Aruba Questions

[wesp]

Anyone have any advice, handy travel tips, etc. for Aruba? DW and I decided against the Spa at the Reniassance so we're looking for something else.

 

Is there a public beach in Aruba like Chakanaab Park at Cozumenl? We were able to rent chairs, etc. at that beach and had a nice stay.

 

In a different direction, is there much to see and do in town on our own? Can you get around on foot or do you need to get a cab from the pier to downtown?

 

Many thanks.

 

Wesley

[6rugrats]

There is a lot of information, just in the threads on the front page of this forum. Try looking through them and see if you find the answers to your questions.

[StanandJim]

Anyone have any advice, handy travel tips, etc. for Aruba? DW and I decided against the Spa at the Reniassance so we're looking for something else.

 

Is there a public beach in Aruba like Chakanaab Park at Cozumenl? We were able to rent chairs, etc. at that beach and had a nice stay.

 

In a different direction, is there much to see and do in town on our own? Can you get around on foot or do you need to get a cab from the pier to downtown?

 

Many thanks.

 

Wesley

 

FYI the town of Oranjestad is getting to be less and less of an attraction. All of the "action" is up at Palm Beach these days.

 

Most of those "you find them on every island" shops and restaurants have closed their Oranjestad branches and moved up to the high rise area.

[Arubalisa]

Is there a public beach in Aruba like Chakanaab Park at Cozumenl? We were able to rent chairs, etc. at that beach and had a nice stay.

Eagle Beach, Palm Beach or Other??

Can you get around on foot or do you need to get a cab from the pier to downtown?

You can easily walk from the pier to the main street.

http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=12.5197512&lon=-70.0399661&z=18&l=0&m=b

[BoPippy]

When u get a day pass at the Amsterdam r u allowed to use the restaurants,bathrooms,and pool area like we did at the Raddisson last year? :)

[bntacruising]

Hello ArubaLisa. My wife and I are lovers of Aruba. We go for 2 weeks in July every year. I'm used to reading your posts with Andrea on Aruba.com.

Good to see you on here. Didn't know you were a cruiser as well.

[bluesea4me]

Ok, I do not have a question, but I do have a little bit of information and opinions on Aruba. I may be posting this in the wrong area, but I always see so many questions that I thought I'd put my two cents in. First, listen to Aruba Amy because her ideas helped me plan my vacation in Aruba. Thank you!!:D

My husband and I were in Aruba for a week this past July. What a beautiful island. I'll try to be brief, but thorough. There are taxi's on the island. Cost, I'm not sure sorry as we rented a car.

Shopping---There are a few outdoor shops along the sidewalk near the port. We never stopped at these because the area always seemed busy and across the street from the port there are more upscale shops like those we would find in the states and a few restuarants both quick and long. ( I can recommend many in this area and others....just let me know what you want.) I'm not rich, so we didn't bother. If you are in port on a Saturday or Sunday, to the left of the port, a mile or so down, there is a flea market where they set up tables and items from clothes to trinkets, and beautiful oil paintings under tent canopies. You can bargain for a better price and use US money. You must get the ribs they are selling. Only order one meal because 2-3 people can eat it and my husband and I are big eaters. There are also a few other shops/mini mall in the area. Down further to your left, which is really north, is another grouping of buildings that they call a mall, with unique stores and several restaurants. This area appears dead during the day, but is where EVERYBODY goes at night! Truly different...a mall and area that is quiet during the day but WOW busy at night. I'm sure there are other places on the island...and there are as we went on every road, but those are your closer groupings.

