Aruba Trip Report, 2021 – Part II

Last week, we reported on the impact of Covid-19 on our Aruba trip.  In this post, we’ll talk about what we did and give you some recommendations for traveling to the One Happy Island.

Since we missed visiting Aruba in 2020 (planned and cancelled six times!), we decided to stay for two weeks for the first time ever.  It was wonderful.  Instead of getting that “we’re leaving in four days” feeling by about Wednesday, we had the time to really unwind and get on island time.  You take what you can get, and we were fortunate to be able to spend two weeks in the sun.  Having been to Aruba several times, we also didn’t do a lot of sightseeing, but instead spent high quality time hanging at the beach and the pool.  That’s our idea of a great beach vacation.

Palm Beach, Aruba

One of our first posts, back on January 15, contained our recommendations for a trip to Aruba.  We won’t repeat that info, but instead, report on the highlights of our most recent trip.  First off, the weather was, surprisingly, a little below average.  It was more overcast than usual, and it actually rained on five different days. . .highly unusual!  The Aruban definition of rain isn’t so bad, however; more like a spritz that lasts one to three minutes.  Not enough to chase us in from the beach or pool, or keep us from getting a good tan.  It only rains about 18 inches per year on average, mostly in October through January.

Every Aruban we interacted with was a gracious host, and they’re very happy to welcome visitors back to their island home.  Well, perhaps with the exception of a taxi driver who was unhappy with the Covid rules and tried to convince me that eating dirt was more effective than any of the vaccines.  I was not convinced.  Most Arubans are eager to be vaccinated, and their program has begun, with a goal of fully vaccinating the island’s 90,000 adults by the end of summer.  Once that’s accomplished, perhaps they’ll change their slogan to “One Happy and Safe Island”.

Not too much has changed since our last visit in late February/early March 2019.  A few shops and restaurants have closed, most notably Iguana Joe’s downtown Oranjestad location, one of our usual lunch stops.  (Several Arubans told us that it’s just for remodeling; we hope that’s right).  A few other downtown jewelry stores are currently closed because they are very dependent on cruise ship traffic, of which there is currently none whatsoever.  Not to worry; we did our best to keep the surviving stores in business.  The selections are not as extensive as pre-pandemic, but there is still plenty to choose from.  And there are some very good deals to be had; it was a good time to find some nice bargains, especially for mid- to high-end women’s jewelry and women’s and men’s watches.

There are five big cruise ships docked at the port, including three from Norwegian Cruise Lines, but they are manned by skeleton crews that take them out for a quick shakedown about once a month to keep them shipshape.

We stayed at the Marriott Surf Club, located at the northern end of Palm Beach, in a two-bedroom villa on the 11^th floor, with an ocean and pool view.  Although it’s part of the Marriott Vacation Club, anyone can book accommodations through the Marriott website.  You can reserve anything from a studio (think:  hotel room) to a three bedroom unit.  Rates range from $256 to over $500 per night through the website, but if you’re staying for at least a week, you can get a better rate in several ways.  Contact us if you are interested and we’ll be glad to help.

The Surf Club is located on a beautiful stretch of beach, perfectly situated to celebrate each sunset of your vacation.

Unless you’re staying in a studio, you’ll have a full kitchen, living and dining room.  It’s perfect for families and provides a great home base for your Aruba visit.  In addition to the beach, where you can reserve a palapa free-of-charge, you can choose from three wonderful pools, including an adults-only “Serenity Pool.”  The two larger pools are connected by a lazy river, where you can float around and soak up the sun at your leisure.  The beautifully landscaped grounds are truly a desert oasis, and the staff does a great job of serving their guests. You can rent a car, book a sailing or jeep excursion, purchase groceries and other supplies or grab a meal to go or poolside. . .all onsite.  Although there are several great hotels, timeshares and vacation rental homes in Aruba, the Surf Club is always our first choice.

All of our favorite restaurants were open and we visited each of them at least once.  We found a couple of new spots that served quality meals as well.  Here’s where we dined, along with our favorites at each:

• Azzurro, J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 87, Palm Beach (located in the Playa Linda Resort)  https://www.giannisgroup.com/azzurro  Great Italian, second story dining right next to the beach.  Exceptional pastas, especially the Spaghetti al Formaggio Parmigiano, made tableside.

