Aruba Trip Report
May 18 – 21, 2007
Westin Aruba Resort

This was a short trip, no doubt about it. And this is a long report for a short trip. I’ve tried to put headings, so read what you want and discard the rest.

The purpose of this trip was a girl’s weekend, and as we have increasingly demanding lives (you know: husbands, kids, jobs) it had to be a short getaway. We found a great deal to Aruba and off we went.

We were coming from three different cities: Atlanta, Raleigh and Philadelphia. I took the direct Delta flight from Atlanta, and it was on time and fine both ways. We did have a rather rough ride back on Monday, May 21st, but other than that the flights were unremarkable. Both of my friends flew American (one via Miami, one via San Juan) and both flights were on time.

The Resort:

We stayed at the Westin through Hotwire. I’ve been to Aruba once before and spent a week at the Radisson. I knew the Westin wasn’t going to be as nice as the Radisson – and it wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, it was fine, but the Westin is not a four star property as it claims. The lobby lacks any “tropical” flair, the resort has a ton of concrete as opposed to lush landscaping, and the pool area has no shade until late in the day. The rooms were fine. We had an “even” numbered room overlooking the pool, ocean and Divi construction site. The room looked like the rooms on the website, with plasma TV, comfortable beds and a granite-tiled bathroom.

We did have a problem upon check-in. It took three trips to the front desk to get the right room (double instead of king), a room that wasn’t being cleaned, and a key that worked. We also had a problem with a beach waiter on our arrival day. We ordered some nachos at the bar and had no idea how long they would take to arrive. We told them we wanted our order at the beach and then they re-ordered them for us through a beach waiter. In the end, we would up with two orders and the beach waiter insisted we pay for them. He was quite rude and failed to understand there was a mistake. I tried to be nice, but I was pretty frustrated. I suspect a language barrier may have been the problem – in the end I refused to pay and life moved on.

Dining Experiences:

We ate all our breakfasts at Dunkin Donuts to save cash, and mainly had a light lunch at the Westin everyday. The pool bar food there is just okay. The iguanas at the Westin are quite aggressive and one jumped on my friend’s chair one day while she was eating. The ensuing reaction was hilarious. I got pictures of the handsome devil.

Cuba’s Cookin’ – I’d give it 3.5 stars out of 5. Located in downtown Oranjestad, this Cuban joint had pretty good food. I had the grouper with black bean soup, yellow rice and fried plantains. Food was delicious; atmosphere and service were just okay. We arrived a bit early for our reservation (about 20 minutes as we weren’t sure how long it would take us to get there) and the place was nearly empty. They still made us wait almost 30 minutes for our table. My friend asked for a Chardonnay, and we watched the bartender open a new bottle and pour her a glass. She tasted it and asked “is this Chardonnay?” because it didn’t taste like it to her. The bartender said yes and then showed her an almost empty bottle of Chardonnay, indicating that was the bottle he’d poured from. The label was a different color from the one we’d watched him open. This happened the same day as the Westin waiter fiasco, and we were too tired to argue. The entertainment was nice (singer and guitar). The place was never more than half-full. Though the food was good, I can’t say I’d ever go back if I found myself in Aruba again. Bill for all three of us was $95 with food (entrée only) and wine (excluding tip).

Gianni’s – I’d give it 4 stars out of 5. This Italian restaurant is in walking distance from the Palm Beach hotels, located across the street from the Radisson. We picked it on a whim (no reservations that night) and I was pleasantly surprised with both the service and the food. We ate outside and the atmosphere was lovely. This place was busy, the service very good, and the pasta dishes tasty. I had homemade pasta with tomatoes, onions and pancetta. Both my friends had the rigatoni with arrabiatta sauce. We started with a Caesar salad and bruschetta. Bill with 2 glasses of wine each and food came to about $93 (before added tip). Good value, I’d highly recommend.

Pincho’s – I’d give it 3.5 stars out of 5. On our last night, we wanted to eat waterfront, but didn’t want an early reservation. We also wanted to spend a reasonable amount. Our concierge recommended Pincho’s. The setting for this place is lovely. Soft blue light illuminates the water as you walk the long pier to the restaurant. The restaurant is set around a central bar and a live guitar player/singer plays soft music to set the mood. One tip: if you go, do NOT wear heels. That pier is a killer with heeled sandals on – the host certainly got a laugh out of us. We learned the hard way and ended up barefoot (the best way to be).