Snorkeling----Don't plan on snorkeling on the western side. The ocean waves are violent and this side of the island is for windsurfing (and drowning in my opinion). You have several choices for the rest of the island. At the northern western most point, you have Malmok Beach.....15 minutes for the port.....tops. Very clear--if I can figure out how to post a pic I will! I LOVED Malmok! Here and Baby Beach were the clearest! (Watch out for sand burs though!) There is virtually no waves here either. Malmok is one of the stops where all of the snorkeling tours stop. I saw several varieties of fish and the water was SO CLEAR! No beach chairs or rentals, just two or three of those canopy structures made of palm leaves. Also, no beverage carts, etc. Just south of Malmok, (touching Malmok) is an area where they say you can opt to wear a top. Their is also a ship in this area you could snorkel to. (BTW, Malmok is north of the Marriott). Not to many people, and to enter the water you must walk down a small hill (5-10 feet and NOT steep). We stayed at Divi Phoenix, and the water is clear here, but seems clouded due to the jet ski and boat activity. We snorkeled there once, and that was it. There is a large public beach area south of Divi Phoenix. (Middle western side of the island.) I can't remember the name of it at the moment, Eagle I believe it is. Very busy and I can't vouge for the snorkeling there. Baby Beach, this is the second place we snorkeled while we were there. 30-35 minutes from the port. (I'd keep the taxi waiting or schedule a pick up because this is somewhat remote.) Baby beach is beautiful as well and protected by a levy on one side. The other side, believe it or not, has an oil refinery. I just looked to the left :biggrin: Roger's Beach, is in between Baby and the oil refinery. Baby beach is located on the southern point of the island. (I should add that it is in an alcove and the refinery is on one of the other points and DON'T let that deter you. It's a beautiful beach as well.) No hill entry and lounge chairs for rental. Although this was not a nude/topless beach, I came back in from snorkeling and there was someone here with no top on. I'm sure my hubby enjoyed it! :camera: Here, I saw alot of the same fish and a few more plus an eel. In between the two levies is spectacular. There is an opening where you can swim against the current and see SO MANY SCHOOL of fish coming at you. Exhilarating! Alot of people brought bread to feed the fish. Someone else I saw had peas in a plastic container and WOW! I thought I'd give it a try to and off to the store we went. I tried it at both beaches and it worked great. I must ad that there is a small food/beverage cart and bbq at this beach as well. The beach is free, loungers/sun covers are extra. As for which beach I would go to again...hmm....because I saw an eel and there is more coral clumps Baby Beach, especially the schools of fish. As for less people and a little clearer, Malmok. Avid snorkelers would probably prefer Baby.

Sites----there are so many! The natural bridge on the mid-western coast of the island has collapsed, but there is a smaller one as well and a trinket shop/restaurant/bathroom. There is also a gold smelting building you can tour for free in the same area just north of the bridge. Very remote areas on the mid-south western part of the island. There is also a national park, it was free when we went. Not much to see in July, but they are working on it. We took some excellent photos on the coast in this park. Would I go back to this area? NO, unless my kids were with and I wanted to go check out the caves in the park. We went to both and they were pretty cool. One of them had sunlight flowing through about 100 feet in and then you had the choice to go five or six different directions to explore further. Of course, I made sure to pack two flashlights, and then, of course, left them in the room! I was VERY dissapointed. No one was in the cave but us. Yes, there are a couple of bats.....I'm not gonna lie, not being able to see into a couple of those holes/walkways was very scary! I can honestly say I walked out of the cave faster than how we entered and it wasn't because we knew the way. The caves were free, but of course, a tip for the person explaining the history could be given. BTW, I loved the way they used stones instead of parking lines in the parking lot near the coast. The donkey refuge----central part of the island. I couldn't wait to go here, I thought it would be cool for me (don't plan on petting them like they're in a cage). They won't hurt you, but you are there at your own risk. I must say alot of people were here with kids. I had read that people brought carrots, celery, and the like for them. The owners are fine with it if you decide to. But, I will warn you, hide it UNTIL you are SAFE on the porch of the little building! Dumby me thought, O how cute, they walk right next to you (no barriers except the fence for you to get out). Since this ONE donkey was near me and I thought it looked sad, I decided it was deserving enough to get one or two of my carrots. OH MY WORD! Before I could even pull the bag out from under my arm I had 5 around me and one was growling. Did you know a donkey could growl? I didn't see that on Shrek! Then another started growling one started to nudge, so he turned to buck and I was behind him! SCARY! I was freaking out and ready to bawl like a baby. My husband found it slightly humorous that I was acting that way, but was still concerned about my predicament. Of course, now we've attracted the attention of about 30 donkeys, some of which came running. I finally weazled my way to the shelter/house area to get on the porch. PHEW! Ok, I think I lost track of the purpose here......sorry. Anyway, they do sell veggies and bread for $1 a piece, but they were sold out when we were there in the very early pm. They also have where you can purchase a bale of hay to feed them and take it out yourself and purchase donkey shirts and trinkets, etc. Would I go here again, yes, with my kids. It is an experience, plus the drive out there and inside the sanctuary. Cactus everywhere...it was a cactus forest. I teased my husband about trying to play hide n seek. NO WAY!

