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Radisson Aruba - June 21st - June 28th, 2003, 2003
By Keith
For starters, let me begin by saying if it were not for the Radisson our
family trip would not have been worth it. The resort had the best pool and
beach of all the resorts on Palm Beach. It was very beautifully landscaped
and the open-air lobby created the appearance of being on a tropical island.
The staff (especially the concierges) was very polite and helpful. The slots
in the casino were actually pretty loose which was something I certainly had
not expected. If I had to complain about anything, then it would be about
the size of the room. It was nicely designed and decorated, but it was
fairly small for a family with two small kids. The resort was one of the
few bright spots on the island of Aruba.
Desert Island
I was warned about the desert terrain, but I was hoping all the accounts
that I heard were over-exaggerated - they were not. The island is very
desolate in appearance and there is nothing tropical about it at all, so
don't expect it. The water was beautiful, but I have seen clearer waters in
other less expensive Caribbean destinations. The natural bridge and
lighthouse were a beautiful part of the landscape. The iguanas/lizards were
plentiful and fun to look at if you are a reptile lover. For non-reptile
lovers (my wife), you will get used to them running around. After the 2nd
day, she stopped flinching when she saw one, and after the 4th day she was
humorously searching for the biggest iguana on the island. The winds were
very high, but not annoyingly high. I actually enjoyed the strong breezes.
Activities
Watching the ships and sailboats floating out on the ocean was very stress
relieving. Watching the stars at night on the beach while listening to the
ocean waves will put you in a hypnotic state. The snorkeling was
okay...there is not many places to go snorkeling because the visibility
isn't that great. De Palm Island had the best snorkeling, but the packages
are somewhat pricey (but meals are included). I heard from other people who
bought the Snuba (Snorkeling/Scuba) package on the De Palm Island that it
was pretty short (20 minutes) for the money. Baby Beach is great for kids
who are learning to swim and snorkel, but it is not for intermediate
snorkeling buffs. We took the kids out on the SeaWorld Adventure
(Semi-Submarine); it was great! They had a wonderful time viewing a reef
made from the remains of a sunken ship. I definitely would recommend taking
one of the bus tours that takes you around the island, but do it early in
your trip.
Restaurants
Food/Drinks are relatively high in price. I actually researched food prices
via the Internet before the trip, but I obviously did not do enough research
on the drink prices. A lot of places sell 8 and 10-ounce beers for about
$4/5. Be warned...a 15 % Service charge is included on most bills...it is
supposed to be for entire staff to split. One waiter told me that they
actually did not get any part of the gratuity, so the waiters somewhat
expect you tip over and beyond the 15 % service charge. I typically tip 20
% wherever I go, but it was kind of hard to do in Aruba. That is mostly
because in relation to the prices, the service at a few places was lacking.
The drinks are pretty watered down wherever you go. Here is a quick
five-star dining review ranked from highest to lowest.
- Amazonia - Great food...great service... $33 per person w/o
drinks but worth the price! - 5 stars
- Tango's - Great food...great service...good price...great
ambience! - 4.5 stars
- El Gaucho - Great food...great service...and not as
expensive I thought. - 4 stars
- Driftwood - Great food...poor to fair service - 4 stars
(Best Seafood on Aruba)
- Eat at Paddock's - Good food...good service...good price -
3.5 stars
- Buccaneer - Great food...poor service...good price...- 3.5
stars
- Iguana Joe's - Good food...okay service...good price - 3
stars
- LaGuna's - Good food...good service...good price for hotel
food - 3 stars
- Gilligan's - Good food...good service...hotel prices...good
view - 3 stars
- Pelican's Nest - Fair food...great service...overpriced - 2
stars
- Waterfront Crabhouse - Fair food...fair service...overpriced
- 2 stars
- Aqua Grill - Poor food...bad service...terribly overpriced -
½ star
Family Report
For those traveling with small kids please read...there is a program set up
by the Aruba Tourist Association called "One Cool Family" for families with
kids 12 and under. It runs through the summer, and it provides
discounted/free activities/food for kids at local establishments
(hotels/restaurants/tour companies). The program actually states that kids
12 under eat free for each purchased adult entrée, and the list of
restaurants is fairly extensive. Ask your hotel about it before or during
check in...some hotels will allow kids to stay free, so you may want to ask
before you go. We found that everyone at the Radisson was very
knowledgeable of the program, but unfortunately past the Radisson every
establishment that we tried to use the discount was pretty much clueless as
to what it was. At every establishment, a manager/owner seemed to be the
only person aware of the program. Two establishments would not honor the
program's commitment (Aqua Grill & Salt and Pepper). Overall...it was worth
the trouble to get the manager involved because food prices in Aruba are
higher than most vacation destinations (i.e. Cancun, Hawaii, Orlando Theme
Parks...etc...).
Shopping
Shopping here is no different than shopping in other vacation destinations.
The downtown open market shopping area is where you will more than likely
get the better deals on souvenirs; their prices are more flexible. The
stores and boutiques prices are pretty much fixed. There is not a
particular shop, kiosk (stand) or boutique that stands out; they all pretty
much carry the same merchandise. The hotel prices and shops closer to Palm
Beach were higher of course, but again the same merchandise. Do not buy
souvenir cigarette lighters because you will not be able to take them back
on the airplane. By the way...most shops open late and close early (10 - 11
AM and close at 6:00 PM).
Few other things....
There are quite a few hotels/timeshare soliciting on the street; they will
try to get you to take a one hour tour (more like 2 hours) of their property
hoping to sell vacations. We fell into the trap needless to say, but we did
receive a $100 gift certificate that we used to go to De Palm Island.
I would not recommend renting a car despite the fact the taxi drivers charge
different prices to go virtually to the same locations. The skill level of
the drivers is pretty scary...I am one those guys that has to have a car to
get around in. My yearning to rent a car lasted for about a day on the
island. We took the bus back and forth from Palm Beach to downtown, and we
found them to be fairly convenient. The cost is $1.25 one-way, but be sure
to ask for round-trip...it will only cost you $2.00.
If you are kind of the tourist that purely likes the beach and/or desert and
casinos for that matter, then Aruba is a pretty cool place to go...but if
you are looking for something more than those three things I would strongly
recommend Destin or another Florida destination far less expensive.
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