ARUBA- One Happy Island ----------------------- Info provided by: Mike Saperstein, Aruba Expert For more info, contact MikeSap on AOL Aruba is one of the most dynamic islands i have ever been to. There is no time of year when Aruba isn't tops. Through my travels on the island, i have eaten at over 50 restaurants, toured many sites, stayed at numerous hotels, and purchased a timeshare. Here is a quick rundown of my favorite places to go. HOTELS ------ La Cabana Beach and Racquet Club- This is where i own a timeshare. Over 500 luxury condo units, 3 pools, 5 restaurants, and everything you could ever want in a hotel. Radisson Aruba- One of the older, more established hotels on the island. This hotel has 3 wings which are surrounded by lush gardens. Such stars as Elizabeth Taylor and the Queen of Holland stay here. ALso, there are 3 restaurants (rather expensive) on the premises. Costa Linda- A brand new, smaller (about 130 rooms) luxury resort. All of the amenities, an awesome pool area with lush palms, music, and a bar. 2 restaurants on the premises, and a HUGE beach. Hyatt Regency- One of the most spectacular hotels i have seen ANYWHERE. This hotel is surrounded by pools with black and white swans, there is a 3 level pool complex with waterslides and such. Spectacular casino. Brand new hotel. CASINOS ------- Most hotels have casinos, here are my favorites: ROYAL CABANA (at La Cabana)- The Caribbean's Largest Casino HYATT REGENCY ALAHAMBRA- Free standing casino and bazaar, open late. CRYSTAL CASINO- Free standing, right in the heart of Oranjestad (the capital). RESTAURANTS ----------- I was never at a restaurant there that did not have top-notch service, Here are my favorites: WARUNG DJAWA (Indonesian) - This place is just GREAT. EL GAUCHO- This steakhouse has the best steaks I have ever tasted. SANDRA's- Great ribs. MAMAS and PAPAS- Great local food. BOONOONOONOOS- No, not a misprint. Great local specialties. TWINKLEBONES- A great steakhouse. Great entertainment by the staff who put on a show two times nightly. RIGOLETTO- Great italian food. CHARLIE's BAR- This place is legend. A MUST SEE! All fast foods have branches here. CLUBS/BARS ---------- CLUB VISAGE BLUE NOTE CLUB PAPAS and BEER SPORTS ------ Check out EAGLE PALACE for bowling. Tennis and Racquetball at most major hotels, especially La Cabana which has 10+ courts and such. Also, Aruba currently has a 9 hole golf course with a Robert Trent Jones 18 hold club being built. All watersports can be found outside the hotels, on stands by the beach. Jet skiing, parasailing, motorboating are popular. SHOPPING -------- Oranjestad (the capital) offers the best prices on all goods. Shops are clean, air-conditioned, and modern. No tax. Some of the best shops can be found in the 80 store SEAPORT VILLAGE MALL. Other great shopping areas include HARBORTOWN and the ALAHAMBRA BAZAAR. Fresh fruit can be found at the oceanfront fruit market (local crafts also available here). Other towns to shop at incluse San Nicolas and Noord. All hotels also have shops, and the airport (Aeropuerto Riena Beatrix) has duty-free shops. TOURS ----- DePalm Tours is widely known, and offers every type of tour imaginable. They also offer Glass-Bottom boat rides, horseback riding (at Rancho El Paso), and parasailing. Several other local outfits run tours also. They run ads in the many local tourist publications and such. SIGHTS ------ The island has many great sites. See the rocky North Coast, the sand dunes at California, the lighthouses, the Church at Alto Vista, the rock formations at Casibari, the gold smelter at Bushiribana, frenchman's cove, and many many more. Also, for the strong, Mt. Hooiberg offers a 563 step climb to the top. The views are magnificent, I have taken the climb 3 times. Atlantis Submarine offers underwater tours originating from the port of Oranjestad. AIRLINE CONNECTIONS ------------------- American Airlines flies direct from NY JFK and from 100 other cities via San Juan PR. ALM flies direct from Miami and Atlanta, and Air Aruba goes direct from Newark, Miami, Atlanta. Also, many charter flights go to Aruba daily. From Europe, KLM and Air France fly direct. Several small airlines fly flights to Aruba from other Caribbean Islands. Flights to Curacao and Bonaire are only a matter of a scant 15-30 mins. FOR FURTHUR INFO- contact MikeSap. I can give more in-depth info on all these places. I hope you nejoyed this brief overview!