Aruba in January 2008

Let me begin by labelling this trip a "Disaster in Paradise." Like so many shipwrecks scattered around the pristine waters of the island, this vacation sank before it even started. Why? Because I got sick dammit! I had just started a new job, was very excited to be able to sneak away for a few days to some place exotic, and then wham... the whole office gets the sniffles, and the flu and the terrible cold that I picked up very quickly. The day before my trip I had to take a sick day because the things got so bad, and the feelings for the trip didn't change much, the trip was doomed.

The whole reason for the trip was a soon to expire Jet Blue award flight. Just like the last one I used for Las Vegas, this one I had to redeem in a hurry because of the silly expiration dates assigned to them from Jet Blue. Luckily, all those Jet Blue promotions paid off dividents, as I was able to use several special offers to pay for the entire fare. First, I used the old 20 points, $50 off future trip to cover the taxes. Then another promo popped up to earn another 20 points just for redeeming an award, its like Jet Blue was targeting me personally with their marketing department. The flight down to Aruba and back was very much empty. I had row 5 all to myself, across the entire eisle, ABCDE were empty, I was in F window seat. Similarly on the return I had row 3 all to myself.

Upon arrival, I went across the street from the terminal to pick up my rental. I rented with Budget as they participated in the discount program I am part of and had the best deals on Toyota Yaris. The car I got was an older model, a 2006 with 30k kilometers on the clock. Obviously, the car wasn't very new. It was a stick shift, and I was looking forward to getting to drive it around the one happy island. Unfortunately about two miles from the airport it started to shake and rattle very badly from the engine compartment so I took it back. Once I presented my case to the Budget customer service rep, they advised me that they were all sold out and that they'd be happy to give me a refund if I didn't want to take the car... Go figure! I asked them to mark my contract with the new problems I experienced and took the damn car to my hotel. Needless to say I tried to avoid driving it as much as I could for the rest of the stay.

The hotel I chose was about a mile north of the Palm Beach high rises in Malmok. It was a one story structure right on the beach and L.G. Smith Blvd. It was quite impressive with a full kitchenette, microwave and fridge. I even got to utilize the pool and jacuzzi. But the main attraction was the beach which required a drive down to the Marriott to use their cabanas. The highlight of the trip was the guided tour of the island with ABC tours, and their Jeep Safari. This was great! I had them pick me up at the Marriott Aruba Ocean Club bright and early at 8am. We went to their headquarters near Oranjestad, signed a release, and off we went in a beautiful Land Rover Defender 110. The trip was well worth the money. We started out with the California Lighthouse at the northern tip of the island and worked our way down to Baby Beach on the southern tip. I said a little prayer for the family at the little church on the hill. Saw the collapsed Natural Bridge, got my toes wet at the Natural Pool, and bounced around the vehicle while offroading towards the Ostrich farm. Finally, I snorkled for the first time at the Baby Beach and it was fantastic.


The last day in Aruba went by very quickly, and I was stupid enough to listen to people who said I had to be at the airport 3 hours before the flight! Why? I cleared customs in 5 minutes and spend the rest of the time at the bar drinking really expensive beer. One purchase I didn't regret was some dutch yogurt at the King Hong supermarket. I actually went there again just to buy some more. I also got some Aruba Florin currency for a souvenier there. I didn't really go out much during my stay in Aruba and all the food was purchased at this supermarket on the first day. I did hit the giftshop at the Marriott and got some good stuff for the family there. But because I was sick I really feel I didn't take advantage of much on the island. One thing I do regret was making a phone call with my cell phone and using a credit card to do it. The infamous BBG communication scam got me like many other people traveling abroad and I already plan to file a chargeback for the $10/minute phone calls!


Anyway, final impressions of Aruba, its a place in love with America! Even their airport consists of two facilities the USA departures and Non-USA departuress, why not International? I don't know... The target tourist of Aruba are senior citizens and there were a ton of them, especially Russians. There were some French and German tourists at my hotel, but at the high rises, it was all old people. I would highly recommend though doing the ABC tour of the island, if not for that get away where I burned my scalp on the sun even after applying 30 proof sun block several times, I would regret taking this trip in the first place. Oh, and the country is still obsessed with the Fast and the Furioius... every other kid was racing around the many roundabouts around the country. Which naturally made me nervous and the damn Yaris would stall all the time as I'd release the clutch too quickly. It was sad!


Bon Bini...



Useful links:

Aruba: www.aruba.com

Sunset Beach Studios: www.arubabeachstudios.com

Budget Aruba: www.budgetaruba.com

ABC Tours: www.abc-aruba.com