La Cabana

June 21 - 29, 2005 by James R. Piercy

(Restaurant Reviews Included)

Preface:

This is my 8th trip to Aruba. This is the first time that I have gone solo. I own a time share at LaCabana and have owned there for 11 years.

6-21-05

I departed from Dayton, Ohio, to Chicago. The flight was 20 minutes late departing. I flew on a Boeing 737-300 that was half full. I was able to move in an emergency exit and had the whole row to myself. If you can do this, I would highly recommend it as the emergency exits have as much room as first class. The pilot was able to make up time while in the air. We actually got to Chicago 7 minutes early.

Upon arrival to Chicago, I had to walk to a different concourse but I was able to hit the duty-free store. I purchased a 1 liter bottle of Dewars White Label Scotch which is my drink of choice. It was $17 and two for $30. A liter in Ohio is $29.

While at the duty-free store, I met a couple on their honeymoon who were from the Los Angeles area. However, they were married in Chicago and were on their way to Aruba. They made some purchases and we sat awaiting our flight. I gave them some of my favorite restaurants and activities such as the snorkel cruise on the Tranquilo. They were staying at the Wyndham.

I flew to Aruba on an airbus A320. I had seat 8C in an emergency exit. I had the whole row to myself which was great. The plane was half full. There is something to leaving for Aruba during the midweek.

Departure was 8:25 A. M. and the flight departed on time. The weather in Chicago was beautiful. We pulled from the gate and then sat for 15 minutes waiting for paperwork. Take-off was actually 30 minutes late. It was a 4-hour, 30-minute flight to Aruba.
During the flight, I purchased a mini-meal which consisted of chips, salami, cheese spread, crackers, applesauce and cookies for $5.
The flight had no immigration papers on board. Therefore, we picked them up as we got off the plane. Upon exit, I filled out my immigration papers. I departed through the resident’s only line through immigration with the flight attendants and pilots. The liquor keosk was open and I did purchase a 5th of Dewars White Label Scotch for $11. It is $22 in Ohio.

I arrived at the luggage carousel and my luggage was waiting. I walked with my luggage and picked up the rental car at Econo. I rented a Toyota Yarus. It appeared to be in pretty good shape and the air conditioner definitely worked. Since I was using a Visa Gold Card, I declined the collision damage insurance and then drove to Ling & sons to stock up on essentials. I picked up bread, cereal, lunch meat, Gouda cheese, soda, Balashi beer as well as milk. There was no milk from the United States so I picked up some of the Dutch milk as well as crackers, margarine, jelly, and English muffins for a total of $33.

Check-in at LaCabana was a breeze. There were no lines as it was a Tuesday. I unpacked and promptly took a dip in the ocean as well as the pool.

I went back to the time share and cleaned up and went over to the Amsterdam Manor and picked up a Ventaha card at the mini-mart. It was $10 for 60 minutes. I was told that they don’t have a public phone but I could use the phone at my room. Since I didn’t have a room at Amsterdam Manor, the young lady at the mini-mart was kind enough to use her cell phone to patch me through so I could call home and my parents to let them know that I had arrived safely.

I then went up to the bar above the pool at the Amsterdam Manor for the 2-for-1 cocktail hour. I met the infamous Filo. I told him Aruba Amy made him a star on the Aruba Bulletin Board. I met a couple from Sweden on their honeymoon. Jesper and Rana were from Stockholm. Jesper is a screen writer and just sold his second screen play. Rana is in the computer science industry. I told them I was traveling solo and had a rental car if they were interested in going snorkeling. They seemed interested and even showed me the honeymoon suite where they were staying after we finished our cocktails. They had brought snorkeling masks but did not have fins. We promised to hook up a couple of days later and I told them to go ahead and rent fins.
I can’t say enough about Filo. He had all of us in stitches. The guy is quite a character.

I had dinner that evening at Alfredo’s which is located at the Adventure Golf Course complex. It is right next to the LaCabana so it was a quick drive. I had the Ziti Bolognase as well as the Balashi beer. The meal comes with delicious fresh baked bread with a dipping sauce of garlic and olive oil. The total bill came to $23 and there was more than enough food that I could take home a doggy bag back to the time share. I turned in early as I was beat.

