We're back, baby! Aruba+Suriname Week 1

Seventy years of life calls for more than just a dinner party — it calls for seventeen days in paradise. When it came time to celebrate my uncle's 70th birthday, Aruba was the only answer that made sense. The island that has quietly become our family's happy place welcomed us back with open arms (and the warm trade winds we'd been dreaming about). Sun-soaked days, Surinamese flavors, and the kind of quality family time that only happens when you're thousands of miles from your everyday routine — October 2025 was everything and then some. Let's get into it! 🌊🎉🇦🇼

Day 0 — The Journey Begins

Every great trip starts somewhere, and for this one, it started with a half day of work and a whole lot of last-minute packing. 😄 By 3pm we had the car loaded up and were headed to Harrisburg Airport for our 5:30pm departure. Check-in was a breeze — and a pleasant surprise, as our checked bags flew free (always a win!). TSA was equally painless thanks to PreCheck, which I will never stop recommending to anyone who will listen. Seriously, if you travel even semi-regularly, just get it.

With some time to kill, we made a pit stop at Dunkin' for a drink before heading to our gate at C3, all the way at the end of the C terminal. Lesson learned though — the drinks were incredibly sweet, probably not the best pre-flight choice. 😅 We had about an hour and a half to wait before boarding started right on time at 5:07pm. The plane was on the smaller side, with overhead bins only on one side of the cabin, so I had a brief moment of panic about my Bellroy Lite carry-on — but it slid right in without issue. No gate check needed, crisis averted!

We touched down in Charlotte right on schedule at 5:28pm after a smooth two-hour flight, drink and pretzel snack included. The best part? Our checked bags were tagged all the way through to Aruba, so no baggage claim carousel in CLT. We called the hotel to arrange a shuttle and within about 10 minutes, our driver Johnny pulled up — genuinely one of the nicest guys, and a great start to the trip. Since we were hungry, Johnny kindly dropped us off at Miguel's, a Mexican restaurant right next door to the hotel. Two beef burritos with Mexican rice later and we were very happy campers. Delicious! 😋

We walked back to the Wingate by Wyndham, checked in, and found our bags already waiting in room 317 — thanks, Johnny! The room was surprisingly spacious. We grabbed some waters from the lobby, showered, and got ready for bed. Early night was non-negotiable — we had a 5am wake-up call ahead of us for our flight to paradise.

Days 1–4 — We've Arrived! 🌴

After an early morning and four hours in the air, my dad and I touched down in Aruba. There's something about that first glimpse of the island from the plane window that never gets old. We did the usual arrival dance — customs, luggage, and a quick stop at Dollar Rental to pick up our car from our friend Lila — before heading off to our home base for the next two-plus weeks.

Last year we stayed in Santa Cruz, so this time around we decided to mix it up and try a different area: Piedra Plat. The house was perfectly situated right along Route 4, making pretty much everything on the island easy to get to — a huge plus when you're coordinating a family group. After dropping our stuff off, we made a quick grocery run to stock up on the essentials before hunger took over and led us straight to Cafe Yanti, a Surinamese eatery, for lunch. A taste of home in the middle of the Caribbean — honestly, perfect.

We headed back to the house afterward to relax and decompress. The calm before the storm, because the family was about to start rolling in!

My uncle arrived from the Netherlands on Day 2, so dad and I headed to the airport that afternoon to pick him up, got him settled, and gave him the house tour. That evening we headed out to Indo for dinner — widely regarded as the top Surinamese restaurant on the island, and it absolutely lived up to the reputation. A great first family dinner of the trip.

Day 3 brought the rest of the crew — another uncle and aunt, flying in from Suriname. Dad and I did airport pickup duty again that morning, and once everyone was settled it turned into a really sweet day of sibling bonding for the older generation, while I took full advantage of the pool situation. 🏊 That evening we headed out for sushi at Azai, and did a bit of walking and shopping in the area afterward. A solid low-key night.

By Day 4 we were fully in vacation mode. My uncle had been planning to cook a homemade Surinamese meal, so the morning kicked off with a grocery run for supplies. Once back at the house, everyone pitched in and helped in whatever capacity they could — it was one of those really nice, easy family moments. And the meal? Absolutely delicious. 😋 After letting the food settle, we wrapped up the first stretch of the trip with an evening stroll along the Renaissance Marketplace by the water. A perfect way to ease into what was shaping up to be a really special trip.

Stay tuned for week 2!