Aruba

[serge 904]

I am going on a family vacation to Aruba in a couple of weeks. The resort we are staying at has a casino with a poker room and a sports book.Has anyone been to Aruba recently? While I am going with my wife and son, my poker/golf playing father will be with us.Whats the action like, and for the golfers, have you played golf down there and how is it?Thanks if you guys have any info or experiences.

[akoff 0]

I am going on a family vacation to Aruba in a couple of weeks. The resort we are staying at has a casino with a poker room and a sports book.Has anyone been to Aruba recently? While I am going with my wife and son, my poker/golf playing father will be with us.Whats the action like, and for the golfers, have you played golf down there and how is it?Thanks if you guys have any info or experiences.

Have not played poker there. Have played golf. Go to the north end of the island. I forget the name of the course. it has the light house or the windmill or something. If i recall correctly there are very courses but i know this was at the north end. Nice course to very nice, bermuda greens, freakin windy....the trees grow in steps on the prevaling wind side, i never saw anything like it. I never factored down wind into a putt before until i played there. Down hill, down grain, down wind = holy shit fast.Would recomend the course. other then that the island is great from what we saw. We on a cruise and only had 24 hours but my and some girls took a party boat out, got drunk and went snorkling...what could go wrong??? I know a guy who goes there every spring for two weeks, loves the place!!Have fun.

[gt9550 0]

I went in 2006. I stayed at the Divi and played golf right across the street. It may have been called Divi golf. If memory serves me correctly it was only a 9 hole course, but I enjoyed it a lot. It was in great shape and a really nice layout overall. I also played cards while I was there and had some interesting experiences. I played one tourney, which was a rebuy event, with a tiny starting stack and huge blinds in relation. It was all locals and "all in" was definitely the theme of the game. I also played 1-2 which was a pretty loose wild game. I watched a 5-5 no limit game, turn into a 10-10 no limit game which was the "big game" down there and included the owner of the casino playing. Another odd experience I had was the poker room manager sitting down and playing in my game while he was working. Very bizarre stuff. They also seemed to love the straddle where I was playing. As a matter of fact, you would get people straddling the straddle. Overall it was a pretty fun experience. Enjoy the island.

[imabd 0]

I was there a couple years ago - no poker or golf. But we did check out all the poker rooms/casinos/hotels - in my opinion, even the 'nicest' hotels/casinos weren't very nice compared to U.S. or some other Caribbean standards. It's still a bit under-developed in terms of hotels/stores, etc.The other thing we discovered is that the nightlife can be extremely sketchy. Since you are traveling w/your family, everyone should be aware. There is quite a drug culture there. Apparently, there is a very nearby island (Cuba maybe? Can't remember) where they will put drugs on these very tiny (like 1'x1') floatillas that naturally float to Aruba, where it is much easier to get them to the U.S. Anyway, even at the very popular nightlife spots, a lot of these drug-runners hang out, especially on nights that a cruise ship isn't in town, and/or weeknights. I have traveled the world and would say that these experiences in Aruba rank near the top in terms of feeling uneasy w/my surroundings. I went there after the Natallie Holloway disappearance and could easily see both how it happened and how they got rid of the body - a lot of undeveloped beach areas. Robberies are also pretty common - we were at the nicest hotel on the island and a member of our group's camera was stolen from the locked safe in the room. Anyway, could have just been my experience, but having been to a lot of the Caribbean islands, I expected this one to feel 'safer' but it didn't.That being said, there is still a lot of fun to be had. I would HIGHLY recommend the ATV tours...unlike America, where liability concerns would put a serious damper on speed/freedom, these tours are free-wheeling & SUPER fun. The trails run on beaches, lava rock, etc., and the scenery is incredible.The other really fun thing is learning to wind-surf.Have fun & be safe!

[ROACHBABY 0]

There are 2 kinds of weed in Aruba: 1) Grows on the island and is one grade above dog shit 2) Is imported from Amsterdam and is the skunkiest skunk you will ever see. Also, if you see a dirty rastafariian (sp?) dude down there that wants to sell you the local magic mushrooms and pot (the first kind), he has my buddy's $250. Tell him if he gives my buddy's money back then we will give him his Bob Marley backpack back.Thanks.

[nutzbuster 7]

I was there a couple years ago - no poker or golf. But we did check out all the poker rooms/casinos/hotels - in my opinion, even the 'nicest' hotels/casinos weren't very nice compared to U.S. or some other Caribbean standards. It's still a bit under-developed in terms of hotels/stores, etc.The other thing we discovered is that the nightlife can be extremely sketchy. Since you are traveling w/your family, everyone should be aware. There is quite a drug culture there. Apparently, there is a very nearby island (Cuba maybe? Can't remember) where they will put drugs on these very tiny (like 1'x1') floatillas that naturally float to Aruba, where it is much easier to get them to the U.S. Anyway, even at the very popular nightlife spots, a lot of these drug-runners hang out, especially on nights that a cruise ship isn't in town, and/or weeknights. I have traveled the world and would say that these experiences in Aruba rank near the top in terms of feeling uneasy w/my surroundings. I went there after the Natallie Holloway disappearance and could easily see both how it happened and how they got rid of the body - a lot of undeveloped beach areas. Robberies are also pretty common - we were at the nicest hotel on the island and a member of our group's camera was stolen from the locked safe in the room. Anyway, could have just been my experience, but having been to a lot of the Caribbean islands, I expected this one to feel 'safer' but it didn't.That being said, there is still a lot of fun to be had. I would HIGHLY recommend the ATV tours...unlike America, where liability concerns would put a serious damper on speed/freedom, these tours are free-wheeling & SUPER fun. The trails run on beaches, lava rock, etc., and the scenery is incredible.The other really fun thing is learning to wind-surf.Have fun & be safe!

