Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort

September 12 - October 1, 2005 by Stacy

Aruba Forum Profile: ArubaStacy

This was my 24th year going to Aruba, my second time this year. Yes, I'm addicted to Aruba!!

Flew on USAir through Charlotte, NC - no problems. Picked up the rental car from Jansen's - no problems. This is a wonderful car rental agency, very personal and friendly. We've rented from Leo many, many times and he has never let us down.

Off to the hotel we go! ...First we stopped by the grocery store and stocked up on the essentials - Amstel Brights and Polars!!

Stayed at the Amsterdam Manor again. Love this hotel! It's nice to be remembered, too, and we received a Welcome Back gift bag with two complimentary drink coupons and two polo-type golf shirts with the logo of the hotel on them - very nice!! Not to mention the bottle of champagne on ice waiting for us in the room, too.

Check-in went smoothly and we were in the room in no time. We had a beautiful 2 bedroom suite with a big balcony. The room had a kitchen, dining area, and a sitting area with a TV and couch. One bedroom had a Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom and the other bedroom had its own private bathroom. Both rooms had their own TV, which was great. Plenty of room for 2 couples, as our friends, Amy & Mike, were joining us in a few days.

After unpacking, we went to the pool bar to see our favorite bartender, Filo. Alas, Filo was on a month's vacation!! Jorge was filling in and he proceeded to quite a nice job at getting us tipsy right off the bat!! Yep, it was nice to be home!!

Dinner was at Tango's this night. Good steaks and good show. I loved their dessert menu - there was a typo on it. "ICE CREAM - Ask the waiter what kind of threat we have for you US$5.50". Well, we didn't want to get threatened for $5.50, so we didn't ask!! We kept looking for scary desserts, but didn't see any!!

The next day we decided to hit the beach and relax. We had lunch served right to our lounge chairs from the beach bar at the Amsterdam Manor. Couldn't ask for anything more!! After getting some sun, we decided to look up Filo the bartender, enjoying his vacation I'm sure, and see what he was up to.

We met Filo at the Kokoa bar for Happy Hour, and then some!! His friend, Jeroen - a Dutch Marine stationed on the island - came by for a few drinks....AND SHOTS!! I have never seen so many shots of Jagermeister in my life! YUCK! Finally, I was able to drag my boyfriend away from the bar and his drinking buddies to go get dinner.

I poured him into the car and we went to Don Carlos for dinner. Dinner was good. Had been here a couple of times before and it was never too good. But, this time we were pleasantly surprised!! We got to watch the Tattoo boat go by and sat right on the dock next to all the boats.

Ah, the next day marked the arrival of Amy & Mike and our friend Sue!! We hit the beach again and then decided to go downtown to Iguana Joe's for lunch. This is a great spot to people-watch, grab an ice-cold beer and enjoy lunch. And that we did. After a late lunch, back to the hotel to watch for Amy & Mike to arrive! I (im)patiently waited...and waited....and waited. Yep, they arrived late!! Greeted them at the door with ice cold Amstel Brights awaiting them!! Welcome home!!

This was Thursday, so it was the Manager's Cocktail Party at the pool bar. Off we went! Met up with old friends and made some new ones, too. The drinks were flowing!! A good time had by all. Hunger caught up to us, so we decided to go to Bingo - the bar, not the game! (Thanks Amy!) We had the French Onion soup with goat cheese served in a bread bowl. THIS WAS DELICIOUS!!! Mike and Frans made us feel welcome in their establishment and my boyfriend proceeded to do shots with them! Fortunately, I do not do shots, but I tasted what they were drinking (Schrobbeler) and it was horrendous! I guess it is kind of like Jagermeister. Either way, it's sick!

So, we're sitting there at Bingo - the bar, not the game - guess who comes sauntering in?!? Yep, Amy!! Guess she hadn't had enough! More drinks! Then the food and beverage manager from the Amsterdam Manor, Chef Marc, and his wife show up - more drinks! Then Amy threw her wine glass on the floor and the party was over! Kidding!! It just fell all by itself. HA! I guess she really wanted to be remembered when we returned the following week!!

Friday morning we headed over to Unique Sports of Aruba for our first day of SCUBA diving. Wonderful dive shop! We are certified divers, as was everyone on the boat. We went to the Jane Sea wreck. It's a wonderful dive! You can swim through this old cement freighter and around the propeller at the tail, which is in 90 feet of water. Amazing sight! We then surfaced, changed air, and went to a reef dive. Beautiful! Saw many different corals, fishes, and moray eels.

