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Caribbean Travel Roundup
Paul Graveline, Editor
Edition 56
July
15 1995
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1/CD-ROM REVIEW: VILLAS AND RESORTS OF THE CARIBBEAN BY PAUL GRAVELINE, EDITOR
With all the clamor about the coming of the multimedia age, much of what has been produced has come up short either in content or in presentation. However, a couple CD-ROMs which seem to have been done right are "Villas of the Caribbean" and "Resorts of the Caribbean" by Straight Line Medium. These products which seems to have been prepared for Islands Hideaways Inc. are first rate productions.
The basic content of "Villas of the Caribbean" is 2200 full color images of 400 Caribbean villas which are available for rent.
After previewing a general map of the region, you may click on any island in which the villas are available and you will be presented with a map of that island with the approximate location of each villa marked. Clicking on the villa location provides you with a general picture of the villa from which you can then view a series of pictures of that villa. The ones which I checked out usually had 5 to 6 pictures for each villa. In addition, information on weekly rental rates, a detailed description of the particular villa and features such as a/c or pools are included. Hence, in one place you can view the villa from a number of perspectives and also obtain answers to the most asked question about each property. You can even mark those which interest you so that you can quickly review a selected list later.
Another feature of this CD-ROM is that if you click on the airport icon, you then receive information about transportation to the island. In addition, there is quite a bit of information about island activities, important dates and other useful data. All of this is very easily accessible even to the novice computer users.
One especially nice enhancement is that you have the option of having a voice guide you through the mechanics of the package. When the main map for the Caribbean is showing, the voice explains how you can get to the desired information. For the first time user, I found this quite helpful. Later when you have become more familiar with the CD's operation, you can turn off the voice guide. Alternatively you can choose the option to play Caribbean rhythms while you search the material.
There is also a slide show which you can access to continually run the nice pictures of the villas. The pictures are of good quality and details are easy to see.
Straight Line Medium's more recent production is "Resorts of the Caribbean". Again this is of excellent technical quality and extremely easy to use. It provides 1800 color photos of over 125 resorts in the Caribbean. Once again a optional voice guide is available but when once you get used to hopping around the CD-ROM ( in a very few minutes) the voice guide may not be required. There is ample information about the features of the particular property and the anticipated rates. Each island again has a section where you can access local info on dining, sight-seeing etc. And as you might expect, there's easily accessible information on how to book either the villas or the resorts.
These two CD-ROMs are technical gems whose production and presentation have been carefully thought out to provide the most attractive delivery with the least amount of user effort. They are very user friendly and like a good encyclopedia invite exploration of other destinations beyond those which are being researched. This clearly indicates a well designed product.
Straight Line Medium seems to have anticipated most of the user's wants and needs. The "Resorts of the Caribbean" even seems to anticipate that you'll only be using it on an intermittent basis and may not want its icon permanently installed on your Program Manager. There's an UNINSTALL icon to remove it when not needed. A very handy and thoughtful feature.
So are there any drawbacks? Well, you must remember that these are produced to promote certain villas and properties in the Caribbean. So, of course, they don't contain all resorts. In fact, there were no resorts listed for the Dutch side of St. Maarten which is a fairly popular destination.
You can order these directly from Straight Line Medium at 800-CDVILLA (238-4552). If you would like a preview of the CD-ROMs you can call up their WWW site at http://www.infi.net/~slm. Their mailing address is P.O. Box 133, Manakin Sabot, VA 23103-0133 USA Fax is 804-784-2694 or voice 804-784-2690. Each sells for $29.95 refundable if you book with Hideaways. Customers who buy both Villa and Resorts, receive the second one at half price.
My thanks to Rick Spink of Straight Line Medium for providing the review disks.
I made a quick survey of the WWW sites which have come across my desk. Here's what I've got. Clearly some of these are still very much "under construction. So you may or may not find them useful. Let me know if you find any new ones. Paul Graveline, Editor
Bonaire http:www.interknowledge.com/bonaire
BVI http://www.caribweb.com/caribweb/cgi/
Caribbean Travel Roundup Sites
http://www.solutions.mb.ca/rec-travel/caribbean
http://www.caribweb.com/caribweb/cgi/fetch/ ( only 1 issue here so far)
Jamaica
http://www.jamaicatravel.com
Jimmy Buffet Fans http://tigger.cc.uic.edu/toby-g/bubba.html
http://www.io.com./user/mikhall/cobo/cobo/html
Martinique
http://www.nyo.com/martinique
St. Kitts http:www.interknowledge.com/stkitts-nevis
USVI
http://www.usvi.net
Expect a major shake up in the regional airline services. The Heads of State meeting of CARICOM in early July decided on a proposal to privatize LIAT and this also will provide a level playing field for the competitor Carib Express. CE will get the right to make longer flights to places like SJU from the smaller islands. The privatization process is complex but and this was a major point of contention at the meeting. This may mean more and better services for the region -- something badly needed if the Caribbean is to develop as a united area and develop more tourism. (From the BBC 6 July 95)
ANTIGUA CARNIVAL JULY 29- AUG. 8, 1995
Antigua calls it "The Caribbean's' Greatest Summer Festival" and Carnival 95 will continue that annual tradition with revelry, pageantry and excitement. Visitors to the island's capital, St. John's, from Saturday, July 29 through Tuesday, August 8, will enjoy a seemingly non-stop party that includes dancing, parades and music
The Antigua Recreation Grounds is located in the heart of St. John's and for ten days it becomes Carnival City. Here, visitors stroll among colorful booths sampling cool drinks and the island's fare. Meanwhile, local bands rival each other in steel. drum, pan and calypso competitions.
The celebration includes festive processions through the city. Businesses and street will be closed on August 7 and 8 for parades costumed musicians. Bands ranging from 75 up to 300 or more members will weave through the streets of Carnival City, delighting the spectators.
No revelry would. be complete without the crowing of a King and Queen. A local Carnival Queen will be chosen on Aug. 2 and a King on Aug. 8. The most colorful competition will be on Saturday, Aug. 5 , among the reigning Queens of regional Caribbean carnivals, each elaborately dressed in a costume representative of her nations culture.
The calypso competition will be held on July 28 and Aug. 6. The J'ouvert, a time for everyone to stop whatever they are doing and start dancing in the streets at 4am on Aug. 7.
One of the Caribbean's premier bands, Burning Flames, will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a special, surprised filled performance on Monday July 31.
ANTIGUA PROPERTIES
Club And Club St. Lucia A "Kids Fly Free" Promotion has been extended through the summer at Club Antigua and Club St. Lucia. The special promotion allows one child under 12 to fly free when families book a minimum seven night stay at either property, available now through September 15, 1995. In addition, children under 16 can stay free at the property (depending on room category and number of accompanying adults), and children under 12 can participate in the hotels' popular free daily children's programs, with professionally supervised activities and excursions. Package airfare, including the free child flight, is available for scheduled service on major carriers. For information, prices and reservations, call Clubs International at (800) 777-1250; (212) 251-1709 in New York State.
