Swept Away to Paradise: Aruba

Renaissance Aruba Resort offers 2 lodging options, the Ocean Suites & the Marina Hotel. We exchanged through Interval International & were automatically given a 1 bedroom in the ocean suites which is what we were hoping for. I don't think you can exchange into the marina hotel through timeshare exchange. We were actually hoping for the ocean suites for several reasons, some more obvious than others. The ocean suites face the ocean, they also have a very large pool. The marina hotel is tailored for adults, for instance their pool is exclusively for adults. The trendy, newly renovated marina hotel is approximately 1.5 blocks from the ocean. However, the strip of ocean on the property can not be used for swimming. Renaissance has come up with a unique solution for a beach. They have their own private island with a complimentary boat launch. Renaissance Island is approximately 40 acres & has two horse shoe-shaped beaches, Iguana Beach for families & an adult only beach, Flamingo Beach. There are plenty of amenities on the island, such as water sports, tennis, a grill & for a special treat, you can book a massage at the Spa Cove. The resort also features 2casinos, 15 restaurants, 6 bars, a marketplace & shopping mall with a hundred stores & movie theater. Check in on Friday afternoon was a mess at the resort. They had approx 100 guests waiting in the lobby for rooms to be cleaned. The reception desk continuously told us the rooms would be ready prior to 4, but we figured out later that they were just saying it to make us happy. At 1pm they let the guests register and put a credit card on file and inform you that you will be told when the room is ready and you can just pick up the keys. However, by 4 pm there was a line of 50+ people trying to get rooms. Most of these people hadn't yet registered, so we were stuck waiting in a lengthy line for a second time. We asked if they could form 2 separate lines, 1 for guest who had preregistered and 1 for guests who hadn't registered yet, but that concept was too difficult for the staff to comprehend. Maybe this is just the impatient American way of thinking! Since we had arrived at the resort prior to noon, we ended up waiting 5 hours for our room to be ready. My advice would be to drop off your luggage and go exploring. Unfortunately we believed the staff when they told us the room would be ready shortly &wasted; a beautiful afternoon waiting around. After the check in fiasco, things went smoothly. We were pleasantly surprised by the size of our room. The resort pool with the swim up bar is exactly what I imagined when I think of a Caribbean resort. The friendly iguanas roamed the resort & definitely entertained the children. We were able to go the whole week without a renting acar.

Friends and family recommended the Argentinean El Gaucho as the best restaurant on the island. We made our reservation with the concierge at our hotel the first day we arrived (Friday) and they didn't have an opening until Thursday and it was the off season. El Gaucho is located on 80 Wilhelminastreet in downtown Oranjestad, we were able to walk there from our hotel, the Renaissance. The décor was Spanish with rustic dining rooms that have traditional Argentine cowboy décor. I ordered the filet, which was served with corn on the cob, redskin potatoes and fresh vegetables. The steak was served with 3 different sauces but I savored the delicious meat with out the sauce. By far the best steak I have ever tasted.

We had a blast at Carlos'n Charlies. When we arrived around 7pm it was empty. We ordered yard drinks and had a coupon for a free appetizer (see booklets in your hotel). For our main meal we both got the shrimp, ribs and chicken bbq combo which was delicious and very reasonably priced. At 9pm the wait staff started clearing the tables off and pushing them to the side of the room to get ready for the party crowd. Things were crazy by 10pm. People were dancing on the bars, blow up dolls from a bachelor party were being tossed around and the signature whistle shots came out! We met some new drinking buddies and danced the night away.

Flying Fishbone is famous for its unique on the beach dining. If you're looking to score points with your significant other this is the place to go for a cocktails and a nice dinner while watching a romantic sunset. I highly recommend the Shrimp Shii-take & Blue Cheese Casserole. Its listed as the most popular dish and I know why, its simply delicious. This restaurant was off the beaten path. We heard such rave reviews that we decided to take the 20 minute taxi ride to check it out and it definitely was worth it!