We are adventurous, and a little bit cheap. Our Monday started with a walk over to the Beach hut where Ritz guests can get snorkel masks and fins for no charge. We wanted to explore Boca Catalina today so getting our gear was a priority. Next we decided to walk and take the bus as... Continue Reading →
Dinner on the Town (Oranjestad) – Learning a lesson about reservations
Dinner on the Town – Learning a Lesson about Reservations. We spent the afternoon at the Renaissance Island and came back to our room for a shower and a rest. We had stopped at the Navigator Desk in the lobby of our hotel (Renaissance Marina) and asked about dinner recommendations. She mentioned the Driftwood Restaurant... Continue Reading →
Renaissance Island – Aruba
I wanted dedicate this post specifically to the Renaissance Island that is a perk of staying at the Marina hotel and/or the Ocean Suites. Both of these are Renaissance Hotels. The Marina Hotel is Adults only and the Ocean hotel is family friendly. We stayed at the Marina Hotel – the room was small –... Continue Reading →
Breakfast and Exploring Oranjestad and the local shops
Day 3 – Breakfast – Exploring Downtown and local shops We started our day with a walk over to the Dutch Pancake house at around 8:00am local time. We arrived to the open air restaurant and a line of about 6-8 people. All the tables were full, and we had a brief wait of about... Continue Reading →
Finding Local Flare in Oranjestad Aruba
Trip Report Dec 8 -15 Finding local flare We booked our first couple of nights at the Renaissance Marina Hotel Oranjestad. We wanted to experience the downtown, local culture and visit the Renaissance Island that I had read so much about. The taxi arrived at the hotel at half past 3:00pm – we were greeted... Continue Reading →
Flying from Chicago to Aruba – Bring Breakfast – Buy Booze at the duty free!
We left on a 5:25am flight on Southwest Airlines out of Chicago Midway Airport(MDW). We arrived at 3:30am knowing that Southwest would want to check passports and documentation for our 5:25am flight. The lines were long – but moved quickly. The agent carefully weighed and checked our bags to confirm we were not exceeding weight... Continue Reading →
ARUBA for the first time – but are we cheating on our true love!?!
ARUBA for the first time - but are we cheating on our true love? Writing this at 6am on a plane headed south from Chicago. Hubby and I woke up at 2:30am to head out and do one of our favorite things, which is quality time on a beach, snorkeling, exploring and disconnecting. We have... Continue Reading →
The world is yours Sweet Girl
She left Florence on Friday, there were tears, and laughter and hugs. The new friends she had met were going their own way too. She made a special trip to the API office for one more request, help with getting a taxi at 4am for her trip to the airport. She asked for a picture... Continue Reading →
Making good choices and balancing mama emotions – Why API Study Abroad?
Daughter Alone in Italy ........My Sweet Girl is my youngest child. I have three other children that are in their 30's. They have jobs, homes and families. There was a twelve year gap between them. Each time I have watched one of them set off in to their life I have had those mother pangs... Continue Reading →
Survival Day – Walk around campus and Now we are cooking…..
She is organized, she takes comfort in having a plan and thinking through what she will do. And at times she over thinks things. Orientation week has a "survival day" a day that she was looking forward to attending. It was a way to get her bearings, understand her surroundings and mentally go through what... Continue Reading →
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