For fall 1998, my mother, who speaks French, wanted to go to an island where French is spoken. We planned to go to St. Martin. However, Hurricane Georges roared through much of the French West Indies in September 1998, heavily damaging St. Martin. We booked a trip to Aruba instead.
In November 1998, my mother and I again traveled to the Netherlands Antilles. Aruba is the westernmost of those Caribbean islands, and lies 18 miles off the coast of Venezuela. It covers an area of 70 square miles. After the requisite 7 a.m. flight from Baltimore-Washington International Airport and change of planes in Miami, we arrived around 2 p.m. at Queen Beatrix Airport.
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort and Casino on Palm Beach on the southern coast.
This nine-story hotel has a large, comfortable open-air lobby, a casino, three restaurants, shops, an exercise room with treadmills, stationary bikes and stairclimbers, and a few high-priced shops. The centerpiece is the three-level pool with a waterfall, two-story slide and two whirlpools. The pool is set among tropical gardens with a human-made lagoon. Geese and swans floated in the lagoon, and iguanas strolled along the walkways, seeking fruit treats from the guests. Parrots also lived on the grounds.
The hotel rooms are standard-issue accommodations. Features include cable TV with U.S. network feeds and a few stations from Venezuela; in-room minibar and safe; and a clock radio. A tiny table with two chairs serves as a desk and snack table.
The hotel is on a lovely stretch of Palm Beach. A large area of water is roped off to protect swimmers from the personal watercraft that zip around. There is also a dock and a Red Sail concession. Thatched huts offer beachgoers protection from the sun. The Hyatt provides huge, fluffy towels to guests for use on the beach and day trips.
The sea is calm on the south side. After getting settled in the room, Mom and I spent a few hours poolside and took a dip in the Caribbean before dressing for dinner. The Hyatt has four restaurants. Ruinas del Mar is in front of the swan pond. It serves a buffet breakfast, and lunch and dinner, mostly continental cuisine. Ole serves Spanish food and features a singing guitarist. Cafe Piccolo offers pizza and other Italian dishes. Palms is the most casual, offering theme meals nightly, such as Fajita Night or Lobster Night. All were fairly expensive, but the food proved to be very good. Our best meal was in Ole when we had paella.
The next day, we took a daylong land tour of the island. I had not done enough Internet research to find out which sights we should take in, so we missed Schooner Harbor; Arikok National Park; the cununcu, or Outback, which features petroglyphs and huge boulders. As for any trip, be sure to find out about what features interest you before you leave home.
We did visit the Natural Bridge, the California lighthouse, St. Anna Church, and a cemetery. We were pretty much rushed from one site to the next, and barely had time to take pictures or soak up the ambience. There is plenty to see on land in Aruba; make sure you get a complete, leisurely tour.
A much more interesting and fun trip was the daylong land and sea tour. We were driven by bus through downtown Oranjestad, stopping at a bar (a strange idea, as it was well before noon). We stopped briefly at a small cave, then drove past popular Baby Beach.
We were taken to Le Dome Restaurant for a mediocre buffet lunch, and caught the ferry to DePalm Island. The ferry passed the desalinization plan and an oil refinery. Oil, not tourism, is Aruba's principal industry.
Upon arrival at DePalm Island, we were directed to changing rooms and then headed to the beach. There are sturdy steps from the pier and it was easy to get into and out of the water. The coral is right at the end of the beach, and spreads out for yards in all directions. The water depth varied from four to 15 feet.
Despite the trampling by tourists, the coral was bright and abundant, and the fish were plentiful. I spent more than a hour snorkeling all over the site, swimming several hundred feet out. The sea was calm, and it was one of the most wonderful snorkeling experiences I've had. Don't miss DePalm Island.
Afterward, we dried off and sunbathed on the lounge chairs provided near the changing rooms before taking the ferry back to Aruba.
We took another snorkeling trip by boat to the Antillian shipwreck, a German vessel which was scuttled during World War II. Even though the craft sunk in 90 feet of water, part of the ship sticks out of the water. The wreck is 400 feet long, and, with the coral and fish that have made it home, is a spectacular snorkeling site.
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