Left Newark via Continental on 10/29, 9 am flight, arrived in Aruba at 1:38. It took longer than usual to get our luggage and car rental from Thrifty. Got into the car at 3:00, traffic thru town was very heavy, quick stop at Digicel for a sim card but the line was too long. Arrived at the Riu at 4. I haven�t travelled on a Friday in a couple of years and will be going back to Wed or Thurs next year.
After 19 years there�s resort and spa hotels not much sightseeing to do. We always make a trip to the chapel at Alto Vista. We finally got to the flea market near certified, bought a couple souvenirs for the kids, prices resort and spa hotels were good. At night we walked along the Palm Beach strip. We did check out the new mall behind Paseo. A lot of the same shops from downtown, not sure if they moved from there. There is a large open area with a jumbo-tron TV, they were broadcasting the world series. The Paseo Mall also had a jumbo-tron, and we noticed they put a swimming pool behind the water show fountain. We never made it downtown this year. On the way to the airport we stopped at the seaport for lunch. Looks like they are renovating, a lot of empty shops.
There is a new supermarket near Palm Beach, Kong Fui. It�s on the road between Casa Tua and South Beach Center. It�s not far from Sole Mar, on the right side, it�s before resort and spa hotels Bingos. They said they�ve been open since April but there seemed to be some empty shelves. Not too much of a wine selection and it was scattered resort and spa hotels throughout the store. We got a small bottle of Sutter Home White Zinfandel for $8, it was $11 in the little grocery store near Wendys. Didn�t price the small bottle at Lings but the large one was $19 so there�s a few dollars savings. Some of the other prices I checked also seemed to be better than Lings. We didn�t really look for liquor so I don�t know if they carry it. Will definitely check back there next year as it�s closer for us. Maybe Super Food will be open too.
Tomas really stirred up the surf. Being from Jersey we�re used to the waves so it wasn�t too bad for us. We didn�t miss a day on the beach. One afternoon resort and spa hotels we left around 2:30 because of the rain and the next day didn�t get on the beach till noon. The Riu beach didn�t seem to be affected as much as the others on Palm Beach. The center section floods but we didn�t get as much seaweed as the others. Playa Linda seemed to be the worst, resort and spa hotels we didn�t make it to the Marriott so I don�t know what happened there, same with Eagle Beach. All the piers along palm beach were closed on Sat 11/6. I think Pelican and Piets opened a few days later, I think someone posted Bugaloe opened Monday the 14th, not sure though.
Bugaloe really took a hit. On Friday the 5th we were having lunch at the bar and the waves were crashing up thru the boards. resort and spa hotels For the next couple of days we just watched it get pounded. At one point the boards from the end started floating away. We really missed hanging out there everyday.
Gilligans (2X), Smokey Joes, Bugaloe (2X), Rembrandts (2X), Fishes and More, Scala, Gianni�s, Taste of Belgium (for dessert) resort and spa hotels Casa Tua (Palm Beach Seaport Mall), Tulip, Linda�s Pancakes, Bingos � great burgers, Huchada Bakery � great cakes and pastries, Wacky Wahoo and Chefs Table.
Every meal was excellent and while they were all great I would say our best meal was Chef�s Table. Just love the Fish Pot and of course the tapas desserts. We did learn something interesting about Casa Tua. Each of the 4 locations specialize in different cuisine. Palm Beach is Italian, behind Paseo Mall is Mediterranean, Downtown Main Street is Spanish and Seaport Mall is light fare. Looking forward to trying Downtown Main Street next year.
Our flight home on the 12th left at 3:55, arrived in Newark at 7:40. As always it took forever to get our luggage. Hopped on the airtrain to the shuttle area, luckily the Wyndham shuttle was waiting. Got to the hotel, went inside for the parking voucher and we were in our car at 8:40 pm, home by 10.
Great report Linda...and awesome pictures. Wow...can't believe how beat up the Bugaloe got. Sad...I love that place. They will bounce back better than ever I'm sure. Sorry you had the same weather we had...but I'm glad you decided to make the most of it too!! Just added my ticker resort and spa hotels last night...and will now watch it dwindle down and be all excited for the next amazing trip...thanks for posting your report for us to enjoy..
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