Recommendations for indepenent tour companies

Can any one recommend me some independent tour companies, I like tours that includes a beach stop.

my cruise leaves febuary 3rd on the RCCL Legend of the Seas

There is a lot of really good info in these threads:

Independent tour question...

Independent tour operators

Questions on Bully Tours in Aruba??

If you need anything else, just ask.

We just returned form a 10 day Emerald Princess cruise. We had reserved a tour with Bully while in Aruba. He met us just outside the gate and was right on time. He took us around the entire island stopping along the way whenever we wanted. My parents were with and he was very good at staying with them while we were climbing rocks etc and kept them engaged. When they did get out and walk around he'd pull his van up closer to them when they were finsihed to limit the walking. We found Bully to be very accomodating - the original agreement was for a 2 hour tour - it was actually 3 hours and he only charged for 2.

My husband left his Maui Jim sungalsses in the taxi- we contacted a man at the tourism board by the port, he called and within 2 hours the sunglasses were onboard the ship. We were very impressed with both the help from the tourism board and the hoesty of BUlly and his associate.

If we return to Aruba we would definitely use him again.

Glad to hear it. This isn't the first good review on Bully we have seen. We have arranged for a 2-hour tour with Bully in the afternoon that we are in Aruba. Really look forward to it.

Glad to hear it. This isn't the first good review on Bully we have seen. We have arranged for a 2-hour tour with Bully in the afternoon that we are in Aruba. Really look forward to it.

what is his e-mail? Does he have a website?

You can simply email him at bullytaxi79@hotmail.com

He is a hard working family man, so may not get back to you within an hour ;), but he will respond. It is nice to know that many others appreciate him besides just our family.

That doesn't take into consideration the sometimes sporadic internet service in Aruba, but that is a story for another day. :)

Hi again Lisa - not to steal this thread.....we are now thinking of doing Aruba on our own. What type of services does bully offer besides a taxi tour around aruba?

Since you are soooooo knowledgeable and willing to share - what is your must do and see?

Thanks much!

Hi again Lisa - not to steal this thread.....we are now thinking of doing Aruba on our own. What type of services does bully offer besides a taxi tour around aruba?

 

Since you are soooooo knowledgeable and willing to share - what is your must do and see?

 

Thanks much!

Bully will provide a private tour, with just you and your party, up to a maximum of five people. Limits are set by the government. Tours are $40 per hour. Ask others here and besides what you have read, he will customize the tour for you in any way that is possible.

If you prefer driving yourselves, I had posted these in another thread which I cannot find right now :mad: , so please everyone else, forgive my re-posting them again. :o

First you will want to see Arikok National Park. From the cruise pier you are simply going to head south out of Oranjestad towards the southern end of the island following the main road 1A (southbound)/1B (northbound). The first major sight on the right hand side is going to be Queen Reina Beatrix International Airport. Not worth a stop I know, but at least you will know you are heading in the right direction.

Continue along this roadway heading south past the Balashi Brewery and Desalination Plant (WEB). Once you get to the southern end of the island you will see the oil refinery, you can wind your way down from the highway through downtown San Nicolas to Rodgers Beach and Baby Beach. Baby beach is a popular destination for locals and visitors alike for swimming and snorkeling. Save the snorkeling for later in the day. Get out take your pictures and keep on touring. Imo, Rodgers Beach, although closest to the refinery, is more picturesque. Just try to look south and not north to keep the Refinery out of eye sight.

For a short version of this tour, I understand there is only so much time, skip Arikok National Park, by turning around and heading northward back towards Oranjestad.

From Baby Beach, to continue the tour towards Arikok, once back upon the main road you can make your way east towards the dirt path which will take you on a circuit around the southeastern coast of Aruba. This is the windward side of the island and swimming on this side is extremely treacherous and discouraged due to the winds and currents. The large flat building with guard towers, surrounded by barbed wire, is the prison, KIA, with an oceanview, IMHO, not as nice as the one in Grenada. Though never actually stayed in either one. Before passing the prison on your left you will see the Sailor's Memorial, huge red anchor, large enough it is hard to miss.

The first small beach along this route is Bachelors Beach and the second expansive one is Boca Grandi.

Anywhere between this area and the Boca Prins is where we have most recently been sighting wild Donkeys on a regular basis.

Past here, off of the path, to the right, you will see paths towards the ocean. Depending on the type of vehicle you are in, and depending upon the rocks/coral, driving cautiously you can drive close to the coast for some great photos of the crashing waves (protect your camera from the spray) and in some spots, small beaches.

Continuing along the coastline you will see a sign on the left for Guadirikiri Cave. The cave is open to the public with tours given by the National Park Service free of charge. We customarily tip the guide a few dollars for the tours. Be forewarned the cave tour is pretty extensive and you will be warned before entry that it you are afraid of bats, or have respiratory problems, you should not take the tour. The cave is VERY hot and EXTREMELY humid. I was glad I have seen it once and now do not have to go back.

