Aruba: Help! I'm panicking
 

I'm hoping someone can put my mind at ease. I just booked a week at LaCabana in Aruba and convinced my good friends to join us. We are a party of 10 with a total of 5 kids. Up until this point I had read very good things about the resort and the website is great!! I have just come across a ton of negative posts on this website regarding our choice.

Can anyone tell me about their experience and whether booking All Inclusive was a mistake? We figured it would be best with so many of us travelling. Does it make a difference if you travel off peak season for good service and relief of crowds?

Any feedback would be so greatly appreciated!!

Don't panic! LaCabana is a great resort for families. We've stayed there twice and would return in a heartbeat. We've never done all-inclusive there as we enjoy eating out in Aruba. You do have to cross a road to get to the beach but it's no big deal (unless you have difficulty walking). LaCabana has three sets of buildings - I think the front set, closest to the beach is for timeshare owners(???). We have always stayed in the middle set. They have two pools - the one out front is very large and sprawling - the one behind the second building is smaller and sometime more quiet. If you have any other specific questions, I'll be happy to help.

Thank you MuyLinda for your reply. Out of curiosity, besides enjoying the other Aruba restaurants is there any other reason you chose non all-inclusive? (ie. the food on site is not good) Have you tried any of the LaCabana restaurants? I think my biggest worry now is that we're stuck eating on the resort and if it's poor we will be sorry for going AI.

Thanks again for your help!

Hi Nicc - Our last stay at LaCabana was about 4 years ago so I don't know all the restaurants they have now. Back then I think they only had 2 restaurants, a pizza take out stand near the pool and a Dunkin Donuts kiosk between the second and third buildings. Their dinner restaurant was good; their poolside restaurant for lunch was great, the pizza was marginal and we loved having bagels from DD beachside every morning. I see on their website (www.lacabana.com) they have more eating choices than they did 4 years ago. If you decide you want to eat out one night, there is a great Italian Restaurant across the street called Alfredo's. They have good food and large portions. They also have games for the kids so it's a nice family night out. Again, don't worry. LaCabana is great and your family will enjoy themselves.

I appreciate the tip regarding the restaurant. Sounds like the resort will have some decent food so we shouldn't starve!! I did have one other question for anyone that has been to La Cabana. I realize it's a family resort and we can expect alot of kids. Are any of the pools a little smaller/quieter at LaCabana or are they all very large and busy. It's nice to be able to retreat from the chaos from time to time. I know last year we visited Antigua and stayed at the Jolly Beach which also catered to families. They had one pool that had an upbeat atmosphere with a beach bar, music and lots of activity but the other pool was quieter and less crowded. You could actually read a book and nap under the carribean sky.

Oops! Sorry MuyLinda, I reread your post and you answered my question about the pools. I guess I was too focussed on the food issue and didn't really retain the information you had provided.