David Berra and his partner are just back from a trip to Aruba:
Recently airline companies added flights to Aruba from the United States at discount rates, so we decided to take a trip to Aruba which is one of the three ABC Islands just north of Venezuela. Bonaire, and Curacao are known for sun, scuba diving, and snorkeling but we decided to try Aruba first and took a chance that there would be decent diving and snorkeling there as well.
Southwest Airlines was offering a great price to try their new route to Aruba so we decided to skip the gay cruise this year, and head to the Equator. This is a Dutch island, so we expected fewer Americans and we found that spending a vacation with many europeans might be fun. As we soon found out, our visit to the chosen guesthouse did include a couple from Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, and the US. They were all very nice, and enjoying the warm weather.
We saw incredible views, as we glided down to the small Island, and after we strolled through the obligatory customs gauntlet we were on our way. The recommended cheap car rental we used was “Top Drive” and we had only a short wait to get to their shop. A man from “Jay’s Auto rental” tried to rent us a car and offered to take us to Top Drive even if we didn’t want one of their cars.
We took him up on his offer, since Top Drive was late, and tipped him for the short ride, but as we found out later Jay’s had to fix a guesthouse residents’ car 3 times while they stayed at our guesthouse. The driving in Aruba is a bit aggressive, and takes some getting used to. The streets are without signs for the most part. This makes if very difficult to get around and find anything.
You need a navigator and a driver to get where you want to go. Aruban’s’ drivers very aggressive, and the locals often “bluff” you into stopping by revving their cars right up to every intersection. You will also have a “V” on our license plate which means a “Victim” or a tourist …your choice. After learning the subtle differences in roads and driving we did our island tours on our own. You will have to grasp an understanding the language before you get going, which is a mix of Spanish, Dutch, English and Papiamento, but you will find that most locals understand some english.
We started our search with Purple Roofs and the internet for a gay guesthouse in Aruba. We saw many gay -friendly resorts but only one “Gay owned Guesthouse” which is called “Little David’s” owned and run by Noud & Fran. They billed the guesthouse as “Gay, but strait friendly” so we took the chance, and hoped for a gay clientele. Little David’s has a web site, and a presence on Facebook. They have reasonable rates, and clean the room daily. The pool is fabulous, and contains a garden that Noud has developed over 15 years. He is very happy to offer tours and insights into the tropical fruits and flowers he has planted.
They have a outdoor kitchen many of the visitors used, but we stuck to the complimentary coffee that they made early every morning. We loved the place, as well as their dogs, cat, and parrot. Being Americans we would have liked to see warmer water via a solar heater for the showers and possible more green practices on the island. Most buildings are on septic systems and many of the remote beaches had a lot of ocean trash that could be cleaned up, otherwise a great time was had by all! Our hosts were absolutely the nicest people we have met!
Noud sat us down at Little Davids and gave us three recommended daily tours. One to the Southwest, one to the Northwest, and one to the Southeast. It took us a while to find the best snorkeling, which is off Boca Catalina where you can park on the bank of the ocean, put out your chairs on the limestone shelves, and spend the day sunning and watching a wide variety of fish and other sea creatures.
We made friends from different countries everywhere we went, but most of the tourists were from the US. We also went south of the power plant to a similar area of reefs and mangroves to snorkel. Is you go there in the southwest, you must go to Zee Rover restaurant. This is not fancy, or for the faint of heart, but here is how you get your meal; Go to the front counter and pick your fish and shrimp, they weigh it and give you a number.
After that go to the backside of the counter where the bars is and get your drinks, (buckets of beer work nicely) then go out on the deck over the ocean and wait for your meal to be cooked and delivered. They best fish we had on the island! They catch it and clean it there before delivering the filets or steaks to the front of the restaurant. It has a beautiful view, and a great inexpensive meal.
The other places we went to were also fabulous. We like the flank steaks with Yucca you can pick up almost anywhere in small restaurants away from the city for $10. Que Pasa is in the town of Oranjestad and is a great “Nice” restaurant to go to. The steak, pasta and seafood dishes are high end without the prices. Speaking of money, they take dollars everywhere but the local currency is Florin Abbreviated on cash registers as AWG. You can also see the amount in dollars on most cash registers while your purchase is being rung up.
Downtown is a bit hectic as the cruise ships dock there almost daily. We avoided downtown accept on the evenings when we went out to the restaurants, or to Jimmy’s Place which is a gay bar. Getting groceries is very easy as they are conveniently located all around the island. Surprisingly most are Chinese owned and carry strange names like “Bo Wah” (near the Little David Guesthouse) and Hong Kong Supermarket. The best one we liked was “Super Food” which is Dutch owned. They had the best selection and was the cleanest store. We fell in love with our hosts Noud & Fran and made some really great friends at Little David’s, and will cherish the experience the rest of our lives!
David Berra is a regular Purple Roofs reader.
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