Aruba - Everything Else

OK, so you've probably seen enough pictures of Aruba.  This is the last post...I promise!  We took close to 600 pictures, so the fact that I've narrowed it down the way I have is pretty good.  So, this will be pretty random, just a few more pictures of places/things I want to be sure to mention so that when I read these posts in a few years, details I may not remember will come back to me!

Just steps away from the front door of our hotel was the Renaissance Marketplace - and one of the restaurants at the Marketplace, 'The Dutch Pancake House', turned out to be a favourite spot of ours.  The reason we loved it - it had amazing crepes and poffertjes (a Dutch batter treat), and the prices were very reasonable!  You'd think this would be a breakfast spot, but we like it so much we went back for lunch too!  I think we ate there three times throughout the week :)

Curt, about to enjoy his poffertjes.  The small pancake like things are covered with icing sugar...and that's a strawberry sauce he's about to pour over them.

Our hotel was right in the heart of Oranjestad, which is also where the cruise ship terminal is located.  This ship was at the terminal on Monday, so the downtown area was a lot busier that day than the rest of the week.

One of the main shopping areas in Oranjestad.

One of the trademark Aruba signs...this one was in a shopping area near the hotel district - we took the bus there one day to check things out. 

 

There was actually a larger version of this sign close to our hotel, but there was construction going on in front of it, so it was impossible to get a good picture of it.

This is another picture from our first day when we went to check out the hotel district.  We were doing a lot of walking, and it was HOT - it was tempting to dive in, but we didn't have towels or anything, so we just waded in to get cooled down.  The water was just so beautiful!

 And finally, a beautiful night sky.

So there you have it, our trip to Aruba in five short posts :)  ha!  If you've read all of them, thanks!  I hope you've enjoyed looking at the pictures and learning a little bit about the island of Aruba. 

On our way home, Curt and I talked about whether or not we would go back to Aruba - neither one of us had a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer.  If the opportunity arose to go back, we would go...but, we probably wouldn't choose to go back there on our own.  It was amazing and beautiful, but it's a small island and we feel like we experienced everything we wanted to, so we'd rather try a different island next time.  I suggested we try Bonaire and Curacao, the other two islands that make up the 'ABC Islands' in the Dutch Caribbean :)  Maybe I'll have to add those to my 'Bucket List'.

Aruba - Barefoot Restaurant

Yes, I am about to do a whole post about one restaurant...once you see pictures, you'll understand why.

This was our table!  I am pretty sure we will never eat at a restaurant with a better view than this!

This was the view I had over Curt's shoulder...

Curt made the reservations for us, and he's so smart he made sure that we were there in time to see the sunset!

A little story about making the reservations - rather than calling the restaurant, Curt sent an email to make the reservations; when we arrived, the owner met us and showed us to our table and she commented that when she got the email from 'Curtis Vreugdenhil' she thought about responding in Dutch!  When she heard us talk, she realized she made the right choice by responding in English.

Back when we first made our reservations for Aruba, I told Curt that I was going to have seafood while I was there.  Not sure why I decided that, or why I told Curt - but by telling him it meant that there no getting out of it.  So, here we were on our last night and I hadn't followed through.  When I got the menu, I focused on the 'Fish Mains' section and narrowed it down to Grouper or Mahi Mahi (the only reason I was focusing on those two was because I had seen them on practically every menu during the week, and somehow felt like going with something that popular was 'safe').

My face in this picture sums up how I felt about my 'Grouper Romano' when it arrived...that's an excited/nervous face, in case you can't tell!

The meal was really good...the fish wasn't too 'fishy', and if each bite had pasta as well, it hardly tasted like fish at all :)

Curt is usually the one to try new foods, however, he went with the steak.  Point for me in this case!

Going to this restaurant was so much more than just going for dinner...it was really a whole experience.  The staff were all amazing - from the owner who showed us to our table, to the multiple waiters/waitresses that served us throughout the night, they were all so friendly.  The servers were also great photographers - every time they saw us taking pictures, they offered to take one for us so we could both be in it (a definite plus for this photo crazy girl!).  If anyone reading this happens to find themselves in Aruba one day, you HAVE TO GO to Barefoot!  

Oh, and you should have the Apple Strudel a la Mode for dessert - it was AMAZING!  No pictures because we ate it too fast :)

Aruba - Carubbian Festival

On Thursday evening, we decided to go to San Nicholas to check out the Carubbian Festival.  A co-worker of mine was in Aruba back in January (she also stayed at the Renaissance!), and she said that the festival was a 'must see'. 

