Aruba Itinerary!

jmrupprecht

Hi Everyone!

We have our Aruba honeymoon booked for end of August and I could not be more excited.

We are big time "hang out at the pool/beach and relax" people but we wanted to do 2 or 3 excursions while we are there. We were looking into the Jolly Pirate snorkel sails. Does anyone have any experience with them? An experience with a similar company? Another excursion that you loved? 

We also thought about renting a car one day and exploring some of the "off the beaten path" areas of the island such as the light house on the tip of the island. Is there anything else we should make a point to see while we do this? Landmarks? Beaches? Restaurants? I know the island is only 30 miles or so long so we can probably get a lot in in 1 or 2 days!

Basically is there anything that we CANNOT miss? Thanks everyone!!

jmpanek

Congrats!!! I went to Aruba last year for a week and loved it! You will have a fantastic time!!!  I did not use Jolly Pirates but I did a snorkeling excursion through red sail sports on a catamaran to the Antilla shipwreck, I can't remember the price but it wasn't too expensive and included open bar/snacks on the catamaran.  It was a pretty cool experience seeing the shipwreck (you can also see the lighthouse from the boat) and I'd definitely recommend doing that.  Also, the catamaran leaves right by the high rise hotels so if that is where you're staying it's very convenient.  If you are renting a car, I'd recommend visiting the national park and walking around.  It's on the opposite side of the island and it's totally different from the populated side.  Depending on how adventurous you're feeling, you can take an ATV tour to the natural bridge and the natural pool but it's a little scary... they are in the national park and I think there is a way to drive there if an ATV tour isn't your cup of tea.  And as far as restaurants, you MUST check out Wacky Wahoos.  It's located off of the main road by the high rise hotels.  Make a reservation if you want to go.  This is a big favorite among Aruba travelers.  They have a chalkboard where they write down the catch of the day and you can select how you want it prepared based on a few options listed in the menu. 

amymaysa

Check out the flying fishbone for dinner..amazing location

mwiederhold

The highest quality of restaurants are - Madame Janettes, Texas DeBrazil, El Gaucho and Flying Fishbone!  and the lighthouse restaurant is  MUST MUST MUST - La Trattoria El Faro Blanco

the sunken natzi ship for snorkeling is cool and so is the Natural Pool!

have fun!

kozacs

I highly recommend this snorkeling excursion if you want something quiet and relaxing.  We went two years ago and already booked for our trip in August.  

http://www.aruba-sailing.com/

Lisa50

I highly recommend planning a romantic dinner at the beach, either at The Old Man and the Sea (on the other side of the island) or at the Bucuti Beach Suites.  For a daytime activity, there is a  1/2 day (I think) jeep tour; we had a great time.

We love, love, love Aruba -- have been there 3 times, including for our honeymoon,  Enjoy!

jmrupprecht

Thanks everyone for the great recommendations! I've heard great things about snorkeling the Antilla shipwreck so that is definitely something we are going to do. And my fiance would LOVE doing an ATV tour, so we will probably look into that as well.
The restaurant recs are great too! Thanks again!

TheSlowskys

I snokled the wreck - it was fantastic!  We saw a sea turtle.

I've also heard that the Medushi is a good excursion - its like a boat w/ a rope swing and alcohol.

I've also heard flying fish bone was excellent, as pp said. 

YOU MUST book dinner at Marandi (it is near the airport).  It's basically a little palapa restaurant on the ocean.  Book for sunset, it was the best meal we had there.  The owners also own Que Pasa in downtown Oranjestad, and Woodfish.  We had dinner at Que Pasa as well and it was excellent.

We had a car the whole trip - There are a lot of places w/o street signs, but it was easy to get around once we figured things out.  I would definitely get a car for at least a few days - we found our own little private beaches and reefs to snorkel.

Have fun!