Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao (ABCs) (February 2005)

• Day 1 (Tuesday 2/22): Flew Philadelphia to Aruba on USAirways
  Visited Renaissance Aruba (Marriott)
  Flew Exel Air from Aruba to Curacao
  Hotel Kura Hulanda (Leading Hotels of the World)
  Link to my review
  Dinner at Jacob's Bar Terrace
  
  Upon our initial arrival in Aruba, and prior to our departure for Curacao, we had a 4-hour layover, during which time we took a taxi into Oranjestad (about $15) to stroll around the marina, walk around the streets, check out the Dutch architecture, shop, play at the Seaport Casino, and drink at the Renaissance hotel. We stored our luggage at the Renaissance.

• Day 2 (Wednesday 2/23): Toured Curacao (Willemstadt, Floating Market)
  Hotel Kura Hulanda (Leading Hotels of the World)
  Dinner at Jaipur Link to my review

• Day 3 (Thursday 2/24): Toured Curacao (Driving Tour)
  Hotel Kura Hulanda (Leading Hotels of the World)
  Dinner Astrolab Observatory Link to my review

• Day 4 (Friday 2/25): Flew Flew Exel Air from Curacao to Bonaire
  Harbor Village Resort Link to my review

         Saimur Chinese Junk Green Flash Sailing Tour 
         www.samursailing.com
         Dinner at Mango's

• Day 5 (Saturday 2/26): Bonaire
  Harbor Village Resort
  Lunch at Rum Runners Link to my review
  Dinner at Chez Lucille (at Harbor Village) candlelight on the beach

• Day 6 (Sunday 2/27): Toured Bonaire (Driving Tour)
  Harbor Village Resort
  Dinner at Lion's Den Link to my review

• Day 7 (Monday 2/28): Flew Flew Exel Air from Bonaire to ArubaBeach day
  Wyndham Aruba Resort

• Day 8 (Tuesday 3/1): Aruba
  Beach day (We had planned to rent a car and tour the island, but Melissa has a terrible cold/flu, and we felt that we had already seen similar sites on Curacao and Bonaire)
  Wyndham Aruba Link to my review

• Day 9 (Wednesday 3/2): Flew Aruba to Philadelphia US Airways

Aruba: Don Carlo Ristorante at the Renaissance Aruba (February 2005)

Located on the waterfront in downtown Oranjestad, Don Carlo Ristorante is part of the Renaissance Aruba Hotel complex.

Aruba: Wyndham Aruba (February 2005)

My spouse and I stayed at the Wyndham Aruba for 2 nights in late February 2005. At the Wyndham Aruba, each room has a private balcony, the free-form pool and sparkling beach tempt, the water activities and exercise facilities appeal, the spa calms, Café Baci, Blossoms and Pago-Pago satisfy and the busy casino entices. This resort paradise is situated on Palm Beach, the finest beach in Aruba, and is surrounded by spectacular landscaped grounds that immediately welcome and refresh. The property has 478 air-conditioned rooms and suites.

At Wyndham Aruba Resort you can visit the casino, enjoy the on-site entertainment, and dine on local island cuisine. Each room overlooks landscaped gardens or the white sands of the Caribbean. The Wyndham features a posh lobby, an 8,500-square-ft free-form swimming pool, 3,500-square-ft health club, children`s program, shopping arcade, daily live music, happy hour, and a popular casino with a live band. The oceanfront Wyndham Aruba Beach Resort & Casino is situated along the famous Palm Beach strip, only three miles from downtown Aruba and just five miles from Queen Beatrix International Airport. The property offers a salon, fitness center, boutique, business center, car rental desk, concierge, currency exchange, laundry services, meeting rooms, complimentary parking. The swimming pool features the service of a pool concierge, water volleyball and basketball, and aerobics. The hotel borders an expansive stretch of white sandy beachfront along the world famous shores of spectacular Palm Beach. Enjoy extensive use of watersports and recreational equipment, lounge chairs, cabanas, beach attendant, and towel service. Cabaret Royale (a Vegas-style dance revue), and the world-class Casablanca Casino, offer a wide array of table games and slots.

There are several restaurants at Wyndham Aruba Resort, Spa & Casino: Blossoms is a Japanese and Chinese Restaurant that serves Chinese specialties and Japanese sushi, and also features a teppanyaki grill, for lunch and dinner. The GreenHouse features a breakfast buffet. La Trattoria El Faro Blanco, located at the lighthouse, serves lunch and dinner. Pago Pago serves steak and seafood in an elegant setting for dinner only; a dress code applies. The Terrace Restaurant offers a casual, open-air atmosphere, for breakfast or lunch, with views of the Caribbean Sea. Gasparito offers casual dining at this Aruban/seafood restaurant that serves dinner only. Finally, Café Bacci offers Italian fare in a lively, authentic trattoria environment during dinner only.

Bonaire: Harbour Village (February 2005)

My spouse and I stayed at Harbor Village Beach Club/Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club for 3 nights in late February 2005. The property is positioned on a four-acre peninsula on Bonaire with a secluded private beach and a five-star diving center. Enjoy lush gardens, a picturesque marina, and a private white-sand beach. The property features a sand beach lined with swaying palm trees surround charming rooms and suites. The beach offers a peaceful escape with hammocks for napping and lounging, complimentary lounge chairs and beach towels, and beach service from La Balandra Restaurant. The Kasa Coral pool, located beachside, is another peaceful retreat for sunbathing and swimming. The hotel has its own dive shop and dive boat, and the hotel has its own wreck sunk near a coral reef (called "Something Special") just across the harbor entrance.