This was a wonderful experience, except for the rough seas. Underwater, I was OK...above water, during the tank exchange, I got a little seasick. Our guide, Marielle (?), bless her heart, talked me thru it and back into the water for the reef dive. I was so much better in the water, and it was beautiful! If it wasn't for her, I don't know what I would have done. I was ready to quit diving altogether!

After this wonderful dive, we stopped for lunch at Hooter's. Hooter's is now located across from the high-rise hotels. The dining area inside is a lot smaller than the old one, but they have a very nice deck with big screen TVs outside. Hooter's is Hooter's. Not much to comment on. The beer was cold!

Dinner this night was at my all time favorite restaurant - El Gauchos!! All of us went - me, my boyfriend, Amy & Mike, Sue, and Filo as well. We had a great time and a great evening with all of our friends. Good food, good conversation, good friends, and good sangria!!

While at dinner, Filo mentioned that his cousin owns an ATV tour company and asked us if we wanted to go on a tour with him the following day. Sounded good to us!! The next morning, my boyfriend, Mike, Sue, and me showed up for our tour. What a blast! Filo took us on a whirlwind tour of the WHOLE island!! We left the tour place and headed up to the California Lighthouse. Then down the coast past the golf course and over to the gold mine ruins. Then continuing on to the Natural Bridge.

The Natural Bridge. Wow. After 24 years of seeing this landmark intact, coming up over the hill to see it collapsed, was heart breaking. It's still a sight to see and is now a new landmark.

After there, we headed down the coast and through the National Park to Boca Prins and stopped at the little "snack shack" and gift shop there for a beer and a rest. Cold beer!! We then proceeded to the caves and wandered through them for a bit. In all my 24 years of coming to Aruba, I had never been to the caves before - this was a first for me! Only saw one bat flying around! Sue was a trooper and went into the caves for just a few minutes before deciding it'd be better outside...after the bat flew by. You go girl!

After the caves, we went to Baby Beach. There was a political rally going on with a lot of supporters of the Pink party, and everyone was having fun. I've never been in Aruba during one of their major year election years - quite the experience! Very colorful as each party is represented by a color - flags, banners, shirts, and stickers everywhere!! Quite a sight!

The next stop on the ATV tour - Charlie's Bar in San Nicholas!! Beer and lunch!! Walked in there and it was like we'd never left! Andy, the bartender, gave us a warm welcome, as usual. This was Sue's first time to Charlie's and she had a great time! Balashi on draft, what more could you ask for!!

After this last stop, we headed back. We ran into a political parade and the traffic was backed up for miles. Filo took us the back way home through all the side roads - we took the scenic route! We all made it back safe and sound...covered with dust and dirt, but safe and sound!! That was a FUN trip!!

Dinner that night was at La Dolce Vita - wonderful Italian food. We even ran into Amy & Mike there!

Sunday morning was our second day of diving with Unique Sports of Aruba. Again, just a wonderful dive. The sea was much calmer this day and no one had any problems. We dove the newer Sonesta airplane wreck and were able to swim into the plane, up the aisle and then out by the cockpit. Amazing!! We then drifted over to the other old airplane wreck before surfacing for a tank change. Our second tank dive was of a reef. We saw some more moray eels and a sea turtle. The turtle was incredible!!

After our dive, we stopped at the Kokoa for lunch. This is a great bar to people watch. Many snorkel cruises and sunset cruises leave from this pier. They also have live music on weekends.

After lunch, my boyfriend had a tee time at The Links at the Divi with the food and beverage manager from the Amsterdam Manor, Chef Marc. This is a beautiful 9-hole golf course. I tagged along with the boys and took pictures of the course and drove the golf cart for a bit. We actually were the only ones on the course for most of the time. It was a nice relaxing round of golf, and I hate golf. LOL!

Dinner this night was at Mango's at the Amsterdam Manor. We were joined by our friend Sue and had a great time. They serve till 10:30pm, so it was great to be able to get a good dinner later at night as we had had a busy day with diving and golf.

The following morning was a departure day…my boyfriend's last day on the island. We took a walk down to the Bucuti so he could say goodbye to Sue. The three of us had lunch at the Sand Bar at the Bucuti where Lionel recognized us from previous years. He's a piece of work! Ha!

Monday night was the Bulletin Board Party at Amsterdam Manor's beach bar...and I was now flying solo!! Ha! I did have my wing-woman at my side, tho - Sue!! We all had a fun time at the party and the four of us (me, Sue, Amy, and Mike) went back to our balcony to have a few more drinks before dinner.

We decided to go to Chalet Suisse as Sue had never been and as Amy and Mike had never had the Toblerone fondue!! Heathens! Ha! Fun dinner! Good food, good company, and good chocolate fondue!!

