My husband and I went to Aruba in the Summer of 2024 for an early 10th anniversary celebration without the kids.
Why Aruba?
We picked Aruba because it is a tropical location with a nonstop flight from IAD. We wanted to be able to celebrate our anniversary over a long weekend, so we needed to be efficient with our travel time to make the most of our vacation.
Planning for Aruba:
I checked the Fodor’s Aruba book out from the library when we started to narrow in on Aruba for our trip. We learned that one of the perks of Aruba is they have a state of the art water desalination plant, since they have no natural drinking water source on the island, which decreases your chance of having stomach issues while on vacation. This was a huge perk in our book because it increased the chance of having an enjoyable trip.
While we looked at a few different hotel options, including some with over-water bungalows, we decided to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Aruba. We booked the reservation using the Amex Centurion Card which provided extra perks when we were on the property.
We decided to rent a car for our stay to give us the flexibility to explore the island and the beaches without having to worry about reserving a taxi or hiring a driver during our stay.
Experience:
After a long weekend in Aruba, I completely understand why some families make it their annual vacation location. The island is incredibly beautiful, and we had next-level service at the Ritz-Carlton.
One of the nice perks of the Ritz-Carlton’s beach set-up is the sunscreen and amenities table they have available for guests. As somebody who easily succumbs to sunburn, it was awesome to have extra sunscreen options available upon arrival while we relaxed on the beach with beautiful cocktails.
The Ritz has a bright yellow VW van set-up outside the lobby- on your way to the beach where staff make beautiful cocktails in pineapples, or with other tropical fruit to get you into the island spirit. It is a fun way to welcome you to the property, and start your vacation in paradise.
We did venture off of the property several times during our weekend in Aruba. On our first night we drove up to the light house for dinner at Faro Blanco. We made reservations prior to our arrival on the island, and I am glad we did since the restaurant got very busy. While the food was good, the best thing about this restaurant was the views of the ocean at sunset. It was a very romantic restaurant, and an excellent way to start an anniversary weekend!
While we wanted to focus on rest and relaxation for our short trip, we did want to spend some time exploring the island too. We booked a half day Natural Pool and Indian Cave Jeep Safari tour with ABC Tours to see parts of the island we would not be able to explore with our rental car. I’m glad we brought our snorkels on this excursion because we were able to see tropical fish swimming in the natural pool we swam in.
It was a surreal experience snorkeling in the pool as the ocean crashed up against the rocks that surrounded the pool. The cave portion of the tour was also interesting, but it was not as cool as other caves like ATM in Belize we have visited on previous vacations.
The most surprising part of our trip was being able to snorkel with turtles! We learned from hotel staff that Malmok and Trea Trapi beach have turtle habitats at them, and we were delighted to be able to snorkel with wild turtles without having to go on a snorkeling boat excursion. We were able to park the rental car near both beaches, and enjoy some high-quality snorkeling right at the beach that also included seeing massive schools of fish that you felt surrounded by at some points.
It was beautiful being engulfed in a sea of shimmering fish. It’s worth noting I felt safe snorkeling for longer periods of time knowing we had locked our car keys and wallet up using our portable safe. This reduced the risk of theft and enabled us to focus on fun.
We concluded our trip with a romantic dinner on the beach at the Ritz-Carlton. The staff at the Ritz made dinner feel very special and intimate while we were on the beach, and the foot traffic at the hotel was pretty light so we did not feel like we were surrounded by onlookers. The dinner started before sunset, and it was a very romantic way to celebrate ten years of marriage.
Lessons Learned:
We learned that portable safes provide a peace of mind when exploring new environments. We were able to focus on having fun in the ocean without having to worry about car rental theft. Even though Aruba is a tiny island, I did not want to deal with that kind of headache on our trip.
We also learned that the seaweed issue some people have mentioned in the Caribbean was not an issue in Aruba. We were able to enjoy our trip without feeling like we were being engulfed by plants.
I felt really safe running on the sidewalk around the Ritz. There was a paved sidewalk adjacent to the beach that went all of the way from the Ritz to the light house at the end of the island, and I was comfortable going out for morning runs alone. It was yet another way to explore the beauty of the island, and I would recommend it for solo female travelers too.
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Travel Gear:
My foldable sun hat kept me safe during our walks on the beach. As somebody who works full time in their basement, the extra sun exposure on vacation always puts me at risk for sunburn. I loved that my hat was able to fold into my suitcase for the flight, and then helped during our time in the water and during our island adventures.
I used my my Rent the Runway subscription to pack for this trip without the kids. It was fun to pick vibrant sun dresses and bold accessories that do not fit into my normal working tech mom who lives in the DC area wardrobe.
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Final Thoughts:
Aruba is incredibly beautiful, and when my kids tire of Disney cruises, I can’t wait to bring them here to explore – and hopefully snorkel or scuba dive. We made the mistake of initially forgetting we could scuba dive on this trip because we did not have the kids with us, and by the time we realized this omission we had already booked the jeep tour and a cabana at the hotel which prevented us from being able to plan a last minute dive more than 24 hours in advance of our flight home. It will be fun to return to Aruba in the future to again appreciate the beautiful beaches and surrounding marine life.
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