6-22-05

I had breakfast in the suite. Orange juice, cereal and English muffins. I forgot to buy coffee so I walked to the Villas which are part of the LaCabana complex and bought a cup of coffee from Dunkin Donuts.

I went snorkeling at Boca Catalina. I got there at 10:00 A.M. and there were snorkel boat everywhere. Visibility was good and I saw plenty of fish. It was not as good as in the past as sometimes Boca Catalina can be like snorkeling in an aquarium. I snorkeled for about an hour and then drove back to LaCabana. I thought I may as well put some money in the gas tank so I drove to the Round About just beyond LaCabana and put $15.00 into the tank. When I picked up the rental car at Econo, it was one quarter full. The $15.00 in gas that I put in barely put me over the half way mark.

I stopped at the concierge at LaCabana to confirm my reservations for Friday on the Tranquillo. The concierge put me through to Captain Anthony who told me that there may not have been enough people who have signed up for the cruise to make it worth his while. He promised to call me that evening to let me know if the Tranquillo cruise had been cancelled. I was definitely bummed out as this was something that I had been looking forward to as two years ago, I took the Tranquillo South Side snorkel cruise and it was the highlight of my trip. I also confirmed with the concierge my reservation at Madam Jeanette for tomorrow evening.

I went to the time share and had Gouda cheese, salami and crackers for lunch. I spent the afternoon at the waterfall pool at the Villas. The weather so far has been gorgeous. Thank God for the trade winds. I took a collapsible 6-pack cooler with me and it was definitely worth bringing. I would fill it full of ice along with a squeeze bottle full of ice water. This worked out great. This is definitely worth bringing with you as it was great by the pool or snorkeling.

That evening I went to the Amsterdam Manor for the 5:00-6:00 happy hour. It is 2 for 1 drinks and of course, Filo was there minding court. I met Jasper and Rana and confirmed that we would be snorkeling the following day. They had spent the day with Filo and he showed them the entire island. They had a great time with Filo who, apparently, is quite a tour guide.

It turns out that Filo’s cousin is Roy who used to be second mate on the Tranquillo. No longer, Roy is working elsewhere but I did meet up with him at the Amsterdam Manor and we had some cocktails. I enjoyed chatting with Roy although he is no longer working for Captain Anthony. We had a good time talking about Captain Anthony and the Tranquillo and I can’t emphasize what a great snorkel crew this is.

I decided to try something new for dinner. I remember reading Aruba Amy’s trip report and she suggested the Old Fisherman. I took the bus to town and the Old Fisherman is one-half block from the bus station. I arrived about 7:30. There was one couple there and I was the only tourist.

The waiter was excellent and I had two fillets of grouper grilled with plantains, rice, salad and fried cornbread with melted Mozzarella cheese on top. It was $15.00. I ordered Balashi beer for $2.00 and had a great time. I took pictures of the inside of the restaurant and they had a Dewars White Label sign behind the bar and I had to have my picture taken next to it. The waiter was great and I explained to him that I read about the restaurant on the internet and he promptly introduced me to the owner, Ramon. He couldn’t have been nicer. This restaurant is a definite winner. For the price, you can’t beat it. The atmosphere is great, the waiter was wonderful and again, thanks to Aruba Amy.

I took the bus home and as I arrived at my time share, Anthony called. We are a go for Friday. We now have a total of 11 and I was psyched.

6-23-05

I had breakfast in the suite. Again, coffee, O.J., toast and cereal. I picked up Rana and Jesper at 9:00 A.M. We drove to Boca Catalina and got there about 20 minutes before the snorkeling boats. We snorkeled for about an hour and the visibility was just okay.

We then drove to Mango Halto. It is located to the left of the web plant. I had no problems finding it as the directions that I had received from the bulletin board were great.

The visibility at Mango Halto was excellent. There were plenty of fish and Jesper and Rana had a great time. I purchased an aqua pak case to hold my car keys while I was snorkeling. I had heard that there had been some break-ins at Mango Halto. The aqua pak worked great as you can take you car keys with you when you snorkel. There is a drawstring that fits around your neck and the keys just float with you while are snorkeling. I had read about the aqua pak on one of the Aruba bulletin boards and ordered it over the internet. It was $20.00 and was well worth the investment.

