Aruba - Bahama come on pretty mama. If you followed me on stories you will know we were away as a family of 6 on our first international trip. We were in Aruba! We actually traveled and stayed with another family totaling 12 people under one roof. It was an amazing week! Since we are a big family with so many little ones, a hotel room just isn’t feasible. Between sleeping arrangements and the girls nap schedule it really just doesn’t work. Last year we took our first family vacation after having Brielle and we learned that a house it the best way for us to travel in this current life phase. You can read more about that trip HERE.
While I’ve been to other islands in the Caribbean, Aruba was new to me. So begins the house hunt. We stumbled upon the most amazing spot - Villa Bahati. Not only did it have all the accommodations but we quickly learned the host was equipped for large families and a lot of kids. The house came with everything we needed to stay with kids; several pack and plays, high chairs, as well as laundry and plenty of space! It also came equipped with everything for the beach, tents, coolers, beach toys, noodles and chairs. The pool in the backyard gave the big kids something to do while the babies slept. The house exceeded our expectations and really made the trip.
The location of the house is a quick 3 minute drive to the beach. I HIGHLY recommend a car. Had we not had a car I don’t think we would have ever left the house. We had a great experience with Carvenience. I would not recommend any other car rental agency. The other ones we worked with we less than helpful and accommodating. Our host had recommended this to us and I am so glad we listened. We made the mistake of waiting to book a car until closer to the trip. Do not make the same mistake.
The closest and most convenient beach was Palm Beach in front of the Ritz Carlton (not too shabby). There is a free parking lot right next to the Ritz. We would walk right onto the beach. There is a small stretch of beach where we could set up the tent and chairs and lounge while the kids played in the water. The water was the clearest we saw. It also was like a lake. The big kids could walk all the way out. This was a low stress experience for us. Super close to the house easy to get to and from and the beach was perfect. Plus with the Ritz right there we could make use of their bar, restaurant and lavatories.
We attempted Eagle Beach one day. Probably an unpopular opinion but it was overrated, over crowded, annoying to get to as well as difficult with the kids. This beach had a bit of a break right on the shoreline. Certainly not huge but much more anxiety inducing than the lake like beach at Palm Beach. Eagle Beach has chairs for rent and little palapas.
We recognized we were most comfortable at Palm Beach so we made that our routine.
Restaurants we went to:
Hadicurri - highly recommend. Food was good and we ate on the beach. The perfect first night dinner.
Madame Jeanettes - this had come highly recommended to us. We did not have a good experience. The service was awful and food was mediocre. Would not recommend.
Barefoot - this was a happy accident. We had booked another spot but they were actually not open until an hour after we had a reservation for (we chalked it up to island life 😅). Barefoot’s service and food was amazing. As was the view. We watched the sun set and it was perfection.
Fisherman’s Hut - again came recommended. Food was ok. Nothing special. It was expensive for what it was. The location is great as it’s in the center of town with shops. But it felt very touristy.
Chihuahua’s - we ended up not going to this and ordered in instead. But it came highly recommended. We have this saved for our next visit and we’re sad we didn’t get there.
2 Fools and a Bull - a unique dining experience for adults only. You have no say in the menu. It’s a 7 course meal prepared by the chef. The food was insanely delicious. But if you’re particular about what you eat or have a lot of dietary restrictions this might not be for you. They were able to accommodate my no meat (pork and beef) request but accommodating no dairy was a bit harder. Fortunately I can tolerate some just not a lot. They offer wine pairing if you choose. We were fortunate in that our friends have an older teenage son was willing to watch the kids for us one evening. We had put all the little ones to bed already so he only had to watch the group of kids we affectionately call the “middles”.
Restaurants on our list but we didn’t go to:
- Gianni's
- Azzuro
- Fishes and More
- Patrizia's
- Amore Mio
- Flying Fishbone - you need to book this at least a month out
- Yemanja
- Zeerovers
Groceries: http://groceriestogoaruba.com
Since we were staying in a house we pretty much needed everything. A friend had sent me a food delivery service which was amazing since they delivered our groceries to our door step! This was a time saver however we ended up not getting everything we needed and they substituted things we didn’t necessarily use. But it got us started which was great!
Since the age groups were very wide - we took the older kids (ages 6+) on the Jolly Pirates snorkel trip. Overall we had an amazing experience. The day we went out, the water was very choppy. So the first five spot wasn’t merky and honestly a little scary. There was a strong current and with my boys in the water we didn’t seem much as I was much more interested in keeping an eye on them. The second dive spot was amazing. Clear water. Lots to see and much more manageable. I wouldn’t suggest young kids for this. Wes, my 6 year old is very daring and brave so he could hang. But I wouldn’t recommend it for younger. After the second dive spot, they let you swing off the ship on a rope. That was a blast and worth the trip itself. Check out the video HERE.
Was it ACTUALLY relaxing traveling with kids?
Kids are work no matter where you are. They don’t suddenly become self sufficient because you’re away in a different location. In fact they become more needy because they are out of their element. So I think your head needs to be in that headspace. Going away with kids is a trip. We made amazing memories and the kids had a blast. I’m not well rested the way I would be on a couples vacation but my heart is so full. I’m determined to make meaningful and amazing memories with my family. So if it means I’m doing laundry and making PBJ’s on vacation then so be it. I do think that while you trade off some “luxuries” being in a house, for me, it allows me to relax as much as I can on a trip with family.
What our daily schedule looked like:
6:30/7 kids would wake up - moms would make breakfast and get the kids in swim suits.
The families would eat breakfast together, drink coffee, chat!
9:00 and 10am - The “littles” would go down for a nap. The “middles” and “bigs” would swim in the pool. The parents could sit outside but we would also get ready for the beach.
11:00/11:30 - we would feed the kids lunch at the house. This was a time and money saver.
12pm - 3:30 we would hang at the beach
After the beach the kids could jump in the pool again before getting ready for dinner.
Dinner reservations were 5/5:30 to accommodate the little ones. All the kids would generally be in bed by 8!
It was an amazing week and we already started talking about our next getaway! This type of vacation might not be for everyone but we have found a manageable way to travel so I’ll take it!
xoxo SNB
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