Aruba, Jamaica, Bermuda, Bahamas... you get the point.
If there's one thing I love, it's a tropical island. The closer to the equator the better! Enter Aruba:
I've been to the Bahamas before so I knew I loved island culture, island time, and especially the natives who call these islands their home. Everyone raves about Aruba so I was happy to see what all the hype was about for myself.
This little island, right off the coast of Venezuela has a cute charm seen right as you get off the plane. Driving through the town you see a combination of both local culture and the luxury tourist appeal (Gucci, Prada, and Fendi stores line the main strip of downtown). Driving future onto the island it is simply divided into two main hotel areas, Low-rise hotels and High-rise hotels (conveniently named). My stay took place in the High-rise hotel area at the Marriott Ocean Club. I loved the location of this hotel because there is so much to walk to and do (forgot to mention it's right on the beach). Just in the complex alone there are 3 hotels with many great restaurants and a casino. Continue on walking down the beach and all within a half mile are even greater options.
My favorite spot to eat was tucked in on the island amidst local residence called Madame Janette's (named after a pepper, as one of our taxi drivers informed us). The food was amazing, the entire restaurant is outdoors with string lights above, complete with live music. You may even be offered a free dessert sampler, need I say more? 😉 If you're a seafood kind of person, Aruba is the place for you. No worries, there are plenty of other options, but the seafood is (obviously) right from their sea and to die for no matter where you decide to eat. Some of my other favorite eateries were: La Vista, this is attached to the Marriott and is great for a buffet and excellent service, Hadicurari, where you can eat literally on the beach and have a large variety of seafood choices, and The Lazy Turtle, where you can get the best cocktails and the cutest atmosphere.
I definitely recommend Aruba for those who love to be active on trips. There are so so many options for water activities and sightseeing in Aruba. On every hotel beach there is someone offering adventures from boat tours to water hoverboarding. If being active isn't really your thing on vacation... like me... check out booze cruise options with stops for snorkeling, so fun, even if it's just the alcohol warping my thoughts on it (jk, it really was an amazing experience).
My personal favorite part of a tropical location is tropical prints! I don't usually add much color to my wardrobe (shocker? Probably not) but for tropical climates I'm alll about it. I loved Zara's headwrap collection as well as their bright colored swimwear.
So that's my summer status. For more follow me on insta @dmarie2 🙂
x.
