Tamarijn Aruba "All Inclusive"

May 7-14, 2005 by Steph

We went for our honeymoon, and upon arrival at the Tamarijn, we were given a paper to take to the photo shop at the Divi for our honeymoon package. We received a certificate for a free night's stay on our anniversary, a photo frame, and a dinner at the Divi Phoenix Sunset Beach Bistro.

The accomodations were nice and clean, and our housekeeper, Rossy, was great. We were impressed that she admitted to me that my husband had already tipped her when I tried to, so I gave her the extra for her honesty.
One morning, after there was some overnight rain, I found a tiny lizard in the bathroom. I trapped him in a glass and set him outside. He was such a cute little thing! We didn't have any bugs though.

The food at the buffet was just okay, but I'm no gourmet, so I didn't mind. The Red Parrot at the Divi was just okay, but the ambiance was pretty nice. The Papparazzi (Italian food) at the Tam was excellent, and everyone we spoke to agreed.
The frosty drinks were very weak, so in order to get our money's worth (we thought), we stayed away from Pina Coladas and things like that.
Most of the people working at the resort seemed less happy than people outside of the resort. Even most of the guests seemed grumpy. When we were at the Divi, people looked generally happier. Maybe it was just that particular group staying with us that week, I don't know, but it just seemed different than our experience in the high rise section last year.

There was something going on at both resorts every night. We enjoyed the steel drummers, the Carnivale show, and the Mexican dancers. They also had karaoke and a limbo contest among other things.

We went out one night to El Gaucho. The steaks were big and cooked to perfection. We went as a group, and the cost averaged $50 per person, including about 2 drinks each, and the 15% gratuity that was clearly stated on the check. Everyone agreed it was well worth the money; the place was very nice and clean, as were the facilities.

We also went to Texas De Brazil which was very good as well. For the two of us, it cost $120, with two drinks each and gratuity. We went to Amazonia last year and liked the meat there better.

Our sunset dinner was nice, but not very well organized. A bus picked up several couples, but there was not enough room for everyone, so they had to wait for a second shuttle. The view on the beach was outstanding, and they kept our champagne flutes filled. The food was not the best, but they were preparing meals to come out simultaneously for about 30 couples, so they really did the best they could. Nothing was said about when to leave for the bus, but luckily for us we went to the front of the building as soon as we finished, as did quite a few other couples, and just barely made the bus. I hope another one came along for the others.

We didn't do a whole lot except hang around the beach for a few days, as my husband was not feeling well when we first arrived. We went around the back side of the island in a jeep one day (rented from Econo, there was a one day mix up as to when we would get it, but it was a good vehicle). On another day, we went downtown, and we had lunch at Iguana Joe's. I had a very good (and good sized) jerked chicken sandwich and a Pink Iguana to drink, yum!

All in all, it was a very nice trip, and if you want to have your budget set when you get there, all inclusive is a great option. We still ate out a few times, but knowing that if money ran low we could still get food at the resort made us feel more relaxed.