Aruba Ariba

How to get there

Aruba is a gorgeous little island off the coast of Venezuela. Owned and governed by the Dutch, it’s quite easy to get to with nonstop flights from multiple cities in the US and Amsterdam. I flew one way on Spirit Airways from Dallas – Aruba stopping over in Fort Lauderdale for a whopping $75. Now, if you don’t already know, Spirit is a budget airline and prides themselves with offering base fares. So when you see a cheap fair on Spirit while searching google flights you need to remember that is just for your seat and one personal bag (fits under the seat in front of you.) No food, no drinks, no entertainment, and most importantly no luggage. Not even a carryon to put in the overhead bins. Everything is for charge and this is where they make the bulk of their money. I took this as more of a challenge and since I was flying to an island for only three nights I knew I could get away with packing in a personal bag for under my seat and not pay a dime more! I used my Delsey hard sided luggage the fits perfectly under the seat and carried my small poolside tote with my phone and passport under my barefoot dreams poncho and no one batted an eye. Flying home I flew American Airlines through Charlotte and used American points that I had acquired using my AA credit card. When flying internationally, you are able to use your airline points but you are still required to pay the taxes on the fare. So my round trip airfare from Dallas to Aruba cost me $150! Crazy right!!

Where we stayed

We looked into several hotels in several locations on the island of Aruba but after much deliberation we decided upon the Hyatt Regency on Palm Beach. It was a gorgeous property in the perfect location. They upgraded us to a partial ocean view and offered free COVID testing to all guests needing a test to travel back to the United States. The hotel has two pools, a kids pool with a three story slide (so fun) and an amazing adults only infinity pool with cabanas. The best part about staying on Palm Beach is the ability to walk down the paved beach path moving from resort to resort grabbing drinks, food or jumping on an excursion from the beach.

Where we ate

Our first night in Aruba we did not have reservations. We got ready and started walking down the beach path in search for a fun atmosphere and seafood and we found just that. We ate at an amazing beach front Italian restaurant located next door to the Hyatt at the Casa Linda Resort called Ristorante Azzurro. The food and drinks were so delicious and the atmosphere was even better. Night two we ate at the restaurant on property called Ruinas Del Mar. We sat right beside the coy pond and were entertained the whole night by all the wildlife surrounding us, especially making friends with the black swan. Our last night was my favorite night. We ate at the most amazing beach restaurant called Atardi and our table was on the sand and shoes were discouraged. It was located at the Marriott resort, about a 15 min walk down the beach path from the Hyatt. I had my usual when I’m in the Caribbean (lobster) and it rivals to be one of the best ones yet! We only ate off property for lunch one day at Big Momas Grill on Baby Beach. It was the cutest beach hut restaurant with the most unique furniture. We had the seafood mixed appetizer and enjoyed several drinks while swimming at baby beach.

What we did

If you know me you know I have to go snorkeling just about everywhere I go. Our first full day in Aruba we got up early and made our way down the beach path to jump on the Jolly Pirates snorkeling excursion. They came with raving reviews and did not disappoint. It was a four hour tour with three snorkeling spots, lunch, open bar and a rope swing! I will say this is not my normal scene. I typically prefer a smaller tour with less people and more time in the water but overall we were very pleased and had a great time. Our second day, we got in our car and headed off to explore to beautiful island of Aruba. Did you know Aruba has a national park and that the entire island is full of cactus? We drove to the Arikok National Park, it took us about 40 minutes to get to the park entrance and cost $11 per person to enter. Some of the park is only accessible via 4X4 vehicles (the natural pools) and they will not allow you to enter unless you have one. We did not have a 4X4 so we took the “easy” route (still a very rough road) and made it to the shore line. They will let you know at the park station if the water is calm enough to swim. Other stops in the park include two amazing caves (Guadirikiri & Fontein Cave) and some seriously beautiful beaches. After leaving the park, we found ourselves on the far side of the island very close to Baby Beach. This beach is the perfect spot to picnic and camp out all day. Don’t worry if you do not have your own food, there are two amazing restaurants on Baby Beach; Big Mamas Grill and Rum Reef.