Aruba

To celebrate the end of my husband’s medical school journey, we wanted to experience the crystal blue waters that Aruba has to offer. Aruba was the perfect destination, and also our first international travel experience since the pandemic started.

View our Aruba IG Guide.

Hotel: Divi & Tamarijn Aruba

We stayed at Divi & Tamarijn Aruba, an all-inclusive resort with free excursions, endless food, and pretty views!

We enjoyed Divi & Tamarijn’s resort activities like playing table tennis and enjoying the pool. We loved our couples massage at their Indulgence by the Sea Spa. So glad we did all-inclusive because they had amazing restaurants with great vegetarian options and beautiful views.

Excursions:

We also enjoyed exploring the island and its natural beauty. From hikes and formations to hanging out with flamingos and butterflies, it was such a unique experience! We definitely recommend Flamingo Beach – the only place you can hang out with flamingos in the world! More of our favourites were the Casibari Rock Formation and Natural Bridge. Here are all of the places we explored:

Hooiberg Mountain Trail
Casibari Rock Formation
California Lighthouse
Flamingo Beach | Renaissance Island
Butterfly Farm
Alto Vista Chapel and Peace Labyrinth
Natural Bridge
Horseback riding to the national park

Food recommendations:

We were so excited to try the different shacks and restaurants. We were even able to find vegan options and a taste of home! Here are our top three:

Passions on the Beach for a romantic sunset dinner
Tandoor Indian Grill House for an Indian cuisine (mention my name for 10% off)
Eduardo’s Beach Shack for vegan treats including acai bowls and smoothies

More about Aruba:

Super sustainable, use minimal plastic to preserve marine life
Tap water is safe to drink and super tasty
$1 = $1.75 Florins
Great place to buy jewelry because of low import duty (check out Kristies Jewels Aruba)
Known as “One Happy Island”

Photographers who captured our amazing memories…

We scheduled a shoot with a local photographer, Steve Francees (www.stevefrancees.com ) and absolutely loved his vibrant style.