This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Aruba Tourism Authority for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Welcome readers! Or as they say in Aruba “Bon Bini!”
Eagle Beach in Aruba
I was recently approached to plan my perfect dream vacation to Aruba. This presented a great opportunity to learn more about the island. I started by asking if any of my friends and family had been there and boy was I surprised by the results. Apparently, Aruba is the hot place to vacation and honeymoon. Many of our friends went there on their honeymoon and I even found out someone I know has a timeshare there, who knew?
John and I have our third anniversary coming up next year, so this would be the perfect romantic getaway for our celebration.
I figured I would start by learning more about Aruba, so here are some of the important and cool things I discovered about the island:
- Aruba is in the Southern Caribbean Sea, off the North Coast of Venezuela:
Aruba (courtesy of Wikipedia)
- Aruba is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and shares a Dutch nationality.
- Aruba is in a triangle of islands that is out of the hurricane zone, so if you choose Aruba for your honeymoon or vacation you don’t have to worry about your plans getting cancelled. This happened to me once with a trip and it is no fun. It rarely rains there so you don’t have to worry about being stuck in your hotel room for the whole trip either.
- The license plates on Aruba say “One Happy Island.” This is the motto everyone lives by and I couldn’t think of a better place to escape to.
- Aruba is GREEN! Within the next 10 years, 100 percent of the island’s energy will come from renewable sources. How cool is that?
- Aruba has been known as the Las Vegas of the Caribbean. How did I not know this before? I would have visited a lot sooner!
- Aruba is the largest exporter of Aloe and you can tour the museum and factory. For those of you who know me, this is music to my ears, as I always burn on vacation.
Where to Stay
After a lot of review reading, I decided that we would stay at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino. It has received the AAA Four Diamond award for the past four years in a row and I can get Marriott points. The reviews on Expedia for this resort were phenomenal and it includes everything that I look for:
- 24-hour casino, so I can get my blackjack on
- Mandara Spa – one of my favorite spa chains (I have already selected the Mandara Balinese Body Polish with Massage as my service)
- It’s right on the beach and within walking distance of the shopping district
Marriott Resort
Where to Dine
John and I are big foodies and Aruba has some amazing restaurants. Here are the places that caught my eye:
Sunset Grille
This is Aruba’s only AAA Four Diamond restaurant and has a beautiful view of Eagle Beach.
Papiamento
Papiamento’s is housed on a 126-year-old Aruban “cunucu” (house) and was started in 1983. It’s a family owned business with a lot of personal touches that make it a special experience.
Pinchos Bar & Grill
Pincho’s offers a cool dining experience on the water. It is also one of the most romantic restaurants in Aruba.
Passions on the Beach
This is such a cool concept – dinner on the beach at sunset. What a romantic way to start the evening. I can just feel the sand between my toes!
What to Do
Have you ever wanted to try Yoga on a paddleboard? Well here’s your chance. The Aruba Marriott offers floating yoga classes for $40 where you try to keep your balance steady on your paddleboard. It sounds really neat and I would love to try it out.
Aruba Ariba
Aruba has it’s own special drink that includes Vodka, Rum and Coecoei (a special liquor). It looks amazing and I might have to make one to test it out this summer!
Jeep Tour
All of my friends seemed to agree on one thing – that we need to rent a Jeep to tour the island. There are parts of the island you can only see by doing this. One of the highlights is a natural pool or “conchi” that is tranquil enough to relax in.
Natural Pool
Kukoo Kunuku Party Bus
This sounded right up my alley and most of my friends recommended this. You get four bar stops and a free welcome shot at every stop.
Once upon a time my husband was certified in Scuba diving. If we went to Aruba I think he would definitely want to renew his certification and I would want to get certified. There are some amazing beaches and awesome diving opportunities.
The Jolly Pirates snorkeling expedition looks really fun and I am a sucker for a good pirate theme.
Jolly Pirates
Many moons ago I used to take horseback riding lessons, so this would be so much fun for me. How awesome would it be to take a sunset tour by horseback? You can also get to the natural pool by horseback so that could be fun too.
I am now hooked on Aruba! I was just singing its praises to my husband this morning and this sounds like an awesome getaway for us. I am thinking maybe in the winter when it is freezing here in Michigan or for our anniversary in May.
If you’ve been to Aruba before please let me know what your favorite places and activities are.
If you’ve never been to Aruba, check out the official Aruba travel website and let me know what your dream vacation would include.
I want to go! Steve and I are planning a long weekend getaway later this year, possibly over the Thanksgiving holiday. As much as I’d hate to miss Black Friday I would much rather be sipping an Aruba Arita by the pool while Steve gets his casino on!
Thanks for the review. We are seriously going to look into it, just hope the plane flight isn’t too long – you know me and my fear of flying!
Let me know because we may have to make this a dual vacation! Who knew it was the Vegas of the Caribbean?
We may have to test out the Aruba Arita soon!