There are rock formations as well. We stopped there too. Would I do it again? I dont think so.....because ive seen them once, but they were pretty neat. Drove by the Ostrich, didn't stop. Went to a tiny Catholic church by the western side, it was BEAUTIFUL. This would be a great place to get married! A man and his wife were selling religious things. I would go here again just because of the view. There is a free tour of the Aloe Vera plant, that was interesting as it gave the history of the island and why Aruba came to farm Aloe. Kids would hate it. I'm sure there is more that I'm forgetting, but my ideas are depleted at the moment. :(

I'll try to figure out how to add pictures, or you can try to message me and I can email them as it would probably be easier. I loved Aruba, but, I also love the beach!

[6rugrats]

Looks like some good information, but without breaking it up into paragraphs, it's too hard to read.

 

You can't message on this board.

[bluesea4me]

OK, I've never posted pictures on here, and my pictures are not on a website at an html, but on my computer. If you would like to explain how to insert them, I could try. Sorry about the paragraphs...I didn't think about double spacing and indenting. I simple hit enter. OOPS I guess that's what you get when I write off the top of my head quickly. I'll keep that in mind if I post longer items again. ;)

[kenorus]

what is happening to aruba. We rent a condo from a lady who was just there and said it rained for two weeks straight!! and is to continue to rain. I am going in january for 1 month and hoping for no rain!!! Love t o see the cruise ships come in.

[schmoopie17]

I'll try to be brief, but thorough.

 

Thanks for being brief...;)

But you were thorough.

[Arubalisa]

what is happening to aruba. We rent a condo from a lady who was just there and said it rained for two weeks straight!! and is to continue to rain. I am going in january for 1 month and hoping for no rain!!! Love t o see the cruise ships come in.

http://www.meteo.an/index.asp Meteorological Service of Curacao (serving Aruba)

"Rainfall Outlook for the Last Quarter of 2010

 

Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) in the tropical Pacific Ocean have decreased in the meantime (August 2010) to below average values (La Niña conditions) and that has already lead to above average values of rainfall in the ABC Islands. In the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, the sea surface temperatures are already at above average levels and the outlook is for these higher than normal temperatures to persist throughout the remainder of 2010. This is forecast to result in a good chance of significant rainfall for both the ABC and the SSS islands during the second half of 2010, including this rainy season (October-December).

 

Last updated: October 4, 2010."

[kenorus]

well here is hoping for a dry january and february for aruba!!!!!:D

[Hatteras51]

well here is hoping for a dry january and february for aruba!!!!!:D

It's been raining like crazy since Sept. I hope it ends soon, although I hear they really got drenched yesterday. We are going in Feb. and praying for sunny skies!

[wesp]

My wife and I used the facilities at Amsterdam Manor on our recent cruise. We took the Number 10 public bus for $2.30 each round trip and paid $10 each for beach chair, towel and umbrella. The surf was decent and the facilities clean and well cared for. There was food and bar service available, but we did not buy anything. Jet skis were available for rent. All in all it was a bargain and a great location. The bus terminal is a short walk from the pier and they accept US$ cash fare. Ask for a return ticket when you board.