There are two ways you can enter Mango Halto. You can park your car along the side of the road so that it is always visible. You can then enter the water by climbing down a ladder or you can enter through the mangroves. We decided to bring our carrying cases with us and leave them at the mangroves and enter through the water that way. You walk out about 75 yards and the visibility is unbelievable. You can then put on your snorkeling gear and just swim out. Gorgeous! Snorkeling was excellent and visibility was unbelievable. We snorkeled for about and hour and a half.

Jasper and Rana were having a great time snorkeling. I decided to come in and take a break. I pulled off my snorkeling gear and then went out in the water in started swimming. At that time, a local couple came out and had three dogs. They just loved the water. They were so friendly and I talked to both of them as well as meeting their dogs.

I also met some ladies from Florida who were snorkeling. I told them about Captain Anthony and the Tranquillo. They seemed interested. We had a nice chat and I pointed them in the right direction so far as snorkeling is concerned. At Mango Halto and you can look out and see Mike’s Reef where the Tranquillo takes you to snorkel. I pointed this out to the ladies and they seemed interested. Nothing like drumming up business for Captain Anthony. We will see if they show up for the snorkel cruise on Friday.

I dropped Jesper and Rana off at the Amsterdam Manor. I had a late lunch of crackers, salami, Gouda cheese and soda. Am I a creature of habit, or what.

I had reservations for an early dinner at Madame Janette scheduled at 7:00. When I got back to LaCabana, I hung by the waterfall pool at the Villas, reading Dean Koontz’s new novel, Velocity.

Dinner that evening was at Madame Janette at 7:00 P.M. I had a Balashi beer and almond encrusted grouper with Dutch fried potatoes. The almond encrusted grouper was $21.50 and the Balashi was $4.00. The almond encrusted grouper was excellent, as always. I brought some of the bread back to the time share with me as tomorrow evening, after returning from the Tranquillo snorkel cruise, I decided to have left-overs.

6-24-05

Breakfast as always in the suite. I drove to DePalm Pier and met Captain Anthony and first mate, Greg, at the Tranquillo. We had a total of 11 passengers. 8 were honeymooners. The couple that I met at O’Hare Airport who I told about the Tranquillo signed up and were on board. It was good seeing them.

We had a wonderful 2-hour sail to Spanish Lagoon. The weather was perfect. The snorkeling at Mike’s Reef was great as always. Then Captain Anthony met all 11 of us and we boarded the Zodiac for the drift snorkel. You snorkel and drift with the current in 25-30 feet of water. The fish are plentiful, the visibility great, and the coral live and beautiful.

Anthony stays with you in the Zodiac and once again you snorkel in 25-30 feet of water. It’s like you are snorkeling in canyons. It was awesome.

After re-boarding the Zodiac, we went back to the Tranquillo for lunch. Lunch consisted of sandwiches (ham or salmon) as well as the greatest Dutch pea soup in the world. There was also fruit, Balashi beer, rum punch, as well as soft drinks. A great time was had by all.

When I sailed back, I had a chance to talk with Captain Anthony. I thanked him and his sons for the drift snorkel they took from the Holiday Inn to the light house area in order to help look for Natalie. I also told Anthony about my trip last year to Eastcape on the sea of Cortez and the 20 yellow fin tuna my brother and I caught.

I arrived back at the DePalm Pier right around 4:00 P.M. I drove back to LaCabana and met Jesper and Rana for drinks at the Amsterdam Manor. They had had a great time last evening at Flying Fishbone. They took a bus there and a cab back. The cab fare was $24.00 from the Flying Fishbone to the Amsterdam Manor. Jesper told me their bill was $160.00 but well worth it. They had appetizers, entrees, as well as a bottle of wine. That night I had left-over in the suite. I had Ziti Bolognase from Alfredo’s as well as bread from Madame Janette.

6-25-05

I still can’t get the Vantaha phone card to work at LaCabana. I am quite sure that LaCabana has some how figured out how to ensure that you can’t use the card. Every time I try and use the phone card in my suite, I can’t get through as the line is always busy.

I went to the waterfall pool in the Villa section and finished Velocity by Dean Koontz. A great vacation read. I had lunch in the time share. Salami, smoked Gouda with some chips and soda. I hung at the beach and racquet club pool. I also walked the beach and had several dips on the ocean. The weather has been fantastic so far. Clear and not a cloud in the sky. Trade winds were present and welcome as always.

