What Is Aruba's Paying Money Look Like

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they We were fortunate to continue vacation in Aruba with friends in November.

UPDATE: We went again, 6 years afterward — in December. Meet details at the end of this postal service.

Information technology was one of those all-inclusive Aruba vacations that included:

• Airfare
• Basis transportation to and from the drome in Aruba
• seven days and 6 nights at the RIU Palace (pronounced Rio) — an all-inclusive resort that's located on the beach (Palm Beach) at the far north (or west) terminate of the isle
• All beverages (including alcohol of every size, shape and flavor — even a fully stocked bar and refrigerator in the room)
• All nutrient (round the clock) available at restaurants, buffets, and 24-hour room service with total menus and desserts
• Gratis dominicus loungers in the puddle and parasols on the embankment (yeah, kinda trivial… but the feel of drinking while lounging in the pool or at the built-in puddle bar were so absurd!)

Here are over vi,000 reviews of the RIU Palace hotel & resort.

Nosotros went on these 2 trips to Aruba with different friends each time.

A Offset Time For Everything

I had never stayed at an all-inclusive resort before. In fact, every time someone mentioned "all-inclusive" in the past, my mind always went to Sandals. I've never been to a Sandals resort, merely somewhere forth the line I'd heard that Sandals had become overly commercialized and over-hyped. I was hopeful that Aruba all-inclusive vacations didn't have the same bad rap. (They didn't… and still don't.)

The aforementioned way I think about Sandals is kind of how I characterize Funfair cruises — where everything is bachelor to you for free, but the employees aren't really happy with their jobs and the customers are treated similar nuisances rather than "guests". (At least that's how things were on the Carnival Prowl I went on — fifty-fifty though I still had a proficient fourth dimension. My experience was completely unlike when I went on a Royal Caribbean cruise.)

So, I didn't know what to expect when we began planning our offset of several Aruba all-inclusive vacations. (Aye, we are planning our 3rd Aruba vacation right at present!)

I thing's for sure… later on staying at my first all-inclusive resort in Aruba, I'1000 100% convinced that I would choose an all-inclusive resort over an spread-out prowl — if given the option once again. We enjoyed the "all-inclusive" things on our trips to Arubathat much!

Must read: Elevation 10 Reasons To Visit Aruba and 10 New Reasons To Visit (Or Revisit) Aruba

What's Skilful To Drink In Aruba?

The free drinks are so plentiful that you never tire of drinking the same thing twice.

That said, Jim and I each found our "favorites" and nosotros stuck to those most of the trip.

These days, if someone simply mentions one of the ingredients, our mouths h2o!

Jim's Favorite:Aruba Ariba:

• rum (three/four oz of 151 proof)
• vodka (three/4 oz)
• banana liqueur (1/2 oz)
• orangish liqueur (1/2 oz)
• fruit punch (2 oz, or pineapple + cranberry juices)
• triple sec (only our bartender in Aruba added this; not standard)

This is an Island favorite — served past bartenders all over Aruba.

Lynnette's Favorite:Coco Rosa:

• vodka
• coconut cream
• granadina syrup
• lemonade

The Coco Rosa appears to take been concocted past the bartenders at the RIU Palace Hotel & Resort in Aruba.

Check out this list of Aruba cocktails and the Riu Palace listing of cocktails… Yum!

What About The Money In Aruba?

Yous may exist inclined to convert your U.S. coin over to Aruban money (Florins) equally soon equally you lot hit the ground after your flight to Aruba —BUT DON'T!

We did, and we found it nearly impossible to spend their Aruban money anywhere. No joke. They prefer U.Due south. coin, and they all take the conversion rates in their heads when dealing with tourists.

Some (if not most) places in Aruba will just not have Aruban Florins. They'll decline the sale instead. I know, it seemed cool to us too! But it happened to u.s. more than once. It's as if only the locals employ Aruban money — although not in the touristy areas. (For what it's worth, the prices they inverse in U.Due south. dollars all seemed quite fair to united states.)

