Aruba - A Caribbean Island Paradise

Carnival Cruise

Port : Aruba

I have lost most of the photos that I took in Aruba, (sad face) but I will do the best that I can with what is left...

For our Aruba stop, we purchased a day pass to the Occidental Grand Aruba Resort. It is a five star all-inclusive resort.

A tropical paradise is the only way to describe the resort.

At the center of the resort is a large lagoon style pool with a swim-up bar. Two hot tubs are located on an island in the pool.

The swim-up to bar makes amazing banana and mango coladas! And they are included in the day pass! 

The girls had fun playing with the large chess set.

The resort has two tennis courts.

Kayaks are included in the all day pass.

Lizards were everywhere around the pool.

White sand, palm trees, and turquoise water.....paradise!

A beach walk stretches along the beach with little shops, places to eat, and other resorts along the way.

This cute little store was the perfect place to get some ice cream.

The Desire is one of the 6 restaurants located at the Occidental.

The front lobby makes for a very elegant entrance.

We enjoyed our day at the resort. We lounged by the pool, snorkeled, kayaked, and played tennis, and chess.

I wish that you could have seen my best pictures, but you can tell that it was a beautiful place anyway!

Happy Travels! 

Experience the Caribbean island of Curacao

Carnival Cruise

Port: Curacao 

The most popular thing to do at this port is to walk into the nearby downtown area of Willemstad.

The Queen Emma Bridge  pontoon bridge connects the Punda and Otrobanda quarters of the capital city, Willemstad.

I always love looking through the street vendor booths for items unique to the area.

I purchased a painting  of the downtown area of Curacao. The artist was friendly and posed proudly with her work.

The floating market was stocked with amazing looking fresh fruit! I would love to have something like this at home!

A beautiful stroll through the color buildings.

The clothing was very unique in some of the stores.

Most of the stores carry a variety of items. You might find clothing, wrapping paper, home decor, and food all in one store.

I have to say that I was impressed with the McDonald's. It was very modern and clean. It was one of the few places that we found with free WiFi.

The local police are friendly and on constant patrol.

A view from the ship.

Overall, I just really was not impressed with the downtown area. It was interesting to see, but I wish we had have taken an excursion to see some of the beaches or other areas. Maybe one day I will get back there and see the rest of the island.

Happy Travels!