I didn’t feel like driving to Marina Pirada tonight so instead I made reservations for Madame Jeanette at 7:00 P. M. Tomorrow I will be moving from the beach and racquet club to the Villa so I started packing the luggage back before cocktail hour.

Dinner at Madame Janette was at 7:00. I was seated next to the entertainment. The entertainment was a husband and wife from Holland. The husband played guitar and both of them were on vocals. They were wonderful. They played everything from light jazz (Nora Jones) to Irish folk ballads. The music was wonderful and the ambience unbelievable. I therefore took my time over dinner.

I ordered one of the specials. I asked the waiter for a piece of paper and a pen so that I could write down the exact special that I ordered. I explained that I was going to post a trip report for the Aruba bulletin board. He then gave me the inserts from the menu so that I could describe my entrée correctly. He said he looked forward to reading my trip report.

I ordered the Shipwrecker Snapper Filet. The snapper filet was sautéed with a Dutch potato crust and served with a fantastic crème fraiche topping. It was $21.50 and was better than my favorite, the almond encrusted grouper. I enjoyed wonderful entertainment as well as my meal for an hour and 15 minutes. I did not feel rushed and even had a second Balashi beer. I drove back the short distance to LaCabana. I went to the front desk and tried to get an unoccupied room at the Villas so I could move early in the morning. I did this two years ago and it worked great. No such luck. I was told that a charter flight had mechanical problems so the passengers were being housed in the Villas.

Now I am looking at the endless waiting tomorrow morning to move over to the Villas. I went back to the suite and finished packing. I started reading Honeymoon by James Patterson.

6-26-05

I had breakfast the suite. I called down to the desk at 9:00 A. M. They were unsure of the status of my room at the Villas and I was told to call back in an hour. Now the fun begins. LOL. I went down to the pool and hung out. I kept checking on the availability of my room at the Villas. They were unsure whether or not the occupants had vacated. I had my bags taken to storage and food items put in a refrigerator.

I finally got to my room in the Villas 5579 at 12:30 P.M. Of course, there was a couple still in the room. The maid and the bellman told them that they had to vacate in Spanish. I dropped my bags and put the food in the frig. The room was cleaned and ready by 2:00 P. M. I unpacked and had some left over Dutch fried potatoes and bread from Madame Janette for a late lunch. I did get a couple of pictures of a vandalized Divi Divi tree as well as the good one on the beach at the Amsterdam Manor. As I was walking by the pool at the beach and racquet club, I spotted a guy with a Penn State tee shirt on. I stopped and introduced myself and told him I was a 1970 graduate of Penn State. Although not a Penn State grad, he is a season football ticket holder. Naturally, we had to talk Penn State football. Both of us were cautiously optimistic. Hopefully, we will go 8-3 or 9-2 if things break our way. He was with his wife and three daughters. It was their first time in Aruba and second day at the resort. Naturally, I had to play travel agent. I gave him my restaurant recommendations as well as car rental recommendations. He forgot his antibiotics and he was battling a sinus infection. I referred him to Oduber Hospital Emergency Room. I told him that two years ago, when snorkeling with the Tranquillo I apparently stepped on a sea apple. The next day my foot was swollen and I went to the Emergency Room. I was treated with a medicated bandage, tetanus shot, and was in and out of the emergency room in 40 minutes. The total bill was $45.00. Both the emergency room nurse and physician spoke beautiful English. I was very impressed with the care and treatment I received. In fact, when I entered the hospital, the security guard walked me all the way through the hospital directly to the emergency room.

I spent the rest of the day in the ocean and pool side. I am almost finished with Honeymoon by James Patterson.

I wanted to go to the Marina Pirata but after the fiasco with moving to the Villas, I really didn’t feel like making the long drive. Therefore, I went to Alfredo’s. It was close by and I had a good meal there a few nights earlier.

I explained to the waitresses that I was having problems using the Ventaha phone card. They both had cell phones. They let me use one of their cell phones and I called home as well as called my mom and dad.

I had the Ziti Bolognase once again with 2 Balashi’s. It was $21.00 plus a great tip for the helpful waitresses.

