restaurant itinerary - please advise!
 

Hi there. I am traveling to at the end of October for our honeymoon. Below is my tentative restaurant itinerary. These restaurant picks are based on what I’ve been reading here in the forums.

Please feel free to add/omit/change anything. Also, let me know if I made the right picks or not!

Thursday– Marriott Resort – Arrive in Aruba (3:30PM)
-Dinner – Aruba #1 (Simply Fish – Marriott)

Friday– Resort (Marriott) – by pool/beach
-Brunch – Aruba #2 (Waves Beach Bar & Grill - Marriott)
-Dinner – Aruba #3 (Madame Janette)

Saturday– Sightseeing (Oranjestad downtown)
-Brunch – Aruba #4 (Iguana Joe’s)
-Dinner – Aruba #5 (El Gaucho)

Sunday– Rental Car day 1 (Natural Bridge & Natural pool & northern part of island/California Lighthouse – horseback riding/hiking)
-Brunch - King Ribs (near Oranjestad)
-Dinner – Aruba #9 (Lighthouse Restaurant - Italian)

Monday– Resort/Palm Beach area - snorkeling
-Brunch – Aruba #6 (Blossom – in Wyndham – Chinese/Japanese)
-Dinner Aruba #7 (Salt & Pepper – near Hyatt)

Tuesday– Rental Car day 2 (southern – Eagle Beach/Baby beach –
snorkeling/snuba)
-Brunch – Aruba #10 (Rumba – in Oranjestad)
-Dinner – Aruba #11 (Flying Fishbone near San Nicolas)

Wednesday– activity??
-Brunch – Aruba #12 (Que Pasa)
-Dinner – Aruba #14 (Marandi)

Thursday– pool/beach in the morning – Flight leaving Aruba at 3:55 PM
-Breakfast – Aruba #15 (Room service?)
-Lunch – Aruba #16 (Moomba

Happy Honeymoon! I was in Aruba in May and am returning again next week. I LOVED Flying Fishbone, it was my favorite meal of trip. (But a very long expensive cab ride from our hotel)I did not see what all the hype about El Gaucho was for The meal was good but I wasn't blown away. I would love to hear about another great steak place on the island.

Unless you're planning to spend all of Wednesday exploring Oranjestad, I would not recommend dining at Que Pasa and Marandi's on the same day. If you plan to spend time at the beach, you'd have to taxi back and forth twice that day to dine at these restaurants. However, if that's not a problem, then by all means, as Que Pasa and Marandi are two of the best in Aruba.

Our favorite dinner of our stay was at Ruinas del Mar in the Hyatt.
It was very nice. Somewhat expensive, but by far the best dinner we had in 5 nights.

Currently the restaurant at the lighthouse is poor (except for the view).

For Italian I'd choose Sole Mare.

I notice you have no Aruban restaurants on your list. Gasparito? Nos Cunucu?

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

Here are a few thoughts about your restaurant choices.

First, we just came back from Aruba, and although we had planned to visit King Rib, we were "warned" by locals that the ownership has recently changed and that it's no longer a "hot spot." After hearing their comments, we skipped it.

Second, Rumba was our absolute favorite so don't miss having dinner there. The trio of fish and trio of meat meals were excellent as were the scallops in pastry starter as well as the desserts. The bartender makes fabulous drinks, and the service was the best that we had anywhere on the island (during our 8-night stay).

Finally, we strongly disliked Salt & Pepper and would not recommend it. The food and service were terrible, and with so many better places to go, I would skip it, and go to a great place like Driftwood (for, reportedly, the freshest fish on the island), Petite Cafe (to do some unusual hot stone cooking) or Chalet Suisse (for their terrific chocolate fondue dessert). Any/all of these restaurants are far more memorable than Salt & Pepper.

Otherwise, your choices look great, so have fun, and best wishes!

I think you have over-scheduled yourselves. You should leave some brunches and dinners open because you might be passing by something that strikes your fancy or pick up a guide book and see something you like. Or you may not feel like eating a full meal at lunch one day. A little more "go with the flow" might help.

another vote for Que' Pasa...my favorite place in Aruba!