Everyone from Aruba that nosotros asked said that 99% of the tourists simply utilise their own money, rather than converting it to Aruban money. This surprised u.s.. Only and then again, we don't get out of the country  much — perhaps this is standard in tourist areas worldwide.

Nosotros needed some coin to spend on our Aruba holiday, so here'south what we concluded up doing (since we had already converted several hundred dollars at the Currency Commutation place at the Aruba Airport)…

Jim sabbatum at the blackjack table at the casino in our hotel. He gave them his $700 worth of Aruban coin, and they gave him the U.S. dollar equivalent in chips. Jim played for a few minutes, and so cashed out. Wa-lah, we were back in possession of our U.Southward. dollars again!

What About Using Debit And Credit Cards In Aruba?

Credit cards are accustomed everywhere in Aruba, without hesitation. But everyone nosotros dealt with specifically asked for Visa or Mastercard. They were very reluctant to have American Limited.

Nosotros used our Mastercard instead of our AMEX 3 separate times for a grand total of $747 (U.Southward). Every bit a result, Mastercard afterwards charged united states a $32 "strange currency exchange fee" for the privilege of using our Mastercard in Aruba that month. Ugh. (I believe information technology was a per centum of the total amount we spent.)

We also used the ATM machine located in our hotel twice. Non only did the automobile charge united states of america on the spot (just a couple of dollars each time), but our own bank as well charged us some crazy amount for those transactions (something close to $x each, if I recall correctly).

Things To Do In Aruba On The Water

Nosotros rented jet-skis i afternoon for $50/hr per person (eek!). The price was a tad higher because we utilized the services of a local boat cabbie who picks you upwards at your hotel's beach, drives you (via boat) to the office of the island where their jet-skis are located, and so boats you lot dorsum to your hotel. The fast boat ride there & back was actually half the fun!

My most memorable h2o fun adventure in Aruba was the deep sea fishing trip that we did on our second-to-concluding day at that place.

I've never been deep body of water angling earlier — even though I've been in boats and on the h2o a lot. I didn't really fear getting seasick beforehand, but I decided to take a Dramamine pill an hr earlier we gear up sheet anyway, and and then once again moments afterward we boarded. (That was Mistake #1 — considering yous should accept Dramamine several hours prior to whatsoever seasick-prone adventures!)

The forenoon of our afternoon deep sea fishing trip, the skies were night and rainy — and it seemed the lord's day would never shine. Nosotros ventured onboard the boat ("Lucky Star"), with rain slapping united states in the face and the boat rocking to and fro from the waves.

As we got into deeper water, the helm sped upwards even faster — thinking we actually liked all the wave jumping! Maybe well-nigh tourists do, simply we didn't really. They didn't speak English, so it was difficult to communicate to them that we weren't especially enjoying it.

About xxx minutes into the trip, I asked where the best identify would exist "should I get sick or something". Within moments, those ii Dramamine pills had worked their way upwards — along with all of the breakfast I'd enjoyed from the morning'due south buffet.

I must've created a lot of chum for the fish, because immediately after I got sick, Jim's line-fishing line started whirring at fast speed — he had a huge fish on the line!

Then I kept busy creating more chum, and so applauding and photographing his fine grab, then adding more chum, and and then on.

Fifty-fifty though I'd feel fine for x minutes at a time, I somewhen got the dry heaves, and no vision of the horizon could calm my stomach. Each time I thought I felt fine, information technology turned out I didn't.

Unfortunately, subsequently Jim caught his big fish, he started creating his own chum. At this signal, the non-English speaking start mate starts hosing both of us downwards with salt water (from the hose that'south typically used to wash the blood from fish off the boat). He was trying to keep united states cool, otherwise, we'd get dehydrated and overheat. But it was slightly annoying — peculiarly since I had my $1,000 camera around my neck!

Next in the fast-paced stream of activity onboard the gunkhole… our buddy Terry caught a humongous fish! It was a few pounds heavier than Jim'due south, and just as exciting to watch him reel in.

At this signal, Jim and I could barely focus on the "fun" part of all this. (We were still having fun, I kid you not! Only our stomachs were not cooperating.)

