Blog Posts

After fourteen years of selling all types of travel, I decided in August to rewrite my business plan and take my business in the direction I have dreamed of for several years!  What a feeling!  I have been listening to and reading the advise of industry experts on travel, membership clubs, launching a new business, and being a pro at social media. HA! I can’t wear all of those hats so I have hired a virtual assistant who knows all of the technical and organizational stuff that I don’t! 

So, exciting times for me and for all of you solo travelers out there patiently waiting for my program to launch. Launching it in December is like giving you all a Christmas present!  I love helping people and I foresee years of joy ahead of me as people get to take the trips they have always dreamed of but didn’t have anyone to go with.

So, stay tuned for exciting announcements!

I love to promote island-hopping vacations whenever people have the time and can easily make inter-island flights. In retrospect, we wasted a lot of time getting between Aruba and Bonaire. In order to save a lot of money we flew on Insel Air, connecting in Curacao both ways. You usually get what you pay for and our planes were very old. The good news is we survived!

We used to go to Bonaire a lot because it had dive and snorkel sites right from shore up and down the whole coastline. We are avid snorkelers and got hooked on this sleepy, quiet island with no high-rise hotels. We also loved that it was not situated in the hurricane zone.

The last time we went, ten years ago, we were shocked to find out a big wave had wiped out a lot of the coral reef! Our snorkeling adventures were shockingly different but we still found some good ones and also got to kayak in the mangroves for the first time. Thinking that it had been way too long since our last visit, we booked a week in an apartment. Our apartment was next door to the Plaza Resort where we had always stayed.

The apartment was not as nice as the photos but our landlady was so sweet we just made do. Then came the really disappointing discoveries of what happened in Bonaire over the last ten years!

• The Plaza Resort was so run-down and ugly that we nearly cried. A casualty of the poor economy.
• A construction frenzy five years ago also left many unfinished projects unfunded.
• Another big wave had hit the island and pushed tons of dead coral up onto the beaches. Now there are almost no beaches, just piles of coral.
• The numbers of reef fish have greatly diminished, it seems due to overfishing! We still saw fish but not the big schools of fish we used to see.
• You can’t have a peaceful dinner downtown on the waterfront Friday-Sunday due to the constant traffic cruising the street playing loud music and revving their engines.
• We read about many flamingoes dying because of a section of power lines near the salt flats yet nothing has been done in the several years of talking about it.

Although it still seems okay for divers there, as they can dive the steep walls, I suspect that they too are not seeing the numbers of fish that used to thrive there.

It is also good for wind surfers, as Lac Bay is such an ideal shallow water bay for them. Lac Bay has two windsurfing companies and a resort called Sorobon. Sorobon was always a clothing optional resort but as of December have become clothing required! We toured the property and it was cute and well kept. Little beach cottages that are popular with families because the water there is extremely shallow.

We made the best of our week there but agreed not to go back to Bonaire again. It is time to find another favorite island.

Good-bye Bonaire – we wish you luck in recovering from a weak economy and a couple of big, bad waves.

There is indeed a lot to know about Aruba!

They like our American dollars but leave those 50 and 100 dollar bills at home.

April is very, very windy!

Both beaches are stunning, Eagle Beach was not as calm as Palm Beach but people loved the waves.

You rarely see or hear a jet ski on Eagle Beach!

Public buses are cheap and easy transportation but it is also an easy island to drive yourself around.

Do take an island tour or jeep tour so that you get to see more of the island than just the beach. See where and how Arubans live and what the National Park is like.

We did a Natural Pool Jeep Tour and a sunset cruise with De Palm Tours, the biggest tour operator in Aruba.

Go downtown, hopefully when there are no cruise ships in port. It is fun to explore the shops and restaurants there. There is a Bon Bini Festival on Tuesdays but it was not running when we went. We discovered a great restaurant called Queen’s Restaurant where we met the owner and had some tasty Aruban food like goat stew, fried pollenta, and salt fish. YUM!

Good to know at the Aruba airport when departing:

After checking in your bags and heading through Aruban checkpoints you will enter an area of food courts, bars, and shops. If you have time to stop be sure you remember that in the next room you collect those checked bags and go through US Customs!

If you bought any liquids in those stores put them safely into your checked bags immediately, as you are not allowed to open those bags after passing through US Customs. If you need to take a sweater out or put something in those bags, you MUST do so before US Customs.

Well, it is pretty simple to fly between the islands of Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire (the ABC Islands)so let’s go! Goodbye, Aruba!

