Aruba – In the Summer?

When asked – What are you doing for your summer vacation? I responded “Going to Aruba.”

Most of my friends and colleagues looked puzzled – ok confession time; when you live in northern Ontario you are supposed to get outside and enjoy Ontario not go somewhere on a plane to the Caribbean where it’s like a million degrees and full of hurricane potential. Well we had to get our son to NYC mid-July and be back to pick him up a week later so rather than fry in NYC (yes it was 98F) we hopped on a plane - JetBlue - yes it was an airline we would choose again -(professional, courteous, smooth landings) and went to Aruba (85F, constant tradewinds).

June to September is off season in Aruba so while we didn’t land any deals, what we enjoyed was little in the way of crowds. The beaches which Aruba is world famous for, were sparsely filled with sun bathers compared to winter season. We stayed at the Occidental Grand Aruba on Palm Beach, which was an all-inclusive. It had a nice family feel to it,  not too big, a mix of patrons (families, couples, young adults, folks like us), and fabulous restaurants. The rooms were very well appointed with ceramic floors, king sized beds, a balcony overlooking either the ocean or the next door Radisson or Hyatt Regency (that latter two places we wandered through and found them large and impersonal not to mention expensive since they weren’t all inclusive).

The Occidental Grand had a major face lift in the late 1990′s so it had a fresh look to it. We found the staff to be very helpful and friendly but not too pushy. The only exception is that Aruba’s tourism relies largely on repeat vacationers so there is a promotional effort to get prospective patrons to attend time share sessions and the like but once we declined they left us alone.

While our days of partying late into the night are a distant past, Aruba is known for its nightlife; Vegas-style shows, fancy restaurants and the ubiquitous Senor Frogs and Hooters. Lavish casinos abound at all the hotels – we know next to nothing about gambling (good thing) so watching what happens at the tables was something to do after dinner – watch other people lose money!

Aruba is a tiny island, only 19 miles long and 6 at its widest. We rented a car for a day (cheap $45 plus $20 for insurance and $5 to re-fill the tank!). The island is super safe and worth renting a car for the day to see the sights. Baby Beach is a must, it’s on the southern tip and white sand, incredibly clear warm water awaits. Wading out for 2 minutes gets you to a reef teeming with fish and coral. We could have spent the day snorkeling there. Next to Baby Beach is Rodger’s Beach – the guide books touted it for its snorkeling but we found it tired and quite a blight really since an oil refinery is in full view.

The guide books further promote renting a 4 wheel drive to check out the Arikok National Park on the eastern side of the island. This ecological preserve sprawls across roughly 20% of the island and is home to many animal species unique to Aruba apparently.

No trip to a Caribbean island is complete without going on a boat for an afternoon and seeing the land from the sea. We hopped on a Catamaran for a snorkeling trip and had the pleasure of seeing a baby sea tortoise (by baby I mean he or she was at least 2 feet wide!). Our trip also took us to snorkel amongst the Antilles German ship that was torpedoed in 1944.

So a few highlights on Aruba

• Pan-Asian/Japanese restaurant at the Occidental Grand (ask for Boy chef at the Hibachi table)
• Olio Italian restaurant at the Occidental- finely tuned cuisine and impressive wine list (ask for a table on the balcony in time to enjoy the sunset over the ocean)
• The sand beaches go on for miles and are soft of our feet although hot in the middle of the day
• Snorkeling is a must (we bring our own mask and snorkel and borrow the flippers)
• The Arubans are a friendly people
• Afternoon naps are a must; bring lots of books to read
• Be brave and do aqua gym in the pool everyday, a fun way to limber up and then swim over to the swim-up bar for a beverage, followed by a plate of paella

Not sure if we would go in the winter; we hear that it is crowded and you have to secure beach chairs early etc,  not my idea of a vacation. Aruba has a different feel to it, part European (it is Dutch afterall), part mini-Miami and part Caribbean. Since it’s located only 20 miles from South America (Venezuela) the weather is more moderate and apparently outside the Caribbean hurricane path. The landscape is desert-like with iguanas.

We went with the view to flop on a beach, pool side, snorkel, nap, swim, eat at many good and varied restaurants. Our intentions were fulfilled. A week later we flew back to NYC (it was still 98F – that’s our next blog!) well rested and happy to have spent a July week in Aruba.

Other posts written by Jo you’ll probably enjoy:

• Superior Rocks by guest blogger Jo Beyers
• New York, New York: Our First Visit
• Manitoulin Island: An Island Like No Other
• Trepidation, Fear, Awe & Wonder: Volcano Toco in Chile

This blog was kindly written by my good friend Jo Beyers who lives in Espanola, Ontario.

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