Half Moon Bay Club, one of Antigua's top all-inclusive properties, is offering travelers a rare opportunity to combine the affordability and convenience of an upscale, all-inclusive property with the privacy of accommodations in a separate, two-bedroom West Indian-style cottage located on the resort's grounds. The Cottage at Half Moon Bay is particularly suited for families or couples traveling together. All rooms face the resort's renowned half-moon-shaped beach, and guests of the Cottage have use of all of the resort's excellent all-inclusive features. Rates from now through December 23rd, 1995 at the Cottage at Half Moon Bay are $540 per day for up to four people. Two additional guests (adults or children) can also stay in the cottage at a cost of $100 each per day, for a maximum cottage capacity of six people. For reservations, call Clubs International at (800) 777-1250 in the U.S. and Canada; (212) 251-1709 in N.Y. State.
ORANGE GROVE HOTEL: A superior room in one of St. Lucia's most sought after small hotels, located in a tropical hillside setting, including breakfast and dinner daily, is now available at the unbelievable rate of $49 per person, per night (double occupancy) at the "country inn" style Orange Grove Hotel. The rate also includes daily transportation to Castries and the new, state-of-the-art water- sports and shopping complex, "Waves." The hotel features 62 modern, air conditioned rooms, a full-service bar, on-premises shops, tour desk, live entertainment, plus a large swimming pool offering one of the Caribbean's most breathtaking, panoramic views. Guests of the hotel can enjoy the two included meals daily at the hotel's elegant Cafe Clementine or at the "Waves" complex. For more information call Clubs International at (800)777-1250; (212) 251-1709 in New York State.
(Also see note release for Antigua.)
I have been fortunate to have been able to visit many of the different and delightful islands in the Caribbean over the past several years, and have just returned from a very enjoyable week on Anguilla. I hope that by sharing some of our experiences, those interested in visiting the island can decide which activities may appeal to them. I wish to note here that I intend to be opinionated in my descriptions because I would appreciate the same frankness from others if I were considering a trip--a vacation generally requires considerable time and money and we all want to make the best of both.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Anguilla is a generally unspoiled, lesser-populated and quiet island whose slow pace and friendly locals make relaxation easy. It is approximately 16 miles long by 3 miles wide, and has had a primarily British influence. The island has been only somewhat developed, and offers many beautiful and secluded white sand beaches with clear crystal water. It has rather dry, craggy terrain and is generally clean. The main town, called The Valley, is a development of businesses, schools, game fields, restaurants and a new, not-yet-completed library. As has been noted previously in this forum, if you are looking for discos, large crowds, all-night dancing and tourist traps, Anguilla should not be a choice; but if you want a laid-back, "away- from-it-all" island vacation with a great amount of serenity and sun, it should be among several great options.
ACCOMMODATIONS
There are a number of places to stay on any budget in Anguilla, from modest beachside apartments to expensive, full-service lodgings. The island has arguably two of the top resorts in the Caribbean, Cap Juluca and Malliouhana, which are known for their service, privacy, and exclusivity.
Cap Juluca is perhaps the best-known hideaway. It is located near the westernmost tip of Anguilla and is famous for its Moorish-style buildings, marble baths and Pimms restaurant. I generally enjoyed my stay there in November of 1993; high points were the spectacular beach, the view and seclusion of the property; not so high points were the low water pressure and so-so meals at Pimms. On this trip, the landscaping and flowers were prettier and more manicured than ever and the entrance from the main road had been paved, improving first impressions.
Malliouhana was our choice this trip and we were very pleased. The property seemed smaller and more personal than Cap Juluca and the staff generally more friendly--this is certainly subjective and perhaps changes, but was definitely my impression (top honors to the concierge, bar and pool associates). We chose a junior suite which was great-- somewhat more spacious than Cap Juluca's and more serene, perhaps because Malliouhana had fewer guests due to the low season. High points were the large marble bathroom (with great water pressure!), very attentive and personable staff, and the quiet. Not much at all to be picky about except perhaps the small in-room safe and the dinner restaurant (see below).
Additionally, I should note that Cap Juluca is situated on a stretch of beach and seemed to have all lodging away from the main house; Malliouhana is on something of a bluff and has rooms in the main house, as well as a short walk away. Both have no cable television, but do provide a TV room in the main house (I thought I would miss cable in the room but didn't--I believe they both offer delivery of a TV for videotape viewing only). Each resort has a different character but either would be a great choice.
Frangipani is a pleasant looking (from the outside) resort near Malliouhana. I have only one thought about my experience there--after a terrific dinner (see below), I asked the attendant at the front desk if we could see some of the accommodations. He contacted the manager by phone, but the manager declined to show us a room--it seemed he felt too inconvenienced and said something about "only certain hours" they could show rooms. In my opinion--I make my living by selling--that was very poor judgment.
Who knows how much business the manager could have cost what may be a great resort ...
With regard to other accommodations, reviews of several including, the Blue Water Apartments, have been uploaded previously and are available in the forum library, so I will defer to those who have experience with them.
DINING--DINNER
This was perhaps the most pleasant surprise of our visit. A year and a half ago, Anguilla did not have the variety of places to eat it does today. Not only are there now more restaurants, but many of those we selected offer great food although they can be pricey. Many better restaurants are open only for dinner and do not seem to have dress code; however I feel in the nicer spots in the evenings, diners would be more comfortable dressing up moderately. I definitely recommend dinner reservations at all times of the season--they take only a few moments to make and can avoid a potential disappointment. Also, some restaurants seem more appreciative and accommodating if a patron calls ahead. (I can speak from experience here!)
Mango's was the first dinner we had out. It is located beachside at the end of a bumpy gravel road. After finally being seated (see rule above), we found the food OK. Again, personal opinion, but this would not be my first choice--nice restaurant, though more crowded and popular than I would have thought for the food ...
Blanchard's is a great experience. Located near Malliouhana, it is a very, very nice restaurant adjacent to a pleasant beach. The host and wait staff was extremely accommodating and personable. Great appetizers (like many of the nicer restaurants), but some were outstanding like the conch fritters. Excellent entrees including grouper and snapper. One of my very favorite places!
Hibernia is located on the East end of Anguilla, on the opposite side of the more active West End, but is absolutely worth the drive. I recall this as a terrific restaurant from my last trip and was equally impressed this time. It is a homey, small, quiet and quaint setting, run by a husband and wife who provide top-notch, thoughtfully-considered dishes, which I feel would not disappoint the most particular patrons. Excellent soups were fish and also potato and coconut milk (I still remember the leek soup from the prior visit!) and great fishes (kingfish was offered the night we visited and it was top-notch) and interesting, flavorful desserts. This is a must!
The Cafe at Frangipani, open previously for both breakfast and lunch, has now just opened for dinner. This restaurant provided perhaps the best service of any--the staff was extremely attentive and available, I think not simply because there were few in for dinner that evening, but also because they seemed excited about their new opening for dinner. They kindly provided our two glasses of wine and appetizers as complimentary, and did everything they could to make our meal very enjoyable, which it was. The food was good and menu offerings should increase during the busier season.