 

I contacted the hotel ahead of time and was told no advance reservations were necessary. We paid our admission of $10 each in cash dollars to at beach attendant and never had to cross the road to the hotel.

 

We had great weather in Aruba, but rain in Cartagena, Panama, and Costa Rica. In Panama and Costa Rica, the skies cleared after we drove inland from the Caribbean coast. All of the guides said the rainy season would end within a few days after we left (Dec. 1). :(

 

Wesley

[Arubalisa]

"Rainy season" is "supposed" to generally end mid January. :cool: My fingers and at this point, toes, are crossed for everyone that this rain finally ends! :)

[excruisestaff]

Ok, I do not have a question, but I do have a little bit of information and opinions on Aruba. I may be posting this in the wrong area, but I always see so many questions that I thought I'd put my two cents in. First, listen to Aruba Amy because her ideas helped me plan my vacation in Aruba. Thank you!!:D

My husband and I were in Aruba for a week this past July. What a beautiful island. I'll try to be brief, but thorough. There are taxi's on the island. Cost, I'm not sure sorry as we rented a car.

Shopping---There are a few outdoor shops along the sidewalk near the port. We never stopped at these because the area always seemed busy and across the street from the port there are more upscale shops like those we would find in the states and a few restuarants both quick and long. ( I can recommend many in this area and others....just let me know what you want.) I'm not rich, so we didn't bother. If you are in port on a Saturday or Sunday, to the left of the port, a mile or so down, there is a flea market where they set up tables and items from clothes to trinkets, and beautiful oil paintings under tent canopies. You can bargain for a better price and use US money. You must get the ribs they are selling. Only order one meal because 2-3 people can eat it and my husband and I are big eaters. There are also a few other shops/mini mall in the area. Down further to your left, which is really north, is another grouping of buildings that they call a mall, with unique stores and several restaurants. This area appears dead during the day, but is where EVERYBODY goes at night! Truly different...a mall and area that is quiet during the day but WOW busy at night. I'm sure there are other places on the island...and there are as we went on every road, but those are your closer groupings.

Snorkeling----Don't plan on snorkeling on the western side. The ocean waves are violent and this side of the island is for windsurfing (and drowning in my opinion). You have several choices for the rest of the island. At the northern western most point, you have Malmok Beach.....15 minutes for the port.....tops. Very clear--if I can figure out how to post a pic I will! I LOVED Malmok! Here and Baby Beach were the clearest! (Watch out for sand burs though!) There is virtually no waves here either. Malmok is one of the stops where all of the snorkeling tours stop. I saw several varieties of fish and the water was SO CLEAR! No beach chairs or rentals, just two or three of those canopy structures made of palm leaves. Also, no beverage carts, etc. Just south of Malmok, (touching Malmok) is an area where they say you can opt to wear a top. Their is also a ship in this area you could snorkel to. (BTW, Malmok is north of the Marriott). Not to many people, and to enter the water you must walk down a small hill (5-10 feet and NOT steep). We stayed at Divi Phoenix, and the water is clear here, but seems clouded due to the jet ski and boat activity. We snorkeled there once, and that was it. There is a large public beach area south of Divi Phoenix. (Middle western side of the island.) I can't remember the name of it at the moment, Eagle I believe it is. Very busy and I can't vouge for the snorkeling there. Baby Beach, this is the second place we snorkeled while we were there. 30-35 minutes from the port. (I'd keep the taxi waiting or schedule a pick up because this is somewhat remote.) Baby beach is beautiful as well and protected by a levy on one side. The other side, believe it or not, has an oil refinery. I just looked to the left :biggrin: Roger's Beach, is in between Baby and the oil refinery. Baby beach is located on the southern point of the island. (I should add that it is in an alcove and the refinery is on one of the other points and DON'T let that deter you. It's a beautiful beach as well.) No hill entry and lounge chairs for rental. Although this was not a nude/topless beach, I came back in from snorkeling and there was someone here with no top on. I'm sure my hubby enjoyed it! :camera: Here, I saw alot of the same fish and a few more plus an eel. In between the two levies is spectacular. There is an opening where you can swim against the current and see SO MANY SCHOOL of fish coming at you. Exhilarating! Alot of people brought bread to feed the fish. Someone else I saw had peas in a plastic container and WOW! I thought I'd give it a try to and off to the store we went. I tried it at both beaches and it worked great. I must ad that there is a small food/beverage cart and bbq at this beach as well. The beach is free, loungers/sun covers are extra. As for which beach I would go to again...hmm....because I saw an eel and there is more coral clumps Baby Beach, especially the schools of fish. As for less people and a little clearer, Malmok. Avid snorkelers would probably prefer Baby.