Thursday morning, I talked to one of the maids at our hotel and she also encouraged us to go...she actually tried to organize a small tour for a few people at the hotel, but it didn't work out in the end.  So, we decided to just take the bus to the festival, about 30 minutes away.  Unfortunately, we had a bit of trouble getting the bus!  We had two options when we left our hotel, walk about fifteen minutes one direction to the bus terminal, or about five minutes the other direction to a bus stop...so, we went to the bus stop.  Or, what we thought was supposed to be a bus stop?!? 

After walking for about 10 minutes, we still hadn't come across a bus stop, but we did come across this 'Aruba' sign...so, we stopped for the photo op...

 We learned later that the buses travel this road to get back to the terminal, but don't make stops on the main road...had we gone a block or two off the main road, we may have been able to find a bus stop.  So, having tried unsuccessfully to flag down three different buses, we walked all the way back to the main bus station and got a bus there within 10 minutes.  Oooops, good thing we weren't on the Amazing Race!

So, by the time we actually arrived in San Nicholas we had missed the 'show/concert' portion of the festival.  But, there was still plenty to see! 

We walked along the main stretch of road checking out the vendors, and the crowds, and then found something to eat...

Curt also had a beer, just to add to the experience (Aruba has some liberal liquor laws, you're allowed to drink on the streets...anytime...not just at Carubbian Festival!!)

Thankfully, we made it in time to catch the main attraction, the Carnival parade that wraps things up at the end of the night.  I haven't been to New Orleans, but I would like to think what we saw in Aruba is a small sample of what Mardi Gras would be like.

The band that led the parade...

An example of the amazing costumes...

 And I couldn't resist getting my picture taken with one of the performers...

Once the parade is over, things wrap up pretty quickly...so, we made our way back to the San Nicholas bus terminal and made our way back to Oranjestad.  Despite the issues we had getting there, going to Carubbian Festival was definitely worth it!  And, we're so glad we didn't miss the parade!

Aruba - Renaissance Island

One of the things that made the Renaissance unique was the private island for guests of the two hotels.  The island was just a short boat ride away from the two buildings, and shuttle rides were available from 7am to 7pm, so it was easy to get to.

An aerial view of the private island, courtesy of the website...

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/fitness-center/auabr-renaissance-aruba-resort-and-casino/

The shuttle from Marina Hotel was pretty neat - a small channel was built from the ocean into the hotel, so you got on the boat inside at the shopping area of the hotel.

Our hotel had it's own shuttle area not far from the pool, it wasn't as unique as this one though.

Once guests arrive at the island, there are two beaches to choose from - Iguana Beach, which was family friendly, and then an adults only beach.

There was no shortage of these guys on the Island, hence the name 'Iguana Beach' - they were all over the main island of Aruba too!  

 The adults only beach had it's own share of 'wildlife' - flamingos and hermit crabs...

Once we arrived, we made our way to Iguana Beach and picked a spot in the shade!

Curt spent a bit of time in the hammock, I moved to one of the lounge chairs and enjoyed this view instead...

We weren't right up by the water, but it's still a great view.  Remember I said we picked a spot in the shade, Curt got a sunburn on the first day, so we were staying out of direct sun for his sake!

The camera settings were a little off in this next picture, but it's still worth sharing...a panoramic shot of Iguana Beach.

If you click to enlarge the picture, you'll see a little 'hut' on the left side, that's a spa...you could get a massage while taking in an awesome ocean view!  The 'hut' you see on the right side is the restaurant.

The island was beautiful, and we really enjoyed the time we spent hanging out there.  As you can see in the aerial photo I included, there was man made rock walls that made lagoon areas for swimming (just like back at the resort), so you could swim in ocean without having the waves to worry about - it was perfect!

Aruba - Renaissance Resort & Casino

About six weeks ago, staff at my office got an email from the managers requesting that we submit our requests for summer vacation.  So, Curt and I got busy looking at options for travel this summer.  We started out looking at golf vacations in Virginia and then some how ended up booking a week in Aruba?!?  I'm not really sure how we went from one to the other, but I'm glad we ended up in Oranjestad!

This vacation was through our time share - we exchanged our week in Florida for this week in Aruba; we stayed at a Marriott property called 'Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino'.  There are actually two separate resorts, the Marina Hotel which is adults only, and then the Ocean Suites which is family friendly.  We stayed at the Ocean Suites, and LOVED it!

Marina Hotel at dusk...

 The entrance of Ocean Suites...

I didn't take a single picture of our room because, although it was nice, it was nothing special.  It was basic, but had everything we needed - bedroom (with a super comfy king bed), bathroom, living room and small kitchenette.  We always enjoy having the option of a kitchenette - on this trip, we bought snacks and breakfast food.