Koal Keel was recommended by both our concierge and the terrific Fodor's travel guide. Although located on a main road in The Village away from the beach, this was overall probably the most memorable experience we had. A restored 18th century great house, Koal Keel has its own distinctive character, ambiance and romantic atmosphere. The food and service were excellent, but our highlight was a personal tour of the facility by the newly-appointed manager, Mr. Oliver Macdonna, a very gracious and accommodating gentleman. Mr. Macdonna guided us through their wine tasting and liquor room, as well as their smaller breakfast and lunch area which, serves fresh-baked pastries, teas, coffees and other beverages. Most impressive, however, was their wonderful, newly-completed, below-ground wine room, a chilled storage area designed to hold over 12,000 bottles of wine acquired from around the world. This is a more than just another great restaurant and I highly recommend it!
Malliouhana's restaurant has been reviewed elsewhere as having excellent dishes, as well as a famous 20,000-bottle wine cellar. I visited the restaurant on my last trip, but this time I hoped for better results. Then, I had found the staff in general and the maitre-d' in particular, to be, well, snobby. I was curtly informed then that I could not have one of the tables along the front overlooking the water because I was not staying there as a guest; in addition, it seemed the mosquitoes were attracted in great numbers to the tables which, needless to say, presented quite a distraction. The foregoing, especially considering the prices, did little to make the evening's meal enjoyable. I was hoping for better results this trip as I was indeed staying at the property, and the restaurant was noticeably less busy. Unfortunately, I found the restaurant staff's attitude, among other things, little different. I felt largely ignored, and will do my best to return the favor if I ever visit again.
DINING--MISCELLANEOUS
There are other noteworthy eating experiences:
Cap Juluca's breakfast is about as good as is possible--they offer a variety of cereals, eggs cooked to order, assortment of fruits and a variety of fresh-baked breads in a basket. If that isn't enough, the open-air, breezy terrace area is wonderful--just the way to start the day.
Malliouhana's breakfast was good, but I think the lunch menu is better. Great selections included the salad topped with fresh tuna; turkey or chicken club sandwich; and the spaghetti served with rolls.
Casablanca is a resort near Cap Juluca and is worth seeing. The intricately decorated tiles, in a Moroccan style, throughout the property are very interesting. The breakfast buffet was much less so, and the wait staff seemed more interested in speaking among themselves than being attentive to their guests.
The Old House had a very nice, dated interior and decorations, but the food at breakfast was fair--might be just as well just to stick your head in the door and just look around ...
Oasis Cafe is part of the new Arista strip center which includes a deli and liquor store (which supplies several of the resorts). The center is located a few minutes from the West End. The cafe is shaded and serves sandwiches and the like--the chicken gyro was very good and authentic.
Le Bon Pain Bakery is a small bakery in Island Harbor. It is best to get there at least as early as mid-morning for the best selection. They also serve reasonably-priced sandwiches and sodas.
Haagen-Dazs Drive-through is also something new. At first glance it seemed that after stopping at the window, the only place to go was straight ahead through a fence. It really is a U-turn, but we had to see what would happen ...
ACTIVITIES
Exploring Anguilla by rental car is probably the most convenient and least expensive way around the island. There is basically one main road west of the Village and a couple east; roads are mostly in good condition, but can be narrow with some potholes.
I found four items of note: First, remember to drive on the left! Second, be prepared for the "roundabouts" (a convergence of roads around a direction-changing circle); Third, the "sleeping policemen" (speedbumps placed in unusual locations); and Four, the large numbers of goats wandering near the roads. None of these are a problem, and add extra character to the exploring. There is a modest fee for a local drivers license, and rental rates are reasonable. I highly recommend Connor's Taxi & Car Rental (not the company with the large "Connor's" sign, but the one next door). The owners are Wendell Connor and his wife Celsa, and are very accommodating and nice (they met our flight at the airport, and let us leave the car back at the airport with the keys in the ignition). Local telephone (809)497-6894.
There are several areas to see:
Mead's Bay and Shoal Bay, (West side) are home to some popular lodgings.
Sandy Ground (middle North side) has several popular restaurants, but I found the area not particularly clean. The Valley, the main town, described above.
Island Harbour (North side toward the East) is a pleasant community with accommodations, and Scilly Key, an inlet with both a beautiful beach and crystal blue waters.
As previously noted, Anguilla is not the activity hot-spot of the Caribbean. Many resort properties, though, have exercise facilities and may offer activities such as sailing excursions. Inquire of what may be available; for example, Cap Juluca publishes a two-day list of activities approximately every other day.
Additionally, cricket and soccer are popular local sports and games are scheduled or practiced on one of the local fields.
OTHER ISLANDS
It is always interesting to me to explore other islands in the Caribbean, especially when they are so close by. There is a ferry at Blowing Point on Anguilla, which provides regular service to and from St. Martin from around 7:00am to 10:45pm daily (be sure to check the current schedule). The fare is $10 per person plus a $2 departure tax, and is well worth it, especially if you have not been to St. Martin.
Many other islands can be accessed by airplane, using primarily Winair or LIAT--contact a local Anguillan travel agent who is quite often more familiar with schedules, fares, etc. than a foreign agent may be. For charter flights, I would recommend Benny Franklin on Anguilla at (809) 497-3159 or 5313.
SUMMARY
Anguilla is a tranquil and underdeveloped island, with lots of sun and a
very slow pace. If you are looking for a great vacation spot, this is an island
that may well be worth a visit.
Just returned from Antigua yesterday and really enjoyed the island. Let me give you a few highlights.
We stayed at Halcyon Cove in Dickenson Bay at a timeshare exchange. The room, while not plush, we very neat and clean. We had two double beds in one room and a living space with kitchenette in the other room. The kitchen facilities left a little to be desired, but with a micro, hot plate and small refrigerator we were able to eat most of our meals in.
We took much of our food with us and bought some at the grocery store there. Obviously we kept the meals simple, since we were on vacation. The only complaint about the room was that the microwave was broken the last 3 days of the vacation and they made no attempt to fix it. That made it quite aggravating. Janet Murphy is the only staff person who deals with timeshare guests, and while very nice, she didn't know how to make things happen. Don't get me wrong, other than that minor problem Halcyon cove is a lovely resort with every thing you need right on the premises. The beach is calm and beautiful.
Water sports such as paddle boats, wind surfing, and sailing are all free to the hotel guests. If you go to the end of the beach along the rocks you can do some pretty decent snorkeling, but you have to go almost to the point to see the really neat stuff, but its not far and its all shallow water. Enough on accommodations.
Food - Like I said before we ate most of our meals in, however, we did eat out a few times. Weir pier was so so and very expensive, while Millers on the Beach, right next to the Halcyon was the best food for your money. They also have live music starting at 8:00 every night.
Car - We rented a car for the week from Avis and even though there were a couple of days we didn't use it, I was really glad we had it. We took two major exploration trips, and thoroughly enjoyed both, even though we were lost much of the time. We went to Shirley Heights, but not for the barbecue. The view was beautiful. Went to Nelsons Dockyard which was very nice, but, it was too hot to really enjoy. We drove back to Dickenson Bay via Fig Tree Lane which is their rain forest route. It was lovely, but not lush like you would imagine. It was just the beginning of rainy season, so everything was pretty dried up still.
