wittmann2020

Hi Everyone:
We are going to be staying at the Tamarijn in Aruba the first week of December for our honeymoon. I know it's an older property and that doesn't bother me at all. The beach looks beautiful from the pix at least. lol I have seen a few posts from those who have stayed there or at their sister properties. Any advice?

Also, what else is there to do on the island? My fiance will definately golf at least one day, and we will spend a lot of time on the beach. What are your favorite things to do?

thanks everyone

raxtor

I've been in Aruba like 15 times now, and I can tell you I never get tired of it. It has a lot of things to do.
First: Your hotel pick: Perfect. Yeah, if you can then you could spend like 400 dlrs more per room on a 5 star hotel like the RIU, but trust me on this: It's not worth it. The Riu, the Marriot and even Cabana Hotel have beautiful.... pools. But the beach at the tamarjin Area is simply awesome! It has the finest, whitest sand I've ever felt. So, 5 star hotels have pools, you have the one of the most beautifull beaches just steps from your room. And one more other thing, if you walk like 200mts to the north you'll get to Eagle beach, a very wide, calm and beatifull beach from where you can see a sunset with cruiseships and sailboats on the water for a perfect postcard photo. So, believe me, you've made a very good selection.

Golf: Sorry mate, I can't give you a good advice about this one, for I'm not a golfer, but I know there are several golf courses on the island, right next to the sea, so maybe you can get more detailed info on the counter of your hotel.

Things to do? Well, it depends on what kind of things do you like. Hiking? Snorkeling or scuba diving? dancing and drinking? Shopping?

For shopping, eating, drinking and dancing you should go to Main Street. It's a street that borders the west side of the island from south to north. It passes in front of the Marina (there are incredible luxury yachts parked there all year round) where you can find a lot of restaurants, bars and the cinemas. Further north from the marina you'll find casinos, shopping places, more bars and restaurants, the Reinassance Hotel, and the harbor, where cruise ships arrive. So, if you want some shopping and night life then this is a must. If you want to go dining and dancing at the same place a recommend Mr. Frogs. It’s a real funny place with a very good food.

Snorkeling? Here's a insider tip: DON'T pay a lot of cash for a snorkeling tour. Just take the bus, or rent a car, or some shuttle service, and go to Malmok beach. There you'll find a small beach, not so beautiful, with a small entrance to the sea, but the snorkeling there is the best of the island (I'm not kidding). You can swim around everything you want and you'll see the tour you were going to pay for, arriving at the same spot and leaving half an hour later. The snorkeling here is terrific. It's a depth from 3ft on the entrance to about 15ft on the best spot. And you should go to this area, because in here the water is almost transparent and you can see things even as far as 40ft. In here you’ll see find a small coral reef holding a huge amount of marine life of all sizes: eels, shellfish, squids, small octopuses, starfish, all kind of small fish, and some more big ones like the parrotfish, angelfish, and you can even see sea turtles (I’ve spotted a few on my last visits). So, if you like snorkel you should go there. If you don’t like swimming so much then you should bring some kind of floater so you can be more relaxed.

You’ll find most of the beaches on the western side of the island. The beach in front of the Cabana hotel is very beautiful too. The other side (East Side) is mostly reefs and rocks. It’s interesting to visit if you want to learn some of the island’s history, though.
By the way, how many days are you planning to stay? There are a lot of fireworks shows on the island by that time of the year, so maybe you’ll be able to catch a few.

wittmann2020

raxtor thank you so much for the info! This will be so helpful. And of course we are very happy to learn that we picked a great beach spot. We are definately going to check out your suggestions. They all sound awesome!

Thanks again.

raxtor

You're Wellcome. One thing I forgot: Most of the 5star resorts, like the Riu or the Playa Linda, are in Palm Beach, tehrefore you can find malls and restaurants in this area too. You should visit Paseo Herencia Mall, right behind Playa Linda Beach Resort. And while you're there, don't miss the Water show. I don't remember if the show goes every day, so it's better if you check before.

diann24

Golf? You are right across the street from Divi Links which are part of the Tamarajin. You can take a golf cart to the other Divi properties. You won't even have to walk to the golf course. It is a gorgeous golf course. You might want to take a jeep tour which I highly recommend. ABC is the wildest they have 4 hours or all day. It will take you places a car can never travel and you will see the island. They also stop at Baby beach for snorkeling. There is also a Kunocko bus so I call it and you go to different bars for drinks and dancing. it is a fun thing to do--once. have fun and enjoy.

wittmann2020

raxtor we will check that out as well. and diann24...thank you so much for your input. We are so excited. It can't get here soon enough