Has anyone been to Aruba? We're heading there soon. Just wondering if there is anything we need to do while there, other than sit on the beach and snorkel?

Yup, a couple of times, but all we did was snorkel, read and walk on the beach and indulge in a few beers.

Whenever I am at a beach resort, I always hit the local market and eat where the locals eat. It's just a block or two off the main drag, and always cheaper and better. Just a thought.

You could watch out for murders Dotsie, like the ones who killed Natalie Holloway. I can't even imagine wanting to spend one thin dime there the way they treat our American kids, offering absolutely NO safety. There are plenty of other colorful, fabulous beaches without going there BUT thats just my opinion.

I was there and LOVED it! We stayed at the Divi Divi, beach front lanai. It was next to the Tamarin (sp?)

Now this was 1984 but I still loved it. We got to tour a fighter ship that was docked there. It was HOT, HOT...near to the equator.

I'm sure it's grown lots since then but I have vivid memories.
Shop in the small town/shopping area. We drove down to the Exxon refinery...after all the island is only about 11 miles long and 4 miles wide, if my memory serves me correctly. Enjoy the beach and the food is the best I can recommend.

You sit on the beach and snorkel? Hmm...try snorkeling in the water. Call me crazy, but I bet you would enjoy it a tad better.

I'm with Chatty...I would never go there, ever...but to each his own.

Aruba was one of the stops on our cruise through the Panama Canal a couple of years ago. We didn't do any snorkelling, but the shopping through the markets and town where we docked was good. Great place to shop for beautiful sarongs (or other swimsuit coverups).

Here's a good site to check out for lots of tips and advice from other Aruba tourists: http://www.aruba.com/forum/f6/

Ladies, can't wait to talk to you about Aruba. It was out of this world. That's why I've been missing for a few days. I didn't take my lap top, intentionally. Have to run Dad to the docs, but I'll be back.

Typing with suntan fingers. The weather was to die for. Warm with a breeze so you never felt the heat. Ahhh.

Looking forward to catching up with everybody.

Been working on email all morning, but now it's time to catch up with you gals.

We met up with five other people in Aruba. Two are a married couple and very dear friends. The other three were their friends. All three were single and tons of fun. The seven of us hung together all five days. They're there through Wednesday, but we typically only go away for five days so we're back home.

Anno, we snorkeled and walked the beach too. I liked that you could walk from one resort to another on the beach. Not all islands are liek that so we could get in a couple good walks.

We went out on a boat to snorkel. It was a half day excursion with lunch served. We hit three different spots. The first was an old ship wreck that was touch to see because the wind was blowing pretty hard and it roughed up the water. The other two spots were in more shallow water and were well worth it. Lots of great fish, beautiful starfish, coral and sea urchins.

The boat had a Tarzan swing which allowed you to seing from high off the boat and drop in the water. I can't believe it. We were definitely the old farts on the boat, but we did it anyway. What a rush. I'm not typically a dare-devil, but it looked so fun and safe, I had to go for it.

We didn't do any other excursions except to have dinner at two different restaurants that were off the resort. Both were outdoor places with fresh seafood. The food was scrumptious and the atmosphere was lovely at both places. The second place, we sat on the beach, almost with toes in water. There were too many of us to get the tables near the water's edge, but sitting without shoes, rubbing your feet in the sand while eating dinner was great fun.

Sounds awesome, Dotsie. I'm so glad you got to relax and enjoy yourself. The setting sounds so beautiful.

chatty, one poor gal went missing among millions who travel to Aruba. I think the island is getting a bad rap because of Natalie. Kids go there and must get drunk out of thier minds. While I'm not making excuses for whatever happened, I don't think the island is to be blamed.

We met some locals who are upset that the movie is going to air this weekend on TV. When asked why t hey didn't do what they could to stop the movie from being produced, one woman's response is that the islanders are not fighters by nature. We found them to be lovely people, full of smiles and kind words.