The second trip took us in the opposite direction to half moon bay. A beautiful site, but, very windy. Made us glad we were not staying on the windward side of the island. From there we went to Harmony Hall, which was really my favorite spot on the island, so quaint and peaceful. Now, to get there you take a really bad road, and if your not persistent you may give up, thinking that nothing good could possibly be at the end of that road.
All roads are bad, but this was a secondary road and left a lot of room for improvement. Of course being an old missionary myself I found delight and adventure in the roads. Having a car gave you a chance to meet the people of the island, who were very nice and tried to help in any way they could.
Do avoid St. John during the week, driving is a nightmare. The roads are skinny with deep drainage ditches on either side. I managed to put the car in one of them. Every one was great about helping the crazy tourists out and no harm was done. Just another part of the adventure. Don't forget that the steering wheel is on the right and you drive on the left side of the road. This takes a bit of getting use to, but you'll do okay in the end.
I hope this helps you. If you accept the people and the country for who they are, and move at their pace you will love Antigua. I would go back in a skinny minute.
We had a great time at the Divi Aruba Beach. I couldn't believe our bungalow was right on the beach 30 yards to ocean. The weather was perfect. It seem strange but it was just like January weather. I guess its true what they say the weather is the same year round. Anyway the beach was perfect, we hung out all day on the beach, got great tans.
I rented a car for 200.00 with air. Glad I did as I got to drive to all restaurants and casinos. Also we drove to Baby beach witch I thought was a waste of time, didn't like it at all. Snorkeled at Malmok beach near the German wreck saw nice fish. You can drive your car right next to the beach.
For restaurants we ate at Mama Mia's down across from the Sonesta . We split a six pound lobster it was great served thermidor style. I love that place because your in the open air right on the docks. We also ate at Boonoonooous, which I think served the best ribs I ever ate, called Jamaican jerk ribs very very hot and spicy. Also ate at El Gaucho's which is the best steak house on earth, it was mobbed with people. Also ate at the Old Cunnou House, Pavarotti. Make sure you grab the coupons in the local tourist magazine there coupons in them for free glass of wine and 10% off to these two places. Had a nice breakfast at the Villa Germain down in Seaport Village with great potato pancakes with eggs and German bread.
The Hyatt which was mobbed with honeymooners was beautiful had lunch there but expensive: 9.00 cheeseburgers, but enjoyed the view. All in all the island was quiet. Our hotel was very laid back with great service and a nice buffet breakfast for $10.00 a person, great happy hours 3-6 pm.
Speaking of beaches The beach at the Manchero Beach Hotel was at least a quarter of mile wide, I wouldn't stay there .The Costa Linda was beautiful also very very nice people there. I recommend the Divi for its quiet location, no elevators, and great beach, very relaxing all for 599.00 a person with air for 7 nights. It was a charter out of Boston.
We also shopped downtown in Seaport village and also in a bazaar like atmosphere next to the Paddock Bar downtown, where you can buy cheap t-shirts and other souvenirs, also fresh fruit which we bought and brought back to our room.
If you like Cuban cigars there's a shop called little Holland in the Sonesta mall. But the airport duty free has them cheaper (I smuggled a box through).I must say the cheese from Holland was great, make sure you guys bring some home, its cheaper in the markets like Pueablo and Ling and Sons, but the airport has them also, great Goudas and Edams from Holland.
Had a great time. Disappointed with the lack of maps and street signs. Found our way around but not without some trouble the first day. Most spectacular place on island is the second natural bridge below the small lighthouse. You cannot see this bridge from the lighthouse, and have to walk several hundred yards to the shore and climb about a hundred feet down some rocks to the shore. The view from top is also spectacular. I would definitely see this bridge instead of "THE" natural bridge if I could only see one.
Food was much less expensive than we had anticipated. (about $55 per meal at old cucunu, Mama Mias, Waterfront, La Petite Cafe, and the Mill with 3 or 4 drinks.) Service is slow or "Aruban". The beaches great in some areas not so great in others (no beach). It is very windy, and at times you do get sandblasted when you are trying to lay on the beach.
The caves were great (even considering the bats).
Another disappointment was shopping hours-my wife was hoping to do her shopping in the evening, but had to do it during the day as shops close at 6. ( I know, Aruban time).
Baby beach was nice but I would not make a great effort to get there.
Snorkeling is no good until you leave the protected pool and then you most be careful due to the rough surf.
We stayed at the Sonesta Suites-very nice. Sonesta Island is nice. Would definitely recommend taking a day or two and doing some sight seeing.
Even though the island is small, if you get out and do anything other than drive around, you will need a couple of days. The natural pool is nice, but would not make a great effort to see this. You MUST have a jeep, walk about 6 miles, or go by horseback.
There are plenty of other similar views all over the island.
The service people were all friendly, but other people did not seem as friendly as I had expected. During my walks, I would speak and smile, and get no response. (Maybe they couldn't figure out why someone had come to Aruba to walk around the block in circles. Lost money at many of the casinos. Took a sunset cruise on the Balia (I think.) Had a ball. I learned the anti electric slide. Took a snorkel cruise and snorkeled over the German wreck. Snorkeling is good and fun but not great anywhere
My husband and I visited Aruba for the second time this past May (first time was in 1974). And we are baffled as to why we waited so long to return! We had a great time and promised each other we will try to return at least every other year.
We flew out of Hartford, CT with a stop in San Juan, which was not bad on the way down, but hectic upon return, going through customs, etc. Next time we may consider the direct flight out of Newark.
We stayed at Bucuti Beach and I would highly recommend it for those who prefer the low-rise hotels - more laid back- doesn't have all the amenities of high-rises such as shops and health clubs, but the advantage is that its right on the beach and I must say we think its the most beautiful, expansive beach on the island. It feels so private because its so spacious. In fact, many times in the evening, there was no one on it.
The rooms are clean, pretty, with balconies, microwave, TV, and refrigerator. The activities director was most helpful in booking activities, getting jeep rental, etc.
The bar at the Pirates Nest feels so comfy and islandy, with friendly staff all over.
Several low-rises are within walking distance of each other, so we sampled different restaurants and happy hours with free entertainment. They have different theme nights such as Indonesian night with rice specialties (great at both Manchebo and Pirates Nest) and pasta night at the Seagull. Very reasonably priced. We did go up the Palm Beach area one night to walk the luxurious grounds of the Hyatt and we ate at a restaurant near there: Roma di Notte, a great Italian restaurant, excellent food and service. (Coming from this part of the country with good Italian food, we were pleasantly surprised to find this in Aruba.)
The best activity was RELAXATION on the beach and in the water. The greatest thing about being in the sun in Aruba is the constant trade wind breezes that usually caress you (but sometimes assault you- but its OK- being here is worth it). I tried a jet-ski for the first time and it was a blast. We highly recommend Rancho Daimari horseback ride to the natural pool on the far side of island- best way to really experience the desolate, starkly beautiful interior- rocky, with cacti and divi trees. We rode for over an hour through this strangely beautiful wasteland, and crested a hill to be thrilled with the view of the ocean and rocky coast opening before us. I will NEVER forget that moment. The guides were good. Horses were slightly more spirited than American horses, but the trip keeps a walking pace only. They match the rider to the horse according to ability and can accommodate novices.