Our friends looked over at u.s.a. and then at the helm — and without pause said, "Could yous delight take us back to shore?"

We motored on back to the hotel, much slower and with much less wave-jumping action than nosotros had ventured out on. All in all, it was a corking adventure! And I was fine equally soon as nosotros hitting dry out land.

We ended up forfeiting 3 of our iv-hour deep sea trip (that nosotros pre-paid for!). But the smiles returned to everyone's faces once nosotros stepped food on dry land and nosotros went on with our 24-hour interval.

In case you're wondering, the Lucky Star was something like a 30-foot boat, and in the heart of the ocean nosotros were fierce up the incredibly loftier seas (along with wind & rain). Information technology looks extremely calm in the photograph beneath because it was — close to shore. The hotel beach where they picked us up and dropped usa of was in a niggling inlet. Oh, and the fish the guys caught were 5-human foot Wahoo in the 70-pound range.

To requite y'all some idea of how crude the water was:

• Here'due south a video showing 6 to 8 pes seas.
• Here'south another view.

We had as of that… and more! Most of the time, they said we were experiencing closer to 10 foot seas or 20 foot seas. Plus, it was incredibly windy and rainy on this day.

Ii hours after, we all went in boondocks and bought lots of jewelry!

Some Things You Should Know Before You Get To Aruba

Aruba is merely 19 miles long and 6 miles wide — for a total of seventy square miles. The entire Isle tin can exist seen in i full 24-hour interval by machine.

The RIU Palace Hotel & Resort (like most of the major hotels in Aruba) is located 2-1/2 miles from "downtown" and 6 miles from the airport — at the small only  "touristy" north (or w) terminate of the Island.

Our cab fare from the Aruba airport was $twenty (U.S.) to the loftier-ascension hotels. At the time, nosotros didn't know that ground transportation was included in our Aruba vacation package deal. Which was actually i of the downsides to this trip — nosotros never received our introductory package in the mail prior to traveling, so we just had to fly it until we got at that place. (UPDATE: 6 years later, the cab fare to the aforementioned place was $28.)

All of the cab fares are pre-prepare past the Aruban government. They don't employ cab fare meters. Interestingly, they don't post the rates in public — but the cabbies will evidence you lot the cab fare rates, if you ask.

The first thing we learned: Aruba is "One Happy Island, Monday." Simply ask our cab driver, whose proper noun was Honey. He said there's not much else to do around here but exist happy and savor the booze!

Listen to Bud Lite'due south Real Men of Genius "Mr. Taxi Cab Over-Accessorizer":

There are a few prowl ships with stops in Aruba. Two ships docked near downtown when we were there. (Aruba's downtown surface area is called Oranjestad.)

In improver to all the shops, stores, and flea market booths that are located downtown (which is barely more than a roundabout or two), there is a much more than upscale and touristy shopping commune located at the northwest finish of the island. Information technology was within walking distance of our hotel.

Everywhere we went, we felt incredibly safe — even in some of the less-touristy areas, where the locals lived. (Nosotros had a iv-wheel-bulldoze Jeep, then we went everywhere!) The Aruban people do not invest a lot of coin in their homes and vehicles, that'southward for sure. Their priorities are obviously elsewhere. But, as the Island motto states, everyone in Aruba is HAPPY.

Our starting time visit to Aruba was ii years afterwards the Natalee Holloway instance — so it was definitely on our mind, and we talked about it amid ourselves a couple of times. But in that location were no signs that it was nevertheless being talked near in November 2008 when we were there. Perhaps that was the reason everyone acted so "happy" — to overcome any pre-existing impressions that tourists might have had.

Nosotros actually went to the movie house on 2 dissimilar nights. We were surprised to see the exact aforementioned movies playing in Aruba that were in the States that calendar week. Though the selection wasn't every bit plentiful, movies were something fun to do at night in Aruba. After we'd filled up on nutrient & drinks all twenty-four hour period long at the beach and the hotel, a quite & calm night at the movies was a good alter of pace.