Continuing down the path round the bend and you will see a spot for refreshment. To the right is Boca Prinsand the White Sand Dunes. A quick left after the restaurant/bar and a short ride down the path will bring you to Fontein Cave. This a gentler cave, though also includes bats.

To get to the next stop on this tour, from Boca Prins you need to follow the path inland a bit to get around the sand dunes and being part of the park, are protected. Continue following the path and once past the dunes, the path will wind back towards the east and the coast. This next sight is Dos Playa. If anything it is a great photo opportunity and one of my favorite natural treasures on the island. In order to get to the second beach one would need to hike across that portion of the park. I have never done it myself, but have always suggested this is the ultimate spot for a romance, a picnic and sunbathing au naturelle. Just remember to glob on the sunscreen!

There is parking at both Boca Prins and Dos Playa. If you do not wish to walk over to the second beach, if you walk far enough out over the rocks towards the ocean of the first beach, you will get a glimpse of the second beach of Dos Playa.

In order to get back to Oranjestad you can retrace your path from which you came, or head west following the path away from Dos Playa back through the interior of the park. You will ride quite a way to arrive back to civilization. Looking closely there will be some good photo ops (I have ALWAYS seen them on the right hand side) of wild goats and a couple of VERY picturesque Divi-Divi trees. Once out of the park, stay on 7A/7B heading west following the signs for Santa Cruz and Oranjestad.

Now to cover the shorter distance, northern end of the island, once back in Oranjestad it is easy to take the main road, 1A/1B towards the north past the low rise and high rise hotels. For the longer route and view of the beaches, make the first left for the low rise hotels and follow the road, past Druif Beach, Manchebo, Eagle Beach and then the high rise resorts on Palm Beach. Turn right at Brickell Bay Hotel in Palm Beach (3A/3B), making a left at the next traffic light onto the main highway 1A/1B. This coastal rode will take you to the area of the lighthouse and the prosperous neighborhoods of Malmok and Arashi. You will see signs for the California lighthouse along the way.

From the lighthouse, off to the east you will see the well worn dirt trail which you can follow along the coastline towards the south to get you to the Alto Vista Chapel, Bushiribana Gold Smelter Ruins, the beach at Boca Mahos and following the path, ultimately, the remains of the former Natural Bridge. Unfortunately I have never seen the paths good enough to navigate, even with a 4 x 4, on down towards Boca Daimari.

NOTE: Heading southeast on the map, you will see the next sight is the Natural Pool. You cannot access it from the Natural Bridge. That is unless you are on horseback. Otherwise you can get there by 4 x 4 coming from the inland route. It is a long difficult trek to get there and would probably not fit into your timefrare.

For a swimming detour, you can easily stop at Arashi Beach or for snorkeling, enter the water at Boca Catalina and head north for the best underwater views.

Sorry I cannot give you a timeframe on all of this, it is all dependent upon traffic in Oranjestad and how many stops you choose to take.

Heavens, what would we do without you?

All this can be done via rental car? We are thinking of renting, hope it's safe and easy to get around via rental and not that expensive to rent.

Anyone you recommend?

You can simply email him at bullytaxi79@hotmail.com

 

He is a hard working family man, so may not get back to you within an hour ;), but he will respond. It is nice to know that many others appreciate him besides just our family.

 

That doesn't take into consideration the sometimes sporadic internet service in Aruba, but that is a story for another day. :)

thanks Arubalisa, I have booked with Bully for a 2 hour tour

thanks Arubalisa, I have booked with Bully for a 2 hour tour

Does Bully have a website? A 2 hour tour sounds great because my 4 year old son would be bored sitting for a 4 hour tour.

No he does not, but you can reach him via email at bullytaxi79@hotmail.com Tell him what you are looking for and he can make suggestions from there.

I just heard back from Bully Tours and we can see Eagle Beach, general sights and the donkey sanctuary for $40/hour for a 2 hour tour, just as you quoted. So do you think $80 (per group, not per person, right???) is a better deal than just taking a taxi or bus to those same sights?

So do you think $80 (per group, not per person, right???) is a better deal than just taking a taxi or bus to those same sights?

Yes, that is NOT per person, that is for your group, up to 5 persons. He is "technically" a taxi driver so by law is only able to accept up to 5 persons per fare. You could hire any taxi at the terminal. Hiring Bully, I am confindent that you will have someone who is trustworthy, dependable and as you already know, willing to customize the sightseeing to those which you wish to see.

ATOA operators as mainly discussed in the thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=445449, are able to charge less because they are tour operators, not taxis. BUT, you would not necessarily have a "private" tour with just those in your party.

;) BTW, for the Donkey Sanctuary, see if you can sneak some apples off of the ship or ask your waiter for a stash of carrots. :D

wow, you are most knowledgable -where do you recommend to snorkel? do you know anything about Curacao, St. Thomas, or St. Martaain?