Just got back. Salt & Pepper had terrible service AND the chairs are most uncomfortable unless you weigh 100 pounds. You should skip Blossoms at the Westin - BIG RIP OFF! It cost us $97 for a SMALL portion of Chinese food and the place feels like a hotel restaurant. STRONGLY recomend Madame Janette's - it was fantastic. Also Marina Pirata and Pinchos Grill - great!

Please forgive me if I am wrong, but please don't "overplan" your honeymoon. Half of the fun is just finding places and going with the flow!

From the list that you have given, we only did Simply Fish at the Marriott and it was very good and romantic.

Vittorio's has the best Italian. Papiamento is very nice, varied menu. Generally, you should avoid the hotel restaurants -- lots of great places outside the hotels.

YUM.

Of the restaurants on your list, El Gaucho was my favorite. I'm not even a big steak person, and I dream about that place.

If you'll be in the harbor area of Oranjestad, another seafood place I'd recommend is Driftwood. Great, fresh, fairly reasonable. But I agree with the above poster -- pick four of five must-eats, and then leave the rest open for whatever you stumble across!

Iguana Joes is a good place to stop in for a quick bite and refreshment while shopping. The creme brulee was very good.

I have to agree that Salt & Pepper was a big let down. It's a good place for appetizers and a drink on your way to somewhere else. The tapa portions are very small and a little on the expensive side for the quanity.

One of our favorite resturants was Le Petite Cafe. Stone cooking steak & lobster for $29.00 p/p. Excellant food and value.

Definatly wear water shoes when going to the Natural Pool. You'll need them climbing down and over all those rocks to get to the water.

If you are the drinking type definatly go on the Kukukoo Bus. It was a blast.

i think I might want to run this by my tentative spouse if I were you. They may want to do more than eat on their honeymoon...if you know what I mean. Do you really want that much structure around where you are going to eat ? Splurge on a couple of good dinners & 'wing it' from there, who knows where you'll be, or what you'll be doing @ lunch & dinner time each day ?!.

We ate in a restaurant called Amazonia, I believe. Awesome...ask for a table outside...very romantic.

bookmarking

I recommend looking at these websites which have lots of info: restaurantsaruba.com and arubadining.com

bookmarking

When you are at Baby Beach you might consider lunch at the very famous (and when we visited very good)Charlie's Bar in San Nicolas. Here is a link. It is fun and worth a visit if you are in the area.

http://www.charliesbararuba.com/

First of all congratulations.
You have a great itinery. Write for you from Europe and I spend two time 5 veeks in Aruba.
I think your planned sunday is really crowd. Natural Pool is amaiznig, but the way where you reach it is really long dirty way. Minimum half day go there, sped a little time in the pool and come back. So, I thing it is one day schedule. Somebody write you your wednesday isn't a good choise, because that 2 restaurant are one of the best, so I agree with him. Try to separate it. One of acticity what I recommend you it is Butterflyfarm. Light programm, new knowlage.
I would like tell you what I prefer from a hundred of things there. Maybe it will wortly for you. I used the go-out-aruba website what I planed. Last visit in april 2008. So:
Sunset dinner Nr.1: El Faro Blanco (Restaurants beside of California Lighthouse) The service and the view awsome. After the dinner a little relax walk on the sand dunes. Unusual.
Light Lunch Nr.1: The Villa (Renaissance Marketplace) It is a German Restaurant. (the best lunch in middle of the hot day - crepe stuffed with spinach and/or cesar salad with grooper)
Bar Nr.1: Que Pasa? it is also a restaurant, but for me nr.1 bar. Amaizing eviroment, super barkeeper.
Happy Hour Nr.1: Hooters (once a week 2 or 4 hours) pay 2 Balashi Beer and get 5 in a special Balasi ice backet. It is fun. Service is good, girls are really nice
Music club Nr.1: Mambo Jambo 100% latin, half opened bar with see view. Sometimes live music, salsa. Great. Average prices. But opened a new one Senior Frog, more american style music pub at night, but the best from that kind. The kitchen real latin style, you have to try the home made tortilla and the guacamole dip with beer or some sour cocktail.

The best choise fish: GROOPER, (maha-mahi and wahoo usual taste, but the Arubans make you the best Grooper ever :-) )