Sites----there are so many! The natural bridge on the mid-western coast of the island has collapsed, but there is a smaller one as well and a trinket shop/restaurant/bathroom. There is also a gold smelting building you can tour for free in the same area just north of the bridge. Very remote areas on the mid-south western part of the island. There is also a national park, it was free when we went. Not much to see in July, but they are working on it. We took some excellent photos on the coast in this park. Would I go back to this area? NO, unless my kids were with and I wanted to go check out the caves in the park. We went to both and they were pretty cool. One of them had sunlight flowing through about 100 feet in and then you had the choice to go five or six different directions to explore further. Of course, I made sure to pack two flashlights, and then, of course, left them in the room! I was VERY dissapointed. No one was in the cave but us. Yes, there are a couple of bats.....I'm not gonna lie, not being able to see into a couple of those holes/walkways was very scary! I can honestly say I walked out of the cave faster than how we entered and it wasn't because we knew the way. The caves were free, but of course, a tip for the person explaining the history could be given. BTW, I loved the way they used stones instead of parking lines in the parking lot near the coast. The donkey refuge----central part of the island. I couldn't wait to go here, I thought it would be cool for me (don't plan on petting them like they're in a cage). They won't hurt you, but you are there at your own risk. I must say alot of people were here with kids. I had read that people brought carrots, celery, and the like for them. The owners are fine with it if you decide to. But, I will warn you, hide it UNTIL you are SAFE on the porch of the little building! Dumby me thought, O how cute, they walk right next to you (no barriers except the fence for you to get out). Since this ONE donkey was near me and I thought it looked sad, I decided it was deserving enough to get one or two of my carrots. OH MY WORD! Before I could even pull the bag out from under my arm I had 5 around me and one was growling. Did you know a donkey could growl? I didn't see that on Shrek! Then another started growling one started to nudge, so he turned to buck and I was behind him! SCARY! I was freaking out and ready to bawl like a baby. My husband found it slightly humorous that I was acting that way, but was still concerned about my predicament. Of course, now we've attracted the attention of about 30 donkeys, some of which came running. I finally weazled my way to the shelter/house area to get on the porch. PHEW! Ok, I think I lost track of the purpose here......sorry. Anyway, they do sell veggies and bread for $1 a piece, but they were sold out when we were there in the very early pm. They also have where you can purchase a bale of hay to feed them and take it out yourself and purchase donkey shirts and trinkets, etc. Would I go here again, yes, with my kids. It is an experience, plus the drive out there and inside the sanctuary. Cactus everywhere...it was a cactus forest. I teased my husband about trying to play hide n seek. NO WAY!

