This is my second trip to this Dutch Caribbean island. The first trip just wasn’t enough for me. I needed to go back for more paradise.
The Divi and Tamarijn All Inclusive Resort
The Divi and Tamarijn All Inclusive Resort was stunning. I 10 out of 10 recommend. We booked this resort on a Black Friday deal and got the accommodations for half off. There are two separate resorts: the Divi and the Tamarijn. They are side by side and you are allowed to go to either resort to eat. We stayed at the Divi last time, but this time we decided to try out the Tamarijn resort side. You can walk and lay out on either side. We switched between both of them for laying out, bars, and food this trip. The Tamarijn side is very quiet and secluded. The beach has more rocks on it, but the rooms are bigger and you walk straight out to the beach from your back porch.
This resort is ALL INCLUSIVE! I tried any alcoholic drink on the menu that I wanted. They had bars by the pool and on the beach that you just walked up and ordered a drink. They had a drink menu that you can choose from or you can order the typical liquor drinks. A few I tried that I loved were: The Yellow Belly, Caribbean Temptation, The Divi Cooler, and The Brown Lady. The Brown Lady is not on the menu but you have to ask and it was my go to drink for the week.
Restaurants on the Tamarijn Resort:
Palm Grill: this was an outdoor dinner restaurant that had built in grills to cook your own food. This was a cool place to eat to cook your own food and watch the sunset.
Cunucu Terrace: this was the restaurant that was open for breakfast and lunch. You can choose indoor or outdoor seating. Every food you get is made to order for you.
Paparazzi: this was a fancy dinner restaurant that was Italian cuisine. This was the only restaurant I didn’t try in the resort.
Bar: the bar opens at 11 for drinks and food. You can order pizza, chicken, club sandwiches, garlic bread, and onion rings to eat.
Ginger: this was an Asian fusion restaurant located at the Tamarijn.
You can also take the shuttle to the Divi side and eat any food there too. We would take the shuttle and eat there many times also.
UTV Tours
We went on a guided UTV tour around Aruba. We got to see every aspect of the island on this four hour tour. It was a two seater UTV. Our tour was called Blackstone Beach and Cave pool UTV Adventure. We explored the outback of Aruba. On this tour you will discover the Northern end of Aruba and some unique natural wonders of the island. This company picks you up from your resort and takes you to the beginning of the trip, and then takes you back after the adventure is finished. The terrain is rocky, but it is an adrenaline filled adventure. Our stops on the tour included:
Casibari Rock Formation: you can see just about the whole island on this first stop.
Blackstone Beach and the Twin Bridges: you drive your UTV deep into the desert to get to these two spots. You can see the twin bridges and then walk down to see the Blackstone Beach.
Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins:
This stop is right on the edge of the ocean. On this stop you can use the restroom, get a snack, tour the gold mill ruins, or take in the view of the ocean and cliffs.
Cave Pool:
This is where I cliff jumped. You climb down a ladder into a little cave area with your tour guide. He then shows you where to jump into the cave pool. It is a secluded turquoise blue water cave. This was the highlight of my tour.
California Lighthouse:
This stop you can see a lot of the island in a 360 degree view. You can also get fresh coconut water and add rum or make it a smoothie.
Tres Trapi Beach:
This was the last stop but one of the coolest. This hidden spot was a tiny beach with turquoise water. It has steps where you can walk down into the ocean built into the side of the rock.
COVID Regulations
These are the guidelines for COVID to get into Aruba:
Upload 72 hours prior to boarding. This is the website to use to upload all of your information in order to get the green check mark to enter Aruba.
Once you get the green check mark that will be shown at the airport in order to board the plane.
You now have to schedule a COVID test to get back into the USA. This test can be a rapid test to get back in the USA. You have to have it done 2 days before your departure date from Aruba. Our hotel had a testing site and it was super easy and efficient. I reserved the spot 30 days out from the time of the test. It was $50 for the rapid test when you get to the testing site. They emailed us our test results and we showed it to the airport agent when you check into your flight.
We also had to print off a form that Delta sent us called the COVID attestation that showed we had a negative COVID test to enter the USA also. Delta emailed me that form a few days before my flight departed. It can also be provided for you to fill out at check in if you don’t print it ahead of time.
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