Travels in Aruba – part six

May 24, 2016May 25, 2016 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

For this next installment, as promised, I’m going to talk about the daily breakfast included with our stay at Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort. Spence teases me about photographing my food when I travel “Laura’s Eating and Drinking Vacation Diary” as he calls it. But come on, if you’re a foodie it makes sense!

At home, I’m lucky if I can get Spence to have the occasional yogurt for breakfast. He just isn’t a breakfast guy – until we get to Bucuti.

Serving till 11:00, we stroll down around 10:00, are greeted by Martin who seats us (we prefer inside). Then comes the decisions – what to choose?

eggs to order – Nancy or Marjorie (depending on the day) will prepare eggs expertly including omelets – a favorite of Spence’s
Bacon and sausage
Potatoes – different varieties each day
Specialty items that change daily – some of which were eggs benedict, arepas, red beans and rice, empanadas style meat filled little goodies were among my favorites
4 kinds of juice plus fruit or veggie infused water
2 -3 kinds of meat – ham, pastrami, mortadella to name a few and 2-3 kinds of cheeses – always including gouda
smoked salmon or smoked trout with cream cheese, onions and capers
fresh fruit platters – multiple varieties each day including: pineapple, papaya, watermelon, cantelope, honeydew, mango, dragon fruit and passion fruit as well as bananas, apples, kiwi and orange on the other side of the buffet
easily eight types of bread as well as pastries, croissants, bagels, english muffins, banana bread and pound cake with an assortment of jams, spreads and butter
Yogurt and topping of granola, dried fruits
Cereals (3-4 varieties)

I’ve probably forgotten something but I think you get the drift. Amazing. This year I got to try dragon and passion fruit, both of which I’m totally smitten. Succulent, perfectly fresh and delicious, I had to stop short of gorging on these, such a treat. With attentive, friendly service from Nakarid, Ricardo and Lina, it is the best way to start each day when staying at Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort.

Eggs, Raisin Toast, Dragon and Passion Fruit, Bacon and Pink Grapefruit Juice

Mango, Pineapple, Dragon Fruit, Hardboiled Egg, Cinnamon Roll and Pink Grapefruit Juice

Papaya, Roasted Potatoes, Pineapple, Cinnamon Roll & Eggs Benedict

Arepa, Dragon and Passion Fruit, Papaya and Pink Grapefruit Juice

The splendor of Passion and Dragon Fruits

FullSizeRender 280 — The inside of a Passion Fruit, I found it easiest to eat with a fork and the seeds and flesh just lift out. The seeds are edible in both Dragon and Passion fruit. Now the challenge, can I find these in Michigan? I hope so!

Travels in Aruba 2016 – part five

May 24, 2016May 25, 2016 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

Each morning at Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort, we enjoyed the breakfast included with our stay (more about that in future posts, I promise). Though we opted for indoor seating which provides a stellar view of the beach and ocean, many guests sit a bit closer outside on the deck. On several occasions we saw this colorful bird and though we have no idea what kind it is, it didn’t diminish our enjoyment as he stopped in after the guests departed, looking for a bite of croissant or a nibble on a piece of papaya.

Travels in Aruba 2016 – part two

May 23, 2016May 25, 2016 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 5 Comments

Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort is our home away from home in Aruba. An adults-only resort, they truly cater towards couples and a romantic, care-free experience. This year we were ready to experience something unique – a movie under the starlit sky. Each Sunday and Wednesday, they select a movie and this time was An Officer and a Gentleman, a movie I hadn’t seen in years and Spence had never seen. With front row seats, we lounged on the beach on a balmy night and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Very romantic!

FullSizeRender 201 — Projected on a large white wall, a very young Debra Winger and Richard Gere, wonderful performances. So enjoyable.

Travels in Aruba 2016 – part one

May 23, 2016May 25, 2016 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 5 Comments

Spence and I got home a week ago from a return trip to our beloved Aruba. Last October we travelled there and had so much fun that four days later, we booked two weeks in May to coincide with my 60th birthday.

Those who’ve followed this blog may recall my 15 part series, Travels in Aruba from 2015. Hands down, it collectively brought the most activity to Spence’s Girl since it’s launch. I’m hopeful that you’ll enjoy this series as well.

FullSizeRender 192.jpg — Starting the trip with an airport mimosa as we traveled Flint to Atlanta to Aruba.

We awoke well before the crack of dawn to arrive at the airport to check our bags by 4:00 a.m. and took off shortly after 6:00.

Arriving at our final destination around 2:30, we picked up our rental car and headed a short distance to Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort. Having stayed there last trip, there was no question that we’d return there, we’d even requested and got the same room.

Upon our arrival, we were offered cool, lavender scented cloths to wipe away the travel grime – and a glass of ice cold champagne. Nicole, who we’d met last year at check-in, took care of the formalities this year and got us settled in. As always, they’d provided lovely welcome gifts.

FullSizeRender 193 — Chilled wine, gouda, crackers, cookies & Aruba Aloe lotion!

Knowing that the first of two daily cocktail hours commences at 4:00, we scooted down to the Sand Bar for drinks and our first sunset of the trip. Life is good!

We opted for night one to have dinner at Elements, the restaurant at Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort, which we think is the best on Aruba. The menu is creative, food delicious, presented beautifully and excellent service guaranteed.

For our first night, we opted for a light meal and the selection of appetizers was very appealing…..what to choose???

Tiraditos Trio with Truffle Popcorn for me

Beef Carpaccio with Smoked Mayo for Spence

Stay tuned for more in this new series……

59 Candles, 59 Things – part forty nine

May 12, 2016May 23, 2016 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 4 Comments

Fifty seventh thing: Today I celebrate my 60th birthday and that makes me happy.

There are still two posts remaining in this series started one year ago on my 59th birthday. I’m enjoying my second week in Aruba with Spence, back at our beloved Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort. This is my view this morning.

And these two visitors stopped by to sing Happy Birthday!

We’re off to enjoy a fabulous breakfast, a walk on the beach and a lazy day lounging and reading as they bring us cold adult beverages.

And while I don’t feel any older as I start this new decade, I do feel lucky to have made it and am very happy indeed.

Travels in Aruba – part three

October 9, 2015October 10, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 3 Comments

After a fabulous nights sleep in the best hotel bed, we awoke after 12 hours. While Aruba is the same time zone as Michigan, we were zapped after a long day of travel.

Out to the balcony to enjoy my tea, Spence joined me wearing one of the robes provided by the hotel. What a view.

Breakfast is included at Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort and for late risers such as Spence and myself, runs till 11:00. And what a breakfast.

You can sit inside Elements Restaurant with floor to ceiling, spotless windows and a view of the beach and ocean, or outside on the deck. The breakfast has more choices than I could list and needless to say, we indulged. Not unusual for me but Spence rarely eats breakfast and he made up for a lifetime of missed morning meals. Here’s just a small sample: