Aruba - Christmas & New Year

We are going to Aruba over Christmas and New Year 2010/2011.

For the second week (over New Year) we have an exchange at the Marriott Ocean Club.

For the first week we can either stay at the Marriott Resort & Stelllaris Casino on the Tradewinds floor, or an Ocean Suite at the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino.

What in your opinion is the best option for the first week - best hotel, best location etc.

Thanks

We have spent the last 26 yrs going to Aruba for Christmas and New Years. We own 3 weeks at the Aruba Ocean Club. I would stay at the Marriott as it is next door to the Ocean Club on Palm Beach. The Renaissance is downtown and in my opinion not as nice.

Thanks so much for the advice.

As you obviously know Aruba well can I ask you a couple more questions - do you think it's necessary/good idea to hire a car for the two weeks we're there or just get one as and when we need it and take taxi/bus into the town when we want to go?

Have been told it's necessary to make evening restarurant reservations for the whole of the two weeks we're there well in advance - is this correct?

Any advice/suggestions for restaurants etc. for Christmas eve and day and of course New Year's Eve?

Thanks in advance

we always rent a car---I hate waiting in lines for taxis. Make your dinner reservations by Oct. 15th at the latest. Here are some suggestions: 1. Madame Jeannette--international food 2. El Gaucho--steak 3. Chalet Suisse--International 4. Blossoms--We like the Chinese side 5. Screaming Eagle 6. Flying Fishbones 7. Papillion 8. Smokey Joes--ribs but they do not take reservations 9. Yemanja Grill 10. Aqua Grill 11. Trattoria da Vittoria For New Years we always have a party with friends at their timeshare. Christmas Eve and day are fairly easy--most of the restaurants are open. Since you will be at the Marriott here is Ruths' Chris and they have special dinners. We'll be there then too so maybe we can say hi on the beach! ilene

Ilene, Again thanks, but now I've got more thinks to ask you! By the way, assume you're in the States? in case you hadn't guessed we're in the UK so that's why after we'll have had a 9 hour flight, night stopover and then two more flights to get to Aruba we are trying to make sure that we know exactly what we're doing. We had a day stopover on a cruise a few years ago and hired a jeep then drove around the dunes and to the 'rock bridge'. question - if we hire a car for the two weeks assume we'd need to hire a different one to do this kind of trip again, also are there any car hire companys you'd recommend?

Restaurants - I can't believe you have to book so far ahead because, whilst for that time of year you do have to do so here in London, last Christmas we were in the L.A. vicinity and couldn't book anything until after Thanksgiving - which did strike us as kind of odd!Of those you've suggested, would you recommend any in particular for a good atmosphere on New Year's Eve? Does anything special happen in Aruba that night, eg fireworks?

Do you mean it's necessary to make all the evening reservations by Oct or just those for New Year's Eve? Are you saying that for Christmas Eve and Day it's not necessary to book that far in advance?

We've heard that Simply Fish is supposed to be good, then we're told the opposite and you haven't mentioned it so would we take it that you're not too keen either?

At our home resort, we would expect to get priority on requests etc. so realise that as an exchange we're quite a way down the list but, if we want to ask for something that might be fairly reasonable, where would you suggest we ask for to stand a chance of getting what we want i.e. a well situated appartment, good view etc. etc.

Sorry for all the questions, but if you ever get to Marbella, Spain and want some advice at least you'll know who to ask, or London!

Marilyn

Hi Marilyn, Economy car rental is good. Go on line--go to visitaruba.com. Order their card. It is $12.95 US It will give you discounts on restaurants and cars. We make ALL our dinner reservations by Oct 15th. We do not celebrate Christmas so we just go wherever for dinner. I know the resort has large buffet dinners. The entire Island(country) has fireworks on New Years. A good place to go would be the lighthouse. The food is okay but it is the best place on the island to see the fireworks. The way the resort is built most of the villas have waterviews. There are NO parking lot views. We've never eaten at Simply Fish. We eat all lunches at the resort restaurants so by dinner time we are sick of the "Marriott" food. Also, places like Madame Janette, Screaming Eagle and Flying fishbones are so exceptional that I just don't need to eat on the same beach I'm sitting on all day. Yes, we are in the US. We live in a suburb of Buffalo, NY. My husband is a physician and I'm a high school assistant principal. We have 2 sons--one married and one single. The boys grew up going to Aruba. Our younger (single) son will be with us this year. He is an attorney. Why don't we stay in touch. Email me at igelber@verizon.net

Can anyone help please - travelling from London, UK to Aruba for Christmas and New Year with husband and young adult daughter.

The Marriott Resort & Casino beach apparently gets very crowded, especially in the high season when we'll be there. Although there are other hotels in the vicinity as well as the two Marriott time share properties, Oranjastead offers more to do of an evening.

Please guide me in a right way..

What are you looking for? What advice do you want??? Questions need to be asked in order to answer them. There is more to do in the Palm Beach area in the evening than in Oranjastead. Christmas and New Year's is very crowded in Aruba. About 90% of the guests are returnees.

Does the Marriott do anything special for New Years Eve?

Ilene Like you, we have gone to Aruba ever since my oldest was born 24 years ago. She and my 20 year old son consider it their home away from home. Interesting list of restaurants, some of which we've never tried! Thanks for that list. Rich

ilene13 wrote:

Hi Marilyn, Economy car rental is good. Go on line--go to visitaruba.com. Order their card. It is $12.95 US It will give you discounts on restaurants and cars. We make ALL our dinner reservations by Oct 15th. We do not celebrate Christmas so we just go wherever for dinner. I know the resort has large buffet dinners. The entire Island(country) has fireworks on New Years. A good place to go would be the lighthouse. The food is okay but it is the best place on the island to see the fireworks. The way the resort is built most of the villas have waterviews. There are NO parking lot views. We've never eaten at Simply Fish. We eat all lunches at the resort restaurants so by dinner time we are sick of the "Marriott" food. Also, places like Madame Janette, Screaming Eagle and Flying fishbones are so exceptional that I just don't need to eat on the same beach I'm sitting on all day. Yes, we are in the US. We live in a suburb of Buffalo, NY. My husband is a physician and I'm a high school assistant principal. We have 2 sons--one married and one single. The boys grew up going to Aruba. Our younger (single) son will be with us this year. He is an attorney. Why don't we stay in touch. Email me at igelber@verizon.net