Beach/Resort

[DireMongoose]

I'm aware that there are a lot of threads here already about picking a beach in Aruba, and I think I've read most of the relevant ones, but I don't think anyone asked exactly what I'm looking for:

 

We'll be in Aruba on March 10th via RCCL's AOS. I don't know how many other cruise ships will be in port that day, but it looks like all of the ship excursions from ours go to Palm Beach. (Side question: is there an easy non-pay way anymore to check how many other ships will be in port that day?)

 

If we decide to go to the beach for some or all of our day in Aruba, we'd want something less crowded than Palm Beach is likely to be. Something along the lines of Passion Island in Cozumel, if you've ever been there, would be perfect -- a nice beach that isn't completely deserted, but isn't too crowded either, preferrably with restrooms/showers available. We'd want to be able to get drinks and lunch on the beach; something like a resort day pass where these things could be included in a price of admission so we wouldn't be fiddling around with cash all day would be nice but isn't a must. We pretty much just want to lay out and relax and swim some, so if there aren't jetskis and things like that around that'd be nice. Less kids around would also be a plus if possible.

 

From reading other posts it seems like Eagle Beach is probably the place to go, but I gather that even if that's our choice it's a pretty big beach and suggestions on where to go or eat might be helpful. I've seen the Amsterdam Manor mentioned in a few posts but I'm not sure whether or not that fits with what we want?

 

Thanks for any advice!

[StanandJim]

DireMongoose,

 

The only accurate site that I've found for determining what ships will be in port is http://www.cruisecal.com/portal/ , but that costs 3 bucks a month or 25 bucks a year.

 

Sadly, with your wish list, the only place to go is Palm beach.

 

All three of the resorts on Eagle beach are time shares, and their setup is primarily to take care of the folks that are staying there. There are no restrooms for the general public on Eagle Beach.

 

The two largest resorts (La Cabana and Amsterdam Manor both have "pool restaurants" but neither is very good, and there is nothing else within walking distance of Eagle beach, unless you are an olympic athlete.

 

The Amsterdam Manor caters mostly to Europeans, and it is a little run down, anyway.

 

The third resort on Eagle beach is called Paradise, it is small, and very quiet. Definately not the place for a day tripper.

 

All in all, if I were you, I'd stick with the ships excursion and let them worry about the logistics. BTW, if you dislike crowds, how did you ever wing up on an RCCL mega ship?

[phoenix1181]

While I don't necessarily agree with StanandJim's assessment of the Eagle Beach resorts and restaurants, I do agree that finding exactly what you're looking for are pretty slim. Aruba does not have private, secluded resorts like you find on many of the other Caribbean islands.

Palm Beach has a few all-inclusive resorts where you can purchase day passes which will give you full access to facilities, food, and beverages. The beach will still be crowded and there's no guarantee a palapa will be available.

The Divi resorts on Druif beach are also all-inclusive. I believe the Tamarin offers day passes but, IMHO, their beach leaves a lot to be desired and I understand suffered extensive damage from Omar in the fall.

There's also the Renaissance Hotel's Private Island. They offer day passes however availability is based on hotel capacity and I don't believe it's truly all-inclusive. I'm pretty sure it includes only one or two beverages.

[DireMongoose]

Thanks for the information. I was hoping there'd be something in between Palm Beach and nothing on the beach, but if that's not the case that's not the case.

 

So you're saying that Eagle Beach would be no facilities, excepting a couple resort pool restaurants around. Hmm.

 

Maybe the next question would be what part of Palm Beach might be less crowded or more likely to give more of what I'm looking for? Drop the all-inclusive idea since that mostly seems out; more something quieter with a restaurant/bar/restrooms in reasonable walking distance?

 

BTW, if you dislike crowds, how did you ever wing up on an RCCL mega ship?

 

Well, it's a couple things:

 

1) I prefer to be less crowded at the beach, but I'm not necessarily anti-crowd in all things. It's hard to close your eyes and take a nap in the sun if children are screaming.

 

2) I actually generally feel less crowded on the bigger RCCL ships than on the much smaller ships I've sailed on. (I started out with much smaller NCL ships crusing on family vacations maybe 15-20 years ago.) It's true that there's a lot of people on a ship this size, but there's also a lot of space, too.

[DireMongoose]

While I don't necessarily agree with StanandJim's assessment of the Eagle Beach resorts and restaurants, I do agree that finding exactly what you're looking for are pretty slim.

