Looking for suggestions for morning, before Roberto's snorkeling tour

[Marcys]

Two CC families have reserved a boat through roberto's for snorkeling. It will be just the 8 of us. They are located at the Marina by the Marriott and Holiday Inn. Is there a beach there for us to spend a few hours before the tour? What else is nearby for us to do? Is there a restaurant in the area for lunch before the tour? Where is the "downtown" area compared to the marina?

 

Thanks for your help!

[Arubalisa]

The downtown area, Oranjestad is where your ship will be docking. The marina is about a 15 minute taxi ride from Oranjestad and is actually located on the beach, closer to the Marriott than the Holiday Inn.

 

There is much more to do on Palm Beach (the area where the Marriott and Holiday Inn are located) closer to the end where the Holiday Inn is located. The Marriott Resort and 2 Vacation Club properties are further down the beach about a 5 -10 minute walk.

 

IF you want a lot of activity take a taxi to the Holiday Inn. All of the beaches in Aruba are public. You may use their beach, just not their facilities (chaises, shade palapas etc). From the Holiday Inn, there is a concrete walkway connecting the rest of the resorts along Palm Beach with the exception of the Marriotts. Using the Holiday Inn as a base you would have a choice of any number of restaurants for lunch to walk to, if you want fast food, have your taxi stop at McDonalds (it is on the way) on the way to the beach. If you don't feel like walking you can eat the beachfront restaurant at the HI or the Pelican's Nest on the pier which juts out over the water. Then when it is time to go meet Roberto, you will just have a short walk down the beach.

 

Right there at the Holiday Inn there are tons of choices for watersports activities. Banana boat, tube ride, parasailing, float rentals, waterskiing, sailing, etc. If you wish to be closer to the Marriott, another option is Moomba Beach.