travelmom

Has anyone had any experience with staying at LaCabana in a 1 BDRM Grand Suite? It seems to be a fun resort full of various activities. Club Cabana Nana is very attractive as we will have our 2 kids with us. I also like the fact they have a full kitchen with all the appliances & utensils. I get bored eating out after a few days. My main question would be this: is it very expensive to buy food on the island to cook on your own? What about buying alcohol? I am a margarita junkie and love the idea of whipping up a batch of 'ritas in the room w/out having to go to a bar for one. Any help is greatly appreciated. This site has helped us so much already as we have ruled out NEG, NAS, STT, and still debating Punta Cana.

Sue

The food store prices are just about as in the States but keep in mind that most of the prices are in Florins and not US$'s. You will be amazed at the wonderful restaurants in Aruba.

travelmom

Sue---TY for replying. I was hoping to come back and read more replies to my original post but..Have you been to Aruba with children and are you familiar with the LaCabana resort? Do you think the resteraunts are family friendly? My kids are pretty basic eaters, nothing fancy. They would be happy with chicken tenders, fries, hotdogs, ribs, pasta w/ butter, grilled cheese, etc. Are these kid foods readily available? I have been told the dining is to die for in Aruba but it is very expensive, w/ an internatinal flair, and tons of seafood. My son and I do not care for seafood at all though.

Bud

Have read many negative things about the LaCabana. You may want to look at website:<BR>www.moultonco.com/LuisM

Helping

There are plenty of places to eat with the kids. A lot of fast food places but some very nice restaurants also. You can by the booze there as it is not that bad of of a deal since you are out of the country. The above poster said everything you need know about the food. Aruba is a safe island & the people are very friendly. There is a lot of things to do for the kids, just ask the desk clerks & they will help you. The La Cabana is a great place for families. Have a fun vacation.

Debra

I stayed in a 1 bedroom at LaCabana with my husband in Oct. 2000. The room should be an okay size for your family, and there are two television sets if you want to watch something different than the children. We don't have children, but we saw plenty of families there, and they all seemed to be having a ball. There are a lot of amenities at LaCabana, and the beach is quite nice. We decided to go to the grocery store to buy food for our breakfast, because we knew that would be the one meal where we would still be in our room. There a couple of nice grocery stores close by that can easily reached by bus or car (we rented one). The prices are typical of a Carribean island that must import all of its food. Aruba is a desert island, and cannot grow any agriculture whatsoever. So all of the produce comes shrink-wrapped. We went to small restaurants where the locals eat. Our average dinner price was about $8 per person. We can get "international" cuisine at home, but not local Aruban, Venezuelan, or Colombian meals, so those were the types of places we looked for. The types of foods you say your kids like, it would be better to make it at the room. However, I am sure there are plenty of American -style fast food places there.<BR><BR>The only thing that I found to be a little unpleasant was the amount of prospectors for time-shares. You will be invited at least 2-3 times a day. We eventually subcombed, and actually bought one, but that was after being on the island for awhile, and falling in love with it.<BR><BR>Arubans are very educated people, and most speak four languages, Papiamento, Spanish, Dutch, and English. The standard of living is quite high for the region. You will not see a lot of poverty there.<BR><BR>Oh yes, there is a miniature golf course close by the resort, I was also told there is a bowling alley on island. The shops downtown are quite upscale, and you can see the European influence in the architecture. We took a snorkling tour out to a sunken ship, and it was the most amazing thing I ever experienced. I have travelled to several Carribean islands, but I never have seen water so deep blue, or the amount of fish. You definitely have to take an underwater camera (we bought a disposable one). <BR><BR>My husband is from the Carribean, and Aruba has definitely become his destination of choice. Of course, he is an advid windsurfer. There are just so many things to do. Did I tell you about the spelunking? The caves are in the desert, and it's quite fantantic to be walking among cactus, then turn around and you are just feet from the Carribean Sea. AMAZING!!!

kimberli

lacabana is perfect with kids. tons of activities and a nice waterslide they can play on. the supermarket is a little pricey but just like the one's in orlando florida. they jack up the price in tourist areas. not horrible though. the kitchen is very nice to have, i like making breakfast, however you must go out for dinner to el gauchos steak house. awesome food! my only complaint about aruba is the iguana's by the pools! they drive me crazy--but i'm not a reptile person. they are not bothersome to the 20 people i go with!!!<BR>have fun

kimberli

one more thing for non fancy but good food like chicken fingers and ribs--basically bar food, try tony romas. also the islander grill at lacabana has very good american grill food also.

