St. Thomas, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, are several vacations I believed were paradise. That was my thought until I landed in Aruba. I fell in love with Aruba the moment I exited the plane.

I love trees and have never seen so many trees that had their own original shapes, sizes, curves and angles. They were everywhere.

I stayed at two hotels. The first one is was a Boutique Hotel called Boardwalk. It was a peaceful place that I imagined it being like the Garden of Eden -lush, green with beautiful flowers everywhere. The buildings were situated more like apartments than a regular hotel and just as beautiful on the inside.

The second hotel complex called Amsterdam Manor beach resort was a bit under construction which was mainly the landscape. The inside was more of a one bedroom apartment than a hotel room. The best part of this hotel was the beach that was a short walk-across the street.

Aruba has interesting sites to see. There are many excursions to choose from. Having dinner on the beach was a new experience I totally enjoyed. Of course the food was delicious-breakfast, lunch and dinner.

You can’t go wrong with either hotel. The second one wasn’t as quiet as the first. The first would be good for a getaway when you need a time of reflection and a quiet undisturbed place to plan out your future. If nothing else you can just do a whole lot of nothing.

I haven’t traveled since Aruba but it has definitely become my number one island to travel to. If you are looking for a nice, tranquil place for a reset I recommend Aruba.