So, are you headed to Aruba? Because this is one of my favorite islands; I have everything you need to know before you travel.
Are you Headed to Aruba?
Due to the worldwide pandemic over the last several years; I was excited when things were lifted. With restrictions lifted, my husband and I were excited to visit the Happy Island. If you haven’t visited this island; check out my Aruba Tropical Paradise Vacation and Aruba One Happy Island Vacation posts.
Over the last several years, we have had to cancel several trips due to restrictions. Now, that things had changed, we booked our vacations at the end of 2022.
Aruba ED Card
In the past, we received forms to fill out for customs on the airplane. However, this has changed. Before you head there, you can apply for your ED card online from your home.
This application is easy to fill out and requires basic information such as the following.
- Personal Information
- Passport Information
- Accommodations – where you are staying
At the same time, make sure you visit Aruba ED Card Online 7 days before your arrival.
Once you fill out the form successfully, you will receive an email with approval for your Aruba ED card.
Are you Headed to Aruba – What’s New
So, I just returned from the happy island.
Moreover, both I and my husband had heard great things about the only 5-Star Hotel on the Island for many years. Since I only stay at 5 stars, this hotel has been on my radar for many years. But, due to this hotel being a smaller property; they tend to book up quickly. However, we were lucky to get the dates we wanted and were stoked to be checking out a new hotel.
Bucuti & Tara Resort is located on Eagle Beach which is one of the top 25 beaches in the world.
From the minute we checked in; we had concerns about our room. In the first place, there is a humidifier blocking the temperature gauge. Also, the room was extremely small and the bathroom was the size of a fairly small closet.
In addition, the room was outdated and quite dirty.
Upon our discovery, I connected with the hotel manager and also met with the hotel owner the following day. Since the hotel was at 100% occupancy, they weren’t able to move us. Although they offered us a refund, we weren’t sure how we would receive this since we booked our vacation package with Jet Blue. So, we stayed and tried to make the best out of our vacation. Hence, we spent very little time on the property and more time off-site.
In addition, our room overlooked a parking lot. Of course, not an attractive view and was nothing like the other hotels we have stayed at on the Island.
What’s New – Restaurants and Other Hotels
Because we haven’t visited the island in the last few years; a lot has changed. For instance, several hotels changed names and have new owners.
In February, Embassy Suites opened their doors. They are located across from Eagle Beach and feature 330 spacious rooms with a view of the ocean or island. Also, this hotel is still adding additional features and plans to have a casino and spa open in the future.
Of course, we dined at many of our favorite restaurants we remembered from our prior vacations. But, this time around; many of the restaurants we enjoyed in the past definitely went downhill. For instance, we were quite disappointed with both Flying Fishbone and Papiamento.
Also, we tried a newer restaurant – Lucca Trattoria that we were quite disappointed with. Not only was the service awful but the restaurant didn’t have a manager on hand to speak to about a few issues we ran into.
Of course, Gianni’s was great as usual.
Catch Restaurant
Since I’m a foodie, I did find a new restaurant that just opened a few weeks before we arrived.
Of course, I immediately made a reservation upon learning about this new restaurant.
Catch just opened approximately 10 weeks ago. And, is owned and operated by Logan who has a lot of experience in the restaurant, and entertainment business. Logan hired a Chef he was impressed with and is hoping to bring his experience to Aruba in creating delicious food that is international fusion cuisine.
In addition to their delicious cuisine; they want to provide their diners with an experience.
Without a doubt, this restaurant exceeded both my and my husband’s expectations.
Other News
In the future, there will be a pass – “Aruba One Happy Pass”. So, this pass will allow travelers to optimize the airport check-in process as part of their arrival. This app will connect directly to the traveler’s Embarkation card to streamline travel to and from Aruba. In my opinion, this is something I’m hoping to see happen the next time I’m back in Aruba. When we left the island, it took us close to 2 hours to go through all the different lines before finally getting to our gate.
As always, I welcome your comments if you are headed to Aruba. Is this your first trip or have you visited the “Happy Island” before?