 

That being said, would you be willing to share your assessment of the Eagle Beach resorts and restaurants?

[Arubalisa]

I've seen the Amsterdam Manor mentioned in a few posts but I'm not sure whether or not that fits with what we want?

The Amsterdam Manor is the only resort on Eagle Beach where you would be able to rent chaises and shade palapas.

 

Eagle Beach facilities.

 

We'll be in Aruba on March 10th via RCCL's AOS. I don't know how many other cruise ships will be in port that day, but it looks like all of the ship excursions from ours go to Palm Beach. (Side question: is there an easy non-pay way anymore to check how many other ships will be in port that day?)

You will be in port with the Caribbean Princess. She is there until 5 pm.

 

-- a nice beach that isn't completely deserted, but isn't too crowded either, preferrably with restrooms/showers available.

I do not believe there is a shower, but there are restrooms at the A.M.

 

We'd want to be able to get drinks and lunch on the beach; something like a resort day pass where these things could be included in a price of admission so we wouldn't be fiddling around with cash all day would be nice but isn't a must.

A.M. has a beach bar and serves food on the beach from their restaurant Mangos. Reviews

 

We pretty much just want to lay out and relax and swim some, so if there aren't jetskis and things like that around that'd be nice. Less kids around would also be a plus if possible.

There are jet ski rentals at the far end of the A.M.'s property but the area where j.s's are allowed to operate is limited and should not affect your day at the beach.

 

Aruba is a family island, so there is always a chance of kids. But you are probably too early for families on spring holiday. The A.M. has a large Eurpean clientele.

All in all, imo, for what it sounds like you are looking for, the Amsterdam Manor would be your best choice. Second choice being spending the $75 pp and buying a day pass to Renaissance Island.

[DireMongoose]

All in all, imo, for what it sounds like you are looking for, the Amsterdam Manor would be your best choice. Second choice being spending the $75 pp and buying a day pass to Renaissance Island.

 

Thanks for the response -- that does seem like a good fit for our needs. Some kids around is fine, I'd just rather pick a place where there's likely to be less, and it sounds like either of these choices would be.

 

What would you say would recommend Amsterdam Manor over Renaissance Island or vice versa? Obviously we'd be shelling out more money up front for Renaissance Island, but beyond that?

[StanandJim]

DireMongoose-

 

I suppose this is all opinions, but in our humble opinion, the Amsterdam Manor is not what it once was.

 

The buildings look run down and because they cater to a mostly European clientel, many of the staff don't speak English well.

 

While Magoes does serve on the beach at dinner, it does not appear that they do so during the day. In the daytime, guests sit in what used to be called the Waterfall restaurant on the Amsterdam Manor pool deck. Honestly, you can do better in Aruba. I would never send a friend there.

 

As we've stated in a different post, the Ren private island is located too close to the airport, and the noise when a plane flies over is MISERABLE.

With the amount of air traffic to Aruba, these days, I'd hate to be there all day.

 

Actually, you might be better off to go to Moomba wich is located on the north end of Palm Beach, Between the Holiday Inn and the Surf Club:

http://www.moombabeach.com/component/

No showers there, but they have a restaurant, beach rentals, rest rooms, etc.

It's also easy to get a cab back to the ship from there.

 

Hope you enjoy it-

[phoenix1181]

Just a thought.......... Maybe you could get a room for the day through Priceline? As I understand it, going for a 4 star resort will get you the Marriott or the Westin. You'll have everything you want!

[ArubaAmy]

DireMongoose-

 

I suppose this is all opinions, but in our humble opinion, the Amsterdam Manor is not what it once was.

 

The buildings look run down and because they cater to a mostly European clientel, many of the staff don't speak English well.

 

While Magoes does serve on the beach at dinner, it does not appear that they do so during the day. In the daytime, guests sit in what used to be called the Waterfall restaurant on the Amsterdam Manor pool deck. Honestly, you can do better in Aruba. I would never send a friend there.

 

 

When was the last time you were at Amsterdam Manor or their beach? Your information is very dated. We stay there twice a year (going on our 19th trip to Aruba in April) and can verify the following:

 

Amsterdam Manor is NOT rundown and has had a complete renovation in 2006 (rooms and resort are beautiful). The staff DOES speak English (I know them all very well and always speak English to them.)

