Ever since posting THESE flamingo photos in November, I’ve received alot of questions about my trip to Aruba. I wanted to put together a full Aruba travel diary to highlight where we stayed, what we ate and where I would recommend visiting! So, here it is!
Where to stay:
We stayed at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino and I would highly recommend it. The above photo is the view from our hotel balcony and it was absolutely stunning!
We loved our week at the Marriott in Aruba and after walking the beach strip to check out all of the other hotels nearby, we were really happy with our decision. The stretch of beach at the Marriott was the nicest and the hotel grounds were beautiful.
The service all week was amazing, food was unreal and the rooms were nice and roomy. There was just a really great vibe the whole time we were there. We loved hanging out at the beach in the morning and then heading to the adult pool in the afternoon. We’d lay under the cabanas at the pool for a late lunch and cocktails. I’m still dreaming about these cocktails. I recommend the Miami Vice (half strawberry daiquiri and half pina colada) or the Chocolate Monkey. They line the glass with chocolate syrup, fill the glass with a banana/chocolate/rum slushie and then fill the straw with rum with a cherry on top. My mouth still waters thinking about it. I’ve had this drink at other resorts but this one was next level yummy. Iguanas are everywhere around the pool and we loved watching them scurry around and sunbathe in the trees.
Where to Eat:
I really can’t say enough about the food in Aruba. Everything we ate was fantastic. The room service at the Marriott was delicious, the buffets were great and every restaurant was better than the next. There’s a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse at the Marriott and the sushi bar in the lobby is alot of fun for cocktails and apps. I have a gluten allergy so I always get a little nervous going to resorts, but I had zero problems here. They even had Udi’s gluten free bread (my fav!) and a gluten free toaster at the Marriott buffet, so I was able to eat almost everything off the menu’s.
Atardi Restaurant at the Marriott:
This is the view you get to enjoy while you eat at Atardi restaurant. Just take a minute to take in these views….
We ended up eating dinner at the Atardi Restaurant at the Marriott Hotel 3 times (!!!) throughout the week because you cannot beat the food, experience and view. It’s one of those dining experiences that basically ruins all other dining experiences for you because it’s just THAT good.
The restaurant tables are outside right next to the ocean. You take your shoes off at the entrance and have your toes in the sand throughout dinner. Make sure you schedule your reservation around 6:15 so you don’t miss the sun setting! The sun sets early in Aruba (around 6:30) so we scheduled our dinner reservations pretty early so we could watch the sunset. They have live musicians each night and it makes for one of the most romantic dinner settings ever. You really have to experience it for yourself. I recommend the lobster tail. Anytime there’s lobster on a menu, there’s about a 99% chance that’s what I’m getting. It was delicious!
Another really cool dining experience we had was at Screaming Eagle Restaurant. You eat dinner in a bed, surrounded by white flowy curtains. The waiters bring you your food on trays and you eat cuddled up in a sea of pillows and a comfy headboard. It was so much fun and the food was incredible!
I ate barracuda for the first time and loved it. We popped some champagne and after a glass or two I couldn’t help but jump on the bed a few times. It’s just way too tempting. The chocolate mousse dessert will forever haunt me because it was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. I will plan another trip to Aruba just to have that dessert again. Mmmmm!
Where to Go & What to Do:
Renaissance Hotel Flamingo Island
If you missed my post on Flamingo Island you must click HERE because it was one of the best days of my life. I can’t get enough of these pictures! I HAVE to go back to Aruba someday to visit these flamingo friends again.
Royal Plaza Pink Mall
After the flamingo island adventure, we ended up at the pink mall (because it’s right next to the Renaissance Hotel) so it was basically the pink filled day of my dreams. The mall looks like a decorated cake with the pink walls and the white awnings. It’s absolutely adorable!
Island Tour
The day we had scheduled our island tour was the day it (of course) rained. And it NEVER rains in Aruba! So we must head back to Aruba at some point to do this tour because it sounded amazing! I love that you can tour the whole island in just a few hours. The tour included snorkling at baby beach and an ATV excursion. I can’t wait to get back to Aruba to explore the rest of the island!
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