An overview of our trip to Aruba in 2019. See where we stayed, how we got there, what we did, what we ate, and what we would do differently next time in this quick overview.
Accommodations: Marriott Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino
Flights/Transportation: Southwest Airlines
When: June/July 2019
Who: 2 adults
How Long: 4 nights
Itinerary: 4 nights in Oranjestad
What we did:
This was to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary, and it was our first trip without our kids. We flew with our kids to Tampa, FL to drop them off at their grandmother’s house, and we spent a couple days there too on either end of our trip. The night before our trip we spent the night at the Airport Marriott, which is attached to the hotel and made it easier to make it to our 5:45am flight. From there we flew to Ft. Lauderdale and then continued to Oranjestad, Aruba. We took a short taxi ride to the hotel, and spent the majority of our time at the resort and at their private island, occasionally venturing out to the shops in the immediate area. We then returned back to Tampa (via Ft. Lauderdale), stayed a couple more days with family, and continued the rest of the way home.
Trip highlight:
The highlight of the trip was Flamingo Beach on the Marriott’s private island. You can read more about how we swam with flamingos here. The other highlight was getting some rare alone time without our kids. As much as we love traveling with them, it was really nice (and so much easier!) to travel on our own.
What I would do differently:
Honestly, I don’t think I would do anything differently, except maybe pack a little lighter. We brought a lot more “dress” clothes than I ended up needing. Everything was really casual and most of the time we just wore beach clothes.
Best meal:
We ate all of our meals at the hotel, and I ended up eating a lot of pizza because it was usually the designated “vegetarian” option. The best meal was the local cuisine buffet that the Marriott restaurant Aquarius offer once a week. There were a lot of great vegetarian options, including a custom fried rice station. They also had several kinds of sushi and a lot of very unique local and Venezuelan foods that I was completely unfamiliar with. I HIGHLY recommend this buffet, it is a do-not-miss event.
[ It seems like more is needed here, like a little wrap up or something. It sort of just ends]
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