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Aruba Journals

Aruba Arriba!

An April 2007 trip to Aruba by angelasnell79

Divi Divi Tree Photo - Eagle Beach Aruba, Oranjestad, Aruba More Photos
Quote: Our annual trip to Aruba, April 28 - May 5 2007.
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Aruba Arriba! Best of IgoUgo

Overview

Divi Divi Tree Photo - Eagle Beach Aruba, Oranjestad, Aruba
Quote:
We took a taxi from the Airport to the Manchebo, the same hotel we stayed in last year. The driver was very nice and didn’t charge us for our 4 bags. The trip from the airport to the low rise hotel area was , about the same as last year.Upon checking into the Manchebo we were delighted to find that they were able to reserve the room we requested, the same as last year. It has an amazing ocean view and is the most private balcony on the property. We unpacked (quickly) and then grabbed a cab and headed to Ling & Sons grocery to get some food for the week. We bought a few things to snack on and a few cases of Balashi and headed back. I was surprised at how well-stocked the grocery was, though...Read More

Manchebo Beach Resort and Spa Best of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Manchebo"

Relaxing on the beach Photo - Eagle Beach Aruba, Oranjestad, Aruba
Quote:
We came back to the Manchebo for our second visit to Aruba, and we were even lucky enough to get the same room (at our request) as last year, too. The rooms have been updated; there is new furniture and the bedspreads are of a darker color as well. The flat screen TV looks nice, but we had a lot of problem getting the remote to work properly and the reception was fuzzy. These things don’t bother me too much, as I certainly don’t fly all the way to Aruba to watch television! After a second year at this resort I feel 100% confident in saying that it is the best beach resort in Aruba. The beach is never crowded, the palapas are both plentiful and well spread-out. There is a lot of privacy on...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Manchebo Beach Resort and Spa
J.E. Irausquin Blvd. 55
Oranjestad, Aruba
(297) 582-3444

Aruba Beach Club Entrance Photo - Aruba Beach Club, Oranjestad, Aruba
Quote:
We did not actually stay at the Aruba Beach Club, but we will be there next year. The ABC is located directly next door to the Manchebo, and the Casa del Mar is on the other side. We walked over following the advice of a couple we met while on the island to check out their facilities, and walked away with a timeshare purchase that we will be using next year! The rooms were just renovated and are quite nice. The bathrooms at the ABC are much larger and newer than those at the Manchebo, although there is no bathtub. The pool is larger and nicer, and the grounds are nicely manicured. There are a few shops at the resort and we expect to have a wonderful time there next year. We will miss the Manchebo, but...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Aruba Beach Club
J.E. Irausquin Blvd. 53
Oranjestad, Aruba
+297 5823000

Quote:
We dined at the Italian Gourmet Garden Terrace restaurant at the Manchebo where we stayed the first night we arrived in Aruba. I was disappointed to see that the lamb was no longer on the menu. My husband and I split a creamy, seafood crepe appetizer, which was delicious but not necessary as our dinners were large and tasty. My husband had a steak and I had fish. We each had some red wine. The live music was provided by a local guitar player, and the serve was good (though we did wait on water a bit).We also ate breakfast at the Italian Gourmet each morning, as holders of a Visit Aruba Plus card we were entitled to 2 free breakfasts (up to a $12 value) for each guest. Breakfast was better this...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Italian Gourmet Garden Terrace
Manchebo Hotel
Aruba
(297) 582-3444

Salt & Pepper Best of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Salt & Pepper"

Quote:
We did not have an all-inclusive stay this year so we did get to try a few new restaurants. I had heard a lot of people raving about Salt & Pepper, so we headed down to Palm Beach one evening for dinner. We chose to dine outside. True to what I had heard and read, their menu of tapas (mini appetizers) was extensive. Initially we had planned on each ordering several tapas each for dinner, but after hearing the specials I opted to try the Caribbean curry chicken tapa and the Wahoo filet in a pineapple orange sauce with white rice, and my husband had a meatball-esque tapa and a mahi mahi fillet. We were in agreement that the food was fantastic, though my wahoo was by far the best of what we had. We a...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Salt & Pepper
Irausquin Blvd. 368-A
Palm Beach, Aruba
(297) 863280

Ostrich Farm Best of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Quote:
We took a tour of the island’s ostrich farm and concluded it with a meal at the restaurant on-site. It was lunch time, and we each ordered the ostrich burger. The meat was cooked slightly more than we requested (we wanted medium rare) and the taste wasn’t very inspiring. The passion fruit smoothie I had was absolutely delicious though. The restaurant decor was very nice, styled in African art which went well with the ostrich theme, but I doubt we would be back.

