Vacation, hmmm what can I say? We went on a trip to Aruba this past February. Rick and I have been trying to get to Aruba through our Marriott club ever since the boys were born, and FINALLY we made it. It was a last-minute trip (relatively speaking) we didn't know we were going there until last November. Anyway, things went smoothly and here is a brief tale of our adventure.
Sunday: We flew direct from OHare to Aruba without any stops. This was GREAT, because it made travelling with kids much easier. Although last time we had a LONG flight the kids were really small and we had to travel with strollers, car seats, etc. It made it quite easy this time - we only had them and a small backpack. The flight was uneventful and we made it safely, and on time!
After getting through customs at the airport we took a taxi to our hotel. It was recommended that we just taxi our way through town, since the whole island is only about 20 miles in length, 6 miles wide. Most of the week we stayed close to our "home" hotel so we only had to get a taxi to a couple of destinations. It was odd that no matter where we went - it was $10. Hmmm...
The first day we arrived we just checked out the hotel, and then headed to the local "sports bar" to watch the Superbowl. The restaurant was quite busy, but we managed to get a table directly in front of the large TV. After half-time we returned to the room, and Kayla stayed with the boys while Rick and I finished watching the game at the pool bar, in our hotel area.
After some much needed rest, we woke the next day to a relaxing morning - and by the time we dragged ourselves out - it was almost noon! Rick and I went to the grocery store to get some supplies for the week. Our normal "staple" food for vacation: Alcohol, snacks, breakfast items. As usual, we though we bought more than we would use - but in the end there wasn't much left! I think we're getting better at this every year!
The rest of the day was spent relaxing by the poolside, playing with the kids in the lazy river. We had a nice dinner at the Aqua Grill (recommended by some) and the food was pretty good. A little on the pricey side, but overall good quality seafood.
Tuesday morning, I thought it would be great to get up and tour the island - but Rick was needing some time to re-connect with work, and we decided to spend the day around the hotel. We went shopping at the local shopping malls (within walking distance) and basically relaxed around the area. Tuesday evening we had dinner at the local mexican restaurant, Iguana Joe's. It was short distance from our hotel, but still within walking distance. The weather was nice, and the seating was open-air so it was beginning to feel like a tropical vacation!
Wednesday morning was our golf outing - Kayla was planning on spending the day with the boys doing hotel/kid activities (crafty stuff) around the hotel. Since everyone was a little sunburned from the day before, it was a great idea to give everyone a break from the sun! Rick and I took off to the golf course, and had a nice time golfing. Other than the wind - it was a pretty easy course for me. We returned to the hotel in the afternoon, and Rick was off to "spa". After a disappointing spa experience - we all got ready for dinner. Wednesday evening we had dinner at the restaurant called "Simply Fish", which was basically a really "fancy" place right in the sand on the beach of the Marriott Hotel right next door! Again, the food was good, prices were a little high, and the WIND wouldn't stop blowing!!! By this time I was more aggrivated at the wind than anything else, but overall it was a nice experience--and definitely different!!
Thursday we had reservations to tour on the Atlantis Submarine. THAT was a neat experience - the little submarine (only holds about 75 people) went down about 120 feet. We saw lots of marine life (through the little windows) and a sunken ship of some sort. The whole trip (including the boat trip to get to the submarine docking area) was about 3 hours. Following the trip we had a nice lunch at La Petite Cafe, just some sandwiches. Back to the hotel for more relaxing and that brutal sun! By now all of us were trying to recover from the sunburns, slathering ourselves with the famous Aruba Aloe Gel, and Aloe After Sun Lotion (Aloe is the main production on the island) and trying to keep from frying some more!
Thursday evening, Kayla watched the boys while Rick and I went on the "Kukoo Kunuku" Bus Tour. What a riot! The bus (loudly painted, with maraccas for everyone, blasting music and a party atmosphere!!) trip went throughout the island, we stopped at the lighthouse for sunset champagne toast, then off to dinner at a local "home". It was an intimate gathering for just the party-bus people, and really bad food! Rick and I had some body painting done from a local artist that was hired for our gathering. Rick had a dragon painted on his arm, and I had a seahorse. She did some wonderful work, but unfortunately it wasn't permanent so it washed off the next day when we went snorkeling. The bus trip went to three different local bar establishments where we danced, drank and had a good time. Well--almost all of us. Rick didn't really enjoy the trip - I guess he's getting too old for that party stuff--HA HA!!