Here is a picture of a room similar to ours, courtesy of the website...

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/auabr-renaissance-aruba-resort-and-casino/

We weren't too concerned about the room though because we didn't spend a lot of time inside, the weather was beautiful all week, so we spent A LOT of time just lounging around to pool.

And now for a whole bunch of random pictures from our pool time...

Ahhhh, relaxing at it's finest!

Curt enjoyed his time around the pool too!

 When I wasn't in the pool, I was reading - I finished two books during the week.

 And when Curt wasn't in the pool, he was playing games on the tablet.

Just beside the pool was this lagoon area, it was the perfect way to enjoy swimming in the ocean! 

The pool bar had 'Happy Hour' from 4-6pm daily (drinks were 2 for 1), and Curt was a team player and drank tropicolada's with me :) 

Like I said, those were all really random and in no particular order...but, I had a lot of pictures from around the pool because of the amount of time we spent there!  No doubt this was also a little boring to read, and the pictures weren't all that interesting either...I hope the rest of my posts about Aruba will be more interesting?!?

The Paaar-tay!

Beware, this post is going to have TOO MANY pictures, so let me apologize in advance!  I promise to post the cutest ones, so hopefully you don't get too bored.  And, I'll keep the words to a minimum :)

The birthday girl, all dressed and ready for her party.  Notice the 'Miss Birthday Girl' sash, it was too cute to resist!

Opening a present with some help from Papa (my dad).  I had to include this picture because she's opening one of the gifts from Curt and I...Jackson figure skates!  She wasn't as excited as I had hoped, but, it is May so she's probably not thinking about skating?!?

Abby was SO ANIMATED when opening gifts...actually, she was even super excited just opening cards!  She had everyone there laughing at all the faces she was making.  A few pictures to demonstrate...

In that middle picture, Abby has opened the other gift from Curt and I - a little purse.  My mom gave her a small change purse to go with it, and she put a toonie in it.  She then told Abby to go around to the rest of the guests and ask for change to put in her wallet :)  She ended up collecting over $20!!!  In this case, it literally paid to be cute!

 And a look of determination, trying to get a present out of a bag...

Cake time - Abby's request this year, a Dora cake! 

(We got a new camera recently, as you can see, Curt was playing with the settings for these last two pictures.)

I think Abby had a great time at her party...she is a very loved little girl and she seemed to enjoy having so many people around to celebrate her!  As always, it was great to be part of this special occasion.

Birthday Weekend

This past weekend, we went to Acton to celebrate Abby's THIRD birthday!  And, as always, it was a great time with family.

Saturday morning the girls went off to Abby's dance class.

I LOVE this moment I captured between my brother and his daughter :)  Abby hadn't had breakfast, but it was time to go, so she took a waffle for the ride.  As we rushed out the door, Tom came out to say good-bye and I got him right as he leaned in for a kiss.  The love on Abby's face here is amazing, these two obviously have a special daddy-daughter bond.  This picture makes me feel so proud of my brother.  (Tom, sorry if reading this made you cry).

Pure excitement upon arrival!  Abby absolutely LOVES her dance class - as a coach, it's always so great to see kids that really enjoy the activity they are taking part in, so, her excitement made me smile!

  
The parents participate with their child, so Krystle and Abby 'danced', and I took pictures!

Mommy and daughter, hard at work!

 At one point, the kids were supposed to 'hop' along like frogs.  Abby wasn't a big fan of that move...she would do one hop, walk ten steps, do a second hop, walk ten more steps and be at the other side of the room...it was funny!  She also didn't like the part where she was supposed to 'walk' like a bear (hands and feet on the ground, bum in the air)...she didn't even try that one, and Krystle told me after that when she asked Abby 'where is your bear', Abby replied 'he's all gone'!  ha! 

My beautiful niece (look at those eyes!) watching a movie on the drive home from dance class.

Later Saturday morning, Curt and I both went with the boys to watch Nolan at his sports camp.  We weren't allowed right into the gym, so I could only watch through the small windows in the gym doors.  It was probably safer for everyone this way actually - the kids were learning to use tennis rackets, so there were balls flying everywhere! 

Since I couldn't take pictures during sports camp, here is one taken just before lunch, when the kids were out playing in the backyard for a bit.  Nolan is ALL.ABOUT.HOCKEY!

Although Curt's birthday isn't until the end of the month, he was lucky enough to receive a few presents early!  My Aunt Mary gave him a rain suit, something he asked for to use on an upcoming motorcycle trip he is taking.  People will definitely see him coming, not only will he wear this BRIGHT coat, there are also matching pants!

I have so many pictures from the actual birthday party, I think I'll have to do a separate post to share those.