What are your top 3 favorite/safest feeling Caribbean locations? (sry for the hi jack Serge!)

[Natalee Holloway 0]

Yep, been there.I didn't care for it, believe it or not.

[king1305 0]

Yep, been there.I didn't care for it, believe it or not.

Worst joke account ever. Not even remotely funny.

[bigcoled 1]

C'mon Pretty Momma!

[slink 1]

Worst joke account ever. Not even remotely funny.

I lol'd

[SGFULTON83 0]

Yep, been there.I didn't care for it, believe it or not.

Worst joke account ever. Not even remotely funny.

[IQCrash 1]

Also, if you see a dirty rastafariian (sp?) dude down there that wants to sell you the local magic mushrooms and pot (the first kind), he has my buddy's $250. Tell him if he gives my buddy's money back then we will give him his Bob Marley backpack back.

Nice.

Worst joke account ever. Not even remotely funny.

I lol'd

[dt1313 0]

I've been to Aruba a few times and have only had great experiences. The beaches are incredible and being that you're on the southern side of the island, you get very calm waters with a great breeze to cool you off. Golf: I played Tierra Del Sol. I thought the course was very nice. I can't speak as to the costs since I was lucky enough to play for free (Family friends are building two homes over there...weeeee) Poker: I didn't play poker while I was there but I did check out the room on two occasions before dinner. The games seemed like they had action every hand. From what I heard there are supposedly a bunch people of people from Colombia, Venezuela and other neighboring areas that come over and love to gamble it up. (Drug money ? idk) The game wasn't nitty AT ALL (from what I saw)As far as concerns for the island. Do keep in mind it's not the wealthiest island out there. The downtown area at night can get a little sketchy but it's nothing crazy. While i'm guessing you won't be downtown late at night in the clubs, if you are, just be smart. The resort areas (basically the whole south west part of the island) are very "vactioner friendly" but the island does have it's "elements"Must see/do:#1 by FAR IMO - Dinner at the Flying Fishbone. Think feet in the sand while you're eating a very nice meal and watching the sunset. AMAZING. Make reservations to get there about an hour before sunset (maybe a little before) and ask for a table close to the water. Food has always been great, so has the service. I can't recommend this place enough.ATV'ing (as mentioned)Jeep Tour of the Island (great way to see the whole island in a day, plus swim in some natural pools <-- very cool)ParasailingJetskisSnorkeling - I think we used the "Jolly Pirate" They take you to two or three sites, give you some rum drinks in between and usually some guys in the crew do crazy flips and dives off the boatThat's all I can think of right now. Any questions, feel free to askbtw, what resort are you staying at ?Dan

[serge 904]

I've been to Aruba a few times and have only had great experiences. The beaches are incredible and being that you're on the southern side of the island, you get very calm waters with a great breeze to cool you off. Golf: I played Tierra Del Sol. I thought the course was very nice. I can't speak as to the costs since I was lucky enough to play for free (Family friends are building two homes over there...weeeee) Poker: I didn't play poker while I was there but I did check out the room on two occasions before dinner. The games seemed like they had action every hand. From what I heard there are supposedly a bunch people of people from Colombia, Venezuela and other neighboring areas that come over and love to gamble it up. (Drug money ? idk) The game wasn't nitty AT ALL (from what I saw)As far as concerns for the island. Do keep in mind it's not the wealthiest island out there. The downtown area at night can get a little sketchy but it's nothing crazy. While i'm guessing you won't be downtown late at night in the clubs, if you are, just be smart. The resort areas (basically the whole south west part of the island) are very "vactioner friendly" but the island does have it's "elements"Must see/do:#1 by FAR IMO - Dinner at the Flying Fishbone. Think feet in the sand while you're eating a very nice meal and watching the sunset. AMAZING. Make reservations to get there about an hour before sunset (maybe a little before) and ask for a table close to the water. Food has always been great, so has the service. I can't recommend this place enough.ATV'ing (as mentioned)Jeep Tour of the Island (great way to see the whole island in a day, plus swim in some natural pools <-- very cool)ParasailingJetskisSnorkeling - I think we used the "Jolly Pirate" They take you to two or three sites, give you some rum drinks in between and usually some guys in the crew do crazy flips and dives off the boatThat's all I can think of right now. Any questions, feel free to askbtw, what resort are you staying at ?Dan

Thanks for this report...Very informative...We are staying at the Holiday Inn SunBreezes...

[imabd 0]

What are your top 3 favorite/safest feeling Caribbean locations? (sry for the hi jack Serge!)

You have to be careful anywhere in the Caribbean (it's now the most murderous region in the world: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/i...348486720070503 ), but I've had good experiences at: St. Vincent, Nevis and The Caymans among others. My experience in Aruba was good too, just more sketchy (and the developments less 'nice') than I thought it was going to be. The beaches, water & weather were incredible.Oh, given the new/old (well, renewed) criminal deterrent system implemented recently in St. Kitts ( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-...e.html?ITO=1490 ) , I'd love to go back as I'm sure it'll be safer than ever...