We can only end by saying we are in love with this little island and its people. We will be back!
Once we were in the terminal, people came rushing up to us with brochures for this and that. I did not have enough hands as it was to carry what I had. I guess this is fairly new that you are hassled in such a way. We got outside the airport terminal and a huge gust of wind hit us (you definitely get use to the wind after your first hour or so).
We picked up our WELL USED Dodge Spirit from National Rent a Car and drove towards Casa Del Mar. As I looked out towards the water I still could not believe how turquoise it was. We checked into the Casa Del Mar, herein after CDM.
The CDM and Aruba Beach Club are absolutely beautiful. We stayed at the CDM-Ambassador. Great accommodations. My parents got the bedroom. Hubby and I got the sofa couch which was pretty comfortable.
Small kitchen but everything we needed to make breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast consisted of cereal or English muffins. Lunch was sandwiches and chips etc. Dinner was fried pork chops and yams etc. one night, spaghetti and hubby's secret sauce another night, Chicken stir fry another night.
PIZZA HUT pizza another night (which was better than home, must have been goat cheese or something, ha ha.). There was a blender for my frozen Pina Coladas that I made with Bacardi's help oh yeah and the VI Cruzan Rum which we brought with us. We used ice from the ice machine just down the hall from our room. I drank two in quick succession. Yum.
The beach at the CDM/ABC was beautiful. Very wide white sands dotted with grass huts. Turquoise waters. We mainly stayed on the ABC side though. In front of the CDM there were huge boulder like rocks near the water which prevented easy access to the water for swimming. Each morning at about 9 you would find mom and I near our hut plopped in the sun. The water was very refreshing, however, you had to tolerate a 5 foot walk across hard pebbles when you first enter the water but after this the water was very clear and the bottom sandy. The 3 pools that we could use were very nice too. Mom loved the wooden swing near the Ambassador's pool. She would rock in that day and night.
Need a car you ask?? I am glad we got a car for the week being first time visitors. Every afternoon we went exploring. We even went up and down some of the dirt roads.
Things to see and do: The California Lighthouse was nice. We took the car down the coast near here and took pictures of the rugged coast. The water hits the rocks pretty hard here making great photo ops. We went as close to the dunes as we dared to since we did not have a 4 wheel drive. This is also where we encountered our first carefree goat. We saws 100s after him during our trip. They were all over the island. Only saw one carefree donkey.
The Natural Bridge is definitely worth the trip for, if anything, the photo ops. This is where we encountered our first problem though. COMICAL ONE though. Hubby went about 15 feet from the edge of the cliff and all of a sudden a large WALL of water towered above him with no escape. The camcorder was a DUD after that. LOTS of DEW in the camera so it did not work. He was soaked and all I could do was laugh hysterically. We loved the lounging cat at the gift shop. We went to the Rock Formation. Got some great pictures. Loved the calico cat there too. The Alto Vista Chapel was quaint. (I think that is the name of it).
The BON BINI festival is a must for first timers. The singers and dancers were great and all for $3 per person. This is held EVERY Tuesday night at 6:30 at Fort Zoutman. The brass band the BAD BOYs was great there too. The Hyatt Regency was very pretty. The Ruinas Del Mar restaurant looked so beautiful. The Hyatt grounds are worth a quick 1/2 hour peek around. I have to be honest though I would not want to stay on Palm Beach at all. Eagle Beach is not as crowded and cooler.
DePalm Island looked like a waste of $8.00 per person ferry ride. I could have swam to it for free as it so close. Does not look like much to do over there either. No food or drink was allowed to go over there.
Played one round of 18 hole Adventure Golf. That was fun except I lost.
Found the beginning of the trail leading to the Natural Pool but no 4 wheel drive or horse. Charlies Bar is a MUST for 1st timers. Mom left her library card there. Someone from Scotia, NY, near where I live left his drivers license. Interesting place. Everyone leaves some thing behind on the wall ceiling etc. The Shrimp was great, bill was $75.00 for 4 shrimp lunches though.
Problems: You may find a sign pointing to a destination of where you want to go on the main highway but once off of the highway you are on your own. Perserverance and patience is in Order and a good co-pilot.
Gas is expensive. $20US for about a 1/2 tank.
Watch out for the cactus. Hubby got some needles stuck in his shoe when he was photographing a wild parakeet and did not watch where he was going.
GARBAGE!!!!! Do not get scared by this but they better do something about all of the garbage laying around. Lots of broken bottles, old tires, cans, liquor bottles etc. laying around the coastlines, especially the north coast. We went to the abandoned Gold Mine and this looked like a dump. On the dirt roads leading to the Natural Bridge etc., lots of broken bottles etc. This problem did NOT appear at the resorts though. THANK GOD.
CASINOS. The Crystal Casino was the prettiest. Better even than the Hyatt. Hubby won $350.00 on a .25 slot machine. He only played .50 and won. Could not believe it when I walked up to him and he said "go get me another bucket" and he already had a full one. The casino attendant then handed him 2 $100 bills or so. The Royal Cabana was nice too. Crowded!!! We watched a man lose $60 in less than a minute at the blackjack table. Glad it was not me. He kept getting like 15. That is hard!!! The Alhambra is convenient to Eagle Beach "dwellers".
Baby Beach is very pretty and great place to snorkel if you are beginner.
Is Aruba Expensive: If you want it to be. We went to the Pueblo alot and made our own meals. We did go out for one night. We went to the Chalet Suisse (thanks everyone for recommending). The food was great. However, our bill was $180 for 4 people and we each only had one drink and each had dessert. The drinks at the CDM are expensive. At the Best Western Manchebo next door it is cheaper to drink. Try a Summer Dream there. Dino will set you up. The Aruba Aribe's are very strong. Did not like.
Is it hot in Aruba?: Yes but the winds never stop and seem to cool you down.
Recommendations. getting car with A/C too. Really 4 wheel drives are not necessary. I am a fair haired blond - wore #20 on face and #15 everywhere else and came back with tan not burn. Layed in the sun for 1 hour during early morning every day.
One final comment mainly directed to CDM/ABC owners and renters, please say hello to BON BON in the lobby of the ABC for me. I made fast friends with him on my first day there. He is an African Parrot. Peach and Yellow. He loves to have his feathers rubbed especially on his head. I hope that all of you will keep me informed as to his/her well being. We asked for the name at the desk. forgot to ask if it was male or female.
We just returned from 8 great days in Aruba. We arrived in Aruba on Wed at 2:00pm. Drove to the hotel on DePalm tour bus, this was a nice touch, we got to watch a short video about the island on the ride to the hotel. Got to the hotel at 2:45, checked in went to check out the hotel. The hotel is a little dated, but the 7 and 8 floors have been remolded. We were on the 8th floor with a great ocean view. The bottom floors haven't had any work started on them. My advise to anyone that plans on staying at The Aruba Palm Beach ask for 7 or 8th floor very nice. The grounds we very lovely atmosphere was great and the staff was very pleasant and friendly. The hotel was very quiet not much going on compared to the other hotels in the hi- rise area. I would rate this hotel above avg., but not very fancy.
