Agree....The last time we were in Aruba was 7 years ago (our 5th trip there) and it was decent. It is a fine, clean, friendly place if you are in the need of a beach fix. We will be going back this year (July) because of the SBR issues. We will also be returning to Grand Cayman (also a SBR issue) which we loved last year. Are they the same or equal to St. Maarten? Nope...because they are NOT St. Maarten and each has their own identity and personalities. I found St. Kitts interesting but on the boring side....monkeys were cool but not sure if it's on my return list.
Kinda weird if you 'hate" Aruba because it's not the same as somewhere else ...maybe "not the same" would be more appropriate and accurate