Ana

Hey Travelmom:<BR><BR>I've been a La Cabana timeshare owner for over 11 years. We bought it because of the kids, at that time, 6, 4 and 2 yrs. old. The kitchen is an advantage. It's well maintained and very comfortable. There are 2 Cabana buildings, one is closest to the sea. Closest means that you have to cross the street to get there. The other resort, is further away. <BR><BR>You have poolside bars, if you want to have your 'ritas outside your room. They also whip up a wild pina colada.<BR><BR>We saw a wonderfull show at the La Cabana Tropical Room. The casino is great (bus transportation to and from the hotel). There is a mini=golf near the Resort. <BR><BR>Restaurants we enjoy at the island are El Gaucho (argentine beef) Warung Jawa (indonesean food). Near the lighthouse there is a great italian rest. can't recall the name of it now. Tony Romas is always great.<BR><BR>The staff is very frriendly, and they supply a hospitality room if you have a late flight and don't want to miss out on the great activities.<BR><BR>Nana Cabana is great for the grownups. We used it ourselves several times. They have activities, drawing, mini=golf, games, etc. that let you have some relax with hubbie.<BR><BR>Have a great trip/<BR>Ana<BR><BR>

Woody

The name of the restaurant located by the California Lighthouse in Aruba is La Trattria el Faro Blanco. Make reservations because not only is it great dinning but romanic, beautiful sunsets, a great view of the ocean & the Teierra del Sol Golf course & Clubhouse.

beenthere

LaCabana is wonderful,especially the suite area. We stayed in a two beadroom and it was plenty big. Aa far as food goes there is also a good mexican rest. at the Hyatt.the outback is with in walking distance and dunken donuts is between the two pool in the grand suite area,the morning after coffee. Happy hour is two for one,the're the only place i've had a good one, i don't think they know what they are at Atlantis or beaches.The kids club was good for little ones,but my kids did'nt care for it(same age at the time). Hope youall have fun.p.s. there's a boat trip where you can swing off the back of the boat,great time (don't remember the name,ask around)

travelmom

WOW! Thank you all for replying. We are pretty sure we will book LaCabana. The island and resort are a perfect fit for what we want/need as adults and also be a great place for the kids. It was great to learn there is an Outback Steakhouse on the island as it is the favorite place my kids love to go to. My hubby wants all-inclusive so I don't have to cook. Nice of him, yes, but I get bored eating out 3x's a day after about 3 days. That's why the full kitchen was so attractive to me. If I wanted a peanut butter sandwich I could easily get one! My question is this: is it worth going all-inclusive when they have only 3 places to eat? Or is it worth it simply for the drinks? Another question: should I ask for a specific building the Grand Suites are in that is closest to the pool? It doesn't bother me to walk to the beach at all.

Sue

The all-inclusive at La Cabana is really not very good. Just buy some groceries for breakfast & lunch and go out to dinner. You can also buy your own liquor/soft drinks and save. You can even get pizza delivered to your suite.

karen

There are two pools in back that the Grand Suites surround; one with a slide and one with waterfalls. The main pool in front is closest to the beach at the Beach and Racquet Club.

Sharon

Just returned from Aruba and we stayed at La Cabana. It's perfect for families..there were a lot of families there during out stay. We had a Grand Villa Suite in the last building in the back by the waterfall pool (quiet side). Unit was comfortable with two t.v.'s and a kitchen. Most of the kids like the waterslide pool so you may want a unit on that side. It's a walk to the front but we always enjoyed that walk. Theme nights are fun, good wide beach, many pools, and good happy hours-good entertainment. We used Optimo car rental onsite. Don't get the meal plan, cuisine is average and there are outstanding restaurants on the island--too many to list. The Islander Grill outside at La Cabana is good but you will have to swat flies. Near the property is Alfredo's casual italian restaurant at Adventure Golf, Le Petit Cafe across from the resort etc. There's a large supermarket on the main road where we bought snacks, fruit etc. Quality was very good, however check the expiration dates. Recommend renting a car/jeep and driving to Baby Beach--great scenery and its waist deep way out good for kids too--also snorkling, equipment available for rental.

Bud

The Outback Steakhouse closed last year. Try the Amazonia.

massachusetts_mom

Amazonia and Alfredo's get my vote!Awesome food at both. We stayed in a one bedroom grand suite in the back part of the complex, overlooking the pool with the waterslide. It was perfect! There is a Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins shop between the 2 pools in the back, which is very convenient for a morning coffee or an ice cream after dinner. The kitchen was nice to have...definitely ask for a unit with a washer/dryer. Don't bring as many clothes and do wash halfway through the week. Saves your arms from pulling heavy suitcases! Two things that we did on the island that I recommend are a magic show (Magic Live?) and an island tour where we joined a caravan of jeeps and drove to all the major sites and an adventuroous ride through the desert! Have fun...it's a beautiful island!

beachluver

The OP is from 2002!!! LOL....

massachusetts_mom

oops beachluver...perhaps my comments were not helpful to the OP but would be beneficial to people looking for info on LC now. I read old posts as part of my process and I'm sure many others do as well.

coolterp2

We went to LaCabana in Aruba several years ago and there were a couple things that I remember very well. 1- You have to walk across a one lane road to the beach. With young children this maybe interesting. 2- Although they advertise 3 restaurants- there is only one with dividers separating them. The service is typical of carribean type places- slow, but we went to many restaurants in town and had a lot of fun.

Our room was an ocean view. The view of the ocean was there if you practically climbed out on the balcony.

Overall we did enjoy our experience in Aruba and realize that 'we' in the States move too fast and need to take a deep breath!!