 

They have a beach bar on the beach that serves both food and drinks throughout the day. Their beach bar has been there since 2004. They do have an outdoor shower (to rinse sand) on the beach but the restrooms will be located at Amsterdam Manor which is across the street from the beach.

 

Now, if you want to stay on Eagle Beach but do not want to be near Amsterdam Manor, there is a beach chair vendor located between LaCabana and Paradise Beach Villas located on Eagle Beach.

 

If you want more activity, more people, more restaurants, more shops, etc., then Palm Beach is the place for you.

[StanandJim]

When was the last time you were at Amsterdam Manor or their beach? Your information is very dated.

 

We were last there in October of 2008. We've been going to LaCabana annually for the last twenty years.

Question: If they refurbished the Amsterdam Manor in 2006, why were there still dozens of storage trailers stacked two and three deep around the property in October of 2008?

Incidentally, there is not a beach chair vendor on the La Cabana beach, those gentlemen are there for the "water sport rentals" and maintain the La Cabana Chairs as a courtesy. I don't believe that they are authorized to rent the chairs to third parties.

[princessmargaret]

I have to agree with ArubaAmy. I returned just yesterday from a southern Caribbean cruise on the Emerald Princess. They day we were in port, Feb 1, the only other ship was from the Crystal line with far, far fewer passengers.

 

We had a fabulous time on Eagle beach using the Amsterdam Manor's facilities. They were so pleasant. The bartenders spoke perfect, almost unaccented English. We had drinks and lunch delivered to our palapa and the Dutch sausage sandwich with fries was was quite tasty. They even passed out watermelon kebabs for free, not caring if we were staying at the hotel. And no, it is not rundown, nor did I see any trailers.

 

You can even take the public bus for less than $3.00 round trip. We did. Just don't get off at the Eagle beach stop. Continue up the beach to the next stop. It's right in front of the hotel.

 

Side note, the beer is expensive. $4.95 for an 8 ounce can of Heineken. It was the cutest little can. The pina colada for about the same price was a much better deal.

[ArubaAmy]

We were last there in October of 2008. We've been going to LaCabana annually for the last twenty years.

Question: If they refurbished the Amsterdam Manor in 2006, why were there still dozens of storage trailers stacked two and three deep around the property in October of 2008?

Incidentally, there is not a beach chair vendor on the La Cabana beach, those gentlemen are there for the "water sport rentals" and maintain the La Cabana Chairs as a courtesy. I don't believe that they are authorized to rent the chairs to third parties.

 

The only containers I've ever seen are those way in the back of the hotel by the parking lot. My last trip was for 17 days in Sept. 2008. We will be going back again in April and Sept. 2009. We've been traveling to Aruba since 1996 - trip #19 is this April. We've stayed at LaCabana about 3 or 4 times in the past and have stayed at Amsterdam Manor 9 times now.

 

And no, I was not referring to LaCabana's beach chairs (those are for LaCabana's guests only) - the vendors have their own chairs to rent near Paradise Beach Villas.

 

Frankly, I would rather not have cruise people rent chairs at a place I'm staying at but I also don't like to see misinformation given out regarding any property.

 

Just an FYI - Amsterdam Manor only rents chairs to a limited number of people per day depending on hotel capacity so you may not always be able to rent there since they do take care of their hotel guests first.

[DireMongoose]

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

 

I think we'll probably give the Amsterdam Manor a shot, and if that's not to our liking keep Moomba in mind for a backup.

 

Is the bus the best way to get there? If so, how do you get to the bus from the cruise ship port? How regular are the buses?

[Lowbrow]

We were in Aruba last April on a cruise and easily took the bus to Palm Beach. Quickly realized it was way too crowded for our tastes and ended up walking (don't recommend it) to Eagle Beach. Way better. Less crowded but not deserted. We were able to rent one of the hotel's palapas and 2 lounge chairs for a total of $10. We were right next to the beach bar and while didn't eat anything, the food at lunchtime smelled soooo good. We had no problem using the restroom in the lobby (didn't ask, just walked in like we belonged there). And I did notice an outdoor shower which I doubt anyone would stop you from using. It was such a relaxing, enjoyable day. So much so that we're thinking of going there for a week this year and staying at the Amersterdam Manor. As far as it looking rundown, well I just didn't see that. It looked great to me. I wanna say it was a straight shot from the cruise dock to the bus stop. Just keep walking a few minutes until you see a pale yellow building with columns - that's it.