Aruba with no all inclusive

demarcosjd

We keep going back and forth whether or not to do an all inclusive or not. We have done all inclusive at all the vacations we have been on out of the US but a few ppl told us that Aruba has so many restaurants that an all inclusive is not necessary. Has anyone been to Aruba and not done an all inclusive, do you regret it, and were the food and drink prices high?

Thank you for your help

shauni27

one of my friends just got back from her honeymoon in aruba and did not do ai.  she said on food, drinks, and two excursions that they did she spent $4000.  (that is ON TOP OF air fare, hotel, and transportation.)  from my research, i found that it might be worth doing the all inclusive AND still going out to eat some times so that at least your booze at your resort is covered , which i think was a large amount of their $4000 spent.  good luck!

bellebride116

We stayed at the Marriott Resort & Casino which was not an all inclusive a few years ago. The food was pricey but we didn't really notice a difference between this vacation and others when we dont stay at an all inclusive. We only went for 5 nights and definitely did not spend 4k on food. We are also not HUGE drinkers either.

Pinker26

We also stayed at the Renasiance Marriott (the one in the capital with the private island, not the one in the hotel zone).  We didn't do an all inclusive because we like the freedom to try out local places.  There were actually a lot of really good restaurants in the area and I didn't think it was overly expensive.  I don't regret it.  However if you really wanted to just stay on your resort and relax on the beach and you're staying right in the hotel zone, it might not be a bad option.

JenFridrich

We satyed at Bucuti Beach and had an amazing time! I am so glad that we did not do an AI because the food in Aruba is amazing! The previous post that said someone spent 4K is NUTS! I don't even think that would be possible unless you were staying there for a month. We satyed for 7 days and all our food/drink/activities cost us around $600-700 (we rented a car so we were able to do a lot on our own). Also the people of Aruba are so friendly, I think I would have been really sad had I satyed at my hotel the whole time.

jenniemay24

We are not going to Aruba for our honeymoon, but my FI and I went there for Spring Break one year (which btw is not a typical Spring Break place so do not worry about that!). As college students we were able to find food that was wonderful and not over pricey. In my opinion you would be missing out if you did all inclusive. And the previsous post that talks about spending 4k is isane! If you decide to venture out here are the restaurants I recommend: Flying Fishbone (we made reservations online for sunset, right by the water can put your feet in the sound and everything, about $40-$50 a person - this was our spurge but WELL worth it if you love seafood) El Gaucho (great steak place! I dont even like steak and we enjoyed it - about $30-$40 as well) Those two were our favorite places. You can also go to arubadiscountcoupons.com for drink/excursion.rental coupons. Let me know if you have any other questions! I enjoyed it a lot and my aunt and uncle go there about 3-4 times a year so I have a lot of information Good luck in your decision!

christinapayne

To JenFridrich: My FI and want to go to Aruba for our honeymoon as well. I really like Bucuti Beach Resort, and want to stay in one of the Tara Beach Suites. Is the resort as nice as the pictures on the website? That is my biggest fear! Although we will probably stay near the resort, I want to do some shopping and sightseeing. Are there any places you would recommend?