Definitely hire a Jeep! Even considering all the wackiness that took place on our Aruban Jeep adventure, we recollect a Jeep is the best way to run across the Island — on your own. It was one of the most fun things we did while there. Just make sure you know how to read traffic signs in Aruba.

Here are photos from our twenty-four hours spent Jeeping around Aruba.

The isle of Aruba is likewise known as the Caribbean area Desert — that was one of the biggest surprises to us. Yes, in that location is dry desert land practically everywhere you await (that isn't filled with beautiful blue ocean water). This "desert" theme almost came into play on our Jeep ride. The short version: we ventured to a lot of cool places offroad, saw a lot of interesting wildlife roaming complimentary, explored some caves, unique rock formations, and beaches. Oh, and we got a apartment tire.

Aruba has lots of beaches, simply y'all rarely feel inclined to get out the luxurious beach at your hotel. Besides, most of the other beaches are pretty far off the browbeaten path — and it'southward tricky to understand the directions to get in that location.

Fifty-fifty though the conditions is generally prissy year circular, we were there during the "rainy flavor" (November). And while it did pelting toward the end of our trip, thankfully, we got in most of our outdoor activities before in the week when it wasn't raining. When it rains in Aruba… it POURS! In that location was flooding like crazy on all of the side streets the last few days we were in that location.

The nighttime after my deep-sea fishing take a chance, somehow I managed to get sick (a dissimilar kind of ill, trust me) at a meat-eater's paradise kind of restaurant chosen Texas de Brazil. It's a popular chain in united states of america. They continually bring out thick hot & juicy pieces of fresh cooked beef, pork, and lamb all night long and you get to tell them Yes or No — you desire them to slice you off some other piece… or non. It's all-you lot-tin-eat, and even if you're saying No, your tablemates are often saying Yes. And then in that location is constantly someone at your table slicing meat — and it's nearly every bit if they're encouraging y'all to eat more, More, More!

I merely fabricated information technology through the salad and one taste of beef. Seeing all that meat continually passing by me and nether my nose equally information technology was being freshly sliced on our table just got to be likewise much. I actually beloved beefiness, pork, and lamb — just non so much of it all in one place I guess. And not in a speed-eating kind of setting. I know a lot of people who would love this kind of place. I estimate I'g not 1. I was up all night with fluids coming out of both ends and it lasted 2-1/2 days — including our entire last day in Aruba. Food poisoning? Caught a bug? I dunno. I was still sick the day after we got home. (No i else felt ill, and they ate the same things and went to the same places I did.)

Nosotros tried a bunch of differentrestaurants in Aruba. According to reviews from other diners, these are the best Aruba restaurants. And from some other list, nosotros went to #9 El Gaucho and definitely enjoyed it. The mariachi band in that location takes requests. They played a sweeeeet rendition of Van Morrison'due south Brown Eyed Daughter and rocked out Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven!

What To Wear In Aruba

I learned a valuable lesson near what to pack on a trip to Aruba.

Like well-nigh tourists, I took a ton of clothes & shoes on this beachy holiday. Only all you need for 7 days, half-dozen nights in Aruba in November is:

• a good pair of flip flops (I never once broke out another pair of shoes – even at the "nicer" dinners)
• a swimsuit
• a couple pairs of shorts
• a couple of tank tops
• ane pair of lightweight casual pants
• ane jacket or sweater
• your camera (I took 529 pictures!)
• lip balm with SPF
• sunscreen (…and lots of it!)
• deodorant
• sunglasses

I so wish I'd left all that other stuff at home. That way, I would've had more room to bring dorsum souvenirs! I will definitely pack much lighter on our next trip there.

Oh, and this is kinda trivial, just I'm so glad that I got a short wash & go style haircut right before we left. Because y'all're e'er on the go when you're on a beachy holiday. And no ane really cares what yous wait like.Everyone goes out looking a piddling less made-upwards than they would normally. A carefree hairstyle enables yous to be more than spontaneous, without having to spend time "getting ready" when there are so many fun things to do — day and dark.

