The Tropical Islands of Aruba / Curacao / Bonaire in the Leeward Antilles


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The Aruba You Never Knew
Its perfect climate, ideal beaches and vibrant nightlife make Aruba one of the top Caribbean getaways.

 

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Seven Perfect Days in Aruba

(Fri Dec 9th, 2005, by Y. Smolyansky)
 

Aruba ? If this word makes you think of Paradise, of pristine beaches and a vibrant nightlife, of beautiful sites and perfect weather, you won?t be disappointed.

Aruba is a charming contradiction, an island of ?two faces?. Its milky beaches and transparent blue waters will make you feel like you?re the first person to walk on the sand and soak your feet. But its Vegas-style casinos, parties and shows reveal the other, wilder side. Aruba is the perfect marriage of entertainment and leisure, an island where there really is something for everyone.

All Inclusive resorts and Aruba are practically synonymous. Engulfed in its ambience and relaxed atmosphere, the last thing you want to do is search for your wallet, worry about paying for daily meals and constantly watch the family vacation budget. With the affordability and convenience of all-inclusive resorts, Aruba visitors can forget all about that and let Aruba?s charm and spirit sweep them off their feet.

Aruba?s all inclusive resorts are some of the best in the world. There are over twenty-five resorts on the island, but the best, highest-rated ones are:

? Wyndham Aruba Beach Resort ? Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino ? Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino ? Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort ? Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino ? Aruba Grand Beach Resort & Casino ? Allegro Aruba by Occidental

Aruba?s calling card is its year-round perfect weather. Aruba is located well below the hurricane belt. It?s one of the three islands, along with Bonaire and Curacao, located outside the hurricane belt. The average annual temperature is 83 degrees Fahrenheit, and rainfall amounts to just 17 inches a year, most of which occurs during the months of October, and November. It?s rare and warm, lasting no more than 15 minutes. If you?re planning a vacation of fun in the sun, picking Aruba is almost a guarantee you won?t be stuck in your hotel room, watching gray clouds pass over the roof.

If the blue clear waters call your name, and in Aruba ? they certainly will, you?ll find the island full of options. Snorkeling, windsurfing, deep sea fishing, paragliding, jetskiing ? Aruba is happy to oblige. If you can scuba, or want to learn, Aruba is world-famous for its coral reefs and friendly waters. At your all-inclusive resort, many water activities are free. Others, like scuba, can be conveniently arranged by the concierge.

Exploring Aruba is easy with an island tour. Better yet, consider a Jeep tour. Driving is fun and the sites are incredible. Aruba?s most photographed spot is its natural bridge, a coral formation rising 25 feet above the sea. Kids love guessing what the cactuses, which dot the island outside the resorts, look like.

Popular sites include:

? Oranjestad city tour ? Wilhelmina Park ? Fort Zoutman ? Aruba Historical Museum ? Willem III Tower ? Archaeological Museum Aruba ? Numismatic Museum ? Natural bridge ? Hooiberg Mountain ? Fontein, Guadirikiri and Huliba caves ? California Dunes ? California Lighthouse ? Chapel of Alto Vista ? Church of Santa Anna in Noord ? Arikok National Park ? De Olde Molen, an old Dutch windmill from Holland ? Balashi and Bushiribana gold mill ruins ? Boca Prins Cove ? San Nicolas

If you love gourmet food, Aruba doesn?t disappoint on this front either. Every resort has its own buffet, featuring local and American cuisine, and plenty of seafood. One or two sit-down restaurants inside of each resort serve dinner, exquisitely delicious and fresh.

After a long, relaxing day of being pampered and soaking up the sun at your all inclusive resort, enjoy one of Aruba?s Vegas-style shows. The Broadway and Latin shows are long-time staples, along with the hilarious Don?t Tell Mama show. You can also try your hand at poker or blackjack inside one of Aruba?s dozen casinos. Back at your all-inclusive resort, drinks are, of course, included. Order your favorite and don?t worry about the wallet ? at an all-inclusive Aruba resort, you don?t need it.

It?s true what they say in Aruba ? it is One Happy Island.

Looking for more detailed information about over 400 all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico? Find it at http://www.sunvacations.org and http://www.iberostar.info

The SunVacations.org directory features 36 destinations, with an extensive list of all-inclusive resorts for each. Finally, all-inclusive resorts information is conveniently available from one source, saving online vacation seekers hours of research time. Whether you?re a search guru or a new Internet user, SunVacations.org will help you find a resort of your dreams quicker and easier. Browse resorts, look at pictures, read reviews. Sunvacations.org directory is truly a one-stop information source for Caribbean and Mexican all inclusive vacations.

