Aruba likes to say that they are “one happy island”, and after spending one glorious week there, both B and I can attest to that. The people are incredibly friendly, and it is impossible to be in a foul mood when the weather is constantly a pleasant 80 degrees and sunny.

 

 B planned our entire honeymoon. I actually wanted little to do with any of it since I was in the midst of planning our wedding. All I knew is that we were going to Aruba and the days we would be there. I literally knew nothing else.

The resort that B picked was voted the #1 more romantic hotel on the island. The Bucuti Beach Resort is a small, boutique resort located in the low rise part of the island (the low-rise resorts are on one part of the island, and the high-rise resorts are on another). One of the major selling points is that is adults only, which we greatly appreciated. Being so much smaller than other resorts, the Bucuti paid a lot attention to detail. When we arrived, we received a glass of champagne and a cool, mint-scented towel. They also provided us with a bottle of champagne in our room since we were on our honeymoon.

The best thing about the honeymoon is that we had no plans what-so-ever. We didn’t feel the need to do any sight-seeing or excursions – we just sat on the beach, read our books, and drank. The water was gorgeous and always the perfect temperature – cooler than the air around you, but warm enough that it never felt cold.

One of the days we did break from routine and headed out to the other side of the island.  Instead of perfect sand beaches, like the western side, the eastern side of the island is sand dunes and steep cliffs – definitely not inhabitable. But it is incredibly beautiful.

That same day we also drove down to the southern part of the island, to a small beach called Baby Beach. Name that way because of it’s shallow waters and the protection it gets from a sand bar a few yards out from the shoreline.

Overall, the food in Aruba is great. There were a lot of restaurants recommended to us, and for the most part, no one steered us wrong. My best friend recommended that we try the Flying Fishbone one night, which was probably the best recommendation. You literally sit on the beach, toes in the sand. Some tables were actually in the water. It was amazing to be sitting, eating dinner, and peer over into the water and watch fish swim and crabs crawl around.

I would highly recommend Aruba (and definitely the Bucuti) if you are looking for a beach vacation. B and I are already trying to plan a trip back!