Another matter I did was to visit the tanning booth a few times before going to Aruba. I never burned on this vacation, and I actually left with a actually nice tan! Everyone else I was with got sunburned by the fourth dimension we left Aruba.

Would We Do It Again?

Since this trip, we take decided to make all-inclusive vacationsa regular thing that nosotros dowith friends. Every few years, nosotros'll choose a dissimilar vacation destination. Fun, fun, FUN!

We all agree that nosotros would definitely similar to stay at a RIU hotel & resort again in the futurity, but may choose a different location — just for something different.

If yous're looking for a fun vacation resort, I highly recommend choosing ane of the RIU'southward 60 all-inclusive resorts — because that's what fabricated the RIU in Aruba then enjoyable for us. (Annotation: Many RIU hotels are not all-inclusive.)

UPDATE: Yep, We Did It Once again!

We went back to Aruba for a second fourth dimension — half dozen years later on.

This time it was the starting time week of December. Nosotros arrived on a Sunday afternoon and left on Fri afternoon. That's 4 full days of fun, and two half days. Since nosotros'd been there earlier, 4 days was plenty of fourth dimension to meet and do everything this time.

We rented a Jeep again — from a different identify than before. What we learned: No matter where you go your Jeep rental from in Aruba, there will be "problems". For case, the kickoff fourth dimension, we had a rickety old Jeep and concluded up getting a apartment tire while we were out having fun. This time, we had a newer Jeep that barely had plenty power to go up hills or long distances without constantly pumping the gas pedal — and and then the battery was stolen out of information technology while parked in the hotel garage parking lot where they said to park information technology. We were told that we had to file a police report in social club to protect ourselves — and so nosotros did. Clearly, in Aruba the Jeep rentals areall beat upward and worn out. But that's okay — I estimate. If we did it again, we'd just hire for i total solar day, instead of keeping it overnight.

The nutrient and beverage seems to accept gone downhill a little bit from the concluding time we were at the Riu Palace. This may take something to exercise with the fact that they're preparing for a major renovation presently. And so perchance they're just not be putting a lot of attempt into what they're doing — and serving — right now. For case, the cheesecake didn't taste similar cheesecake. Beef didn't taste like beefiness. Staff of life items didn't gustatory modality like bread… or flour. Tomato sauce was practically non-real (in pastas, on pizzas, etc). Milk shakes were made with powder. (I actually liked the strawberry/banana milkshake a lot though!) The only eggs that were real were the ones cooked "over easy." We ate out twice: El Gaucho (which was crawly) and Gianni's, (which was as well great).

The alcoholic drinks were plentiful (and free),just we actually didn't drink much at the hotel this time — considering they were all fabricatedmode too sweet. Nosotros were told that this is by and large due to the juices that are used when making fruity drinks in Aruba. We learned a niggling trick though — ask for a double shot of alcohol in each drink. That way, there's less sweetness in each sip. It helped a lot. My beverage of choice this time: Aruba Ariba. Jim'south favorite: Screwdriver. And our friends' faves: Rum Dial.

Jim and I each had a really rough fourth dimension with diarrhea (and some vomiting) this fourth dimension. Thankfully, the gift store at the Riu Palace sells Imodium — even though the concierge desk at the hotel won't admit that, because they don't like offering "medicine" on the premises which could touch on your overall health. (They really wanted me to take a cab ride to the local pharmacy instead of waiting ten minutes for the gift shop to open!) The souvenir shop sells Imodium in small portions, rather than selling the entire box as nosotros're used to in the U.South. They break up the blister packs into six-pack sections — which is the maximum you tin can have in a 24-60 minutes period. Since Jim and I were both dealing with it at dissimilar times, I concluded up going back a second fourth dimension to purchase another 6-pack. And then a third time before nosotros flew home — just to exist certain I'd have something in instance of an emergency. For the tape, their supply of Imodium was dramatically decreasing each day. So it was obvious that we weren't the only ones in the Riu hotel dealing with this consequence.