Friday: What can I say? This was the best day, I think. We had reservations for a snuba/snorkle sailing adventure. Kayla, Rick and I did the "Snuba" and we all did some snorkeling and relaxing on the boat. It was a very large catamaran, and there was about 50 people onboard. We made three stops, the first stop was just snorkeling. The second stop was at the sunken German war ship where Rick and Kayla did the "Snuba". The boys tried snorkeling but the water was a little choppy, so they just enjoyed playing on the boat. We had a nice lunch on the boat, then went to the third area, where Kayla and I did the Snuba, and Rick and the boys snorkled. This was the day we all "FRIED" from the sun. Thought we slathered up with sunblock - apparently we hadn't put on enough!! Although we all burned, it was a really nice time. We returned to the hotel and had a relaxing afternoon. We had a dinner in the hotel room (steaks grilled downstairs on the BBQ) for Thursday dinner, and a relaxing evening where Rick and I went to the casino and tried our luck. No such luck - so we had drinks at the hotel lobby bar and then turned in for the night.
Saturday - Kayla and I went to the spa to have pedicures, and on our last full day we wanted to spend at the beach with the boys - since we hadn't really spent time swimming in the "ocean". Unfortunately the wind had shifted and the surf was coming in at a very fast pace - as well as the seaweed!! The boys played in the sand and we looked for sea shells, but it was too rough to swim - so we went back to the pool at the hotel and relaxed the rest of the day. We had a nice dinner at a BBQ place and returned to the hotel to pack and get ready for home. Boo Hoo!!
Our trip home was pretty uneventful - the plane was on time, and typical. We did have a nice time - and it was great to finally get to Aruba to see the beautiful beaches. Next time we go there (not sure when that will be!!) I would like to tour the island to see some of the nature (bridges, forest, etc.) and some of the local "downtown" areas. This time was just relaxing!!
Wow - that's all for now. Gotta go.
Happy Vacation!!
Sunday: We flew direct from OHare to Aruba without any stops. This was GREAT, because it made travelling with kids much easier. Although last time we had a LONG flight the kids were really small and we had to travel with strollers, car seats, etc. It made it quite easy this time - we only had them and a small backpack. The flight was uneventful and we made it safely, and on time!
After getting through customs at the airport we took a taxi to our hotel. It was recommended that we just taxi our way through town, since the whole island is only about 20 miles in length, 6 miles wide. Most of the week we stayed close to our "home" hotel so we only had to get a taxi to a couple of destinations. It was odd that no matter where we went - it was $10. Hmmm...
The first day we arrived we just checked out the hotel, and then headed to the local "sports bar" to watch the Superbowl. The restaurant was quite busy, but we managed to get a table directly in front of the large TV. After half-time we returned to the room, and Kayla stayed with the boys while Rick and I finished watching the game at the pool bar, in our hotel area.
After some much needed rest, we woke the next day to a relaxing morning - and by the time we dragged ourselves out - it was almost noon! Rick and I went to the grocery store to get some supplies for the week. Our normal "staple" food for vacation: Alcohol, snacks, breakfast items. As usual, we though we bought more than we would use - but in the end there wasn't much left! I think we're getting better at this every year!
The rest of the day was spent relaxing by the poolside, playing with the kids in the lazy river. We had a nice dinner at the Aqua Grill (recommended by some) and the food was pretty good. A little on the pricey side, but overall good quality seafood.
Tuesday morning, I thought it would be great to get up and tour the island - but Rick was needing some time to re-connect with work, and we decided to spend the day around the hotel. We went shopping at the local shopping malls (within walking distance) and basically relaxed around the area. Tuesday evening we had dinner at the local mexican restaurant, Iguana Joe's. It was short distance from our hotel, but still within walking distance. The weather was nice, and the seating was open-air so it was beginning to feel like a tropical vacation!
