Aruba On A Budget

Aruba is a beautiful island but not the place to go if you are looking for a cheap vacation.  Here are some ways to stretch your vacation dollar.

Drink the water.  Yes we know it is weird but all of Aruba's drinking water is not only safe to drink, it meets the highest standards set by the United Nations.  Since their water comes from the desalinization plant is is not only drinkable but delicious and pure.  We brought our empty water bottles from the airport and used them for the entire trip.  Savings:  approximately two dollars a bottle.

Beware of restaurant sodas.  Most Aruban restaurants do not include free refills.  At one restaurant our son was given a water glass filled to the brim with ice and a shot glass amount of soda all for four dollars and no refills.  My husband decided to drink beer as it was 16 ounces and only five bucks,  I drank the delicious water.  Our poor son is still traumatized by this and asks if the restaurant allows free refills even at home.

Read the bill.  Not all but many Aruban restaurants will include a 15% service charge that is split between the staff.  It may be listed in tiny tiny font at the bottom of the menu or may not - it will be shown on your bill.  Should you wish to include an extra gratuity to your waitstaff you may but you need to check the initial bill to see if this is included or not. 

Bring snacks.  You will find everything on the island is expensive.  And I mean expensive.  Anything that you can bring with you will save you.  Have a suitcase dedicated to snacks, bring dry cereal, potato chips, whatever will go in your bag and not get destroyed on a flight.  And don't forget that leaves you plenty of room for all those souveners.

Make use of your room's fridge.  Buy your own sodas, If you drink alcohol buy a bottle and store it in your room and make your own drinks.  Buy milk and eat the cereal you brought. 

Eat in.  If you are in a timeshare make use of the kitchen.  On your way to the resort stop at the market and buy whatever you need to supplement with what you brought - milk, soda, fruit etc.  We ate breakfast and lunch in our room and figure we saved $200-300 just by doing that.  As a treat buy cooking dough and make cookies.  Buy popcorn so the family can use the DVD player and watch movies.

Don't ignore Fast Food.  Yes fast food is horrible for you but the resort burgers and fries are not good for you either and they are three times as expensive as fast food.  Do an extra couple of laps by the pool after going to the golden arches and remember you will get a big soda to boot.

Eat Local.  Speaking of food, if you get out away from the tourist traps you will find some great deals.  Our favorite restaurant is a Thai restaurant just off the main tourist area.  The food is great and the prices are reasonable, especially for the amount of food you get.

Great websites for the best deals:

Jet Blue - Best Flight Deals to Aruba  

We also recommend checking the following online sites for the best airfares:

Book early and save! Find special deals in hot destinations only at Expedia.com!  

Visit Travelocity for Caribbean Deals

Priceline.com - no one deals like we do!

Get lowest airfare flights on CheapOair.com and save up to 65% on all flights. Book Now !

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