Aruba 2015

Living through the worst winter Boston has ever seen has been tough.  For months now we have been experiencing brutally cold temperatures and never ending snowfalls.  It seems as though spring may never come!

Come spring break, it was time to get away from the cold and find some warm weather. My parents decided on the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Aruba for a weak of fun in the sun!

We left early Sunday morning for a six day five night stay.  The flight was about four hours but the time flew by. Upon our arrival we were greeted with an unfamiliar moist tropical breeze.

After going through customs and getting our luggage, we drove to the hotel. The hotel is pretty close to the airport (maybe a 15-20 minute drive) so we were able to get there quickly.

We checked in and headed up to the room.  This is a panorama of the hotel from our balcony.




The views were so gorgeous they almost seemed fake.

I mean just look at that water! It's a perfect turquoise!

After exploring around the hotel, we found they offered many complementary water sport rentals including paddle boards, kayaks, kitesurfing and water bicycles for the active vacationer.  

Also, for a small price, there were boats that would take guest tubing and on day trips. If you walked down the beach I believe there was a rental kite surfing stand. If you look in the distance of the photo above you can see just how popular kite surfing was.

My favorite water sport was paddle boarding. My family would rent them and roe around the designated area.  What a workout it was, especially when the current and winds occasionally picked up! My sister and I also made a game using them where we would try to work as a team to get our feet to the end of the board. It was a great game for practicing balance.

While on the trip, I even had the chance to make some new friends!

This mischievous little (but actually pretty big) guy was my favorite!

After our relaxing days we would all head back to the room and watch the sun fall below the horizon from our balcony.  Each sunset was just as beautiful as the last.  Here are some of my favorites that I captured.

After the sun set, you could see the strip of hotels light up along the beach.

The hotel was situated on the end of the strip.  In my opinion, it is in the perfect location. The other hotels are accessible by a path that runs through all of them but not there isn't as much through traffic on the beach.

Almost everyday, the weather in Aruba was sunny and hot with a cool breeze. While the forecast predicted rain almost everyday, we only had one day where the weather was bad and even then it was still bearable. It was the perfect weather for tanning! 

On one of the days it rained in the morning, a rainbow appear as if to make up for the wet start.

Now, on to what I think is one of the best parts of vacation, the food!  The food, as a whole was delicious. There was a great mix between healthy and unhealthy dishes.  Personally, I usually eat pretty healthy meals so it was nice to have that option.

For the most important meal of the day, the hotel provided guests with the option of either a buffet or a la carte.  The some of the highlights of the buffet included an omelet station, a variety of fresh fruit, breakfast pastries and a selection of cheese and meats.  The a la carte menu offered many different types of pancakes, waffles and specialty omelets. 

There was the option to either sit inside or outside but we always chose to sit on the patio outside. 

With a view like this, who could possibly choose to sit inside?!

Lunch was always the same; we ate at the poolside restaurant Madero Argentinian Grille.  They offered a great variety of lunch items such as tacos, sandwiches and wraps.  The great thing about his restaurant  was chips and salsa came free!

For dinner, we favored Divi Bar and Lounge, a small bar located in the lobby with a tasty sushi menu. In addition to sushi, they also serve small appetizer sized dishes.

My favorite dish that I ordered was The Ritz Carlton Roll.  It is a large roll stuffed with king crab, shrimp tempura and cucumber. The top was adorned with tuna, avocado, yuzu aiolo, eelsause and tobiko. 

Other plates I would recommend include the Madame Janette specialty roll and the Peruvian Red Snapper Ceviche (both are very spicy).  Also, if you have a sweet tooth like me, you won't be able to resist the dutch apple pie for dessert.

Another restaurant we ate at in the hotel was Les Crustaces.  This is an upscale french restaurant, the portions are light but very tasty. 

This restaurant was my favorite decor wise.  On the ceiling, there were these amazing hanging light fixtures!

Below is a picture of my main meal, the Sea Bass with potato gnocchi, fine ratatouille and bouillabaisse jus. 

We ate at other restaurants but these were my favorite.  If you would like to see all the restaurants and the menus in the hotel click here.

Another mentionable restaurant was El Gaucho which specializes in cooking Argentinean meat.  I had the Argentine Grill, and would recommend splitting that between two people. It is a large dish containing tenderloin, Argentine chorizo, ribs, pork loin and beef short ribs.

After a wonderful six days of eating and relaxing, it was time to leave.  We packed our bags and headed to the airport.

I had such a great time at Aruba! Being at school, I hand't seen my family in six weeks so it was especially nice to spend the week with them.  

If you get the chance, I would definitely recommend going somewhere in Aruba.  It is a perfect vacation spot, especially if you are looking for a great time :)