The latter half of our Aruban vacation was very relaxed.

Let’s start with a review of the Holiday Inn Resort. It was nothing to write home about, as my dad would say. I chose it because I saw some impressive videos on TikTok of the facilities. Honestly the location is fantastic. It had the amenities we wanted. Beachfront, gym (for Ray’s lifting needs), decent sized room with a balcony. It hit those marks. But the slice of beach it was on was rather unimpressive compared to the other beaches we visited on this trip. The water was murky. The beach had debris. If you wanted any type of shade you had to rent one of those little beach huts for $30 a day. The one time we wanted to sit in the spa/jacuzzi it was full of debris. Either from the surrounding trees or someone who didn’t wash off from the beach. Overall disappointing compared to our experience at Renaissance.

This resort was family friendly. We as a child-free couple were definitely in the minority in that sense. Lots of groups of teenagers running around at night. And small children who’s parents were trying to get them to burn out their last bit of energy before bed.

One redeeming quality was the daily breakfast buffet. This resort is all inclusive so there were a plethora of eateries. We booked the stay that included breakfast. Every day we enjoyed made-to-order omelets, fresh fruit, waffles, french toast and local dishes like salt fish, croquettes, sweet plantain and Aruban sausage.

Our last few days were rather uneventful minus our anniversary, Sunday the 25th.

Saturday we spent exploring the shopping square just steps outside of our hotel. And we had a fantastic bolognese pizza at Amore Mio for dinner.

Sunday we had a slow morning which led us to our 1:00pm spa appoint at Spa Del Soul. As one can imagine there are many spas in Aruba. But through my research, this was the only one semi-outside on the beach.

Located at Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa on Bucuti Beach, the view was breathtaking. The type of view you envision when you think of “paradise”.

We enjoyed a 50 minute aromatherapy couple’s massage that was transcendent. And then we relaxed in the spa/on the beach for another couple hours. I got in the water which was pretty calm and crystal clear. Ray stayed behind under the pavilion because he was still nursing a minor sunburn from the day prior.

We went back to our hotel and ordered some room service before a nap. The room service was trash. How do you mess up a cheeseburger and club sandwich?

We slowly got ready for our 9:00pm anniversary dinner at Gianni’s Italian Restaurant. Which we were about 40 minutes late for, but they still seated us quickly.

This place is know for their table side flaming Parmesan cheese wheel. So naturally we ordered the dish that came with the show. The food and presentation did not disappoint. The pasta was al dente and flavorful, even for it to just be spaghetti with tomato sauce. Ray ordered his with shrimp and I ordered mine with a meatball.

We ended the meal with my favorite, crème brûlée. And they surprised us with a complementary anniversary dessert. Two small sponge cakes covered in a mango glaze and topped with whipped cream. So good!

We twice, on two separate nights, ran into that couple from Flamingo Beach who were also celebrating their first wedding anniversary. This time we did get their names. And as I suspected from the first time we met, I confirmed the wife was Nigerian like Ray. They were now staying at the Hyatt. I think that’s where we’ll stay if we come back.

Monday we spent buying all our souvenirs. And then had a very brief swim at the disappointing beach. We had another pizza for dinner. This time at Pizza Napoli which was just across the street from our hotel. Ray liked this pizza better than Amore Mio’s, but I disagreed.

We ended our last night doing something a little different and fun to cap off our trip. We went shooting at a little airsoft range in the shopping plaza. 50 rounds for $10. Ray never shot any type of firearm before. So the owner spent several minutes instructing Ray on how to stand and aim. He did a fantastic job after that. I didn’t do so bad either.

And that was our first Aruba trip. Sun, sand, water, adventure and love.

The people were so nice. The beaches were amazing. Our overall experience was unforgettable. We do in fact plan to return. Maybe for a babymoon, when the time comes.

Until our next trip, cheers!