Arnaud
Contributor
I decided in September that I wanted to spend New Year's eve in a tropical paradise where I could do some good diving and where my non-diving wife would have a good time, too. Initially, our dream vacation was the Maldives. I live in LA, but we were going back to France for X'mas. That was already half of the trip. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any airfare for less than $5,000 per person. We had no flexibility on the dates. It took me 10 days of Internet inferno to book my trip. I virtually went everywhere. Virtually. But each time, either the planes were booked up, the hotels were sold out or the prices were prohibitive. We wanted an island with a warm weather, warm water, some nice diving and some form of non-beach/water activities. Also, I wasn't going to spend $20,000 on the trip and we had rigid travel dates, coming from France and returning to LA.
Finally, I found Aruba that seemed to have everything we were looking for. So, here's my report. As there is a lot of information available on Aruba, I'll try to stick to little publicized facts. For the rest, you can check www.aruba.com or many other sites.
The Nature
If you're looking for lush vegetation, like in Maui, you won't find it in Aruba. The island has a semi-arid climate and no natural soft water. It's pretty flat, too. Some like it, some don't. It didn't really matter to me. Just know what to expect. You won't see a lot of animals either. The iguana is Aruba's mascot. We had several of them that visited our hotel every day. Aruba's real plus are its beaches. Super white, super fine sand. Blue turquoise and light green jade water at a perfect 82°F (28°C).
The Island
Aruba has an interesting mix of culture. All the Arubians speak Papamiento (their language), Dutch, Spanish and English. You'll hear a lot about the Arubians being nice people and how safe the island is. It's true. Aruba has Dutch-like schooling and healthcare systems to explain for it (and good weather, too). If you drive around, you won't see the kind of poverty found in a lot of the other Caribbean islands. And driving around is easy as Aruba has excellent roads. Keeping with the Dutch tradition, all businesses (except for hotel stores and restaurants) have to shut down at 6 pm during the week and all day on Sunday. Not necessarily a big deal. Just be prepared.
The Cities
If you land by night, you'll see how developed the island is. It almost looks like a giant suburb with single-family homes connecting a few cities. The two main cities are Oranjestad, the capitol, and San Nicolas. I wouldn't waste too much time on either one. Unless you're into cheap 14kt gold jewelry and live in the middle of nowhere the rest of the year, stay away from Oranjestad. The city is basically set up as a shopping mall for the "cruise people". You'll find a better selection at your local JC Penny As to San Nicolas, the half hour drive is only recommended if you're looking for a certain kind of "working" companionship. Need I say more?
The Hotels
Not a lot of hotels for the size of the island. You'll find low-rise hotels on Eagle beach and high-rise hotels on Palm Beach. Eagle Beach tends to have more wind and less palm trees. Palm Beach is more crowded. Best high rises are the Hyatt, Mariott and Radison. Best low rises are the Amsterdam Manor Resort and the Bucuti Beach Resort. You won't find any high-end hotels.
Restaurants
Well, I'm French. Food's a big deal. Not on Aruba. Most of the restaurants will serve either the local grouper or some Mahi-Mahi smothered in a heavy Thermidor sauce, all at New York City prices. The concept of simple seafood grilled with a little olive oil and lemon juice hasn't reached the island, yet. Don't waste time driving down to Oranjestadt or San Nicola. I found all the good places to be in the hotel area. Three recommendations for fine dining are a terrific steak house (Texas de Brazil), a pretty decent Italian (Hostaria da Vittorio) and a seafood place (Water Grill). They are all near the high rises. Quick and cheaper recommendations are "El Patio" and a BBQ place, both on the North side of the main road to Oranjestad.
The Wind
If you're one of those people who can't stand the wind, don't go to Aruba. It blows constantly all over the island. I didn't mind it. In fact, I loved the climate. It never was too hot or too humid. No mosquito, either. Just the perfect weather conditions that are seldom found in the rest of the Caribbean.