We were very tired from our trip so we went to the room awhile before we go to dinner and limbo show. Guess what ,we fell asleep and missed the show. We got up at 9:30 so we ran down to Seawatch restaurant. We had hamburger for $9.50 each. After we ate we
went to the Palm Casino. I played 25 cent roulette, well I started to, but the dealer and the relief person were fighting over the break schedule, so after one spin we left and we went to the Hilton. We won about $40.00 not bad for the first night so we left and went back to the hotel to go to sleep. For general info we heard that the Hilton is closing down with in the next 5 weeks.
Day 2 we spent most of the day at the beach. By the way our day doesn't start until 10:00 we are on vacation no need to get up too early if we don't have too. We ate breakfast at the hotel everyday for convenience purpose only plus the food was good. The avg. bill was $20.00 for the two of us.
As I was saying we spent most of the day on the beach, man is that wind something, but you get use to it after awhile. The beach was great not crowded at all. when a cruise ship come in the beach gets a little more people on it, but still not alot , must be the season. That is just fine with us. We used 30 sun block for the first 5 days with out any sun burn at all used oil with 4 sun block the last 2 days no burn but a great tan. Went to dinner at Tinklebones, what a blast. I would recommend this as a must for dinner and the show. The show was great with high energy throughout the whole show with participation from the customers. I give everyone a tip take your video cameras and record the whole show it is very good. They sell tapes of the show for $20.00 if you want to buy one. The hostess is very nice her name is Ezmaralda. My wife told her that she looks like Madonna and she was very flattered So if anyone goes to the show tell her she looks like Madonna and I bet you get great service or should I say greater service. For those who never been their just a little about the show all the waiters and waitress and even the cook sing and dance. The food was OK but the show was better we had steak and two drinks bill was $60.00 After dinner we went to the Radisson to try our luck in the casino we won only $20.00 still not bad.
Day 3 we went on the jeep tour. The tour was Eagle jeep tours, it was only $38. 00 per person. We all got a free hat at the start of the tour. They picked us up at our hotel at 8: 45 am and we didn't get back until 6:00. The tour was a different adventure. If you are looking for a off road tour this is it. After we stopped at the natural bridge we really went off road. You know the mountain on the right side of the bridge? We went straight up no big deal, until we got half way up and hit a big hole and stalled out and the jeep started rolling down the mountain. Most of the tour was up and down the mountain over rocksand big holes no roads just rocky trails. But once we got to the natural pool it was all worth the fears.
This place is great, this is a must see if you haven't been. We were able to in the pools our guide said that most of the tour will not let you swim. I didn't swim. I was videoing ,but my wife got to swim for awhile . The best part of the pool is when the surf crashes against the rocks and sprays into the pool. This is an unbelievable sight. So if anyone plans to do a jeep tour make sure it goes to the natural pool. We also stopped at baby beach to do some snorkeling this was great. Went we got home we were to tired to go to dinner so we had pizza at the hotel.
Day 4 Slept late, so what else is new. We went down town to shop. spent most of the day shopping, my wife loves to shop. Laid on the beach for awhile before dinner. We went to the Flame for dinner great steak. My wife got steak Diane and I got the filet and it melted in my mouth. They cooked my wife's steak at the table, this was neat. This is a must for dinner, bill came to $65.00 not bad at all.
After dinner we went to the Americana hotel for a show. Singing and dance show and a magic show. the magic show was very good, can't say much for the rest of the show. After the show we went to the casino and I won about $100.00 on 25 cents.
Day 5 over slept again so we decided to go to the DePlam island and make a day out of it. DePlam tours offers a 4hr tour for $18.50 but we decided to go on our own. I do not advise this.
Cab to the island $15.00 and $15.00 back home $13.00 per person to get on the island this included lunch and one drink. By doing it with out the tour it cost $56.00 and with the tour it would have only been $37.00 for two .What a mistake. Any way the snorkeling is out of this world , this is a must for beginners or experienced.
Went to Alhambra casino, but first we ate at the all you can eat in the little mall forgot the name but the food was great $38.00 for two drinks were extra. Back to the casino had good night won about $300.00. Lady in the booth in the mall asked if we would go to the Divi resort and check out the time share. She said if you go you get a free breakfast free t shirt and $100.00 in casino chips not match chips but $100.00 in chips. I told my wife for a free meal and $100.00 we can listen to someone talk for awhile.
Day 6 We got up and went right to the Resort to get my free $100.00 ,by the way the cab was free also .Well we got there and listen and looked and the more we listened the more we liked ,so we bought one.
After we left the Divi we went on the explorer semi sub this was pretty neat seeing all the different fish swimming by. I was OK until the boat started to rock I felt like I was going to get sick but I didn't thank God. $30.00 PER PERSON
For dinner we went to Chalet Suisse. Well what can I say that hasn't already been said about this restaurant. I thought the steak was good at the Flame but this place even better. the food was great the service was even better is a must restaurant. We both had steak one drink (soda) and dessert and the bill was $68.00 I thought this was very good. After dinner went to the Hyatt. This was a very nice hotel top of the line, anyway we broke even at the casino.
Day 7 We spent all day on the beach our last full day on the island and we wanted to get some more sun .Went to MAMA MIA's for dinner nice open air restaurant on the water. After dinner we went, your right, to the crystal casino, and we lost about $ 200.00 .Well I knew I was going to have a bad day sooner or later.
Day 8 We packed and left for home our flights were safe and smooth.
This trip was a celebration of our 16th anniversary, with our anniversary being June 16. We decided, therefore, it would be neat to return to the hotel where we spent our anniversary, the Manchebo Beach resort in Aruba. We hadn't really thought about Manchebo that much until we saw a story in Caribbean Travel and Life which named Manchebo as one of the 10 most economical best buys in the Caribbean. Another reason we had booked here was because we had a coupon for one free night during the week of our anniversary for life. We booked directly through the resort, paying $130 per night for an oceanview room with balcony.
For those of you who don t know our names, we do a lot of cruising, in addition to several land vacations to the Caribbean in the past few years. Therefore, those land lubbers among you will forgive our mention of cruise ships herein from time to time.
When we checked in, the lady at the front desk attempted to TAKE my card which said that we had a free room for life during our anniversary. I objected and she, rather grumpily, said she would have to make a copy of it, so she would have security return it to me, since it would take a while for the copier to warm up.
When we arrived in the room, having recently looked at the pictures from our trip 16 years ago, I was pleasantly surprised with the room. The room was fully tiled with a nice bathroom with relatively new fixtures, with complementary shampoo/conditioner and lotion, TV with remote (around 20 channels) a/c and ceiling fan, furnished in light rattan furnishings. There was a chest with 4 drawers a nightstand with another drawer, around 2 feet of hanging space, with several wooden hangers, with clips for skirts or shorts. There was a mini fridge and a key operated safe. The only negative was that the rooms apparently all have only 2 double beds. Sleeping in a king-sized bed at home, those double beds looked about the size of a twin!
