mark

We are planning our first trip to Aruba Jan 99'. Should we spend both weeks on Aruba, or try to book a week on both Aruba and Curacao? The airfare would be the same. Thanks in advance for any advice!

sharon sorensen

We spent two weeks on Aruba and had a very relaxing time. Best place to rent a car is SEM car rentals on a weekly basis. You could easily see the island with a car in a week. Snorkeling is not very good in comparison to Turkes or Grand Caymen. There is a little restaurant that sits on a pier out front of the Holiday Inn that has good food and good prices. Have fun!

judy

Mark - We just got back from a cruise which included Aruba and Curacao. I would suggest that you spend l week in each place if the price is the same. I think that you will enjoy Curacao as well as Aruba. The city of Aruba is more interesting, I think with its floating bridge and the different colored houses. Aruba is very relaxing, as there isn't much to do except sit by the poor or got to the ocean, after you have visited the main attractions of the natural bridge and the haystack. Have a great trip. Judy

bette

We just came back from Curacao. Curacao is a working Island. We stayed at a beautiful place off the beaten track (about 40 minutes from the town). Place was beautiful and we and 1 other couple were the only guests at the hotel....Beautiful room! Beaches very very rocky. Stayed for 8 days and enjoyed. We personally did not like Aruba as it is too commercial for us....we like to be the "only footprints in the sand"....

Good Luck!

Debbie

We recently spent two weeks in Aruba and loved it. We stayed at the Holiday Inn (all-inclusive) so we went to that pier restaurant in front of the hotel and there was nothing lovelier than fresh BBQ'd mahi-mahi while watching the sun set and listening to a local band play during happy hour! According to my other half who has snorkeled and dived at 4 other islands, he absolutely raved about the snorkeling off DePalm Island ($18. gets you a nice half day trip out to Depalm for sun and snorkel). He was also thrilled to scuba dive down into a shipwreck. There is tonnes to do - yes it is commercialized but the beach strip and all the water activities along Palm Beach more than make up for things - it also helps to go in November when it's quieter and it's not wall to wall breasts, er I mean people. We highly, highly recommend it but stay away from Bushiri or La Cabana if you want to be on the main and best strip of beach! Use the $2. bus ride into town when you want to shop and if you can afford it, stay at the Hyatt Regency - it's to die for gorgeous! Oh, and if you like to gamble, Aruba is definitely the place for you.

Eleanor

ARUBA, ARUBA, ARUBA! NEED I SAY MORE?

Parrot Mom

One week in each--Aruba is boring-beach and gambling--no history or native culture-once you've seen the bridge and the church-that's it. We;ve stopped at Curacao via ship and it's a fascinating place lots of places to tour, including a brand new acquarium--no Taco Bell like Aruba--Heard the Sonesta was gorgeous and the place to stay

Harriet

<BR>We just returned last month from a week in Curacao and a week in Aruba. Curacao does have more to see, but all the beaches are man made and sort of rocky. Public transportation is the pits, you'll need a car, taxis are expensive. Aruba has much better beaches, the locals are much much friendler than Curacao. E Mail for all the particulars, too much for this board.Rob and Harriet