Diving
Finally! It is said that Aruba is not a diving destination. I'm not sure what it means. I had a really good time in the water. There are basically 2 main diving areas. The North Coast has calmer water, but pretty lousy viz. The South Coast has fairly rough water, a hell of a lot more wind, but great viz (60-100 feet). If you're easily sea sick, stick with the North Coast where the Antilla lies (the largest wreck in the Caribbean). In my opinion, only the South Coast is really worth it. The coral reef there is pretty good and offers some nice drift diving. I had heard a lot about Aruba's wrecks. I dove several of them, including at night, and was a little disappointed. Marine life and colors were far better by the coral reefs.
We saw a lot, but mostly small fish. Fishing in Aruba, unlike in Bonaire, is not prohibited (a shame). Abundance of all sorts of angelfish, Moray, balloon fish, Parrot fish, frog fish, scorpion fish, butterfly fish, squid, lobster, rock beauties barracudas, trumpetfish as well as several varieties of coral (of course) and a lot of sponge. Probably one of the nicest sightings was a bunch of four squids swimming (virtually flying) in the open water in broad daylight. Rays, sharks and turtles are supposed to visit the island as well. We didn't see any.
I dove with Red Sail. I had read some bad stuff about them, but they were the only ones offering Nitrox. We were never more than 12 or 15 on a boat that can accommodate many more. Most of the DMs were great, especially Anthony and Giovanni. The rental equipment was good. I would definitely recommend them. If your main goal is diving, the best combination is to stay at the Hyatt and dive with them. The dock is right in front of the hotel. The hotel and the store are right on the beach. It doesn't get more convenient and you won't need a car.
The water temp was 82°, every day, at 90 feet. I didn't hit any thermocline. Read Sail only had 2mm shorties with long sleeve. That's OK for the first tank. It did feel a little cold (sue me) on the second tank. I had brought my hood and wore it. I could have used a full suit.
New Year's Eve
A special note on Aruba on December 31. Arubians love firecrackers. Theirs is called "pagara", a very long string of very loud firecrackers that they put around each block, or each house to ward off the bad spirit. Also, at night, hundreds of fireworks lit up the sky for several hours. It was a great show.
Conclusion
The main question when you try a new place is: Will I go back? The answer is probably not. There are plenty of other options that we have yet to explore. We had a pretty good time, but the main reason for choosing Aruba was flawed. I picked Aruba hoping that my wife (who doesn't dive) would enjoy it as much as I would. She did not. Virtually no nightlife (except for casinos) and lousy shopping. If you're strictly looking for a beach destination, Aruba is great. We were expecting a little more.
Finally, I found Aruba that seemed to have everything we were looking for. So, here's my report. As there is a lot of information available on Aruba, I'll try to stick to little publicized facts. For the rest, you can check www.aruba.com or many other sites.
The Nature
If you're looking for lush vegetation, like in Maui, you won't find it in Aruba. The island has a semi-arid climate and no natural soft water. It's pretty flat, too. Some like it, some don't. It didn't really matter to me. Just know what to expect. You won't see a lot of animals either. The iguana is Aruba's mascot. We had several of them that visited our hotel every day. Aruba's real plus are its beaches. Super white, super fine sand. Blue turquoise and light green jade water at a perfect 82°F (28°C).
The Island
Aruba has an interesting mix of culture. All the Arubians speak Papamiento (their language), Dutch, Spanish and English. You'll hear a lot about the Arubians being nice people and how safe the island is. It's true. Aruba has Dutch-like schooling and healthcare systems to explain for it (and good weather, too). If you drive around, you won't see the kind of poverty found in a lot of the other Caribbean islands. And driving around is easy as Aruba has excellent roads. Keeping with the Dutch tradition, all businesses (except for hotel stores and restaurants) have to shut down at 6 pm during the week and all day on Sunday. Not necessarily a big deal. Just be prepared.
The Cities
If you land by night, you'll see how developed the island is. It almost looks like a giant suburb with single-family homes connecting a few cities. The two main cities are Oranjestad, the capitol, and San Nicolas. I wouldn't waste too much time on either one. Unless you're into cheap 14kt gold jewelry and live in the middle of nowhere the rest of the year, stay away from Oranjestad. The city is basically set up as a shopping mall for the "cruise people". You'll find a better selection at your local JC Penny As to San Nicolas, the half hour drive is only recommended if you're looking for a certain kind of "working" companionship. Need I say more?