We stepped out to our small balcony to check out the view. We looked straight ahead to the water and slightly off to the left for the bar and further off to the left for the pool and the indoor/outdoor restaurant. The indoor/outdoor restaurant served breakfast, lunch and dinner, the beach bar lunch, and there was also the French Steak house for dinner.
Manchebo Beach Resort is not for everyone but it suited our purposes for the long weekend perfectly. It s a small, two story hotel with around 70 rooms. It s a quiet place, with a great beach, lots of shade huts, and no place to rent jetskis, go parasailing, banana boats, etc. All those items are available down by the high rises, but not here at Manchebo. There was supposedly live entertainment every night at the resort after 8 P.M., but we were not often around the hotel at that time.
Upon arriving, we unpacked our stuff and headed out to check out the beach. It is a LONG way from the hotel to the water at Manchebo! Manchebo Beach advertises itself as having the widest sand beach in Aruba. Having confirmed that fact, we headed over to the bar to collect our free welcome drinks. The bar was deserted, except for one other couple.
We passed a couple of enjoyable hours enjoying the view and unwinding, and then decided to check out our surroundings more, walking across the street to the Alhambra Casino. Slots were open, but not many tables, so we left. We decided (Eric says I decided) to take a walk down to one of the other casinos, which I somehow thought were within somewhat easy walking distance. We finally ended up at the Hyatt, which I figured later was probably around 2 miles or so, which was not what I had really intended in the way of a short walk, but we did have a nice walk and enjoyed the sunset along the way, complete with a view of the Fascination, which sailed along with us down the beach, eventually disappearing into the sunset. We checked out a couple of casinos on the way, looking for the elusive $.25 roulette, and managing to miss the one place which did have it, which was the Aruba Palm Beach.
We ate at the Palms at the Hyatt. The meal was definitely in the OK range, but not worth the money. I had shrimp and chicken stir fry and Eric had prime rib. After dinner, we took a cab back to the Alhambra and I lost at roulette (.$.50 variety) and won big time on nickel slots. What a big spender! Since we were both tired, back to the hotel to bed before 11.
Friday we decided to eat the hot breakfast buffet at the hotel. Omelets (cooked to order), French toast, hash browns and pancakes, plus croissants, sweet rolls, lots of fruits and juices, for $8.95. The cold buffet was good also, at $6.00.
We had wanted to pick up some cokes at a price cheaper than the $1 each at the little mini-mart at our hotel, so we headed out Friday morning in search of some cokes and a few food items and a little shopping. I was disappointed to find no place relatively quickly with cokes for under $1 per can, but we did pick up a pineapple to take back to the hotel, along with a couple of subs from Subway, complements of a 2 for 1 coupon In one of the little books we picked up at the airport. We came on back to the hotel and bought some cokes there for $1 each to place in our refrigerator. We passed the grocery store on the way, but we didn't have a car and Eric didn't want to make a special trip in a taxi to go there, so we made do and generally did OK with the happy hour drinks at the hotel (2 for 1).
Shopping didn't take too long, so we were back to the hotel by 11 A.M. From there we spent a couple of hours on the beach, then had our sandwiches for lunch and headed back out for some more sun. Tough work. Around 5 we headed in for a shower before heading off to the happy hour at the bar.
We shared the bar with around a half dozen other folks, then decided to walk over to the Alhambra before dinner. Not much doing there and we lost some money before heading down to El Gaucho for dinner. El Gaucho lived up to it s billing here on $P$, with some great service and a great steak for me and a mixed grill platter for Eric, complemented by (what else??), an ARGENTENIAN bottle of wine. We finished up with some very South American (read STRONG!!) coffee. We finished dinner around 9:30, by which time, even in this slow season, there were people waiting to be seated for dinner.
Into a taxi from there, and on to $.25 roulette! Here on the BB, one fellow had stated that there was $.25 roulette at the Aruba Palm Beach, and he was perfectly correct. I had been very disappointed the night before to find no $.25 roulette at the Alhambra, therefore was pleased to find it at the Palm Beach. As things turned out for Thursday night and for most of the rest of the week, I guess they were pleased I found it also! Ah well, tomorrow is another day and another opportunity to win money. The Aruba Palm Beach also has $2 blackjack tables. It s pretty small and not particularly fancy but the dealers are friendly and the casino is very generous with drinks, even for me when I was only watching Eric play, and vice versa. We lost our share for the evening, then headed back to bed a little after midnight.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny and windy. Imagine that! (G!!) We headed down for the cold breakfast buffet at the hotel, which we shared with several birds and a large horde of ants. I came back and started on this trip report and then we headed out for a day of sun. We basically accomplished very little, other than the fact that I read about a third of a book and we each got a little darker, although no burns yet, despite spending from 10:30 to 4:30 on the beach, as we spent a good deal of time under one of the shade cabanas, and wore 15 sunscreen.
Lunch was at the Pega Pega Bar at Manchebo. Great cheeseburgers, fries and slaw for $5.75, plus some drinks and a great view of the aqua-blue waters. We spent the rest of the afternoon supine and resting up for a heavy evening in the casino.
Saturday evening we made our only major mistake of the week, with deciding to go to Twinklebones for dinner. I had heard several people here on the BB mention it and saw it in one of the magazines, so suggested we go there. Not at ALL our type of place and we left before the show. I think that we were slightly put off by the $5 INSTANT pictures in the little paper folder frame.
Having escaped from Twinklebones, we walked over toward the casinos and finally picked up a cab and headed over to the Aruba Palm Beach to lose a little money before heading back to bed.
Sunday during the day was kind of a repeat of Friday and Saturday and a precursor or Monday, (beach from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M.), except that we headed over to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. Eric wanted to buy the t-shirt that said Dunkin Donuts Aruba-- It s worth the trip!, but, fuddy-duddy that I am, I said no. We brought our donuts back to eat at the bar at the hotel (which wasn't open yet). I always aspired to eat my breakfast at the bar on a tropical island and got my wish here. We spent the rest of the day alternately basting ourselves with lotion in the sun, then heading back to the shade. Manchebo beach is the unofficial topless beach in Aruba. Since I am somewhat well- endowed upstairs, and I spent a good deal of my time sitting upright reading Gore Vidal s Empire, I got a somewhat interesting tan line that I hadn't ever had before, but I survived.
Two cruise ships, the OceanBreeze, as well as the Seawind Crown, are home ported in Aruba. Sunday evening we decided to head downtown to see if we could locate a crew member who we had become friends with when we sailed on the OceanBreeze a couple of years ago. As we suspected, he was now gone on to another ship. We were sad we didn't hook up with him, but not sorry we tried. We decided to check out Mama Mia s for dinner. We had a lovely dinner, gazing out at the two cruise ships in the harbor. I had tortellini in cream sauce and Eric had a spaghetti bolongnese. Wonderful. The only slightly sour note, which we managed to laugh through, was that our friend JOHN, I believe his name was, from Twinklebones, he of the $5 instant picture, showed up at Mama Mia's. Eric told him that we weren't interested in his pictures the night before and sure weren't interested tonight. I don t really think that he got it! (G!!) We listened to a little of the live music (which is supposedly a nightly occurrence here) and headed down to the casino, then back home around 12:30. Somehow, each night we kind of ran out of gas around 12:30 and we had the same taxi driver at least two nights.
