Magical Garden

Woke up every morning and ate mangos that Jay gave me from the tree. Then biked down for fish dinner on the water each day. Was quite nice.

Breakfast was plenty to start the day. The host Jay was the best part, as he provides a wealth of information.

Lovely place helpful staff. Beautiful grounds.

Nothing

The owner was very friendly, nice and helpful. Was a good location to explore San Nicholas, baby beach, Mangel Halto. The beds were comfortable, good AC, good water pressure in shower. Refrigerator. Ample storage space. Table and chairs to sit outside. Can park your car there.

I think some new outside chair cushions and new soft towels and a couple of beach chairs would make the place even better.

I like that it wasn’t in the touristy area up north. I liked the plants and that there was AC.

CASH ONLY HOMESTAY It was not clear to me that the host needed to be paid in cash. They could probably do a better job of highlighting that. This was very inconvenient as of course the guest is then on the hook for ATM fees and the work of finding an ATM that can provide this much cash on a small island. It took me half a dozen tries to get the money out, and I paid over $15 in fees. Why can’t I pay through booking.com, which is way safer and more convenient? Another reason is that I felt like I constantly had to report on my trip to the host. The whole purpose of travelling by myself is so that I don’t have to answer to anyone. He always had questions and opinions about where I would go to eat, my activities, my appearance, … He called me affectionate names which is not okay with me. He made me feel very uncomfortable. Every time I was in the shared space, I had to have small talk that interrupted my reading or research. I did not want to leave my room when I was at the homestay because I just wanted to be left alone. The host told me upon arrival he is lonely, hates his life and wants to leave Aruba. That’s all good and well but I came here to have a good time, not to be your therapist nor the recipient of your attention/affection. Lastly the place was dirty. There was sand in my room, in the shower and on my bed (!) when I got there, before I myself went to the beach. There were other people’s hairs in the bathroom. The furniture was sticky and there was a dead cockroach behind the door. There were no towels or soap provided. I decided to leave as is, considering I did not want more interactions with the host. It’s a shame I have to leave such a long and negative review. The host is an old man who did not keep pace with the zeitgeist of how to treat other people. His behaviour was not acceptable to me. He might not have been aware but it is not my job to educate.