The Hotels
Not a lot of hotels for the size of the island. You'll find low-rise hotels on Eagle beach and high-rise hotels on Palm Beach. Eagle Beach tends to have more wind and less palm trees. Palm Beach is more crowded. Best high rises are the Hyatt, Mariott and Radison. Best low rises are the Amsterdam Manor Resort and the Bucuti Beach Resort. You won't find any high-end hotels.
Restaurants
Well, I'm French. Food's a big deal. Not on Aruba. Most of the restaurants will serve either the local grouper or some Mahi-Mahi smothered in a heavy Thermidor sauce, all at New York City prices. The concept of simple seafood grilled with a little olive oil and lemon juice hasn't reached the island, yet. Don't waste time driving down to Oranjestadt or San Nicola. I found all the good places to be in the hotel area. Three recommendations for fine dining are a terrific steak house (Texas de Brazil), a pretty decent Italian (Hostaria da Vittorio) and a seafood place (Water Grill). They are all near the high rises. Quick and cheaper recommendations are "El Patio" and a BBQ place, both on the North side of the main road to Oranjestad.
The Wind
If you're one of those people who can't stand the wind, don't go to Aruba. It blows constantly all over the island. I didn't mind it. In fact, I loved the climate. It never was too hot or too humid. No mosquito, either. Just the perfect weather conditions that are seldom found in the rest of the Caribbean.
Diving
Finally! It is said that Aruba is not a diving destination. I'm not sure what it means. I had a really good time in the water. There are basically 2 main diving areas. The North Coast has calmer water, but pretty lousy viz. The South Coast has fairly rough water, a hell of a lot more wind, but great viz (60-100 feet). If you're easily sea sick, stick with the North Coast where the Antilla lies (the largest wreck in the Caribbean). In my opinion, only the South Coast is really worth it. The coral reef there is pretty good and offers some nice drift diving. I had heard a lot about Aruba's wrecks. I dove several of them, including at night, and was a little disappointed. Marine life and colors were far better by the coral reefs.
We saw a lot, but mostly small fish. Fishing in Aruba, unlike in Bonaire, is not prohibited (a shame). Abundance of all sorts of angelfish, Moray, balloon fish, Parrot fish, frog fish, scorpion fish, butterfly fish, squid, lobster, rock beauties barracudas, trumpetfish as well as several varieties of coral (of course) and a lot of sponge. Probably one of the nicest sightings was a bunch of four squids swimming (virtually flying) in the open water in broad daylight. Rays, sharks and turtles are supposed to visit the island as well. We didn't see any.
I dove with Red Sail. I had read some bad stuff about them, but they were the only ones offering Nitrox. We were never more than 12 or 15 on a boat that can accommodate many more. Most of the DMs were great, especially Anthony and Giovanni. The rental equipment was good. I would definitely recommend them. If your main goal is diving, the best combination is to stay at the Hyatt and dive with them. The dock is right in front of the hotel. The hotel and the store are right on the beach. It doesn't get more convenient and you won't need a car.
The water temp was 82°, every day, at 90 feet. I didn't hit any thermocline. Read Sail only had 2mm shorties with long sleeve. That's OK for the first tank. It did feel a little cold (sue me) on the second tank. I had brought my hood and wore it. I could have used a full suit.
New Year's Eve
A special note on Aruba on December 31. Arubians love firecrackers. Theirs is called "pagara", a very long string of very loud firecrackers that they put around each block, or each house to ward off the bad spirit. Also, at night, hundreds of fireworks lit up the sky for several hours. It was a great show.
Conclusion
The main question when you try a new place is: Will I go back? The answer is probably not. There are plenty of other options that we have yet to explore. We had a pretty good time, but the main reason for choosing Aruba was flawed. I picked Aruba hoping that my wife (who doesn't dive) would enjoy it as much as I would. She did not. Virtually no nightlife (except for casinos) and lousy shopping. If you're strictly looking for a beach destination, Aruba is great. We were expecting a little more.
I also enjoyed watching the muti-colored birds flying around all over the island. Each morning as I walked with my dog, We observed two bright green parrots (maybe parakeets-not exactly a national audobon authority here).
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