Bucuti Beach Resort

October 23 - 29, 2004 By Suzanne

My boyfriend and I flew to Aruba from Charlotte, NC via US Airways, non-stop. The flight was only 3 ½ hours, so we arrived fresh and excited in Aruba by 2:30. The flight and airport arrival were uneventful. We picked up our 4 wheel drive Jimny soft top from Thrifty, and were off to the Bucuti.

The hotel was very nice. We were booked in the older original building, and I knew from reading on TripAdvisor that these rooms weren't as luxurious as the new Tara Suites, but I was delighted with our room! We stayed in room 260, an ocean front corner room on the top floor. The Bucuti web cam was mounted right above our balcony, so the view you see from the website is the breathtaking view we had from our room. The room was pretty standard, 2 double beds, table and chairs, closet, nice enough bathroom, and the best feature by far the balcony with its spectacular view of Eagle beach. We had requested a king room in our reservation, but we didn't complain. We were so thrilled with the room we got, we didn't want to change. Since it was a corner room, we also had 2 windows along the side, which allowed in more light.

We spent the afternoon relaxing on the balcony, beginning to unwind. We went to Amazonia for dinner, and it was excellent! One of our favorite meals the entire trip. It is a Brazilian style restaurant with a set price for all you can eat grilled meat (steak, lamb, chicken) plus a huge salad bar and side dishes. We were starving when we got there, so it was a great value for us. We overheard a lady at the table next to us say she needed to have her stomach pumped, she had eaten so much, and we giggled about that for the rest of the night.

The next few days we spent mostly driving around exploring the island, especially the rugged north coast. The Jimny was a really fun car, and believe me, it will go anywhere! We visited the California Lighthouse, Alto Vista Chapel, the Casibari and Ayo rock formations, the natural bridge, natural pool, the sand dunes at Boca Prins, Dos Playa and every corner of Arikok National Park. The natural pool was one of my favorite outings. There was no one there except us and two park rangers. An ATV tour group was just leaving as we arrived. It is amazing anyone gets there, it is so treacherous just getting to the parking lot, but it was worth it! We swam, and the park rangers helped us climb up on the rocks so we could dive into the pool. I loved it.

We left just as another couple was showing up. Another day we went snorkeling at Baby Beach, and my boyfriend, who has been snorkeling all over the Caribbean and Pacific coast of Mexico, said it was actually the best snorkeling he has ever done. Visibility was great, we saw tons of gorgeous colorful fish (I don't know the names) and a school of squid. The water was so calm and peaceful. We stayed there for several hours.

What time we didn't spend out exploring beautiful Aruba, we spent on the amazing white sandy beach at the Bucuti. The hotel is strategically positioned on a curve of beach where Eagle beach joins Manchebo beach. This forms the widest beach area on the island. Because the Bucuti is a small hotel, we had tons of room on the beach, and there is always a palapa available, any time of day.

We love our privacy, and we never felt crowded on the beach. The water was very calm, and beautiful turquoise blue. There were a lot of jet ski's out in the water, coming from the water-sports rental places farther down the beach, but other than that, it was the most quiet and peaceful beach I have ever been to.

We had dinner on our final night in Aruba at the Flying Fishbone. It was my boyfriend's birthday, and what a perfect place to celebrate. This is truly the most romantic restaurant in the world! The dinner was excellent. We ordered "Carte Blanche," which means the chef created an appetizer, main course, and desert for us, his choice. It was fabulous! A perfect dining experience. We sat on the beach with our shoes off, feet in the sand, while being served this awesome dinner at a relaxed pace. We spent almost 3 hours there, and left happy and satisfied.

Our flight out of Aruba didn't leave until 3:00, so I spent the last few hours before check-out lying on the beach. The hardest thing I ever had to do was leave that beach for the last time, go up to our room and prepare to leave for the airport. It was a long-anticipated vacation, and with the help and advice of everyone on the Aruba-travelguide bulletin board, it lived up to all of my expectations and more! I'm looking forward to my next trip to Aruba already!