Wednesday morning was our golf outing - Kayla was planning on spending the day with the boys doing hotel/kid activities (crafty stuff) around the hotel. Since everyone was a little sunburned from the day before, it was a great idea to give everyone a break from the sun! Rick and I took off to the golf course, and had a nice time golfing. Other than the wind - it was a pretty easy course for me. We returned to the hotel in the afternoon, and Rick was off to "spa". After a disappointing spa experience - we all got ready for dinner. Wednesday evening we had dinner at the restaurant called "Simply Fish", which was basically a really "fancy" place right in the sand on the beach of the Marriott Hotel right next door! Again, the food was good, prices were a little high, and the WIND wouldn't stop blowing!!! By this time I was more aggrivated at the wind than anything else, but overall it was a nice experience--and definitely different!!
Thursday we had reservations to tour on the Atlantis Submarine. THAT was a neat experience - the little submarine (only holds about 75 people) went down about 120 feet. We saw lots of marine life (through the little windows) and a sunken ship of some sort. The whole trip (including the boat trip to get to the submarine docking area) was about 3 hours. Following the trip we had a nice lunch at La Petite Cafe, just some sandwiches. Back to the hotel for more relaxing and that brutal sun! By now all of us were trying to recover from the sunburns, slathering ourselves with the famous Aruba Aloe Gel, and Aloe After Sun Lotion (Aloe is the main production on the island) and trying to keep from frying some more!
Thursday evening, Kayla watched the boys while Rick and I went on the "Kukoo Kunuku" Bus Tour. What a riot! The bus (loudly painted, with maraccas for everyone, blasting music and a party atmosphere!!) trip went throughout the island, we stopped at the lighthouse for sunset champagne toast, then off to dinner at a local "home". It was an intimate gathering for just the party-bus people, and really bad food! Rick and I had some body painting done from a local artist that was hired for our gathering. Rick had a dragon painted on his arm, and I had a seahorse. She did some wonderful work, but unfortunately it wasn't permanent so it washed off the next day when we went snorkeling. The bus trip went to three different local bar establishments where we danced, drank and had a good time. Well--almost all of us. Rick didn't really enjoy the trip - I guess he's getting too old for that party stuff--HA HA!!
Friday: What can I say? This was the best day, I think. We had reservations for a snuba/snorkle sailing adventure. Kayla, Rick and I did the "Snuba" and we all did some snorkeling and relaxing on the boat. It was a very large catamaran, and there was about 50 people onboard. We made three stops, the first stop was just snorkeling. The second stop was at the sunken German war ship where Rick and Kayla did the "Snuba". The boys tried snorkeling but the water was a little choppy, so they just enjoyed playing on the boat. We had a nice lunch on the boat, then went to the third area, where Kayla and I did the Snuba, and Rick and the boys snorkled. This was the day we all "FRIED" from the sun. Thought we slathered up with sunblock - apparently we hadn't put on enough!! Although we all burned, it was a really nice time. We returned to the hotel and had a relaxing afternoon. We had a dinner in the hotel room (steaks grilled downstairs on the BBQ) for Thursday dinner, and a relaxing evening where Rick and I went to the casino and tried our luck. No such luck - so we had drinks at the hotel lobby bar and then turned in for the night.
Saturday - Kayla and I went to the spa to have pedicures, and on our last full day we wanted to spend at the beach with the boys - since we hadn't really spent time swimming in the "ocean". Unfortunately the wind had shifted and the surf was coming in at a very fast pace - as well as the seaweed!! The boys played in the sand and we looked for sea shells, but it was too rough to swim - so we went back to the pool at the hotel and relaxed the rest of the day. We had a nice dinner at a BBQ place and returned to the hotel to pack and get ready for home. Boo Hoo!!
Our trip home was pretty uneventful - the plane was on time, and typical. We did have a nice time - and it was great to finally get to Aruba to see the beautiful beaches. Next time we go there (not sure when that will be!!) I would like to tour the island to see some of the nature (bridges, forest, etc.) and some of the local "downtown" areas. This time was just relaxing!!
Wow - that's all for now. Gotta go.
Happy Vacation!!
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