• Pincho’s Grill and Bar, L.G. Smith Blvd. #7 at Aruba Surfside Marina, Oranjestad http://www.pinchosaruba.com/  Set on a huge dock/patio on the water, with a huge menu.  Their seafood selection is delicious and second to none.  As our waiter said, “You’ll be back.”
• Quinta del Carmen, Bubali 119, Noord  http://www.quintadelcarmen.com/  Outdoor dining in a beautiful tropical courtyard setting.  The food is delicious, including several Dutch specialties, as well as superb shrimp, snapper and grouper entrees.  We went twice.  Plus, they sell Aruba masks!

• The Flying Fishbone, Savaneta 344 https://www.flyingfishbone.com/ This is one of our favorite restaurants in the world. Excellent seafood, served at tables right on the beach, with your feet in the sand.  Try to make a reservation a half hour before sunset.  Incomparable!
• Screaming Eagle, J.E. Irausquin Blvd 228, Eagle Beach https://screamingeaglearuba.com/  The unique attraction here is to be served in a bed, but that’s closed for now. They’ve moved outside to a large patio area, and the menu is first rate.  As you might expect, it offers one of the best wine lists we encountered.
• Yemanja Wood Fired Grill, Wilhelminastraat 2, Oranjestad https://www.yemanja-aruba.com/  Interesting menu with several healthy vegan and vegetarian options.  The wood fired grill imparts a great flavor, especially to the seafood dishes.
• Ike’s, J.E. Irausquin Blvd 55, Eagle Beach (located in the Manchebo Beach Resort)  https://www.ikesbistro.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=business_listing  Tremendous vegan and vegetarian menus, along with grilled fish and meats.  Saturday night is Local food night, featuring the best of local Aruban cuisine.  We missed that, but scored a reservation for Lobster night (Mondays), and the lobster dishes were excellent.

Mrs. E and daughter J at Papiamento’s poolside bar.

• Papiamento, Washington 61, Noord https://papiamentoaruba.com/  Poolside dining under the stars, with several entrees served on a hot stone (don’t touch it!).  This is one of Aruba’s oldest restaurants.
• Ruth’s Chris Steak House, L.G. Smith Blvd 101, Palm Beach (located in the Aruba Marriott Resort)  https://www.ruthschris.com/restaurant-locations/aruba-palm-beach/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=local-business-listing  I know, not exactly authentic Aruban.  But after a solid week of seafood and pasta, the carnivorous side took over and where can you get a better steak and impeccable service?
• Gianni’s, J.E. Irausquin Blvd 348, Palm Beach https://www.giannisgroup.com/giannis  Sister to Azzurro, solid Italian menu also featuring grilled steaks, chops and seafood.

• Hadicurari, on the beach between Marriott Surf Club and MooMba Beach, Palm Beach  https://www.yummyaruba.com/restaurants/hadicurari  Good menu, good food, tables on the beach.  A little more casual than most of the above, with good service.  Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a great second story bar.

A few more recommendations:

• Go to Eduardo’s Beach Shack (on the beach near the Playa Linda Resort in Palm Beach) for a healthy breakfast bowl or smoothie.
• We highly recommend lunch at Bugaloe’s Beach Bar, located at the end of the DePalm Pier on Palm Beach, near the Riu Palace hotel. It’s the quintessential dive bar, with decent dive bar food and 360 degree ocean views.
• For happy hour or a nightcap, MooMba Beach Bar & Restaurant, J.E. Irausquin Blvd 230, Palm Beach (on the beach between Marriott Surf Club and the Holiday Inn).   Not quite as hard partying in the era of 9pm curfews, but this is consistently rated one of the best bars in the Caribbean.

Street art in San Nicolas, Aruba.  Photo credit:  RebelOne.de

• If you rent a car (and you should, at least for three days), take a drive down to Aruba’s second city, San Nicolas, where you can find good local food and some terrific street art.   You can book a  1.5 hour walking tour of what used to be their “zone of tolerance” through the Aruba Art Fair association.  Bring your bathing suit and spend a couple of hours at beautiful Baby Beach, under the watchful eye of the now-closed oil refineries.
• You have to drink at least one Balashi beer, Aruba’s finest, and buy a T-shirt or hat to commemorate the occasion.  Promise us.

• Take a sunset cruise with Red Sail Sports,   A wonderful way to end a sun-kissed Aruban day, with rum drinks included.

When you decide to go to Aruba, email us at phil@theexceptionaltraveler.com, or leave us a comment below and we’ll be happy to answer any additional questions you have.  We don’t think you can go wrong with a visit to the One Happy Island!