The hotel is made up of a series of villas and apartments of 2 and 3 stories. The beach front rooms are excellent and have great views, but the Marina rooms are less expensive. Offering a blend of island charm and luxurious comforts, the rooms and beachfront suites reflect the casual elegance of the Dutch Caribbean. Decorated in European Colonial Plantation style with teakwood furniture and tiled floors, all accommodations are located just steps from Harbour Village’s private beach. Rooms feature sea, courtyard, or marina views.

One night we dined at “Chez Lucille”, which is a torch-lit dinner on the beach. In addition to whatever you choose to order from the a la carte menu, you pay $10 per person for the set-up fee to dine on the beach. La Balandra is another dining option at Harbor Village, where you seem to dine on the deck of a ship. Vespucci at the marina offers lunch only.

Nearby dining includes the Sunset Terrace and Beach Hut (at the Sunset Beach Hotel), Mango’s (formerly the Green Parrot), Lion’s Den (formerly Rumours), Den laman (at the Sand Dollar), Bongos (at Eden Beach Resort).

Our early-morning airport transportation never showed up, and repeated telephone calls were fruitless. We egan walking to the airport in the dark (although on a sidewalk), when a kind local spotted us and gave us a ride. We later complained to Harbor Village, who sent us roses when we arrived back home in the US as an pology.

Bonaire: Le Flamboyant (February 2005)

Le Flamboyant features a back garden with tables located under huge fig trees, and an old pub in the front. This restaurant is situated on the street in downtown just off the waterfront, actually in the back of a unique little gift shop. The restaurant owner's wife runs the shop, and he runs the restaurant.

 

 

Bonaire: Rum Runners (February 2005)

At Rum Runners (located at Captain Don's Habitat), the experienced chefs and waiters in this idyllic setting ensure that all meals are a true pleasure. They offer an international menu, daily local specials, and their Pizza Temple, with authentic Italian thin crust pizza and a wide assortment of specialty toppings. Rum Runners offers oceanfront dining at its best!

Bonaire: Lion's Den (February 2005)

Located at Buddy Dive Resort, the Lions Den ...

Curacao: Jaipur (February 2005)

Curacao: Astrolab Observatory (February 2005)

Curacao: Kura Hulanda (February 2005)

My spouse and I stayed at Kura Hulanda for 3 nights in late February 2005. (“Kura Hulanda” is Papiamentu [Curacao's native tongue] for “Dutch courtyard”.) This hotel offers a boutique village experience in the center of Willemstad, the island's capital. The hotel is located approximately 20 minutes from the airport and within walking distance to shops, restaurants, and nightlife. Spread over an eight-block area, the resort village includes two pools (one is a dark “Eco” pool), multiple restaurants and bars, shops, a world-acclaimed anthropological museum, spa, courtyards, and gardens. Cobblestone pathways wind through the meticulously restored buildings that showcase the intricate Dutch architecture of the 17th and 18th century. This Dutch Colonial historic district is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Museum Kurá Hulanda is an anthropological museum that focuses on the predominant cultures of Curacao. It offers a world-class chronicle of the Origin of Man, the African slave trade, West African Empires, Pre-Colombian gold, Mesopotamian relics and Antillean art.

Restaurants included Jacob’s Bar and Terrace, Jaipur, Astrolab Observatory, and the Museum Restaurant.

The hotel boasts 80 guest rooms and suites, no two of which are alike. Every accommodation features hand carved furnishings, antiques, and art, hand-painted walls, and luxurious linens, creating an international appeal.

Room types include Standard, Superior, Deluxe, Junior Suite, One-Bedroom Suite, Spa Loft Suite, Deluxe One-Bedroom Suite, Presidential Suite, and Indian Bridal Suite.

I stayed in a regular (deluxe) room, but I peeked into some FABULOUS rooms when the windows/shutters were open and no one appeared to be inside. Definitely upgrade if you can! I don't know what category of rooms I was looking at--but they were surely beautiful, and couldn't begin to compare with the room that I was staying in (which was quite nice for a standard room, by the way). The rooms that I saw had cathedral ceilings. We were hoping for a complimentary upgrade (as members of the Leading Hotels of the World), but no such luck, even though the hotel didn't seem to be completely full.

There is NO beach at the Hotel Kura Hulanda because it is in the city of Willemstad. The do provide a complimentary shuttle to a section of beach that they own between the Marriott and the Hilton. I don't remember it being particularly rocky, nor was it particularly memorable. But it is a beach, and you can pop over to either of the previously mentioned hotels for lunch or drinks. I think the shuttle took about 10-15 minutes. I'm a HUGE beach person, but I thought that the Hotel was so special and memorable that I was willing to give up direct access.

Kura Hulanda now operates a Lodge property as well, which is ON the beach on the northern end of the island (near Klein Knip). Some guests split their time between the Hotel and the Lodge to have both a city and a beach vacation.

Curacao: La Bahia (Feburary 2005)

Located at the at the Otrobanda Hotel, the sheltered terrace at La Bahia features a remarkable view of the harborfront and is so close to the passing ships you'll feel you can almost touch them. The menu runs the gamut from burgers and pastas to keshi yena (seasoned meat wrapped in cheese and then baked) and other local specialties. This is also a great spot to relax with a cup of coffee or a cocktail after a day of exploring. This restaurant is a short walk from the Queen Emma Bridge.