I met a couple with two kids from Chicago. They were also having dinner at Alfredo’s. It was their first trip to Aruba and of course, I had to give them my restaurant recommendations. I couldn’t believe how well-behaved the children were.

6-27-05

Up early and was at Ling & Sons by 8:10 A. M. I picked up some fresh squeezed orange juice, Pepsi, Dutch coffee and Stroopwaffels to take back home.

I drove back to the suite and had breakfast. I drove to Mango Halto and arrived at 10:00 A. M. There were two local gals in the water swimming. I was the only snorkeler. The visibility was excellent. The fish were abundant. I snorkeled for about an hour and then drove back to the time share. I had some lunch and hung at the waterfall pool at the Villas. I went back to the suite and fell asleep. I slept through the Bulletin Board party at the Amsterdam Manor. Sorry about that. I had wanted to meet Lago Kid who said he would be there.

I had reservations that evening at El Gaucho at 7:00 P. M. I arrived at 6:45 P.M. and was promptly seated. I had the best fillet (tenderloin) that I have ever had. That steak beats Burns Steakhouse in Tampa, Florida, Topp Steakhouse in Columbus, Ohio, Ruth Chris, Mortons, St. Elmo’s in Indianapolis as well as the Pine Club in Dayton. The tenderloin was $23.00. I had a glass of Sangria which was $5.25. I also had a cup of coffee for $2.25. Once again, that tenderloin was superb.

6-28-05

I got up early as it was my last full day in Aruba. A cruise ship was in port with 3700 passengers. I had an early breakfast and I was at Boca Catalina to snorkel at 8:30 A.M.

There was a guy coming out of the water and I asked him about the visibility and he said it was great and he told me about a huge school of fish that was in the area.

I had been disappointed with my first two trips to Boca Catalina. This morning certainly made up for the disappointment.

I ran into that school of fish. They were silver, 8 to 14 inches in length. They swam at me for 20 minutes and kept coming. I have never seen a school of fish that large. After about 20 minutes of them bombarding me, I got bored and they were still coming. This wasn’t a school of fish, it was like a run-away freight train. I hoped the pictures that I took came out. I did bring a couple of disposable underwater cameras with me.

I took a short break and then went back to snorkeling. Again, the snorkeling was superb. I ran into a huge needle fish and snapped a couple of pictures.

I got out of the water when the first snorkeling catamaran showed up at about 10:15 A.M. By the time I was dried there were four snorkeling boats in the water.

Great snorkeling at Boca Catalina this morning as well as the Tranquillo Southside Snorkel Cruise with Captain Anthony made the snorkeling part of my trip.

I drove back to the resort and washed my snorkeling gear. I got back to the room at about 11:00 A. M. and it was already made up. I had lunch and hung by the waterfall pool in the Villas. I started book number three, Maximum Ride-The Angel Experiment by James Patterson. I thought it was a sequel to When the Wind Blows and the Lake House. These were novels about kids who are part bird and can fly. In turns out it is, indeed, a sequel. It was a first in a series of novels Mr. Patterson is going to be publishing for young adults. Well, I am young at heart. LOL. Not a bad read so far even for an oldster like me.

I went back up to the suite at 3:30 to do a load of laundry. Sipping on some Balashi’s made the laundry process much more enjoyable.

I had dinner that evening at the Suisse Chalet at 6:30 P.M. They have an early bird special, I believe, until 6:45 P.M. I always go here my last night as it is an easy walk from LaCabana.

I arrived at 6:20 P.M. and met the family from Chicago that I had talked to at Alfredo’s. I had referred them to El Gaucho, Madame Jeanette and Suisse Chalet. They had gone to Madame Jeanette the evening before and loved it.

The early bird special is now $28.95. I believe when I started going to Suisse Chalet a number of years ago it was $21.95.

I got my picture taken shaking hands with Benny. Benny always welcomes you home and it was nice to see him. I had the Dutch pea soup which I had to ask for, Weiner Schnitzel, Dutch fried potatoes, dessert and coffee. The total bill with 15% tip added was $33.95.

I will have to re-evaluate whether or not I will go to the Suisse Chalet for my last dinner on the island. I think I would rather go to Madame Jeanette, El Gaucho or even the Old Fisherman. My meal at the Suisse Chalet was good and would have been a value at $21.95 but not at $28.95.