One thing we noticed this fourth dimension that wasn't so obvious last time: lots of families with kids were vacationing at the Riu Palace. There were and then many very young children and kids in strollers this time — at the pool and in the restaurants. Aruba must be a kid-friendly place to holiday.

The sports bar within the Riu Palace was our favorite indoor hangout spot. Whenever nosotros weren't hanging out at the poolside bar, we were inside at this bar (or winning money at the casino). The best things about this bar: the workers are the friendliest (and chattiest) here. They ever have sports playing on the 4 TVs. There's nutrient available 24/7 in the refrigerated coolers and on the counters — including sandwiches, fruit, nachos, popcorn, hot dogs, muffins, and croissants.

I'm not certain what we did last time, but this time we debated about leaving tips everywhere we went inside the hotel. So we looked upward the hotel'due south website to see what was expected. It says, "All accommodation, taxes and tips included." Then nosotros merely left a tip if a server was uniquely helpful or went out of their way for us in some way. One thing that made me feel meliorate about doing this was the response I got when I asked a server if they treated her well here. She smiled real big and said "Yes!" I cannot complain about the salary they give us." It'due south clear that 95% of the servers at Riu Palace are very happy, and they strive to bevery helpful. I even recognized a few familiar faces from our visit 6 years before — it's a skillful sign to run into happy (and long-term) employees!

If you're going to the Arikok National Park in Aruba, here'south a little tip before you pay the$10 per person fee to bulldoze through the National Park. (They started charging access 3 years ago. Children under age 17 are free.) If you tell them you're just going to the Boca Prins restaurant (located past the windmills inside the park), you don't take to pay the access fee! The folks working at the eating house told united states this. Unfortunately, nosotros didn't know this before we had already paid our $forty park admission fee. In case you're wondering if the $ten fee is worth it or not, I'd say yes — only because at that place'south not a whole heck of a lot to do on the Island otherwise. The natural pools and rock formations (equally well equally the loud crashing body of water waves) are quite cute to see all throughout the park. Psst… before y'all get out the park, there's a place where yous can drive up to the very pinnacle of a mountain and see a panoramic view of the entire isle of Aruba!

Boca Prins is a great little restaurant and bar inside the National Park — y'all really should go there. The wings were great! The beer striking the spot after a long day of Jeeping. And their funny picayune claim to fame is the fact that they have terra cotta cup holders to keep your beverages from blowing over — because it's incredibly windy in that location. (Which is why y'all see all the windmills right side by side to the restaurant.) For what it'southward worth, the eatery requests $1 in the tip jar for using the restroom. Information technology covers the cost of the water — which is in short supply on this part of the island.

If you're in the market for some jewelry while in Aruba, you'll detect plenty of jewelry stores all over town. Our favorite is Queen's Jewelers. The owner is Henry, and through the years he has get a close personal friend — due to the fact that he has been and then trustworthy and reliable with our custom jewelry orders. For the past 6 years, nosotros (and the friends who traveled with united states of america) have bought all of our diamond and gold jewelry from Henry at Queen's Jewelers. (He also has a U.S. shop in California.) If you lot happen to stop in while you're shopping in Aruba, tell him Jim and Lynnette said Hi!

More fun things to practice: Aruba's Hidden Gems

As a lifelong traveler, I similar to help people find unique ways to practice things that will salvage time & money — and then I write near "outside the box" Travel Hacks that virtually wouldn't think of. I'm SUPER organized and I love to pack! I've lived in 6 dissimilar states (Florida, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas) and have visited every other state in the U.South. — except Hawaii. (Can you say bucket listing?) I've been on several unlike cruises, airplanes, and boats in my life and I currently enjoy the outdoors by bicycling, motorcycling, Jeeping, RVing, camping, or but walking my dogs. My favorite "hobby" is riding on the back of our Harley-Davidson Road Glide traveling cross land — which we usually exercise at least one time each year. Nosotros even rode from Tennessee to Alaska once! When I'g not on the route, yous will find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).

Source: https://travel.thefuntimesguide.com/aruba_vacation/

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