Aruba - anybody know stuff? (1 Viewer)

[mr. furley]

we're in resort on the west side of the island. the high rise resorts are north of us long the beach. we were in Orangestad yesterday and it was a pit. you go a block in from the cruise ship shops and it's a half-empty strip mall. you go around us and there are half built condos everywhere. you see bare foundations - i assume some teardown - littered around all over.  we were up in the strip by the high rise hotels and it was much better but everywhere else was meh.

head over to Bonaire?

 

[Beef Ravioli]

Milwaukee --> Miami --> Willemstad

would do again. Punda was nice. it's quiet and pretty relaxed. would recommend if you want a beach-centric vacation. food was great everywhere.

Wife and I are interested in Curaçao but we are budget travelers (because we have to be) and that is one reason we like Aruba. It’s affordable to get to Aruba and we can be pretty budget  minded while we are there.

Curaçao seems like we would enjoy the culture more. Anything you can share on it would be great!

 

[Klimtology]

A few recommendations:

Driftwood Charter Fishing 

Scuba Diving

Lindas Pancake House

El Gaucho Steak House

Flying Fishbone 

 

[Klimtology]

BTW - If you catch on the Driftwood Charter they'll cook the fish for you at the Driftwood restaurant which is owned by the same people.

We had mahi mahi and a small Tuna!

Alot of fun!

 

[mr. furley]

Wife and I are interested in Curaçao but we are budget travelers (because we have to be) and that is one reason we like Aruba. It’s affordable to get to Aruba and we can be pretty budget  minded while we are there.

Curaçao seems like we would enjoy the culture more. Anything you can share on it would be great!

haven't been to Aruba so can't compare costs though i imagine it would be similar  

Curacao allegedly has amazing snorkeling (we didn't go, mostly because i have a phobia about open water ) and that's the reason many people vacation there. we found it to be pretty affordable. room at the Avila for 9 days was about $1500. right on the ocean, room on a pier jutting out in to the water. maybe a 15-20 minute walk to the main part of Punda (where you see the colorful buildings in all the brochures). 

there are so many amazing beaches. we rented a car and drove quite a bit to various spots. Willemstad is not big and there wasn't a bunch to see/do there but the Rif Fort is pretty cool. right on the ocean, lots of good restaurants & some shops. there's a casino nearby. the real reason to go is for the beaches and beautiful water. it's outside the hurricane belt so more or less any time of year is fair game.

as we learned from chatting with a Swedish fella who had lived there for years... Curacao is a popular spot for European vacationers. especially the Dutch. everyone we ran in to spoke English very well, made it easy to navigate. we ate like kings every day. at least i thought so. meals clocked in about 25-35 a piece. wife went bananas for the fresh ocean catch every day. beer is cheap

there are options available to ferry over to Aruba, Bonaire or even Venezuela which is 10 or so miles away. i recall the ferry being affordable but the wife gets seasick in a bad way so that was out for us. there are plenty of day cruise options, snorkeling options, etc.

everyone i've talked to that went to Aruba said the same thing about the wind. seems to be a major factor. Curacao was breezy but i never felt like it was intrusive. more of a typical steady tradewind which was a necessity because we went in July and it was.... hot.

we want to go back in the next few years. i've never felt more relaxed in my life.

 

[RUSF18]

We leave a month from today. Never been more excited for a vacation (sorry kid). 

 

[RUSF18]

Anyone been to Fred? Like 2 Fools and a Bull with the limited seating, menu tailored for the night, etc. Got on the wait list a while back and they emailed me a few days back about a spot opening up for Friday night. Reviews seem pretty incredible.

 

[Fat Nick]

BTW - If you catch on the Driftwood Charter they'll cook the fish for you at the Driftwood restaurant which is owned by the same people.

We had mahi mahi and a small Tuna!

Alot of fun!

Even if you don't go on the charter, I'll second the recommendation for Driftwood restaurant.  I think I mentioned it earlier in the thread.  Very good seafood.

 

[Beef Ravioli]

Anyone been to Fred? Like 2 Fools and a Bull with the limited seating, menu tailored for the night, etc. Got on the wait list a while back and they emailed me a few days back about a spot opening up for Friday night. Reviews seem pretty incredible.

We thought about trying this while we were there. I am curious to see what you think.

 

[RUSF18]

Anyone been to Fred? Like 2 Fools and a Bull with the limited seating, menu tailored for the night, etc. Got on the wait list a while back and they emailed me a few days back about a spot opening up for Friday night. Reviews seem pretty incredible.

Reviews were right.

If you have a trip planned a year from now, email them today.