This place is near the airport, and it’s nice to see the planes coming and going. We were there around 8:00pm, so air traffic was light, but we got to see a few landings and heard the KLM take off (loud for about 15 seconds). Don’t be put off by this though – the setting is very romantic if that’s what you’re looking for. I started with the “Pincho’s Salad” – mix of beans, vegetables and pineapple. It was fresh and tasty. For dinner, I had the Creole Mahi Mahi with grilled vegetables and jasmine rice. The food was okay – my fish tasted a bit like seawater at times (so not too fresh) and the vegetables had a strange smoky flavor (from the grill I presume). However, the service was great as was the setting. I somewhat hesitantly recommend this place (just because the food wasn’t the best).

Overall perspective on dining: we really didn’t plan our dining in advance, and didn’t want to spend too much money. In the end, we accomplished that. My honeymoon dining experiences were much more memorable, but we ate a high end places (Papiamento, Madame Janette’s, some steakhouse downtown that I think may be gone, Sunset Grille, etc). I’m spoiled by French St. Martin, so the food in Aruba was just okay to me. You can get really great food, but like any place, be prepared to pay for it.

One strange thing was the pricing on bottles of wine. A glass was $5.00, but a bottle was $28.00. That didn’t jive to me. Usually, bottles are less. Consequently, we never purchased one after noticing this pricing oddity. Can anyone explain?

Westin Spa:

We got massages through the Westin spa. I wasn’t impressed with the facility at all. Very unorganized feeling at the front desk, the “locker rooms” were the very definition of basic and lacked any luxury at all (no towels, no products, no hairdryers), and the waiting area was filled with direct, bright sunlight and uncomfortable couches. We were off to a bad start. It got worse when they tried to put me and my friend together in the couple’s massage room. We’re they kidding? I said no and they somehow adjusted.

My massage, though, was good. My advice to people would be to spend a bit more money for an upscale spa like Larimar at the Radisson.

Nightlife:

Our nightlife consisted of two activities: going to the casino and then hitting the outside bar at the Hyatt. We loved that bar – it right behind the casino and has white couches and white “beds” to spread out on. The drinks were a bit expensive ($10 - $14) but they were very good and a very generous pour. I played blackjack at both the Westin casino and the Hyatt. I never really won very much ($40 here and there) but I also never lost. I still came home up a bit because of an $80 slot win at the Hyatt. I still think Aruba has the best casinos in the Caribbean, if that's your thing. The dealers are friendly, the machines actually pay out at times, and there's a festive atmosphere. I'm not sure what kind of regulations are in place, but table games seem more legit than in St. Martin for some reason.

Getting Around:

We took taxis. No car rental for us this time. Prices were reasonable, we only took one cab ride a day and walked everywhere else. It was nice not to hassle with directions and parking. One night we needed a few things and our cab driver took us to a “convenience store.” It was a very local place and we were a bit intimidated to go in at first (it was a fine place, just looked a bit “rustic” from the outside). Our cab driver said “no, I’m going with you” and proceeded to help us pick items out and pay. You don’t get that kind of friendliness many places.

Impressions on the Island:

As stated, I visited Aruba five years ago for my honeymoon. I loved the island on that trip. I loved it a little less on this trip, but still think it’s a nice getaway. The constant tradewinds are great, the water is beautiful, the wildlife is amazing. I love the desert, so I think the island itself is ruggedly beautiful. Most Arubans are unfailingly friendly and helpful, which goes a long way (see my cab driver story above). The people in Aruba appear to have a higher standard of living than other places I’ve visited in the Caribbean. The island is very “Americanized” which may turn some off.

For me, I describe Aruba as “easy.” We more regularly visit St. Martin/Anguilla, and getting around is more of a challenge there. You typically have to drive to the beach, drive to restaurants, deal with a currency difference, etc. In Aruba, it’s not like that. It’s flat, it’s walkable, it’s familiar. When my husband and I have children, we will return to Aruba. It seems like a great place for families because it’s so “easy.”

We’ll be back – likely to stay at the Hyatt or Radisson. I’m a bit surprised that the Westin is in the same “star” category as these hotels (4 star) as I think the Westin has a long way to go. The Radisson is a very lovely place and the grounds have gotten so lush since our 2002 visit. The Hyatt is just beautiful but I dislike the “corporate” feel and the fact that the rooms don’t have true balconies. However, it is a great place for nightlife and the pool is awesome.