This travel guide is a long time coming, but I’m finally getting my ish together! I plan to release more of my past travels like Italy and Greece in later blog posts. Anywho…Michael and I got married on August 21, 2016, and prior to that, we went to marriage counseling. Our counselor suggested we come up with a mission statement for our marriage. I won’t get into all those details, but one thing we included was that we would try to take an international trip once a year! Our first anniversary we went to Greece, the second we traveled domestically, and in 2019 we decided to go on vacation in Aruba with some friends.
How did we get there?
We flew Southwest from Atlanta, GA with a connecting flight in Fort Lauderdale. The total travel time was about 7 hours. I prefer nonstop flights, but we were tryna save some coins on this trip! Our roundtrip tickets were $498 each.
Accommodations
We stayed at a beautiful AirBnb with accordion doors that opened up to a pool. We would wake up and chill by the pool every morning before getting our day started and every night before going to bed. There were three master bedrooms so each couple had a room with their own bathroom.
Full warning…the pool is 6+ feet throughout so there is no shallow end. However, there is a bench to sit on for the non-swimmers. Prior to this trip, I was terrified of deep water even tho I could swim, but I conquered that fear in this pool (yes, I’m proud of myself).
Transportation
We decided to rent a car so that we could see the entire island. We rented it from a local company at the airport. Priceline.com has rental cars for as low as $11 a day!
Excursions ($160 Total Per Person)
You can’t vacation in Aruba without going on excursions! We booked an ATV Off-Road tour and natural pool snorkeling through TripAdvisor. The ATVs were super fun, but your forearms will get a good workout. Through the tour we were able to see the natural bridge and pool. TIP: The rocks at the natural pool are sharp so be sure to wear water shoes.
We also booked a catamaran which included snorkeling and SNUBA. This was prior to me conquering my fear of deep water so I chilled on the boat with Leta (my linesister) the entire time…it was pretty relaxing plus it had an open bar! If you’re like me and never heard of SNUBA before, check out Mike (my hubby) and Montae (Leta’s hubby) in the pic below!
The Food
I will start with the good…the garlic shrimp at Bugaloe Beach Bar & Grill was bussin!! It’s right on the beach so it’s super convenient. This is also where we discovered Aruban hot sauce (we brought home two large bottles of it).
I had never heard of Dutch pancakes before, but I am so glad Linda’s brought it into my life. Think of a crepe, but with the ingredients cooked inside of the dough. I had crispy bacon inside of mine and it was pretty good. Unfortunately, I have nothing to compare it to since that’s the only Dutch Pancake I’ve ever had, but I enjoyed it.
Now for the bad…I really had my heart set on Gianni’s Ristorante Italiano because they toss the pasta in a giant cheese wheel set on fire (video below). BUT the service was terrible and the pasta was bland af! Literally just pasta, cheese, tomato sauce. No garlic, no seasoning. It was so disappointing and that’s where we spent our anniversary dinner smh.
Ayo (Goodbye)
Aruba is a great place to go if you’re looking to relax. The beaches and weather were perfect. Just off Palm Beach, there are indoor and outdoor bars/clubs that were lit (they played older music though, like the early 2000s). I thoroughly enjoyed the trip but didn’t get a chance to do everything that I wanted to so I will most likely visit again one day.
Other things to do on your Vacation in Aruba
Stay at the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino for at least one night – this is where you will find the only flamingos on the island at their privately owned Flamingo Beach
Check out the Street Art
The California Lighthouse for a dope pic
If traveling out of the country isn’t in the budget this year then check out how to vacation for $500 or less!
I LOVE to travel with my boyfriend, but we’ve never been to Aruba! It’s funny because after his mother passed, we went through a rough patch and we were encouraged to get away and travel as well. I never imagined that we would find ourselves starting out with small trips to the Carolinas, then venturing to the West Coast and finally getting out of the country but every excursion is amazing!
I’ve heard so many good things about Aruba, so that may be our next spot. I’m like you, I will do Airbnb all day, every day. I feel like you get to experience so much more than being in a hotel. It sounds like you had an amazing trip!
I’m sorry to hear about your rough patch but happy to know you two are getting through it! Traveling is great for the soul.
I mainly love AirBnB because I don’t have to eat out every single meal while traveling!
My husband and I are definitely wanting to visit Aruba. We went to Punta Cana last year and it was amazing. Excursions are always fun. I too had never heard of SNUBA, looks fun. Im a food firl so these dutch pancakes got all my attention. Lol glad to guys enjoyed. I can’t wait to travel there.
Great review!! Looks so bomb!! I’ve always wanted to go to Aruba! Definitely on my travel list!
This trip looks phenomenal, booking now haha
Thank you for sharing this. I’ve been going through a lot and just was saying I need to book a vacation.
Get away soon and take your mind off things at home!