Divi Aruba All Inclusive Resort in Oranjestad, Aruba
We (I and my wife) had a great trip to this piece of Holland in the Caribbean. The Divi Aruba All Inclusive resort was wonderful. It has a large uncrowded beach, lots of sun, friendly staff, good food, and nice people. Facility is a little older but we liked it. Weather was great.
Food was good. We enjoyed the Blue Parrot Restaurant the most (inside and outside). It's only open for dinner and you must make reservations but this was never a problem as long as we were flexible about the time. We tried the Italian restaurant (inside only), also only open for dinner. Did not think the food was as good as the Blue Parrot. The buffet restaurant was always good with a good selection. It's outside near the beach. A wonderful view but you have to enjoy eating with a few bugs and birds. Sometimes getting drinks at the buffet restaurant was a little trouble. We liked the casual dining. Shorts, shirts, and shoes were all that were required but you could dress up if you liked.
Night life is slow at the Divi Aruba All Inclusive, just the way we like it. If you are looking for an energetic party atmosphere, this is not the place for you. There is some traffic noise from the nearby road but it did not bother us.
Rooms did not have screens on the doors so you had to keep the doors closed and the air conditioner running. They told us to keep the burglar bar down on the door but we always felt safe. The air conditioners in both of our rooms were a little noisier than we would have liked. Swam and snorkeled on the beach at the resort. Tipping was not expected but appreciated.
You can use dollars easily in Aruba. No need to worry about getting local currency. We drank the local water the entire trip and had no problems. It's easy to get around by bus or taxi. Cost of taxi from airport was $18 one-way. Cost of taxi to downtown was $8 one way. You pay by the taxi not by the person. It cost $2 per person, round trip, to take a bus downtown that ran every twenty minutes from a bus stop in front of the resort.
To sum up: a great resort and a great trip. We are looking forward to come back next year.