Tuesday morning Amy, Mike and I headed out to the Balashi Brewery for their tour. I'm so glad that Amy & Mike invited me along - this was an amazing sight to see! And the free Balashi draft at the end was perfect!

After the tour and a few more Balashi drafts, we headed over to the Natural Bridge, as Amy had not yet seen it since it had collapsed. After this, we headed out to the Ostrich Farm. I had never been, so Amy and Mike agreed to show me the place. This was so much fun! We got to feed the ostriches and actually got to sit on one and have pictures taken. Afterwards, we had lunch there.... ostrich, of course! Delicious!!

We left here and came across the Donkey Sanctuary. It was past closing time, however the front gate was open and there was a donkey waiting by the fence, so we drove in just a little ways and got out to pet the donkey. Well, you would have thought we drove up in a carrot truck! That donkey brayed and brayed and brayed (LOUDLY) until a herd of donkeys came filtering out of the brush. They were all so cute!! We were able to pet them and they were a bit disappointed that we did not have any food for them! Ooops. Once they started realizing that they were not going to be fed, they slowly sauntered back in to the brush and we left. Next time, guys!

I grabbed a bite to eat that night at Salt-n-Pepper. Wonderful tapas! I think I went gambling this night, too...I didn't keep good notes after my boyfriend left. D'oh! Go figure!

Wednesday morning I woke up with a shopping bug. Off to Oranjestad I went! I must have hit every shop except for two! It was quite the productive shopping day! I had lunch at Mambo Jambo's. Good food and cold beers!

That night I joined Sue and her two daughters (who had just arrived AND it was their first time in Aruba) for dinner at Amazonia. What a fun night! Us four girls had a blast! We stuffed ourselves at dinner and then went to Soprano's Piano Bar for an after dinner martini(s)!

Thursday was a relaxing day on the beach all by my lonesome. Amy & Mike were on their tour of the water plant and I settled into my lounge chair and soaked in some sun. Ordered a pizza from the beach bar for lunch and basically was lazy all day! Finally! LOL!

This being Thursday meant another Manager's Cocktail Party at 5pm! The 2nd of 3! Amy, Mike and I show up and meet up with Melvin and Maria, who arrived on the island the day before. It was good to see them again! They had a table right in front of the musicians, so we joined them. Little did we know this was a set up! The manager, Jurgen, had picked this night to give us our awards for coming to Aruba for so many years! Amy, Mike and I had to stand up in front of everyone and accept our awards and have our pictures taken for the papers. It was so embarrassing! If I had known ahead of time, I would have dressed up! LOL! Amy & Mike received their award for coming to Aruba for 10 years and I received my award for coming to Aruba for over 20 years (it's actually been 24 years...I just never received the award before now - Thank you Amsterdam Manor!). It was fun, embarrassing, but fun! Not as much fun as seeing our picture in the paper the following week! I think I packed enough copies of the newspaper into my suitcase to give to everyone I know! LOL! Finally, my photo in the Aruba newspaper without it being my mug shot! Kidding!

Thursday night, 6pm, Aruba became a dry island for locals due to the upcoming elections the following day. Not to fear, visitors could still buy drinks at the resorts! Dodged that bullet!

Dinner was at Pincho's this night. Sue and her daughters were nice enough to invite me to join them for dinner, as I was still flying solo. Amy, Mike, Melvin, and Maria were to join us, but this night there was no wind. It was SO hot and humid that they decided to seek out air conditioning (and alcohol) and went a resort for dinner. Us four girls braved the heat and the lack of alcohol and had dinner right on the water. Pincho's is a very nice restaurant, very casual and relaxing. We had a wonderful dinner, even without booze! Who knew! LOL!

Friday morning I joined Sue and the girls for a snorkel cruise on the Tranquilo with Cap'n Anthony. We sail with him every year! Fun time once again and the pea soup was outstanding, as usual.

I grabbed a bite to eat this night at Champion's (sports bar) at the Marriott. Sue and the girls met up with me here and we had dessert and watched the people have fun at Karaoke! As did our waiter!

Saturday was another departure day. This time for Amy's husband, Mike. However, us girls made up for lost time by going on the bar hopping bus tour, Kukoo Kunuko. Amy and I hadn't been on this in quite a few years, so when Sue and the girls suggest we join then, why not?!? What a fun filled drunken night! We ended at Carlos-n-Charlies around midnight...however, that place was SO jam packed with people that we decided to head out. We grabbed a taxi and all 5 of us crammed in. We dropped the young ones off at their hotel and Sue drove us to Bingo's - the bar, not the game! We introduced Sue to the 'Bingo experience'...and she was hooked! After a few drinks here, we headed home.