If we were to ask Bully for a two hour tour, and then to be dropped off at a good snorkling beach, and then say, be picked up 2 hours later and returned to the ship.. does this sound doable and if so which tour and what beach would you reccomend?

If we were to ask Bully for a two hour tour, and then to be dropped off at a good snorkling beach, and then say, be picked up 2 hours later and returned to the ship.. does this sound doable and if so which tour and what beach would you reccomend?

Definitely doable.

This is from my last trip report in January:

We started off at Catalina Cove. Imo, this is the best spot, but also the hardest. There is a lot to see once you get out into the four or more foot deep waters, but before that there are many rocks. It is difficult at best trying to walk over them with fins on and extremely painful in bare feet. The kids were getting tired and it was getting cloudy. Yes, yet another shower was heading our way. By the time we got out of the water and toweled off, it began raining. The kids decided that they had seen enough and were not interested in being in the water in the rain. Dh and I on the other hand, are used to diving in the rain so snorkeling is not much different except for the funny sensation on your back.

 

My brother took the kids back to the Tamarijn in the Suzuki and dh and I hopped into the Lexus and headed down to Boca Catalina. Very strange snorkeling here. There is a very sandy bottom. The difference entering the water here was like night and day. For the best of both worlds, enter the water here and snorkel northward, it is not that far before you eventually reach Catalina Cove. Consider it one large snorkel area with just so-so coral up towards Catalina Cove, a lot of fish, and a good place for beginner snorkelers.

My advice? Have Bully drop you off at Boca Catalina and then swim/snorkel leisurely towards the north and Catalina Cove. Though not impossible because this klutz has pulled it off twice :rolleyes:, Catalina Cove with all of the rocks just makes for a difficult entry.

There are some shade palapas at Boca Catalina. While there we asked some nice ladies (you can usually talk to people to get a feel of how trustworthy you would feel, but most are either islanders themselves or vacationers staying in private homes) if they would mind keeping an eye out for our belongings and off we went. Never had a problem doing stuff like that.

On a totally different tangent, if you want a great snorkel outside the barrier reef, book the south coast snorkel tour on Tranquilo. It is a longer day with mostly sailing, decent food and lots of beverages, but the snorkel on Mike's Reef, cannot be beat.

do you know anything about Curacao, St. Thomas, or St. Martaain?

:D Curacao? For snorkeling or just a nice day at the beach?

Playa Porto Mari wins hands down. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=155440

I've read the info on Blly and he sounds great, but there willbe 3 couples in our group, more than the max of 5 people.

Do you have any suggestions on a tour operator who can take a group of 6 and still have a private tour...not mixed in with a dozen other tourists?

We will be there on the AOS Jan 20, 09.

Thanks.

I've read the info on Blly and he sounds great, but there willbe 3 couples in our group, more than the max of 5 people.

 

Do you have any suggestions on a tour operator who can take a group of 6 and still have a private tour...not mixed in with a dozen other tourists?

 

We will be there on the AOS Jan 20, 09.

 

Thanks.

We used Kini Kini for a private ATV tour in June. It was just dh, dd and myself. The guide was knowledgable and patient :) with us "newbies" :o. Great service since they are a Mom and Pop operation.

You can see their selection of island tours at http://www.kinikini.com/kk/servlet/Tours

We were able to customize our ATV tour, so I am sure they would be able to assist you in planning your island tour as well.

On a totally different tangent, if you want a great snorkel outside the barrier reef, book the south coast snorkel tour on Tranquilo. It is a longer day with mostly sailing, decent food and lots of beverages, but the snorkel on Mike's Reef, cannot be beat.

This looks fun. We are on the Summit in Aruba 2/19. How many people do they put on the boat? Is there any shade? Do you know the snorkel stops?

This looks fun. We are on the Summit in Aruba 2/19. How many people do they put on the boat? Is there any shade? Do you know the snorkel stops?

http://bloggingtoaruba.*****.com/my_weblog/2006/10/sail-tranquilo-.html

You basically begin with a relaxin sail and then two snorkel stops one inside a barrier island and then one outside the barrier island on the outside of the reef.

A little difficult to see in the photo below, but the red strip towards the stern of the boat at the end of the boom is the shade tarp across the stern seating area.

Boat probably holds a maximum of 20 people or so.

Here is an updated list of tour operators

http://www.wixtours.com/

http://www.eltoursaruba.com/

http://www.kinikinitours.com/

http://www.bananabusaruba.com/tours/explore-aruba/

http://naturesensitivetours.com/

Larger operators include

http://www.fofoti.com/

http://www.depalm.com/

Jeep tours

http://www.abc-aruba.com/

Does anyone know if Bully Tours is still in business? I haven't read about them on this thread for quite some time. I would consider Bully for an island tour if possible.