Weather in Aruba is warm year round and never any threat of hurricanes.

Resort Experience:
Divi Aruba Phoenix deserves an award for design and use of space. The resort is a 14-story high rise at the southern end of Palm Beach. There are six units to each floor and each of the units has an oceanview with either one or two balconies that are angled to maximize ocean views and privacy.

The units are spacious and well decorated in light rattan style furniture and bright spreads and draperies. The balconies have a table and four chairs making it convenient to enjoy a snack or meal overlooking the ocean.

Although listed as having a partial kitchen, these units are equipped with a full size refrigerato/freezer, a four-burner stove and a convectin/microwave that functions as an oven except for broiling.

The large marble and tile bathrooms have deep soaking tubs, are equipped with hair dryers and are well lit. Water temperature and presuure are excellent. An iron, ironing board and safe are found in the closet. There are two telephones and two TVs with a good selection of channels.

Daily maid service is provided with an extra charge for doing dishes -- no dishwasher. Kitchen cleaning supplies (sponge, dish detergent, soap, paper towels) are not provided. Remember to bring some along. They are expensive in the sundries store. Bathroom amenities are not replenished daily.

Two small free form pools and a Jacuzzi are set amidst palm trees and gardens overlooking the bar and beach. Good quality lounge chairs, hammocks, and palapas or shady spots are always plentiful. No need to rush down at 6AM to save a spot.

Most activites around the pool are quiet except for late afternoon pool volleyball that does become noisy and exciting. Barbecue grills are available for private use and they cook hot dogs and hamburgeres a couple of days a week.

A small French Market and Deli that serves great sandwiches for $5 and rotisserie chicken for $7 are very convenient for lunch, en evening light meal or impromptu snacks for your room.

An open air restaurant/bar is very popular at sunset -- some tables are set out on the sand on a wooden platform at water's edge.

For serious food shopping at a better price -- hop on the bus for $1 and go to King Hong Supermarket on the way to Orangestaad -- all that you need plus great Dutch cheese and Dutch chocolates are stocked at U.S. prices.

We particularly love the location of Aruba Phoenix -- it's in a quiet spot on the far end of a one-mile beach but has easy access to all the hotels, casinos, restaurants and activities of Palm Beach (see separate entry)

The water is vary calm and is protected from the "water toys" by two jetties. You can wade of 100 yards and be only chest deep. It's great for bobbing around on a floaty or on a noodle.

This resort also has a well-equipped health club (hardly ever used), a very large lounge with big screen TV and pool table. A coin operated laundry and ice machine are provided for timeshare owners use.

Many guests were vacationing for a two week period -- mostly Americans and Canadians -- and owners rather than renting or exchanging.

You certainly don't need a car at this resort. The bus system is reliable, efficient and affordable - $1.00!!. It stops across the street and you can walk to 10 hotels, seven casinos, and dozens of restaurants.

Many tour operators provide transportation for thier activities. Read the daily "Aruba Today" for specials, entertainment and discounts -- it's available in the hotel lobby.

This resort was all that we expected and more for a Gold Crown. Aruba is friendly, fun and safe.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Very Good

The uniqueness of this Bistro is that is has French doors that slide back opening the entire front of the restaurant to the beach. It has six tables set on wooden platforms in the sand at the ocean's edge -- unobstructed view of the sunset -- no one walking past -- very quiet.

Arrive early or call to reserve one of these "special" tables -- enjoy a cocktail -- slip off your shoes and wait for the sunset.

Each night there is a three-course meal for $20 in addition to the a la carte menu. Lots of fresh seafood, large salalds, pastas, grilled meats, and yummy deserts are served by friendly and attentive waiters.

A long bar inside the restaurants usully is busy with a "happy hour crowd" enjoying two-for-one drinks and platters of appetizers. If you prefer a little more privacy, walk out to the beach where there are six Adirondack chairs set on the sand. You can comfortably carry your drink there, still hear the music, and quietly enjoy the sunset.

This bistro serves three meals daily at moderate prices, but I especially recommend from 6-9pm for a romantic setting by the sea -- a warm breeze -- boats slowly sailing by -- the moon rising -- the sun setting -- stars shining -- and quite good food to round out a special evening. Don't miss it!

From the pictures in their ads, I felt that it reminded me of dining in a "market restaurant". It showed an open kitchen, tiled walls, and a refrigerated meat case -- but we decided to try it since we liked the menu. What a pleasant surprise! As we approached the free standing restaurant, we could hear classical music in the air and saw a wonderful open-air garden secluded behind lush vegetation.

The first room that you enter -- the market dining room -- is casual and well lit, and the chefs are cooking in full sight. This leads to another more dimly lit casually elegant room that is A/C overlooking the garden.

Being the forever romantic that I am, we continued outdoors to the garden, which was not a disappointment at all. Flowery shrubs, cadlelight, umbrellas, tiny white lights all over, a gently breeze and classical music. It was perfect. Quiet tables of two to four were enjoying the attentive service of multi-national waiters, and the wonderful Italian food and wine.

The pizzas are thin-crusted, woodfired, and very large -- one can be shared by four as an appetizer or by two for lunch. I don't recommend it as a main course because you'll miss out on the great meals offered. Pasta portions are large, fish is very fresh, veal and chicken are presented in authentic Italian recipes. The veal chop was immense. After relishing such a great meal, linger a while, enjoy the ambience, and share a dessert or sip a cappucino. You'll be looking forward to your next visit.

We hadn't planned on going during this vacation, but our name was drawn. We won one free cruise, ok half price, but why not??

This particular cruise is $35 per person and is advertised as: "sails at 5:30pm for two hours along Aruba's scenic coastline to enjoy a breathtaking sunset -- open bar, snacks, and free shuttle service from your hotel".

