http://www.aruba-bb.com/

Thanks

Cant wait

Got back and im dark as heck. The Marriott stellaris was very beautiful. The people there were nice and helpful. Im just going to list what i did for people who might be interested in going to Aruba in the future.

We did the ATV tours (natural pool, gold mountain ruins, and natural bridge (collapsed already) for 85 bucks a couple which lasted 3 hours. It was booked through the marriot so i forgot the tour company's name. They literally came and picked us up from the hotel and took us there.

Jolly Pirates which was awesome. open bar throughout the whole tour, snorkeling at three sites, and the rope swing into the water. (really worth the $) It also lasted for 3 hours.

Went Jet Skiing, Parasailing, and this ride where you get on the tubes and a powerboat pulls you.

Dinner: El Gaucho, Roomba, El Grille
Breakfast/Lunch: El Grille, Dunkin Donuts, Subways, Dushi Bagels, etc.

After we ate dinner we usually walk around the downtown area. We went into the Crystal Casino, Carlos & Charlies (Trust me its much better now, the alley might still be dark but there are so many american there, its like a tourist bar/club), The paddock (happy hour at midnight i believe, I got 4 bud lights for 9 bucks!!!), and Iguana Joes.

Overall, its one of the best vacations i've had next to my bahamas trips. Aruba might be pricey though. Everywhere you dine will cost you about 25-30 bucks per entree but living in Boston has "trained" me to cope with those prices.

Taxi ride to your hotel from the airport is 20 bucks.
Taxi ride from the Marriott to downtown is 10 bucks.
Taxi ride from holiday inn to Marriott is 5 bucks.

On sunday's most of the shopping malls are closed. Only bars, casinos, restaurants and hotels are open. Taxi rates are also 3 dollars more on that day.

We were pretty lucky to get those Mercedes E-Class taxis a few times. They charge the same rates as other taxis but its a Benz.

Hope this helps, and thanks to bltst2,Ralphey,k9bakingcom,Bethlyn184 and many others for the suggestions.

*note* Bring your own sun screen, I paid 20 bucks for a bottle of suncreen which would cost 7 bucks at CVS in the US. If you are staying at the Marriott, take that walk down to Playa Linda/Holiday Inn and buy water, food, soda, snacks, etc. They are much cheaper than Marriott.

I may be in the minority but I really didn't care for Aruba. I was there a few years ago while on a cruise and rented a jeep and went exploring. Yes, seeing the lighthouse, Natural Bridge, Natural Pool (yes, we actually found it), Diva trees and snorkling was very nice BUT I did not like that it looked like a desert on most of the island. It is very, very dry with cactus everywhere and the rocks looked like they were volcanic.

When I think of a Caribbean island, I think of lush, green area everwhere not just around the major resorts.

All in All, it is a nice island but don't expect it to look exotic.

Enjoy your trip