There are rock formations as well. We stopped there too. Would I do it again? I dont think so.....because ive seen them once, but they were pretty neat. Drove by the Ostrich, didn't stop. Went to a tiny Catholic church by the western side, it was BEAUTIFUL. This would be a great place to get married! A man and his wife were selling religious things. I would go here again just because of the view. There is a free tour of the Aloe Vera plant, that was interesting as it gave the history of the island and why Aruba came to farm Aloe. Kids would hate it. I'm sure there is more that I'm forgetting, but my ideas are depleted at the moment. :(

I'll try to figure out how to add pictures, or you can try to message me and I can email them as it would probably be easier. I loved Aruba, but, I also love the beach!

 

 

Wow, thanks Ali for sharing your Aruba experience! We have a private tour set up in Aruba in which we included a stop at the Donkey Sanctuary as our kids love animals of any kind. Sounds like they won't be disappointed! We're leaving the Ostrich Farm to see in Curacao though, because we adults need to have our stops as well ;) Thanks again for sharing!

 

MH

[bluesea4me]

i just noticed my post.....the eastern side of the island is rough and the western is not. I repeat.....snorkel and swim on the left side (western) side of the island!!! The southeastern is where they do the windsurfing. google map the island and see where malmok is, etc. i can't believe i did that.......sorry!!!!:o The kids were bugging me that night.:mad:

[Arubalisa]

i just noticed my post.....the eastern side of the island is rough and the western is not. I repeat.....snorkel and swim on the left side (western) side of the island!!! The southeastern is where they do the windsurfing. google map the island and see where malmok is, etc. i can't believe i did that.......sorry!!!!:o The kids were bugging me that night.:mad:

Thanks for the clarification. ;) Kitesurfing and windsurfing is most popular at the fisherman's huts north of the Marriott as well as on the southeast coast at Boca Grandi.

[Milwaukeeee]

Went to a tiny Catholic church by the western side, it was BEAUTIFUL. This would be a great place to get married! A man and his wife were selling religious things. I would go here again just because of the view. There is a free tour of the Aloe Vera plant, that was interesting as it gave the history of the island and why Aruba came to farm Aloe. Kids would hate it. I'm sure there is more that I'm forgetting, but my ideas are depleted at the moment. :(

 

If you have "more" to add, please do. This was a fun read...and yes, very thorough.

Regarding the church on the wester side....I'd lik to see this and then find the Aloe Vera plant. Is it doable with a taxi ride? How far from the cruise ship pier? It was enjoyable to read about something beside snorkelig....thanks.

[bluesea4me]

If you have "more" to add, please do. This was a fun read...and yes, very thorough.

Regarding the church on the wester side....I'd lik to see this and then find the Aloe Vera plant. Is it doable with a taxi ride? How far from the cruise ship pier? It was enjoyable to read about something beside snorkelig....thanks.

 

HI neighbor! (Lake G here) Ok, to get to either you will need a taxi. Especially the church. The aloe vera plant is somewhat in town (on the edge of the city). It is East North East on the island...West to North West of the pier. This tour takes about an hour because of the short film and small area to view history of how it all came about on the island and then they take you to a couple viewing windows. If your lucky they may be harvesting so you can see the process. It is not a large facility so don't expect GM or HD. You could have a taxi drop you off, make sure they are doing tours before he/she leaves, and you can ask them to come back in an hour or so, or they might be able to call you a taxi. This may be a 10 minute ride at the most. 5 in some instances depending on traffic (they were working on the roads in July and their system for rerouting was block the road and now your on your own....have fun! :eek: LOL :D

 

As for the church, it is called Chapel of Alto Vista....six pews inside. Have a taxi take you up there and wait. You won't be spending more than half an hour there even with a few photo ops. Unless your a professional...then maybe an hour. Either way, have a taxi WAIT as you are in the middle of nowhere. Imagine a church way out in the boonies that everyone had to ride to in the olden days---like Laura Ingalls. Very doable on a cruise stop. Approx. travel time to this from the pier is 30 min. or so. If you go to a site called visit(name of island) com you can see a small photo of it. No inside pictures though, and I don't think it shows the beauty of the area. I'd like to renew my vows there. They do hold mass their on Saturday evenings at 6 I think it is.