car so we could go where we wanted to when we wanted to. We rented a Toyota Tercel via the internet through Economy. They were running a September Super Special plus we were able to use the Visit Aruba card on top of that. So the card paid for itself with that first transaction. They replied to all emails immediately and said they'd bring us the car at Bucuti on Sunday. Indeed they were timely, but we ran into some miscommunication. Some on our part, some on theirs, but it all worked itself out. Next time we'd probably only rent for 3 days.

Sightseeing

On Monday we set out to see the high rise hotels, especially since one of our daughters works for the Radisson here. Well, we drove by one of them, then two or three and the next thing we knew we were at the Lighthouse without having stopped at any of them. As we got out of car, we were greeted by a pleasant lady who gave us a history of the north coast and the lighthouse. Nice touch, we thought. Then came her pitch…she was pushing timeshares on the island. She raised the ante to $190 cash and casino chips if we would just sit through one of them. But we declined and she remained pleasant and gave us directions for the smoothest ride to the landmarks. We took it slow and easy and did do the touristy thing Tierra del Sol, the Alto Vista Chapel, the Gold Mill Ruins, Natural Bridge. At this point, we found the best road back to town as our vehicle insurance with Economy clearly stated it would not cover any off road driving. We were in a foreign country and didn't want to take any chances. On the return trip we saw many of the homes with the 'picket' cactus fences and wild goats along the way. We also discovered how the roads are not marked, the road signs are bizarre, and how few traffic lights there were, and even fewer of them were working.

Snorkeling

Through our Delta travel package we had a voucher for a ½ day snorkeling trip with Red Sail Sport. We did this on Thursday and as luck would have it, we woke up to the only cloudy, windless day of our entire stay. According to the experts, this is the best time to snorkel. We made 3 stops. The first two I had trouble with the breathing process but finally caught on on the 3rd stop. We saw lots of fish, but were unable to get any decent pictures. Crew was fantastic, open bar, lunch and munchies provided. Although we never got rain while on the boat, the high rise section did get a brief shower. By the time we returned to shore, it was over.

Sunset Cruise

We enjoyed the snorkeling trip and crew of the Balia so much that when we returned to shore we used our second voucher from Delta and booked a sunset cruise for our last night on the island. Less crowded than the snorkeling trip, yet still a fair amount of people. A guest brought his guitar and there was a sing-a-long most of the trip. It was a beautiful evening for sailing and a gorgeous sunset. It was beautiful seeing the resorts lit up at night from the ocean side.

Casino

We had never set foot in a casino in our lives, so here was another first for us. We each brought a roll of quarters. After visiting the Crystal Casino, the Hyatt Casino and the Marriott Casino Gerry no longer had any quarters left including some of my winning stash. I came out with $18.

Shopping/Oranjestad

We had planned our souvenir shopping on the day the cruise ship Destiny was docked. Now here is a huge ship! We bought several embroidered T-shirts from the vendors at reasonable prices for the family and friends back home. Downtown certainly has a wide variety of souvenir-type shops and boutiques. Although there were about 3300 additional visitors to the island that day, we didn't find it that noticeable. Definitely fewer than you'd find at a crowded mall at Christmas. We decided to eat dinner downtown that evening and basically we just walked right on without reservations. Because this was the inaugural voyage of the Destiny to Aruba, there was a fireworks display that evening. Not as big as any I've seen in the US, but definitely a nice touch to add to the festive celebration. As we returned to our car, a gentleman approached us and began chitchatting while cleaning our windshield. We said nothing and handed him a dollar. He smiled, thanked us and was on his way. We felt this was the best way to handle the situation. Although we didn't stop here, we must add that Carlos and Charlie's was rocking on this night. People were out the door. We could hear music from other clubs in the area, but C & C was definitely the happening place. Once back to our room, we decided we wanted to return and see the Destiny launch. So off we go again. Watching the send-off was definitely worth returning to see. Then we rushed back to Bucuti to see it pass in front of the resort. Truly a sight to see. I guess you could say the car came in handy on this evening.

Restaurants

After having followed the Bulletin Boards for several months, I had fairly good idea of where we would eat. In fact, I had made a few reservations to some of the more popular restaurants from home before leaving just to be sure we'd get in. Here goes:

Pirates Nest: Our first night on the island we decided to just stay close by. Excellent decision. We ate on the open terrace taking in the sights and sounds of our first evening in paradise. Though we had not heard much about this restaurant, we were definitely pleased with the food. Gerry had the Caribbean pork loin 5-course special of the evening while I had the Captain Kidd Shrimp Treasure. Oh my goodness…I've never seen shrimp this big in my life and we're from Maine. Cooked in a cognac sauce, I've been raving about it ever since. I hope it's still on menu next time we go. Dinner for 2, including 1 drink (1/2 carafe wine came compliments of the resort), 1 dessert, 2 coffees, SC came to $60.