As we boarded the large catamaran, we left our shoes just inside. There's lots of room -- on the deck, on the bow, under a canopy, at tables, in the sun, in the shade, or at the bar. Everyone seems to find their comfortable "nook" -- families and older gents at tables under the canopy, couples and honeymooners on the bow, singles by the bar, and everyone else wherever.

Lots of folks were on discounted tickets, part of a package, timeshare enticement, or prize won at happy hour. Kids are always half price. The group was happy, eager but quiet. The crew very accommodating, helpful, pleasant, and seemed to enjoy working here.

This is not the usual beer, tequila shots, and orange rum punch cruise -- they had all sorts of beer, liquor, soda, juices, and even frozen drinks were available, and served quickly without the pushing and shoving at the bar. Staff took orders and served.

The sail along the coast is nice. You pass all the hotels along Palm and Eagle beaches and go almost all the way into town -- very scenic. Our sunset was somewhat clouded, but everyone was "clicking away" and looking for the "green flash".

The snacks, how about the snacks?! A crew member walked around with a HUGE shell-shaped bowl -- he needed both arms to cradle it. The first one was filled with skewers of cheese, olives, and cocktail onions -- it never came around again. The second bowl was filled with chicken in peanut sauce on skewers -- delicious, but again, only one skewer. This was our only complaint. Bring a snack with you.

The music was more on the quiet side. Drinks were good and replenished quickly. People seemed to mingle more freely on the way back after the sunset. A few drinks and not much food makes everyone talkative.

If you're looking for a peaceful or romantic evening, this is the cruise to choose. If you're after "crazy fun", choose a party boat with hosts pouring tequila shots and the music blaring, or one of the open-air buses that go bar hopping with a "wicked guide". Everyone -- no matter what age -- had fun on this boat though.

Aruba offers something for everyone and sunsets every night -- enjoy!!

We decided to give it a try. It's a two hour trip -- 40 minutes in the submarine. 30 to 40 eager participants board a tranfer boat for a 30 minute ride to the sub. A guide with a great personality accompanies you throughout this journey. A mandatory coast guard safety instruction talk prior to leaving was made very pleasant and non-threatening by her humor.

You could see that a few people were a bit nervous -- the kids were excited. then some fun music -- "Yellow Submarine" -- and soon everyone was singing along. Some narration as we pass -- Hotel Renaissance's private island beach club, the industrial park, the airport and the dump. A pleasant ride but not the most beautiful part of Aruba.

As you approach the subs home, you see it break through the water on it's way up -- perfectly timed. Passengers get off and we board down steep, narrow steps. There are plenty of windows so it's rather light and not at all claustrophobic -- you can eaily see out of a few windows and if you happen to be lucky enough to sit toward the front, you can get a panoramic view through the pilot's window.

The guide then explains every step of the way -- closiing the hatches, the descent, adjusting buoyancy, she jokes, asks questions and sings. Once you reach the 30 ft. depth the sub propels itself along a wall covered with seafans and coral, small colorful fish and a few very large ones come to the window to say hello.

We also drift past two large sunken wrecks that are the home to many schools of fish. We do get to 150 feet but only to sit on the bottom for a minute or so . . . there is nothing there to see, but there is still natural light coming through from the surface.

The guide helps us along with experiments to demonstrate how colors disappear at different depths -- red is the first color to vanish -- as we lose the light.

This is a great "adventure" It makes seeing fish eye to eye -- and the movement of the schools of fish and fans undulating with the tide -- available to everyone (not only scuba divers). Even snorkeling does not give you this experience.

Nothing beats being in the water with the undersea life -- but if for any reason you aren't able to snorkel or dive -- this is definitely a "must do"!!!!

Palm Beach is our particular favorite. We call it "Poor Man's Hawaii". Reminds one of the Kaanapali area with the hotels facing the ocean and a boardwalk between the hotels and the sandy beach.

This mile long beach is very calm, has fine tan sand and is the home to about 11 hotels - three Marriotts, a Hyatt, a Wyndham, a Radisson, a Holiday Inn, a couple of all-inclusives and some time-share properties - something to appeal to everyone.

The sand itself is easy to walk on but there is a nice windy landscaped cement walkway between the beach and the hotels. At night it is subtly lit making it pleasurable and safe to walk from hotel to hotel.

As you leisurely walk along you hear sonds of music coming from a restaurant, a casino, an outdoor cafe, or a beach barbecue. It seems to beckon you to stop for a drink here, dinner there, gambling elsewhere, or just sit on the beach and look at the moon and stars.

There are seven casinos in these hotels. Specials are offered on different nights such as free coins for the ladies, blackjack tournaments, free bingo, slot tournaments, and free drinks and sometimes even snacks. Slot machines can be played for a penny, $2 for blackjack, 50 cent roulette chips - you may not win much but your money can last a while.

DiPalm - the main tour operator on Aruba- has a pier midway on this beach. From here you can arrange tours on party boats ( day and night) sunset cruises, sailing cruises, snorkeling, parate boats, scuba diving, banaboat rides, parasailing, or jet skiing.

Happy hour starts at noon and seems to rotate every couple of hours from hotel to hotel. Many times there is accompanying music and discounted food offerings.

Dining around Palm Beach runs the gamut from Mcdonald's and Sbarros to patisseries and gourmet delis, to beach barbecues, themed buffets, brunches, and romantic dining under the stars or by a pond with black swans.

I highly recommend choosing this area for all that it has to offer, for being on the best beach, and for not needing a car. Bus service is frequent and dependable - only a ten minute ride into Orangestaad in case you need to shop for more than is offered in the hotels and small shops across the street.