I am always amazed at people who can post a trip report the day after they return. This is 3 weeks late, although for 2 of them we were elsewhere. The only other trip my wife and I have made to Aruba was 38 years ago, so essentially this was a new island to us, and since we no longer spend much time on beaches, time was mostly spent exploring, but we didn’t get a jeep so didn’t go too far off real roads.
Flew Southwest from Albany to FLL, used the Fort Lauderdale shuttle to at Embassy Suites in Miami to overnight there (nice airport hotel), and AA from Miami to Aruba. The shuttle was very efficient. Flights were routine. No luggage problems as we do carry-ons.

Rented a Yaris from Tropic Car Rental, which I highly recommend. Because of some new rules at the airport, we were asked to download and complete the rental forms before we left home and bring them with us. We were met at the airport, taken to the parking lot and given the pre-paid parking ticket; didn’t even look at our license or credit card. On return, we were met at the departure area at the appointed time and that was that. Real old Caribbean style. The only negative was no road map was provided, but directions to the hotel were excellent. Driving on Aruba is probably easier than on any other Caribbean island that I have experienced – which are quite a few. Main roads are very good, traffic was not heavy, and there were comparatively few suicyclists or drivers who passed on curves. Signage is reasonable on the main roads, spotty at best elsewhere, and getting lost is easy but not serious, and sometimes you find things you were not expecting. I think we found our way around more easily on our first trip, probably because there were fewer paved roads to choose from.

We stayed at Amsterdam Manor, which is on the West end of Eagle Beach – or actually across the road from it. The road is a boulevard, but little traffic and not a problem, though you do not roll out of your room onto the sand. Fine for us. The staff is friendly and the concierge was especially helpful in providing maps and directions and making dinner reservations. Our suite (kitchen area, large living area and bedroom) was well taken care of, but the air conditioning was a bit much. Because of humidity problems, the instructions were to keep the temperature set between 64 and 72 degrees. It must have been pretty close to the lower limit when we got there, and it took a while to get it somewhere near comfortable. There is a pool that we did not use (it seemed very hot around the pool), Mango’s Restaurant (more later) and a beach bar that is nice, but food orders come from across the street so can take a while to be served. There are a couple of large supermarkets not far away that we used to stock up on snacks, sodas etc. We would stay here again if we were to return.

Restaurants. We didn’t keep track of what we ate or prices, but for what it is worth:
Wacky Wahoo – the most crowded and a reservation was a plus – fish dishes that were very good.
Pincho’s – romantic waterside setting; also pretty full. My chicken satay was OK; my wife liked whatever she had (fish).
Taj Mahal – we like Indian food. This was good, and the menu allowed us to try some things we don’t get locally.
Iguana Joe’s - a busy, low-key place that we liked a lot. I had their version of the local dish, keshi yena. Tasty, but more of a casserole than the traditional version, and not as good as what I remember from 38 years ago (but maybe that is just memory). My wife’s blackened grouper also was very good. We had lunch here as well.
Mango’s – ate here the first and last nights and also later at their buffet. We don’t go to many buffets, but this was very good and the chicken satay better than Pincho’s. The Aruban dancers providing entertainment were also very good. Mango’s also served breakfasts at the hotel; a buffet that was quite adequate, with some Dutch touches, and could be supplemented with cooked items like omelets etc. at extra cost.
Rum Reef – a place at Baby Beach where we had lunch on our day at this end of the island. It was quite nice, with food and service both good.
The restaurant in Arikok National Park also was a pleasant place for lunch.

As for exploring, we did the usual things, including Arikok National Park, which was a very nice day with the caves and other sights and should not be missed; the East end of the island including Baby Beach; the California lighthouse; the goldmine ruins; Casibiri and Ayo rocks; the ostrich farm; the donkey sanctuary; Orangestad (we did no shopping) and the Fort Zoutman museum there. Lots of photographs.

Then back to Miami for a couple of days and on to Key West, but that is another story.