French Steakhouse: After reading all the publicity on the bbs and being right next door to Bucuti, we made this a 'must' stop. We had reservations for 8 but there were only 2 other tables filled. We both had the Churrasco steak special. Loved the seafood crepes. I could have made a meal from this alone. The steak was hefty indeed (I was only able to eat ½ of it), tender, well seasoned, but I was disappointed in the cut of meat. I was expecting steak, but this was more like a hunk of roast beef. It was still good, I just wasn't expecting roast beef. The apple strudel was excellent. Great Service. Again, $60

Madame Janette: If we hadn't heard of this restaurant through the bbs, we would have never known it existed. No advertising whatsoever anywhere, although the staff at the resort was able to dial their # to confirm our reservations without looking it up, so someone knows about them. Directions to get there were another thing, but after asking 2 or 3 people, we figured it out. Anyway, this was a real treat and everything that it's built up to be. I was impressed when we ordered salads that our waiter suggested we split one as it was large enough for 2 and indeed it was. Large and impressive menu to choose from. Gerry had prime tenderloin with béarnaise sauce while I had shrimp casserole du chef. Both were served with a large portion of vegetables of your choice. Both entrees were of generous portions. The entire meal, including 2 drinks, 1 glass wine, 1 salad, 2 entrees, 2 desserts (chocolate mousse, yum!) 2 coffees, no SC came to $52.

Ventanas del Mar: This is at the Tierra del Sol Country Club. We had seen the golf course and restaurant while on our sightseeing trip the day before and even though it was on our list of restaurants to try, we couldn't wait to get here. Iv at the activities desk at Bucuti called to arrange reservations telling them we were on the island for our anniversary. Little did we know what surprise we had ahead of us. They gave us a great table poolside. Our waiter was one of the best we've ever encountered. (Of course, telling us he follows the Kentucky Wildcat Basketball team helped). Gerry had filet mignon with portabella mushroom and I had ginger shrimp tempura in teriyaki sauce. Both very good. Then the Kodak moments began. The entire staff brought out a candle-lit piece of mango-raspberry cheesecake. As they joined us tableside, the saxophonist came right to the table and played the anniversary waltz. By now I was in tears. After they all left, the waiter brought us each a glass of champagne, compliments of the couple at the next table. We don't know who you are, but if you're reading this, thank you for adding to this special and romantic evening. You are what Aruba is all about! 2 glass wine, 1 drink, 2 salads, 2 entrees, 1 dessert, SC came to $105.

*Note*…shortly after we were seated, the general manager welcomed us and apologize for the number of stray cats on the patio. He said he had been trying his best to keep them away but it seemed to be a loosing battle. Throughout the evening we could see he was visibly upset by their presence and indeed it was annoying to have them hang around your table and feet. However, we knew he was doing what he could to keep them away.

Flying Fishbone: This was the actual night of our 25th anniversary and reservations had been made a month before. We arrived a half-hour before our reservations as we weren't sure we'd be able to find it easily nor were we sure of the time it took to get there. No problem with being seated early. This was truly another dining experience. Our table was by the water (love those racks for sandals and purse!) and sunset breathtaking. It is small and cozy and was filled with hopeless romantics. I believe we ran into a language problem. I ordered the lobster salad with greens to split between us but we ended up getting 2 of them. The chunks of lobster were tough and chewy, but lobster nonetheless. I had saved lobster for the anniversary meal but soon had regrets. I ordered the Caribbean lobster tail in cognac sauce and Gerry had the sliced sirloin. Both were attractively presented on the plate and the sirloin was fantastic. However, again the lobster was tough, chewy and what I would definitely call overcooked. I only ate 3 bites and left the rest. The waitress noticed this and kindly told us she'd remove it from the bill. We told her it wasn't necessary, that that's not we had set out to do, yet she still did. For dessert she brought us a tray of bon-bon type cookies plus a sample plate of all their desserts. The check amounted to $93 for 1 glass wine, 1 drink (2 glasses champagne was on the house), 2 salads, 1 entrée and the dessert plate. We left a hefty tip as the lobster entree had been removed from the bill. The ambiance was priceless. Felt like we were in a MasterCard commercial.