This is as good a place as any to put in a word about the taxis in Aruba. We did not bother to rent a car and decided not to fool with the bus, which was $1 PP to town, as opposed to $5 for the whole TAXI to town. Taxis in Aruba are very reasonable. Taxi fare down to town was $5, to the Aruba Palm Beach also $5, unless it was after 12 midnight, when there was an extra $1 surcharge. We also found them to be exceedingly prompt when summoned. I think that the absolute longest that we ever waited for a taxi from the hotel was maybe 3 or 4 minutes. All taxi drivers were very nice and polite and most all had a/c on, except (of course!) for the fellow who picked us up at the airport. He was pretty surly and had no a/c on, even though it was around 3 P.M. and pretty warm.
Monday was a pretty good repeat of Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with breakfast at the hotel, then beach from 10 to 5. The only really amusing note was that I was sitting reading the 10 page Aruba newspaper when I saw the story about the cruise ship Celebration (on which I have sailed TWICE), which stated that the Celebration had a fire onboard. Then, a page or two later, I saw where another cruise ship, the American Queen, had run aground on her inaugural voyage! We decided that this had been a bad week for cruise ships and that we were glad that we weren't on a ship this week!! (Of course, after we get home this week, another ship, the Star Princess, hit a rock in Alaska. Perilous times for ships!)
Around 5 we went in to the disagreeable task of beginning to pack, then we headed back out before sunset to take a few more pictures and drink down the sun to the horizon. After dusk, we walked over to the Bucuti Beach resort next door to the Pirates Nest restaurant for dinner. We had a nice dinner of red snapper for Eric and beef stroganoff for me. The best part of the meal was at the end when I told the waiter that we were headed home the next day. He asked if we wanted some match play coupons for the casino. I said Sure! , since I had been looking out for them all the time we had been there and had seen none to date. Match play coupons are all over the place in St. Marten and they had so far eluded me
1/CD-ROM REVIEW: VILLAS AND RESORTS OF THE CARIBBEAN BY PAUL GRA the Alhambra. We took them straight away to the Alhambra and I managed to be very lucky with roulette, with the second 18 coming in 6 times in a row, then switching to blackjack and being somewhat similarly lucky. I was playing a coupon every hand and I was waiting for them to tell me that I couldn't play any more coupons, but they didn't, and we walked out after about 20 minutes a lot richer than when we walked in. Of course, then we proceeded to get in a taxi and head down to the Aruba Palm Beach, to give most of it back!
Tuesday our plane didn't leave until 3 P.M., so we asked for, and got, extended checkout from the hotel, until 2 P.M. We had to go through Miami on the way home, and after a rain delay (G!!) there, plus an additional delay since they put our bags on the wrong carousel, we headed out to DCA and arrived in D.C. around 10:15 and finally home around 11:30.
In short, even though we didn't do many (or maybe even MOST!) of the things that Aruba has available, we had a wonderful, relaxing time. Just what we needed for the time we had available.
BAHAMAS: ABACO BY MARILYN DELOZIER
Just returned from Marsh Harbour and had a fantastic vacation. We stayed at Abaco towns by the sea. We exchanged our week of time share for this resort. We did have a few bad experiences with the room(s) First one already had an occupant, second one was not really cleaned and smelled mildewed, the third was on the beach and was really nice. We had a well stocked unit. We did have to wait until next day for extra linens, the room was short some towels. The grounds were well groomed and clean. The beaches were cleaned every other day.
We rented a 18' Boston whaler and toured around, fished and snorkeled. The water was beautiful next time however we will rent the 21' boat for a smoother ride, the waters got a bit rough from time to time. You could always find a nice sheltered beach to swim or snorkel. We caught grouper, mahi-mahi and drank lots of rum.
The rum is reasonable, beer is $30.00 a case. We did take alot of food with us after reading how high the prices were for the food. We would recommend that to everyone. Everything has to be brought over from mainland so all is expensive. Biggest laugh we got was a playmate cooler for sale $46.50. Unbelievable!
Eating out was expensive however we were never disappointed. Wally's is excellent! Cracked Conch and the conch fritters were wonderful, service is great and the drinks are at least double shots for only $4.5 they have new hours and asked if I would post for them, Tuesday through Saturday lunch 11:30 to 3:00 and dinner 6:00 to 9:00. Another good place was Mangoes, we had lunch there our last day, it was good.
Oh speaking of our last day, the villas had no electricity and no water pressure which made checking out and getting ready to go home a bit unpleasant. Needless to say the island attitude is very casual about such things. If you are easily agitated with such things do not go to the islands. The electric surcharge we paid was $65 for the week, this was unknown until we arrived. The rooms have no phone or TV. Take things to keep yourself entertained.
It is the perfect relaxation vacation for the person who wants to get away from it all! We couldn't even find a newspaper that wasn't 3 or more days old. The people are very nice and we felt very safe there unlike a trip we made to Nassau. This area has not yet been destroyed by tourism, it still is a bit remote but very enjoyable.
Just got back after 5 days and 4 nights.
The absolute best bargain on the island, if that's what you're looking for, is the Comfort Suites hotel. Rooms are all junior suites and are very nice; and they are $40-$50 less than the Atlantis. However, you still get all of the privileges at the Atlantis. The Comfort Suites is located right across the street from the Atlantis and we did not mind the short walk at all.
Our hotel had a very nice pool with a swim-up bar and one of the cheapest restaurant's on P.I. (open for lunch only). You are able to charge EVERYTHING at the Atlantis to your room at Comfort Suites. We did not opt for any meal plan; it's just a matter of preference. You could spend your entire vacation on P.I., but we like to sample various restaurants around the island.
Here is a rundown of some of the cheaper places: The Blue Marlin on P.I.: $10-$18
Hammerhead's Bar and Grill: $4-$11
Rock and Roll Cafe: $6-$15
Cafe Johnny Canoe: $10-$15
Hotel Restaurant's (generally): $15-$50
All prices are per person
We also ate at Seagrapes in the Atlantis (great buffet for $30/person) and Cafe Martinique ($100-$250, depending on desserts and wine. Entrees vary from about $30-$60 per person.)
Activities list:
Blue Lagoon Island Tour (to get to the dolphins): $29/person
Dolphin Encounter: $30/person
Dolphin Swim: $85/person
Parasailing: $35/ 5-7 minute ride
Jet skiing: $50-$60/half hour, depending on vendor
Aqua-cycle/paddleboats: $15/half hour
Comedy Club: $12.50/person cover, 2 drink minimum
Mopeds: $25/2 hours; $30/3 hours; $40/day
Coral Island: $18 to get there, activities extra
Hopefully, this will help. If there are any questions, please don't hesitate to reply or e-mail me. Let me just say that we did not see anything comparable to the Atlantis. It is truly an unbelievable place not to be missed. So, if you're going, and are watching the budget, stay at the Comfort Suites where you can have the best of both worlds. The Atlantis is simply indescribable.