For us it is difficult to go elsewhere, after having traveled all over the Caribbean, Aruba is an island which pretty much fits the bill for what we are looking for. Ever been rained out on a week long Caribbean vacation? I have, first week of January 1971. That is how well I remember it. AND it was my parents, not myself, who were paying the big $$$ to sit in a hotel room and watch kiddie cartoons in Spanish and play cards. This past Christmas while our family was lounging on the beach in Aruba families elsewhere in the Caribbean were losing their homes to flooding and some people even lost their lives in mudslides. Torrential rains as the result of a slow moving low pressure system brought torrential rains to the Eastern Caribbean.
Slim to none chance of that ever happening in Aruba, even during rainy season late October to mid-January when showers fall mainly overnight and early morning. I have heard Hawaii is beautiful, but unless I can afford first class plane tickets for my entire family, that 8 hour flight each way, is going to keep me away permanently. Well to tell the truth, dh has been to Hawaii, before he met me and said it was not worth returning to. My parents have been as well and said it paled in comparison to Aruba. I trust their judgment and value their opinions. Who am I to argue? Oh, and did I mention Hawaii average more than three times the amount of rain that Aruba does?
Only 2 maybe 3 other islands in the Caribbean which I want to see or get back to. Grenada. Was there for the day on a cruise in December 2006 and this island for many reasons, some purely sympathetic, I just love this place to death. Now if I could just get to Grenada from Atlanta without having to fly half way around the world just to get to the Caribbean or overnight somewhere...My "dream" has always been to go to Anguilla. A playground of the rich and famous. My luck, we will be able to afford a trip there around the same time we can afford the first class tickets to Hawaii and then dd will announce she is going to Cornell University. Go do you spell..."o-h w-e-l-l" ?
Aruba offers powder white sand beaches and a wide variety of restaurants in every price range and a small variety of all inclusive resorts. Depending upon our traveling circumstances- mainly budget or traveling with extended family- we vary where we stay and whether or not we stay at an all inclusive resort.
Being beach bums in Aruba is our favorite activity, however there are plenty of things to do and at least one full day of sightseeing. When all else fails, go shopping! At night there is a bit of nightlife, but mostly casinos.
If you enjoy snorkeling or diving Aruba is a great, not perfect destination. For that I would suggest Bonaire or at the least Curacao. In Aruba though, there are plenty of wrecks and reefs to keep divers occupied for a week. BTW, Aruba has it over Bonaire and Curacao in just about every other way, especially the beaches.
It is no secret why Aruba has one of the highest rates of return for travelers to this destination.