Paradise Beach Villas

August 11 - 24, 2003 by Duane

Summary:

This was a wonderfully relaxing vacation which was Duane's laziest ever. We have vacationed in Aruba for approximately two weeks each year for 5 of the last 6 years, and this time we had no "first time visitor guests" to show around. Consequently, we saved a little money by eating in our suite more often and doing fewer activities.

PBV is still a very enjoyable place for us, and all the owners and most of the non-owner guests we saw during our stay agreed. It's not for those who thrive on action and excitement, but cherished by those who like space and a fair degree of tranquility.

Personal circumstances are such that we are offering both our weeks (32 and 33) in our one-bedroom suite for sale at reasonable, negotiable rates. We are relocating to southwestern Florida next year and will have palm trees and tropical weather almost all year, so the allure of Aruban vacations will not likely be quite the same.

Transportation

Diane traveled with a friend (Jan) from our local Allentown, PA airport via commuter plane to Philadelphia on Sun 10 Aug. The flight from Philly was overbooked, so they volunteered to be bumped - each earning a first class ride to Aruba the next day, hotel, meals, and 2 domestic ticket vouchers. Since they were only giving up one day of 14, they thought it a worthwhile trade.

Duane did the Allentown to Charlotte to Aruba trip starting Wed 13 Aug, and flew first class on FF miles (only the second time on my life for first class - very nice). All flights were very good in punctuality, comfort, and all other respects.

Our usual choice of Caribbean Car Rental was changed this year since Caribbean failed over 3 weeks to answer a total of 3 email messages. Our email to/from Jansen was very timely and we had the best car ever (an automatic, A/C Kia - $390 total for 2 weeks, plus about $30 in gas). The taxi service on Aruba is great, but we like to pick up and go wherever and whenever we want, so the rental works best for us.

Resort

Paradise Beach Villas (PBV) has not changed much since our last visit in 2001. It's small, quiet, friendly, and very laid-back. We only visit in August, so it is an unfair sampling, however, we are amazed at how few people there seem to be. The Stargazer lounge was open on the huge third floor balcony of Phase 2. We had a great time each night it was open (varies with season), and I actually tried my first Karaoke. I was asked to sing quite a few times, so it could not have been too bad.

Beach

The beach in front of PBV is excellent in that it is wide, very clean, and practically deserted. The Wave-Runner concession was moved farther south, so we were not bothered by their presence, as could be said before. Next door at La Cabana, the beach and surf are relatively crowded. The old cabanas are still there; the governmental permission to add the nicer chickees on the beach has apparently not been granted.

Entertainment

We joined our friends from Delaware and their two kids on the Jolly Pirates boat for a sunset cruise. The adults could enjoy drinks and the sail, and then the famous rope swing into the beautifully refreshing water. My two attempts were above average, considering how miserable many of the others were.

We have done most of the other activities on Aruba (many several times), so this was a good time to just enjoy some lazy days.

Touring

Unlike previous years, we did not feel the need to tour around the island. We'll gladly go again when we have some new guests to show around, but we've seen it all already.

Snorkeling

Arashi Reef (Malmok) - Drive north from the high-rise hotels and park on the beach side right as you get to the houses south of the lighthouse. You will always see a few big tour boats moored there as this is one of their favorite beginner areas. It is not at all deep, and we did see many nice fish. This year was better than ever with great visibility and new/bigger species (one big octopus, a 4 foot trumpet fish, and several large French Angelfish).

Baby Beach - On the southeast end of Aruba, a long drive from the hotels, it is not worth a taxi ride (IMHO), but we like it there enough to go once per visit. The beach is a large, shallow, sandy lagoon. To really see any fish or coral, you need to go out through the narrow pass to the open water. This year, for both our visits, the visibility was fantastic and the surf was very calm. We went our further and saw more than ever, including a large school of trigger fish.

We also were told to try the pass farther to the northwest. It was a very different experience - deeper water with large coral heads rising up 10 feet from sandy bottom, and more soft corals. That was the only place that we saw a largish (only 3.5 feet) great barracuda, and a turtle (about 2 feet across his back).

Snorkel/Sailing Cruise on Tranquilo

I can't say enough good things about Capt. Anthony and his mate, Roy. Tranquilo is a 43 foot monohull sloop, and they keep the numbers down to make for a cozier, friendlier experience. This trip was to the south side, his longer cruise at $50 per person. With a crew of 2 and about 12 passengers, we sailed sail southeast while we drank (I was pretty reserved until later), then we snorkeled in Spanish Lagoon. A hearty subset of us did the drift snorkel outside the shallow reef, where you get dropped off by dinghy and just drift with the current in about 20 feet of water while Anthony keeps an eye on everyone from the dinghy.

Upon return, we had a simple lunch of sandwiches and wonderful pea soup, which everyone devoured. The return was a nice sail and, of course, Roy was keeping everyone's cup filled with beverage of choice.

Email

PBV now has a computer which accepts credit card or cash payments (like a vending machine) at the rate of $5 for 20 minutes. I checked email 3 times and found the world got along quite nicely without me.

Food/Restaurants

We had all our breakfasts, except one, in the timeshare suite. We were usually on the go at lunchtime, so we ate sandwiches and snacks we prepared. We really only had one sub par meal (the Sunset Bistro at the Aruba Phoenix), but we ate "in" more than usual. Our dinner restaurant reviews follow: [All prices include liberal amounts of drinks/wine and tip]

Madame Jeanette's - We invited 4 others from out timeshare who raved about their food ($90 for 3)

Buccaneer - corny atmosphere, but good, inexpensive food ($70 for 3)

Ventanas del Mar - at golf course; excellent service; expensive, but generally good Diane's meal was great, but my sea bass was very underdone (sent it back to be cooked) ($130 for 3)

Aqua Grille - nice place; pricey for what you get, but food was very good ($130 for 3)

Charlie's Bar (drinks only) - We always stop once per trip after snorkeling at Baby Beach. We had a total of 10 drinks ($65 for 3)

Weather

It was generally hot (very strong sun) with scattered clouds offering a welcome spot of shade. It rained twice in 2 weeks for about 20 seconds. The breeze was almost perfect most of the time, strong enough to keep the bugs away (never once had a problem with bugs) and to keep you from getting too hot. For a few days, the tropical depression to the north of us slowed the trade winds quite a bit, which would have let us scorch except the cloud cover kept us cool enough.