Fun & Relaxing Vacation In Aruba
For my husbands birthday which falls in November, he wanted to go on a vacation that was centered more around relaxing. As opposed to sight seeing, which is the purpose of most vacations I plan. At the time we were living in Boston and they had direct flights to Aruba. We decided this was perfect. So many of our friends raved about their trips to Aruba and we had to check it out.
We got a taxi from the airport to our hotel, but there are private transfers available if you prefer to book in advance.
Where we Spent Our Week
We stayed at the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino in the Oranjestad part of Aruba. This resort is broken up into two different hotels, one being beach front and one located in the marina. The Marina hotel is adult only and is located across the street. It is more centralized near downtown and shopping. We chose to stay at the beach front because it felt more like the vibe we were going for.
The resort was amazing. It featured two pools, one having a swim up bar that my husband fell in love with, and a make shift beach that went around the lagoon. Something else that comes with staying at the resort that I’ll talk about a little later, is you have free access to their private island that most people refer to as Flamingo Beach.
All Inclusive vs. Non
When it came down trying to decide whether or not we wanted to do that all inclusive option or not, we had to look at the price. Living in Boston, we met a lot of people that vacationed regularly in Aruba and were giving us all kinds of food places that we needed to try that were not located at the resort. Myself not being a huge drinker and my husband wanting to try some of the local restaurants lead us to not go with the all inclusive choice.
Do not let that discourage you from wanting to do the all inclusive though because the Renaissance Resort boast numerous food options that we did really enjoy when we did not feel like venturing out.
Our Room and Room Service
We stayed in a 1 bedroom suite with a garden view, because we did not feel like splurging for a beach view. Hind sight we may have went with the beach view if we had known how beautiful the water was.
The Room was everything that we needed. Most of the mornings we enjoyed relaxing in the room and ordering room service for breakfast. The food was really good and was a great way to start the morning off.
When we travel we also like to be frugal when we can. So we found a supermarket called Prikichi that was less then a 10 minute walk from the resort. We bought snacks and drinks here and took it back to our room so that we would not have to eat out or pay resort prices for everything the entire trip.
Taking in the Sun
Our 2nd day in Aruba which was our first full day, we wanted to take in everything the resort had to offer. We had no intention of leaving the resort this day and just have a total carefree day. We laid out around the pool, the beach, and went to the pool side bar that offers snacks and drinks conveniently located.
Renaissance Private Island
As I previously stated, the Renaissance has a private island that all their guest can visit for free. If you are not a guest of the resort, you are able to buy day passes to visit. From the resort there are shuttle boats that take you to and from the island.
Flamingo Island in Aruba
There are two beaches on the private island. The flamingo side and an iguana side. The Flamingo side is Adult only except early in the morning. This is pre having any babies, so mostly hung out on the Flamingo side. I will tell you though, I have a fear of birds. So as I did appreciate getting to see the flamingos pretty up close, you are not going to find any pictures of me trying to feed them. If you are into instagram- worthy photo opportunities, Flamingo Beach is perfect!
The island does fill up pretty quickly, so I always suggest getting their pretty early. We were able to snag a couple of beach chairs next to each other. There is a Bar and Grill called Papagayo that offers snacks and drinks.
Que Pasa Aruba
For Dinner we ventured off the resort and to a place called Que Pasa that also doubled as a wine bar. I highly recommend this place as the food and wine were phenomenal.
The next day we decided to go into the town and check out some of the shops. Located around the Marina Hotel part of the Renaissance Resort is a plethora of shops. We just popped into somewhere quick for lunch as we had a big date night planned.
Dinner Under the Stars
Dinner under the stars is something that the Renaissance Resort offers that is a great experience. This is a 4 course meal that the resort offers on the private island. You take a private boat shuttle to the island where you arrive to tables set up along the beach.
Our table was legit right next to the water on the beach and was absolutely magical. We ordered a bottle of wine to go with the courses and it was a night to remember.
Snorkeling Tour and El Guacho
Jolly Pirates Snorkeling Tour
Our last full day in Aruba we wanted to go out and see a little bit more of the area. We had a recommendation to do the Jolly Pirate Snorkeling which we thought sounded like a lot of fun. The boat took off in the Noord part of Aruba which turned out to be a really cool location. There were a lot of hotels bunched together and a large beach area.
The snorkeling tour goes out on a large pirate looking sailboat. We picked a 4 hour cruise that included snorkeling, bbq, and an open bar. The water was a little on the rougher side for me so I did not snorkel for a long period of time, but my husband had a blast. Once most people are done with snorkeling, the drinks begin going. The food was good but the drinks were better. They had their own paradise tasting juice that was delicious.
The boat also came with a rope swing that you could swing off the side of the boat into the water. This seemed like a highlight for numerous people on our cruise. Overall the experience was a lot of fun, the crew working on the boat were super friendly and personable. Highly recommend! I wish we had taken more photos but we were having too much fun.
Getting Around Aruba
To get to this tour, we took a taxi which are very easy to take. But I just want to mention, they have a strict no wet clothes in the taxi policy. They are very upfront about it, so you want to make sure you give yourself plenty of time to dry off or have a different change of clothes. They have a pretty hefty fine if you leave their seats wet from your clothes or towel.
El Guacho
For our last dinner in Aruba, we ate at El Guacho Steakhouse. This Argentinian style steakhouse was so good. It was located a short walk away from the resort through the town. My husband is a huge meat fan, so he was in absolute heaven. When they brought out our food, they placed a small little grill on the table with the meats on top. My husbands eyes lit up.
Leaving Aruba
We had an absolute great relaxing time in Aruba. It checked all the boxes that we were looking for.
A big fair warning when flying out though. You absolutely need to get to the airport early. When we arrived the line was out the door. We had been warned before hand so we had showed up early. Once through security and customs, we were able to find a bar near out gate that had delicious cocktails.