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Ostrich Farm

Oranjestad, Aruba
(297) 585-9630

French Steakhouse Best of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Us Photo - French Steakhouse, Oranjestad, Aruba
Quote:
Of course, since we were staying at the Manchebo it was only fitting that we spend one night at the French Steakhouse. The restaurant was almost empty, something that I am sure can’t bode well for the resort. The service and food was excellent though, so perhaps it was just an off night for them attendance-wise. I had the certified 12 oz Churrasco and my husband had the Dutch style filet mignon. Both cuts of meat were superb. The live piano was of course nice and the wait staff were extremely accommodating. We had a wonderful, relaxed yet elegant meal.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

French Steakhouse
Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa. J.E. Irausquin Blvd. 55
Oranjestad, Aruba P.O. Box 564
+297-582-3444

Madame Janette Best of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Madame Jeanette's"

Quote:
I had been told by most everyone I spoke to about our return trip to Aruba that we absolutely had to eat at Madame Jeanette’s. We took a cab (it is in Noord, tucked away along one of the more residential streets) in an old Cunucu (farmhouse). From the moment we arrived I knew it was something special. The open-air dining area was lit with hundreds of small white lights. The menu was extensive, and while I was disappointed by the fact that they were sold out of the bottle of California Pinot Noir I wanted, the Italian Merlot was probably almost as good. We skipped on the appetizer and went straight for the main course. I had the almond crusted grouper fillet, and my husband had the chicken cordon bleu....Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Madame Janette
Cunucu Abao 37
Oranjestad, Aruba
297/587-0184

Donkey Sanctuary Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Donkey Photo - Donkey Sanctuary, Aruba, Caribbean
Quote:
After a long search driving through old Cunucu neighborhoods we finally found the Aruba Donkey Sanctuary. Donkeys are endangered on the island now, and a small group of volunteers runs the facility which gives a home to some 15 donkeys. Unfortunately, the Sanctuary was closed for the holiday when we were there, but we were able to go up to the fence and fed them some apples. I would like to go back some time when you can actually go inside and see them.

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Donkey Sanctuary

Oranjestad, Aruba

Ostrich Farm Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Ostrich in your face! Photo - Ostrich Farm, Oranjestad, Aruba
Quote:
The Ostrich Farm was fun, but I don’t think we will need to do that again. It was interesting to hear about how quickly the birds grow, and how strong the eggs are (a human can stand on one!). The tour was quick, but we were the only ones there. The cost was $12 per adult. There is a restaurant on-site that serves ostrich meat (the meat comes from a much larger ostrich farm in neighboring Curacao). The food was OK, but not anything to rave about. The African decorations are a nice touch.

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Ostrich Farm

Oranjestad, Aruba
(297) 585-9630

Rancho Daimari Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Natural Pool"

Natural Pool Photo - Rancho Daimari, Palm Beach, Aruba
Quote:
This year we decided to take a horseback riding tour. The tour we opted for (see "Nature Tours – Rancho Daimari") took us through the desert outback of the island, over sand dunes to the eastern shore where the Natural Pool can be found. We had tried to reach the Natural Pool the day before in our rental, but the 4 wheel drive would not engage properly on the vehicle and please be warned – the road immediately before you arrive at the pool is in very poor condition. On the horses it was much easier, and there are also ATV tours that will take you that looked like fun. The pool itself is small, and there were a lot of people there. It is hard to get to, as you do need to climb over a lot of...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Rancho Daimari

Palm Beach, Aruba
+297-586-62

Caves Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Tunnel of Love Photo - Aruba, Caribbean
Quote:
This year we also decided to check out the caves that can be found along the southeastern coast of the island. Each of the caves is relatively easy to find, and they are all along basically the same road. The first cave we came to, the “Tunnel of Love,” was actually staffed. There was a guide who took us down to the entrance, took a picture of us with our camera, and explained the various details (length, depth) of the cave. Unfortunately there is no outside source of light at this cave and we were not prepared with flashlights (the staff did not have flashlights for use either) so we could only walk into the cave a little ways, and then climb back out and walk around back to see the exit. There are&n...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Eagle Beach Aruba Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Eagle Beach"

