After visiting the ABC Islands, in reverse order, it all began to make sense. Aruba was my vacation destination and needed to be at the end. My friend, the romance author Kelly Violet, was flying in for a wedding. I decided to visit Curaçao, followed by Bonaire, and then meet her, in Aruba, after the wedding.

My friend rented a car and picked it up, along with me, the day I flew in to Oranjestad. Our hotels were pretty close to each other. On our first outing, I was picked up and we headed to Baby Beach. We parked by a corner restaurant, exited the car, and heard live music. It was a wrap!

To say that we were the life of the party, in that restaurant, would be an understatement! Being thirty years apart, in age, means we know almost every genre of music, from 1950s until today. Both the woman singing and the man accompanying her gave us high praise and thanks for being there! It was so much fun that we forgot all about the picturesque beach, with its clear blue water and perfect sand.

The following day began with a timeshare presentation. As soon as the person realized how much I traveled last year, she began to pitch me and not the person who signed up to be pitched. Neither one of us signed up for anything. Next, we headed over to the cruise ship terminal area, so my friend could shop for family and friends.

The next day, after Kelly spent the morning horseback riding, she picked me up (along with the beach towels and chairs, provided by my hotel), and we headed over to Palm Beach. Calm and clear waters makes it a great spot for swimming. There are restaurants and gear rental shops, along the beach. We lucked out. Beach service at the restaurant, with the covered hut sitting area, ended around 4:00 pm. We happily moved our chairs, under one of their spaces.

After Kelly Violet flew home, I had two additional days in Aruba. I did absolutely nothing. Well, that’s not true. I did laundry. I booked my outward going ticket, in order to be allowed to clear immigration, in the next country I was flying into . Then, I watched back to back episodes of Law and Order, before realizing that the hotel provided Netflix and other on-demand- channels for FREE!

I swear! I would return to Aruba, just to book that hotel again. The ABC Islands were amazing and I am so happy that I was able to visit all three! Next up: Country #70! XOXO—GGT