Angler973

We are going to Aruba for the first time next month. We're staying for a week at the Tara Suites at the Bucuti Beach Club and plan to go out to dinner each night. Can't decide whether to rent a car for the week or just cab to the restaurants. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

shamrock0421

Hi,

A lot of people enjoy having the rental car. I'm not one of them. (It's this whole thing that I don't really feel like I'm on 'vacation' if I have to drive. LOL) We've been twice now, and never feel the need to rent a car.

If anything, I would suggest getting a 4 x 4 for a day or two to explore the island. If you want to go to Baby Beach, it's good to have a car. And, while you have it, it's a good time to try some of the more remote restaurants (Flying Fishbones).

Hope this helps.
Enjoy.

greenie

I'd rent a car. It's cheap, the roads are great, and it's very easy to find your way around. There are tons of great restaurants to try. You don't want to be stuck taking taxi's everywhere.

We rented from Tropic and got a yaris for $175 (including insur and tax). Can't beat that!!

Peace, Greenie

Angler973

ttt

Knowing

One of the best things about Aruba is its roads and easy driving, so rent a car. Even if you spend your days hanging around at Bucuti, it pays to have it at night for the restaurants.

KeyGal

Ditto on the rental car, even though it's easy to get taxis. You're on vacation and you don't want to have to think about time. Just being able to come and go whenever you want is a major de-stresser. Also it's nice to have the car in case you want to go to the supermarket or take an afternoon trip to the duty-free shops in town.

ejcrowe

I've found that in the Caribbean in general, it's less expensive to rent a car if you plan to do more than just go out for dinner--if you want to explore the island by day, or go out for lunch, or whatever. But I should think that if you're strictly using it once per evening to go for dinner, the money probably works out better to use taxis.

However, from my initial research for my brother's honeymoon in Aruba next year, I've read that there's an excellent bus system there. Perhaps people who've actually vacationed there can chime in about the public transportation. Taking the bus in the evening would definitely be less than a cab or rental car, but you could still rent a car for a few days to see more of the island...

Knowing

Let me back up here a little. We went to Aruba with another couple and they did rent a car. It was our first trip, although they had been there before. So we were exploring the island besides dining. They also went to Baby Beach one day and made several trips to the grocery store and they went to the lighthouse twice - once with us, once without us. So, we did take the bus a couple of times by ourselves when they did things that we didn't care to do and found the service to be very reliable. After 6pm, the buses will run every hour Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, the buses run every two hours from 6pm to 12pm. They tell you to have exact change (although we saw the drivers give people change). You may have to wait 30 minutes for the bus to show. Does that matetr to you? They stop at most of the hotels.
You're going during low season, so prices will be cheaper and that may be a consideration as well.

greenie

The only drawback on the bus is standing out in the broiling sun waiting for it. It's hot as heck down there. Wouldnt want to be standing around in the sun waiting for a bus.

Peace, Greenie

iw

We have never rented a car in the Caribbean and we take cabs everywhere. That being said, in Aruba, I wish we had rented a car for the day. We stayed at the Marriott Stellaris (sp?) and were very far from everything. We did not make it to Baby Beach, which I heard has amazing snorkeling, because the cab ride was something like....$60 each way>>? That was over the top, IMHO. The other cab rides were very reasonable at $10-15 from hotel to restaurant, and if one has had a drink or two, it is a great option. You can split your time and have a car to see the sights and then get cabs to dinner. We did take the bus 1 time and it was hot, crowded and a pain in the b*(t. I highly recommed the outdoor dining at the Marriott and Aqua, as well as Amazonia and El Gaucho. Have fun! Oh, the Kukukunooko dinner/bar trip is a hoot! I don't know your age, but on our trip, it ranged from 20-60.

Debpemb

I think Aruba has so much to see, it would be a shame not to see it all. The roads are good & it's impossible to get lost. Baby Beach is a must & the northern end of the island is wild & beautiful. It's fun to see the whole interior of the island. While riding around, we happened upon several small, yet perfect, beaches that we never would have seen otherwise. The area around the California Lighthouse is gorgeous! Grab a guidebook (Fodor's) & take its suggestions for some good day trips. Even if you rent a car (better yet, a jeep) for 5 days, you will really have a lot more to see.

jagerbomb

Hello, when my girlfriend and I went, we found that the bus system was more then enough to get us along the major routes from Palm Beach to downtown.

If you want to use the car more then just once a day for dinner then renting a car for a few days might be worthwhile. There are quite a few things to see and it can be quite fun driving around and exploring the rest of the island away from just the resorts. Since some of the roads cover somewhat rough terrain, a 4x4 is a good bet.

We rented a car for one day and toured most of the island. We could also have done 2 days and gone at a more casual pace. For dinners, we ate on site or used the bus or walked from the hotel.

In any case, if you are interested more in our driving experience, I did a little summary here:

http://www.roecken.ca/travel/default...p;articleId=22