Divi Divi Tree Photo - Eagle Beach Aruba, Oranjestad, Aruba
Quote:
Of course, we stay on Eagle beach so this is our favorite. Located in the low-rise hotel area, Eagle Beach is long, wide and relatively un-crowded. This is a very relaxing stretch of shoreline, and making the walk from one end to the other seemed to be quite a popular form of exercise. The sand quality is superb, though there did appear to be more rocks and rougher water as you got closer to Palm Beach.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Eagle Beach Aruba

Oranjestad

Mi Dushi Sailing and Snorkling Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Mi Dushi Taste of Aruba Snorkel Cruise"

Snorkeling Photo - Mi Dushi Sailing and Snorkling , Oranjestad, Aruba
Quote:
We took this cruise on a Thursday. The cruise goes from 9:30am to 2:30pm, and includes three snorkel stops, your own disposable mouthpiece, along with the gear—fins, snorkel vest, snorkel, and mask—open bar and lunch. When the Kukoo Kunuku bus arrived at out hotel at 8:50am to pick us up and bring us to the pier, we knew it was going to be a good time. The bar was open almost immediately on boarding the Mi Dushi sailing boat, and they served just about anything you could think of. We started with mimosas and moved on to Polar beer in the afternoon.The first snorkel stop was the Antilla Wreck, the largest wreck in the Caribbean. As this was both my husband and my first time snorkeling, we ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Mi Dushi Sailing and Snorkling
Noord 128 P
Aruba, Caribbean
(297) 586-2010

Rancho Daimari Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Rancho Daimari Horseback Ride to the Natural Pool"

On Horseback Photo - Rancho Daimari, Palm Beach, Aruba
Quote:
Rancho Daimari will pick you up at your hotel and take you to the ranch for both the horseback ride and also the ATV tour they offer. The horses were Palominos, and they were all very friendly and well-trained. Anyone can ride, even if you have never been on a horse before. Javier, our tour guide, was bursting with energy and really made the whole experience a lot of fun. We rode the horses along the Aruba desert outback, over sand dunes. There was a point in the beginning of the trail where the horses went into a trot, and later on there are a few spots (along the white sand and along the ocean) where they broke into a full gallop. It was amazing! We stopped at the Natural Pool, where the...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Rancho Daimari

Palm Beach, Aruba
+297-586-62

Iguana Joe's Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Quote:
There was a coupon in one of the free local travel guides for a free Jr. Sized Pink Iguana at Iguana Joe’s, which I cashed in. The drink was delicious, but we didn’t stay as at 9pm the place was dead. We have never had the food there so I can’t speak for that but the drinks are good, but a little pricey.

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Iguana Joe's
Royal Plaza Mall
Oranjestad, Aruba

Carlos'n Charlie's Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Carlos & Charlie's"

Quote:
A night out to Carlos & Charlie’s. We are not big bar/club people so we only stayed from about 9:30pm to 12am. “The Yard” drinks are a good bargain if you want to get a lot of alcohol here. The place doesn’t actually get busy until after 12am, and that’s precisely why we left when we did – it does get crazy! All in all this is a good time but appears to mostly attract younger crowds.

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Carlos'n Charlie's
West Straat 3-A
Oranjestad, Aruba
+297-582-0355

Alhambra Casino Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Quote:
The Alhambra Casino is located across from the Manchebo hotel where we stayed. It is small, and seems to have a lot of locals playing the slots. It is one of the first casinos built on the island. Not as flashy as some of the other casinos in the Palm Beach area, but a lot of fun nonetheless.

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 30, 2007

Alhambra Casino
47 J.E. Irausquin Blvd.
Oranjestad, Aruba
+297-583-5000

Quote:
We had a lot of fun this year, much more than last year even and we had a lot of fun then, too! We saved more money this year by not going out to eat every night, and because of that, I am looking forward to having the timeshare next year as there is a kitchenette where we will be able to prepare meals if we wanted to. The collapsible cooler we brought with us to the island was invaluable, as the savings in buying Balashi from the grocer instead of the resort are large. Plus, we had the added bonus of bringing some snacks and drinks down to the beach to watch the sunset on more than one occasion.The sun is very strong in Aruba, and despite my careful planning and liberal application of SP...Read More