6-29-05

Up early and had breakfast in the suite. I nuked some leftover Dutch fried potatoes from Suisse Chalet, English muffins, orange juice and coffee. I went swimming in the ocean and hung out at the waterfall pool.

It started to get cloudy. I had lunch which consisted of nuking leftover Ziti Bolognase with garlic bread from El Gaucho.

I loaded the car and drove from the Villas to the Beach and Racquet Club to check out. Check out was a breeze as it was a Wednesday. I was asked about my stay and I voiced my displeasure about my move from the beach and racquet club to the Villas. The desk clerk just shook his head and apologized when I told him that when the bellman and I got to 5579 in the Villas, there was still someone in the room.

I drove to Econo and parked right behind the rental agency. We went over the car and I was on my way. I checked in at U. S. Airways and hit the duty-free stores. I picked up some Gouda cheese, more Stroopwaffels, Dewars White Label (Liter $20.00) I bought a cute T-shirt for my granddaughter, Olivia, and a Balashi T-shirt for my daughter, Jillian.

I got to the gate at 2:00 for a 3:30 departure. It sure has clouded up. The plane arrived at 2:45 P.M., the time we were supposed to start boarding. The crew departed. The new pilots and crew showed up at about 3:15 for a 3:30 departure. At least they were here. I was seated in Row 9 (D) Aisle in an emergency exit. There was no one in the seat in the middle. We were flying on a Boeing 757, with 3 hours and 43 minutes flying time from Aruba to Charlotte.

We took off 20 minutes late. We did have a snack consisting of a turkey breast with American cheese sandwich, chips and cookies. It was more than I expected.

After the movie, some of the flight attendants brought duty-free items out on a cart which could be purchased. They had cologne, sunglasses, watches, two types of liquor and chocolates. I thought this was rather interesting.

We arrived in Charlotte and the last leg from Charlotte to Dayton was on a CRJ 701 Regional Jet. I sat in Row 12 (D) emergency exit. There was no one in the seat next to me.

The flight was three-fourths full. There were two seats on either side of the aisle. The flight was a little bit late due to filling out paperwork and refueling. We did arrive on schedule in Dayton at 10:35 P.M. It was a one hour and four minute flight to Dayton.

General Impressions

The resort at LaCabana was in great shape. My room 424A had new furniture and as I understand it, it was redone last year.

The balcony of my suite overlooks the center of the pool with a great view of the ocean. LaCabana was clean, the grounds spotless and the staff very friendly.

The bottoms of the pools at the Villas need some work. This is supposedly being performed in the near future. For time share owners who want to extend their stay, you are transferred to the Villas. You get a preferred rate of $90.00 plus taxes for the run of the rack. The Villas are newer and larger than my one-bedroom suite at the beach and racquet club. The maids in the Villas will do the dishes for you. I left the maid who took care of my room at the Villas a nice tip as well as some Dewars White Label Scotch and some Balashi‘s that I had left over.

The locals that I talked to seemed very consumed with the Natalie Holloway disappearance. They were all concerned about the bad reputation Aruba was getting from some members of the American press.

The locals remain warm and very friendly as they have been in the past. The restaurants that I visited were all excellent. The Old Fisherman is a find. Thanks Aruba Amy. I still can’t get over that tenderloin that I had at El Gaucho.

The snorkeling was initially a little disappointing at Boca Catalina. However, the snorkeling was great at Mango Halto, and I can’t talk enough about the Southside Snorkel Cruise on the Tranquillo. Captain Anthony and Greg were great. Snorkeling is exceptional. If you like to snorkel, this is a great trip.

I have never had a better day snorkeling at Boca Catalina than I did on the morning of June 28, 2005. The water was crystal clear, the fish abundant and that school of fish that I ran into was just awesome. It was truly like you were snorkeling in an aquarium.

This was my first time traveling solo to Aruba. It went great as I am pretty outgoing. It wasn’t difficult meeting people such a Jesper and Rana. I enjoyed talking with them and certainly enjoyed taking them snorkeling as well as giving them restaurant recommendations.

I met other couples, especially honeymooners, around the resort. We would chat and I would give them what I feel were helpful hints. Once again, in my next life, I hope to come back as a travel agent specializing in Aruba.

All in all, I had a great trip and I am looking forward to next year’s visit to "one happy island"