Happy New Year folks! We made it to 2021, but not without having our travels ripped away from us in 2020 by ol’ funky Corona. I was able to to travel to Aruba and I want to share why YOU should head to the “One Happy Island w/ the Gangsta Flamingos.” Be sure to share, comment and Subscribe!
Why Did I Choose Aruba
In the beginning of 2020, my cousin and I originally planned a seven night cruise. Then of course when Corona ruined our lives, we had to cancel our voyage to the Caribbean. When we got our refund, we researched a few of the islands we had never visited and we decided on Aruba due to it’s low crime and they required a negative Covid-19 test for entry into the country.
Arrival Into Aruba
Aruba requires one of two things. You are tested 72 hours prior to arrival and received a negative result. Or you are tested upon arrival and you have to QUARANTINE until your results come in. We were tested before arriving and went through security with no problem. However we took the wrong test. Sigh. We were tested for a cost of $75. You are required to download an app to your cell. This app will have your results sent there when they are ready. Once we were done with our testing, we headed to the front of the airport, found our transportation and headed to our hotel.
Where We Stayed
When we arrived at the Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino we checked in and informed the front desk we had to wait for our results. He thanked us for being honest and gave us each a temporary wrist band. The wrist band indicated that we have not received negative results and we had to remain in our rooms until our results were in. For those who received their results prior to checking in, they would’ve received a document to present to the front desk and received a normal wrist band to come and go as they please. Our results came within 7 hours.
Our Activities
After we pigged out on room service, we went to sleep and woke up to our negative results. I went downstairs to present the test results to the front desk and they gave us new bands to go and explore the island. We got breakfast and tried Dutch pancakes for the first time. They’re hella flat, but was very good. After breakfast we headed over to Flamingo Beach.
We stayed on the Marina side of the resort (Adults Only Side). In order to catch the shuttle boat to Flamingo Beach we had to walk across the street to the pier. Normally if the tide was low, the shuttle boat came inside of the hotel to pick up passengers. I know, cool right?!
Once we arrived we, picked up our towels and headed to find available beach chairs. We claimed our spots, ordered drinks (mine were virgin of course) and took in the sun and kicked back. You can purchase a cup of flamingo feed for one dollar. But please be aware there are two gangsta flamingos that don’t give a damn. They will peck you when you’re not looking. I mean, they just run up on you like “You want smoke?” I was pecked several times, even though I tried my hardest to avoid those two flamingos. Unsure what I did to them, but I had enough of their rude selves.
Here are things I need you to know about the private Flamingo Beach:
- Cabanas are about $300+ for the day
- Guests of this resort have FREE access
- Shuttle runs every 15 to 20 minutes
- Floaties and snorkeling gear are included for your use
- It’s hot as a muthafu***er, bring suncreen
- The flamingos are harassed all day so you will get pecked if you harass them
- There are two sides to the beach, the iguana side and the flamingo side
- Get there EARLY, everyone wants to get a pic of the flamingos for social media!
If you don’t stay at this hotel, you have to pay for access. Or you can check out De Palm Island that also has flamingos and cabanas for a fee. The cabanas are pretty cool and worth the money. It came with champagne, fruit, water, and nuts. I’m glad we secured a cabana because the Aruba sun is relentless and unforgiving!
The remainder of our trip involved an awesome snorkeling adventure in this secret spot and a sunset cruise. The snorkeling part of the trip was my absolute favorite. Now I did drink a lot of that horrid salt water due to panic, but our instructor was absolutely the BEST! I’m unsure how many feet we ventured to, I’m sure it was more than 20+ feet. I was able to catch the underwater footage with my awesome Gropro 7 black! Be sure to get you one if you’re into capturing dope underwater content. The owner of the company picked us up from our hotel and was very informative. We felt safe and really enjoyed his jokes. Lol
On our final day, we took a sunset cruise with De Palm Tours. The shuttle picked us up from the hotel and we headed to the other side of the island. We all checked in and headed to our vessel. The crew was very nice and offered light finger food and lots of free alcohol for all of you drinkers.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Aruba in my opinion is a very slept on island. The people are happy, friendly, and I can honestly say I have never experienced service like this on any other island in the Caribbean. Things I would like you to consider are:
- Crime is very low in Aruba
- Items are a little pricey in the area
- It’s hot as h*** and bring sunscreen
- Taxis do NOT have credit cards in them, so bring cash to get around
- There is no UBER/LYFT on the island as well, sorry
Be sure to look out for the Girlfriends Escape in Aruba coming in 2022! Be sure to text “ESCAPE” to 44222 or sign up here to get on the list to receive first dibs on the trip before it hits the public!!
