Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort

April 21 to May 2, 2005 by Stacy

Aruba Forum Profile: ArubaStacy

Left Rochester, NY on time (even AFTER the de-icing!!) and met up with Amy in Charlotte on time.

Uneventful flight to Aruba, all on time. Flew down on the USAir flight thru United.

Went thru immigration and customs without a hitch. Got the luggage and we were off! Our rental car, thru Jansen Car Rental, was waiting for us, no problems there. Great new car, clean and in good shape.

Ahhhhh, that first drive to the hotel! Like being home again!!

Checked in at the Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort and were in our room within minutes.

Oh, the room!!!!!!!!!! Beautiful as always! We had a 2 bedroom suite on the second floor. Our balcony overlooked the restaurant, Mango’s, and had a great view of the ocean and sunset!!

Two big bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room, dinning area and kitchen. We had 3 TVs! I was in heaven! The room was clean and well stocked. Everything was in working order. The management even had flowers and a bottle of champagne waiting for us as a ‘Welcome Back’ gift!! Nice touch!

We ran out to the balcony to take in our view and the first person we see is Filo the bartender!! He greeted us with a warm smile and a big wave!!

We then had to get ready for the Manager’s Cocktail Party, of course! Hey, $1 drinks, can’t beat that!! So, at 5pm we hit the pool bar and partied with everyone: Jurgen, Chef Marc, Amy and Filo!! Don’t think we ever had an empty beer in our hands! Ha! What a great group of people the Amsterdam Manor has working for them!! They really make you feel special and welcomed!!

There was also a GREAT band playing!! Francis and his young son, John Francis! This boy was wonderful on the drums and has an incredible voice!! Definitely a must see! They play on Sundays at the beach bar from 5-6pm, too. Check them out!

The Amsterdam Manor has Happy Hour at the beach bar from 5-6pm and at the pool bar from 5-6pm, too. Also the pool bar has ANOTHER Happy Hour from 9-10pm!! All are two-for-one! Great deal!! And, yes, we did find ourselves STILL sitting at the bar for the SECOND Happy Hour!! Woo hoo!! Once, just once!! I blame it all on Filo! He is also a must see!! If there’s anything you want to know about Aruba, just ask him – he’s a wealth of knowledge!! And makes a great drink!! I had a few hangovers to attest to this!!

Our first night, we ate at the hotel’s restaurant, Mango’s. VERY good food!!! We actually ate there a few times, twice having appetizers at the pool bar. Great spot to watch the sunset, too.

We also ate at Tango’s, Rumba’s, Salt-N-Pepper, Tulip, Que Pasa, Nos Cunucus, Tomato Charlie’s, and of course my FAVORITE restaurant, El Gauchos!! Had great food at all of them!!

Went to a few bars, too: Bingo’s, The Sopranos Piano Bar, Marandi’s (didn’t eat dinner here, just drinks), and Garufa’s. We went to these on the nights that we actually pried ourselves out of the pool bar chairs!!
I went to the Ocean View bar at the Divi Divi, too. They have a huge rock climbing activity at the Divi. You can watch them climb while you’re at the bar. Great bar with a great view. They have a Happy Hour, too, but I can’t remember when it is! Ooops!

I went to the Dutch Marine’s Open House on May 1st. This is an annual event where the Dutch Marine’s open up their base to the public. It’s like a giant flea market and picnic! It was SO packed! You could tour the barracks, tour boats, ride on some boats, fire a riffle (with blanks, of course, STILL it was LOUD!), and see some different demonstrations from the marines. It was an incredible experience! Lots to eat and drink and buy!!

We had a great Bulletin Board Party at the beach bar! It was wonderful to see old friends and to meet new ones! The Amsterdam Manor has a weekly BB Party at their beach bar on Monday’s at 5pm. So, if you want to meet up with fellow BB-ers and fellow Aruba lovers, this is the place to be!!

What else did I do….? Oh, went gambling, lost money. The usual! Relaxed most of the time, slept in, stayed out late! Drank a lot, ate a lot. I simply had the BEST vacation I have ever had in my life!! And I have to thank Amy for that!! I’m glad I got her hooked on going to Aruba with ‘just the girls’!!

Last day, woke up early and walked the beach at like 6:30am…couldn’t sleep. Too sad about leaving Aruba, I guess! First time I’ve EVER walked the beach so early in the morning. Kinda cool!

Did some last minute shopping at La Cabana, then packed. Boo hoo! Said good-bye to everyone at the hotel and then drove to the airport. Dropped off the car, no problems.

Flight home was uneventful, too. On time and no problems. We flew back thru Chicago on United.

I can’t wait to go back to my home-away-from-home, Aruba and the Amsterdam Manor!! I miss the Happy Hours and everyone there! See you all soon!!