*Note*…again there were stray cats hanging around the restaurant and our feet, plus we found it strange that at such a fine and romantic restaurant the nearby fishermen come off their boat and walk right between you and the next table to get to the other side of the property.

Café Baci: The island has many italian restaurants and choosing which one to go to was indeed mind-boggling. We finally decided on this one in the Wyndham Resort. Why? Probably because we were adventuresome to some degree, as neither of us had heard a word about it. Without reservations, we were seated within minutes. This was our first indoor dinner and it just happened to be on the day without wind, so the air-conditioning was welcomed. Of interest, this was the only restaurant that the salad was included with the meal. The food was good and relatively inexpensive. Dinner for 2, 2 glasses wine, 1 drink (awesome Lady in Red), and 2 coffees came to $41 including SC. Rather impressive, I'd say.

Iguana Joe's: This was on the evening we spent downtown. Originally we had planned to go to the Driftwood, but we were enjoying ourselves downtown so much that we just decided to stay there. (We'll definitely go to Driftwood on our next visit). We thoroughly enjoyed this place. Again, we were without reservations and were seated almost immediately on the newly expanded balcony overlooking the main street. Great atmosphere, attentive waiter and great food and drinks. Gerry stuck with sirloin steak while I had the best citrus glazed pork tenderloin on the planet. Tab for 2 dinners including 2 drinks, 2 pepsi, 1 (giant) ice tea, 2 desserts, no SC and tip was $57. As we finished dinner, there was a fireworks display that we watched right from their balcony. A mix of music could be heard from all the surrounding nightclubs.

Madame Janette's Again: This was our last evening in Aruba and we had left the restaurant option open. It came down to a toss-up between Pirates Nest and Madame Janette. We all but flipped a coin. On an hour's notice we were able to get a reservation. We also asked to be seated in the same section as the first time and asked for Chris as our waiter. Rather impressive that he remembered us including the fact that we didn't need a taxi. On our first visit, the cashier came to our table and introduced himself as a former employee of Bucuti/Pirates Nest. Once again, he returned to say hello. The restaurant itself is beautiful and romantic with a pebbly open courtyard setting with tiny white lights but somehow the breeze is blocked, so it is rather warm. On the first visit we were seated near a large fan, but that table was not available this second time so it was a bit uncomfortable. We both ordered the beef tenderloin this time. Wonderful…melt-in-your mouth tenderness. No dessert on this visit but the check came to exactly $52 again. Love this place. Just wish it were a little cooler.

Breakfasts and lunches: We aren't big breakfast eaters and only ate breakfast twice. One morning we grabbed donuts and coffee from Dunkin Donuts and ate on the beach. Standard fare for Dunkin Donuts. One other morning we ate at the French Steakhouse Garden Terrance where they honored our discount Visit Aruba card. We returned to the French Steakhouse for lunch the day we left but they weren't doing lunch yet so we ate from the breakfast menu again. This time they did not take the Visit Aruba card. We only ate lunch two other times during our stay. Once we got Subways and ate right on the beach and the other time we ate at Pirates Nest when we returned from our sightseeing trip. Their club sandwich and chicken pita sandwich were served with french fries. The platters were huge and neither of us could finish. We spent a total of $66 for breakfasts and lunches which includes SC and tips.

Miscellaneous

Here's a few things we noticed while dining that we find worth mentioning,. We finally figured out by our 3rd night on the island that we have to ask for the check. We truly appreciate this as it is our vacation and we have no reason to rush. Service everywhere we ate was impeccable and presentation of food like none we'd ever seen and for that reason we didn't have a problem leaving an additional tip whether or not the restaurant added a service charge. I believe a baked potato must be an American thing. Nobody offered it, although one restaurant (Iguana Joe's, I think) had it on the menu but it turned out to be sliced potatoes baked in the oven. Also, other than the 2 times we ate breakfast at the French Steakhouse, nobody refills your coffee cup. Some restaurants give you espresso instead of good old coffee. And what is that stuff they use as cream or half & half?????? We bought some half & half at the grocery store when we arrived so I know it's available. Also, Caribbean lobster is definitely not Maine lobster. I'll definitely keep that in mind next time I order lobster. Overall, we spent $603 for dinner and additional tips for 8 evenings. For the quality of food we ate, (plus the wine and drinks) and the magnificent service received, we found the final tally a pleasant surprise.

In closing

I'm not going to describe what the final day was like. I think you can all imagine what that was like. Aruba is easy to fall in love with and gets into your blood! Thank you to all who contributed to the bulletin boards with your suggestions and knowledge of the island. It was a tremendous help planning.

Gerry & Sue W