The Sunday after the bar hopping tour, we hung out on the beach and recuperated. For lunch, Amy and I decided to try Pizza Bob's down by the Bucuti resort. Good food and Balashi on draft! Heaven!

Dinner that night...................BINGO! You guessed it, the bar, not the game!! Amy hadn't actually eaten at Bingo, so we decided to show up sober and eat this time. One of the owners, Mike, joined us for a while and we chatted and enjoyed the view! D'oh! Welcome to the 'Bingo Experience'!

Monday, another departure day..Sue and the girls left. Subsequently, this is when my trip notes really get sketchy! Amy and I are now left on our own. Well, we still had Melvin and Maria to bail us out of jail...should the need arise! And, thankfully, it didn't. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it! What happens in Aruba, stays in Aruba! End of trip report. Kidding!

So, apparently I didn't eat lunch, or just didn't write it down this day. Notes are getting VERY sporadic!! However, we did have the annual Aruba-TravelGuide.com Bulletin Board party this night on the beach at the Amsterdam Manor. I do remember this. After the weekly party at the bar, we were served a wonderful dinner on the beach. Wonderful food, wonderful company, and wonderful atmosphere! After dinner, the party continued to the pool bar until the late hours!

The following day I must not have eaten lunch again. OK, the rest of the trip is vague, according to my notes. Here's a synopsis (according to Melvin - he must have taken better notes than me!): Amstel Bright, Amstel Bright, Polar, Amstel Bright, etc., repeat, eat dinner somewhere, Amstel Bright, Polar, Amstel Bright, repeat. Thanks Melvin!!

Oh, I do remember some stuff...went to Moomba's for lunch and drinks. Great chicken wings! Cool bar! Ate at Rumba's downtown. Great food! Gambled a few night, didn't win, as usual! Probably went to Soprano's and Bingo's a few more times, too...can't remember.

I also went shopping with Amy one morning…we went to the two stores I didn't hit during my other shopping trip. I knew I saved them for a reason! And we went to lunch at Iguana Joe's. I remember this day because as we were sitting at the restaurant waiting for lunch and people watching and watching the traffic go by…a water bottle delivery truck took a turn too sharp, way to sharp and too fast... we watched the towers of cases of (luckily plastic) water bottles wobble…back and forth…and we both go, "Oh, he's not gonna make it." He didn't. Water bottles everywhere. D'oh!

There was another Manager's Cocktail Party! My memory is coming back. My 3rd of 3. Ah, yes. Saved the best one for last apparently. I don't remember too much from this night...Amy and I did go to Marandi's for dinner with a girlfriend that used to work at the Amsterdam Manor (thanks for babysitting us, Amy!!), but I don't remember too much of that! I'm sure the food was good, the place was beautiful, and that we had fun! Next time, we will not plan our "girls' night out with Amy" the same night as the Manager's Cocktail Party.

Saturday the 1st of October - final departure day. We said our goodbyes to everyone. Sad, sad day. Melvin and Maria helped haul all of our luggage out to the car. Thanks! And off to the airport we went! Amy's check-in line was short, just her (United). I had a few people (USAir) because I was checking in a bit earlier and had people from an earlier USAir flight still checking in. Amy's flight was leaving an hour earlier than mine, but I wanted to hang out with her at the airport so we checked in at the same time. Separation anxiety at its worst! Ha!

We were early enough and the lines to go through security were long enough that we had time to stop for a slice of pizza and a beer and watch everyone stand in line. You'd think that they'd have MULTIPLE lines, instead of just two, for the security checkpoint. After this, we went to the gate and watched as the new people arrived to start their vacation in Aruba. "That was us 2 and 1/2 weeks ago." Stacy says to Amy. "Oh, shut up!" Amy says to Stacy. Ha! We should have sat facing the other direction instead of watching these people just starting their vacation in Aruba!!

Once Amy's flight boarded, we said our goodbyes and off I went to my gate to watch more new people arrive. Ugh.

That's it in a nutshell. A REALLY large nutshell! To summarize - had yet another WONDERFUL vacation to Aruba. It was GREAT to see old friends and to make new ones! El Gaucho steaks rule! Thanks for making my vacation one for the record books: Amy & Mike, Sue and the girls, Melvin & Maria, Filo, Jeroen, Amy, Chef Marc, Jurgen, Jorge, Leo @ Jansen's car rental, and everyone at the Amsterdam Manor. See you all next year!!