Okay, our three nights at the Marriott are over and we have headed to the quieter low-rise section south of Palm Beach but north of downtown. Our remaining four nights are at the Green Globe Certified Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort & Spa. This is exciting for us as it is more suited to our style!

We love Bucuti! It is small, personal, and had all the amenities we could ask for. An environmental leader long before anyone else in Aruba, they do it right! Everyone gets a great refillable water bottle and bubblers are throughout the property, as is recycling trash recepticles.

SHOCKING! THE FIRST TIME IN 14 YEARS OF STAYING IN HOTELS THAT THE MAIDS DIDN’T TAKE OUR TOWELS WHEN WE LEFT THEM ON THE RACKS! I could have fainted.

The energy efficiency in both buildings was impressive but that is only a portion of what this boutique resort does to be socially responsible!

This is our #1 pick for Aruba, hands down. Whether you are going solo or with your significant other, this is the ideal place to unwind and have a peaceful beach vacation. When you get the urge for nightlife or shopping it is just a taxi or bus ride away.

A critical part of my job is matching each client to the right hotel on the right island. I liked Aruba better than I thought I would!

The southern area of Palm Beach is a better place to be because you have the beach on one side and a plethora of shops and restaurants on the other side, although they end at the Radisson. There is everything from McDonalds to fine dining.

The beach is wonderful and great for long walks. Vendors are not allowed to bother you on the beach here and there are lots of water sports available.

A few hotels offer a meal plan or all-inclusive plan but it is far better to have the freedom to eat wherever you want on this island.

I cannot resist saying that the sight of the Riu Palace is truly overkill. It is enormous and looks like it was stolen from the Las Vegas strip!

In summary, if you want a full service hotel convenient to dining, nightlife, and shopping, stay at the Radisson or Hyatt.

Although the Marriott “hotel” is the last resort on Palm Beach, its’ parent company has just began construction next door for a new Ritz Carlton to open by 2012! Just prior to the Marriott (and connected by covered walkways) are two timeshare properties, Marriott Surf Club and Marriott Ocean Club. Within the hotel and all over the island Marriott is set up to sell these timeshares and steal a few precious hours of your vacation time.

On a more positive note, we found the hotel and guest rooms to be very thoughtfully designed and attractive. The huge lobby has a convenient 24-hour cafe offering pastries, sandwiches, smoothies, ice cream, and even sushi! A 12 oz. soda was $2 and a hotdog was $5. A local 9.3oz beer at their beach bar was $6! Yes, it is fairly expensive to eat and drink in Aruba.

Two years ago the hotel created the Tradewinds Club, a boutique hotel within a hotel. The rooms are the same but the substantial increase in cost allows you to use the Tradewinds lounge for complementary computer use and food offerings throughout the day. For two hours early evening the Marriott restaurants put out samples from their menus and the bar is complementary during this time. We found the food plentiful and the liquor top notch. Unfortunately the beautiful view from the lounge is now overlooking the construction of the Ritz Carlton! Tradewinds Club also has a private adult-only section of the beach with an attendant. I found this area a joke, as it was right beside the family section without any separation.

The waters in front of the Ritz construction site are a haven for windsurfers and kite surfers. It is so entertaining to watch the kite surfers and you can take a lesson if you dare!

Since I favor earth-friendly companies who practice what they preach, I was disappointed that the maids kept taking our towels even when we left them on the racks. Also, being a non-smoking hotel chain, I was not pleased with the smoke wafting from the casino into the lobby & cafe. I’m sure not having a door to the casino is intended to lure people in but the smoke is disgusting.

Despite some negatives, the rooms are spacious, the hotel is clean, and the staff was friendly.

You just have to be willing to walk a lot to get to restaurants and shopping. We felt very safe both day and night on our long walks and could sure see how convenient it would have been to stay at the Radisson instead!

On April 7th, 2011 my husband Michael and I flew Jet Blue non-stop to Aruba, our first trip there.

Preferring unspoiled, lightly-populated islands without high rises, we never had an interest in Aruba before.

Prior to going I completed the Aruba specialist course & decided to best serve my clients’ needs by experiencing both Palm Beach (high-rise hotels) and Eagle Beach (low-rise hotels).

The Aruba airport was very nice but our checked bag arrived with a huge tear, causing us aggravation for several days trying to get it repaired. We did get the hotels to make all of the calls on our behalf though, as even local calls are expensive there. We are used to free local calling here but locals there pay for every call. So “yesterday” in the USA!

A taxi ride to the Marriott Stellaris at the far end of Palm Beach cost us about $25 plus tip.