My husband and I decided that for one of our milestone anniversaries, we wanted to go somewhere new. We were in search of an adventure but with our love of the ocean, we also wanted our destination to offer the beauty of the beach. Our travel agent took on the challenge and came up with a suggestion we had never even considered. Aruba!

 Aruba is an island about 15 miles from the coast of Venezuela, which can be seen on a clear day from certain parts of the island. We did our research and thought we were prepared for what we would encounter but it was so much more than we anticipated. Although I must admit that when we arrived, we were a bit worried. We had read that part of the island had areas that were rugged desert and were excited about the adventures that it would offer. That was the landscape that we first saw when we landed and headed towards our hotel. But since it is in the Southern Caribbean, we were expecting our views to be of the crystal clear ocean. Luckily, we were not disappointed. As we neared our hotel on Eagle beach, we were struck by its beauty. White sand beaches, deep blue water and tropical temperatures. Yes, Aruba was everything we had hoped it would be and more.

 We asked our travel agent to find us a locally owned smaller hotel so we didn’t feel like we were in a high-rise condominium style hotel. In fact, we planned our whole trip around this idea. We wanted to avoid much of the tourist type restaurants and asked our hotel concierge where the locals ate. We had so many of our meals at one particular restaurant that the staff there assumed we were locals!

 As we met the friendly hotel staff, we realized that each of them had a nametag that showed not only their name but the languages they spoke, which was anywhere from 3 to 5 languages. We first thought it was a great business plan on the part of the hotel owners to have their employees learn languages so that they could converse with their worldwide guests. But as it turns out, several languages are taught in the local schools. Most of their students graduate knowing multiple languages and it was evident that education is a high priority to the local government. As we got to know the staff, we spent time just getting to know their culture and history from locals. It’s a rich history with Caiquetio Indian roots, Spanish and Dutch rule and is currently a constituent country of the Netherlands.

We toured the famous lighthouse, natural bridges, sand dunes and a beautiful national park. And then of course, there are the white sand beaches. When we visited, the ocean was pretty rough so I didn’t venture out too far but it was amazing to just sit and watch the waves roll in and get lost in a sea of blue. We took sunset cruises on a catamaran and sat beachside at a restaurant that sits at the water line. We were encouraged to take our shoes off and enjoy our meal. It was magical! Toes in the sand, blue water gently lapping at our feet and an incredible meal. I think heaven will be like this.

If you’re a water sports lover, Aruba is the place to be! We saw parasailing, snorkeling, surfing and so much more on the water every day. We were told by the locals where to go in the evenings before sunset to watch the locals flying intricate and mind blowing kites. It was spectacular. Because of the constant trade winds, surfing is very popular there. It made for some beautiful pictures of the island but not for selfies! I finally gave up on day 3 and followed the example of the locals and wore my hair up or face the alternative, which was being whipped constantly by it.

And then there’s the food. It was some of the best food we have ever eaten anywhere. Again, we chose to eat most of our meals where the locals dine and found this incredible fusion influenced by South America, Holland and the Caribbean. In fact we discovered some ingredients that we have only found used on our own Caribbean island of Utila. It was in Aruba that we dined at our first Brazilian steakhouse. Now let me be clear. I LOVE a good steak. It is one of my favorite meals when I dine at a restaurant. But I was not prepared for the sheer volume of beef that would be offered. We were first seated and told to feel free to try their beautiful salad buffet. This was not Shoney’s salad buffet, if you know what I mean. There were beautiful vegetables and fruit of every variety and color. Next to a great steak, a beautiful salad is my next favorite meal. But indulging in a huge salad ended up being a mistake because when that service was over and the servers began parading around the dining room with meat of every variety on large metal skewers, we knew we had made a tactical error! Honestly it was one of the best meals we had ever had in our lives.

It was such a wonderful trip and exactly what we needed. In fact we loved it so much, we talked seriously about buying a condo there! It wasn’t in the cards back then but it certainly created memories for a lifetime. We love exploring this big beautiful world, meeting locals and spending time in their country or city as they would. It makes for such a wonderful experience. Of course, there are always going to be the sights that each location is famous for that you will want to see but when it comes to dining and learning more about the history and culture of a new place, do yourself a favor and talk to the locals. I promise it will make your vacation so much more enjoyable and memorable!