I like to possibly get a vacation homeor condo on the beach,or if there is a cool hotels where its nice and relaxing. I plan on going eiather to Aruba or Kauai, have not decided.
I hear that the east side of Aruba is more relaxing, where as the west side of the island is more metropolitan. Any thoughts? advice?
2007-03-27 09:53:52 · 6 answers · asked by lani 3 in Travel ➔ Caribbean ➔ Aruba
Aruba Vs Hawaii
Aruba is a very nice place to visit. It has great beaches and hotels and plenty of nice restaurants. It also has a few casinos in several of the hotels. There is not much to do in Aruba other than beach stuff. You can tour the island in half a day; you’ll see the lighthouse, a national park that’s kinda like wilderness, a cave with some petroglyphics, and a natural bridge where the water comes under it and washes onto a small beach. There is a tour that takes you in a jeep across some of the desert areas but I would skip this.
You really don't need a car in Aruba, there's not that much to drive to see. Baby Beach is kinda nice but don't feel disappointed if you don't get there. Its not that special. You can easily take a public bus to town from the beach areas. There are lots of water sports in Aruba including jet skis, snorkel and scuba, para-sailing and wind surfing and just lounging on the beaches. The casinos are nice, but small. Restaurants are rather expensive. I do recommend the Marriott in Aruba; it’s a great hotel. Check out the web sites below.
Hawaii will provide you some of the best beaches in the world and a lot more attractions and activities. Even if you stay on Kauai, vs another island like Maui, you can still take tours on the other islands because the two Hawaiian airlines run commuter flights all daly.
If you go to Hawaii the top things to do are:
1. Oahu Island: Go to Pearl Harbor to see history at the US Arizona Memorial. You can drive or take the bus there; no need to book a tour. But you need to go early because the site is popular and the wait for your free tour can be about an hour. In Waikiki you can browse around the International Market across from Waikiki Beach, go on a sunset dinner cruise on Waikiki bay, try an outrigger canoe ride on Waikiki, go for a sail on a catamaran on Waikiki Bay, or visit Diamond Head park. If you like to snorkel go to Hanauma Bay which has perfect flap water for snorkeling on a reef.
2. Oahu Island: If you are on the island of Oahu go to the other side of the island to see the great deserted beaches (get a rental car for a day or two). Take highway 99 north toward Waimea and stop at the Dole pineapple plantation for a tour.
3. Oahu Island: The Polynesian Cultural Center is a great place to learn about authentic Hawaiian life. You can buy tickets to tour the place, and another type ticket that allows you to stay for the evening luau.
4. Maui Island: If you go to Maui, you gotta do the downhill bike ride. I don't recommend the sunrise one because you have to get up at 3:00 AM to get started up the mountain and its cold up there that early. If you are a romantic do it, but otherwise no. There are different bike companies and some don't take you all the way to the top, and some don't guide you back down. You can come down by yourself, there's only one road with just a little traffic, but if you are squeamish about riding in the street, a company that accompanies you down will help watch the traffic for you. I have been twice and prefer Maui Downhill to the others. These companies have web sites They will pick you up at your hotel, take you to their shop to pick out a wet-suit (for the cold and mist/rain shower maybe) and gloves and helmet; then take you up the mountain; then follow your group down so they can block traffic for your ride; then afterwards take you back to your hotel. Expect this activity to take 75-80% or more of the day.
5. Maui Island: The Road to Hana is a great drive (you need a rental car). It’s a 45 mile winding road that takes 4 hours to drive. Its like driving through the jungle; has a bunch of one lane bridges. Then drive past Hana to the Seven-Pools attraction and go for a swim.
6. Big Island of Hawaii: go to the Volcano National Park. Also go see Akaka Falls. If you like horseback riding, go to the Parker Ranch and go for a guided ride. Drive to the south end of the island and see a black sand beach. For information about tours and things to do, click on the link below for Roberts Hawaii. They do tours on all of the islands.
The biggest drawback for going to Hawaii is its a long plane ride, especially from the East Coast US.
2007-03-28 03:57:45 · answer #1 · answered by TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If all you want to do is be bored to death ,by all means go to Aruba. It'll take the better half of a day to see the island then you can veg.
Hawaii on the other hand is just beautiful.Kauai has great sights to see & you can very easily island hop on Aloha or HAL. Did 3 weeks last time in hawaii, 2 Aruba. No comparision.
2007-03-28 00:44:39 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Try this website for home or condo rentals. Very reliable.
http://www.vrbo.com
good luck and have a great honeymoon.
You don't want the east side of Aruba, the water is very rough. No hotels on that side. Nothing much there. You want the west side for sure.
2007-03-27 12:14:58 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
opinions are like *********************
here is what you want to know.......aruba is my home away from home, going there again for 2 weeks at end of this april, contact me if you wish for further info.........
there are no hotels or beaches all along the north coast and onto the east coast, the only beach in the east coast area of aruba is baby beach, good for snorkle.........poorer side of island is the east side, near st. nicholas, many locals live there... the west coast ids where all the beaches are and slightly down a short ways down the south east coast.....on the upper east coast is palm beach, nice beach and all but can get crowded, has all the water sports etc....but go just down the shore from there and you'll find eagle beach, or what they call the low rise area........now that is what you are looking for, much more romantic and lots of elbow room, eagle beach is the finest on the island by far...when you sit at the beach you have like 50 ft between lounge chairs, and you put up a stick with a red flag on it and they come out to you to serve you food and drink........the place that tons of young couple actually get married at at the beach resort is the BUCUTI / TERA SUITES......last april we met a nice young couple that had just gotten married 3 days earlier and we still correspond with them, they were lodged at the tera, all rooms face the ocean and all are great suites,, the bucuti will bend over backwards for you and will know you by name, not just by room number.......like i said , contact me if you feel the need.
2007-03-27 13:41:27 · answer #4 · answered by dadx2 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That's easy. The Marriott Renaissance in Oranjestad. They have a way cool private island and very nice hotel rooms and grounds. I believe you can actually rent out the island for private functions as well.
It's one of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed at. I mentioned it on my aruba vacation blog.
2007-03-27 17:55:31 · answer #5 · answered by mia s 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Aruba is a flat desert island - rough topography with little foliage. Not very scenic when it comes to tropical islands!
Kauai, on the other hand, is very lush and scenic but... condos & hotels are all in one spot, (or strip), and it's a very, very quiet place! Mostly retirees live there, (older folks). And there's not a lot to do except lie around, go to a bar, drive around the island... that sort of thing. I was utterly bored there, although the scuba diving was good!
The Big Island of Hawaii, (on the Kona Coast), was much better in every respect! Kona is a quaint little town with beautiful scenery, lush foliage and rain forest in parts, and rugged/rocky terrain in others; lotsa shops and restuarants, places to go and see for all interests, (the "greatest" SCUBA diving out of all 4 of the main islands I've been to)! There are several quiet, serene areas as well as lively ones to choose from. And... it's a BIG, BIG island! (Active lava flowing from the volcano too if you choose to charter a helicopter to fly over to it for viewing?). It's just such a diverse tropical island... for a Hawaiian island, I love it!
My favorite area to travel to though is by far, the Caribbean! Belize, Cozumel, Jamaica, Puerto Rico - (Puerto Rico's AWESOME!), just to name a few!
But Aruba?... NA!
2007-03-27 10:20:04 · answer #6 · answered by love_2b_curious 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