SunVacations.org offers discount travel packages for most all inclusive resorts.

If you believe that a picture is worth a thousand words, Iberostar.info is your vacation search destination. Iberostar.info is the world's most comprehensive Mexican and Caribbean resorts photos source on the web, containing over 1,000 images. This unique Iberostar photo collection features 11 resorts.

House Swaps in Aruba
 Vacation Rentals in Aruba
Aruba Experience - Aruba Experience - Information on the island including culture, shopping, activities, lodging, and detailed maps.


Aruba Experience - Aruba Experience - Information on the island including culture, shopping, activities, lodging, and detailed maps.

Aruba Hotel And Tourism Association (AHATA) - Aruba Hotel And Tourism Association (AHATA) -
Main private-sector tourism association of Aruba aiming to achieve sustainable growth for the Aruba tourism industry.
Aruba On-Line - Aruba On-Line - Official Aruba Tourism Authority website. Includes accommodations, shopping and dining guides, activities and events and other tourist information.
Bon Bini: Welcome to Aruba - Bon Bini: Welcome to Aruba - A travel guide with details on the island's history, activities, and facilities.

Car Hire Guide - Car Hire Guide - Aruba car hire offers car rental in all major cities of Aruba from 225 USD

Enjoy Aruba - Enjoy Aruba - Travel and entertainment guide for the island. Offers informations on lodging, entertainment, dining, shopping, latest news and weather.

Lonely Planet - World Guide: Aruba - Lonely Planet - World Guide: Aruba - Comprehensive facts and advice for traveling along with background material on the culture and history of the country.

Orrin's Aruba Trip Notes - Orrin's Aruba Trip Notes - Notes and information for visitors to Aruba. Restaurants, markets, places of interest, locations of ATMs, and other useful information.

Portal Aruba - Portal Aruba - Information about online services for business travelers.

Toyota Rent A Car Aruba - Toyota Rent A Car Aruba - Information on rates, discounts, models, and online reservations.
US State Department - Aruba Consular Information Sheet - US State Department - Aruba Consular Information Sheet - Offers general country and travel information including entry and exit requirements, safety and security, crime, health and transport.


Personal Journey: Drive on Aruba's wild side was a thrilling adventure

Signing up for a half-day jeep tour of Aruba didn't seem like a particularly risky thing to do. It had been raining for days, thanks to a hurricane hundreds of miles offshore. When it was finally nice enough to go to the beach, the strong waves knocked me off my feet. My friend, Diane, and I had exhausted shopping. So a jeep tour of the island seemed like a nice diversion. Who knew it would turn out to be the ride of my life?

Fourteen of us climbed into four jeeps. Diane and I rode with the tour leader, Raymond, a native Aruban who had completed his required military service and his university education in Amsterdam. Aruba is an autonomous region within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Raymond was knowledgeable about Aruba's history, culture and points of interest. He also had a demented sense of humor and a wicked glint in his eye. He started us off easy with the California Lighthouse and the Alto Vista Chapel, two of the main tourist attractions.

Along the way, we saw air-conditioned tour buses taking the safe, paved roads and thought - "wimps." We were going for the really authentic experience, a choice we would question when Raymond went off-road.

It started out tame enough, on dry, deeply rutted country roads. Then the trail started to ascend. We jolted up non-roads at scary degrees of vertical. Raymond jumped out to have a look at a huge snake in the road. When he left the jeep door open, Diane and I looked at each other. We didn't know how fast snakes (it turned out to be a python) could move, and we had no interest in finding out.

As the road continued spiraling upward, I was glad Raymond was behind the wheel. How did the other people in the group drive unfamiliar cars up these crazy hills? Those "wimps" in the air-conditioned buses started looking pretty smart.

Raymond seemed to be making up our route as he went along. He was very impressed that the woman driving the jeep behind us was keeping up. I kept praying that the other jeeps held their traction and wouldn't smash into us. The ride up took my breath away. The ride down was worse.

In the end, we got our diversion and then some. Most travelers to Aruba take away memories of a sun-drenched island surrounded by turquoise water, divi-divi trees bent over from the constant breeze, and the casinos. My memory is of a thrilling off-road adventure.

There were moments I thought we might end up in an Aruban emergency room. But we experienced the wild heart of the island and the savage crashing waves along a part of the coast that many tourists never see. The "wimps" really missed the ride of a lifetime.