Quick facts: the island is 21 miles long and is only 17 miles away (North of) Venezuela. The land is total of 75 square miles and lies outside of hurricane belt, which makes it safe to reserve a vacation in advance. While Aruba is part of Netherlands, it is an autonomous region where locals speak at least 3 or more foreign languages, the main four being Dutch, English, Spanish and some dialect mixture of multiple languages.
The island has a dry climate and cactus-strewn landscape. But the beaches are picture-perfect: white sand, teal water and clean shores.
In between eating well and relaxing in the sun we took several tours: visit to Butterfly Farm, a sightseeing tour of the island and a submarine tour (120 feet under water to explore the world under).
During our sightseeing tour we made 5 stops:
The California Lighthouse.
"The old stone California lighthouse stands as a silent sentry in the area known as "Hudishibana," near the island's northwestern tip. The lighthouse is named for the U.S ship - the California - which sunk about two years previous to its construction in 1910. The site offers spectacular sunsets as the final shades of sunshine give way to a brilliant azure canopy. Perched on a high seaside elevation, the lighthouse has become one of Aruba's scenic trademarks and offers a picture perfect view of the island's western coastline of sandy beaches, rolling sand dunes and rocky coral shorelines." (www.aruba.com)
Alto Vista Chapel
The picturesque Chapel of Alto Vista exudes tranquility on its dramatic setting above the sea. The chapel was the island's first Roman Catholic Church, built in 1750 and reconstructed in 1953.
The small, bright yellow chapel is reached by a winding road lined with white crosses marking the stations of the cross. For local Arubans especially, it is a special place for peace and contemplation.
The Natural Bridge
The Ostrich Farm
We only stopped by this place to have some lunch. My mom and I came to the conclusion that there was no way ostriches in Aruba would look any different than the ones we have at Columbus Zoo, so we didn't go to see them. And we are perfectly fine with our decision.
Baby Beach
“Baby Beach is located in Seroe Colorado at the southeastern end of the island. This area was once known as “The Colony” because executives and their families lived in a gated community during the bustling half-century operation of the Lago Refinery. Baby Beach is a sandy half-moon shaped expanse in a calm lagoon, with a refreshment stand and huts. The waters are shallow; swimmers can wade out for a long distance and still touch the sea bottom. Where the bay opens out to the sea, snorkelers behold a colorful kaleidoscope of coral and tropical fish, but watch out for strong currents here.” (www.aruba.com)
On the way to Baby Beach we passed Valero refinery, which is currently not working leaving over 2000 people unemployed (though temporarily they are supported by the government). This refinery was in negotiations with some Chinese company who wants to purchase it.
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Atlantis Submarine
As I mentioned above, we also took a submarine tour. The Atlantis Submarine Tour has been in operation since 1990, and was voted Aruba's most outstanding attraction. It was an exciting voyage to depths of 120 feet below the Caribbean Sea aboard the largest passenger Submarine fleet in the world. Aruba's mysterious underwater realm allowed us to witness the remains of two shipwrecks, spectacular coral reefs and an abundance of colorful sea life. Oh, and the Submarine is US Coast Guard approved, environmentally friendly, spacious, and fully air-conditioned with large view windows.
More tidbits of what we've learned or experienced during the trip:
*An average cost to rent a house in Aruba is $1000 per month. However, government provides real estate of choice (taking into account availability) to locals (native born and raised residents).
*Private houses on the beach run for about $2-$4 mil dollars. To my surprise, majority of the houses don't have swimming pools as the water is very expensive in Aruba. According to our tour guide only politicians can afford a pool on their property as they don't have to pay for water.
*Golf fields are buying used water from hotels to save some $$ for watering the perfectly beautiful grass.
*My observation- houses don't have flower or kitchen gardens by the houses (again, comes down to the cost of water).
*Iguanas are everywhere. They are like ducks in the U.S. The ones by hotels are spoiled and domesticated- Westin even had a program during the day called 'Interaction with Iguanas' where guests could feed them salad leaves and bread (I saw some guests feeding them some French fries).
*5 star hotel means 4 star hotel (maximum based on European standards). Westin resort (where we stayed) was worth all 5 stars on the outside, but not so much on the inside. I've noticed that even though staff members were nice they were more reserved (European type) and less friendly (found only in the U.S.).
*Based on local laws, foreigners (not native-born) are allowed to work on the island for no more than 3 years (I guess too many of them 'discovered' this paradise and the government is trying to keep the growing population under control).
*Country depends 100% on tourism. They don't grow their own vegetables or fruit, even Iguanas, what used to be a delicacy, is now prohibited for use by mass consumers to preserve them from going extinct.
*I would not recommend using your credit card on the island (pay cash if you can). I only paid in two places with a credit card (hotel and perfume store) and my card info was stolen. A week before Christmas I found multiple charges on my card that I never made and had to cancel it.
*Food and entertainment is very expensive. Portions are (again) European size. This is one of the very few places where I would recommend staying at an all-inclusive resort.
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My mom and I both unintentionally lost couple of scarves on the beach of Aruba so under ‘the law of superstition’ we both will be back there some day… or so we’d like to believe.
