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On our recent trip to Aruba my son was all excited to see a Wendy’s on our way to our timeshare.  I was more intrigued by a brightly colored restaurant located right next door Sawasdee Thai Restaurant.  When we got to the Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club, I asked about it and was told it was very good.

We decided to give it a try.  Like most Palm Beach Restaurants it was an easy walk from the high rise resorts so we chose to walk.  After that try we went again.  In fact I think we would have gone their every night.  WOW.

There are so many great things about Sawasdee Thai Restaurant that I am unsure how to even start.  You know how you look at a menu and something reads like it should taste good and the picture looks great and then when you get it you wonder if you got what you ordered?  Kind of like the Big Mac on the menu looks nothing like the squashed sideways looking burger with globs of goo?  Well Sawasdee Thai Restaurant is one of those restaurants where I felt the chef took presentation to heart.

I found the service to be refreshingly simple.  Meaning it was a feeling of being a guest versus waited on.  Probably not the most prompt but that added to the charm.  One of our orders was taking a long time so they thoughtfully brought us out an order of spring rolls.

My husband looked at them suspiciously then took a tentative bite.  My acting skill are not up to par because his eyes widened and he grabbed his second one.  They were absolutely delightful.  They were crisply cooked and just the perfect size and when accompanied by their sauce they were heaven.

I ordered the Red Curry Adventure and Steve order the Garlic Chicken while our son ate fried rice.  The Curry was spectacular - I am a huge curry fan and it was spicy and flavorful and the meat tender - it was definitely worth the wait.  Steve’s Garlic Chicken was fantastic as well. well cooked, spicy and great cuts of meat.

We had enough left over for lunch the next morning are our bill was only around $50 with tip.  It was the cheapest sit down meal we had in Aruba and we had leftovers.  I will say that the next day the spices were even better as they had really soaked in.

A few days later we went again because my uncle had joined us and he loves Thai.  He lives in Manhatten and eats at some really great Thai restaurants and wanted to get his take on it.

We had the spring rolls again - and again they were perfect.  My son and husband did not deviate (they are like that!) but I ordered the Thai Pepper Chicken and my uncle ordered Pad Thai with prawns.  All were at two of three stars in the heat department.

I am not a prawns lover so I have to take my uncles word for them but he said they were fabulous.  My chicken was spicy hot but in a good way.  Luckily they kept the water glasses full because it was hot.  If you are not into burning spicy food stick with one star.  I grew up in California on real Mexican food and love spicy so it worked for me.

After our meal I asked my uncle how it stacked up to the New York Thai places and he said it was better.  In fact I think all three of us agreed that if we could find cheap airfaire we would fly to Aruba just to eat at Sawasdee Thai Restaurant.

Hey isn’t Jet Blue having a special?  Hmmmmm The JetBlue Fall Fare Sale - fares for as little as $29 each way! Hurry, sale ends 8/5 11:59pm MT.  Better get clicking!

About The Author:

Jodie is the owner and operator of the Aruba Travel Site which is dedicated to Aruba Travel including Resorts, Hotels, General Information, Restaurants and more as well as Travel Advisor Blog which is a discussion of all things travel.

You know when they say get to the airport three hours early? You know how we all laugh and think ‘yeah sure.’ If you are going to visit Aruba, they really mean it at Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix that’s Queen Beatrix International Airport.

If your flight is during peak flight times, generally between 11 am and 4 pm, or during holidays the official recommendation is three hours and you should heed the warning. Seriously. I probably would add a half hour, I know we will next time.

The first line you will meet in a long line of lines will be your airline’s check in line, this can be an almost walk through process or be a tedious long wait as your boarding passes are issued and they take your checked luggage (don’t worry you will meet up with your bags again soon). If you can check in online I highly recommend this. If you can travel light and only do carry on this is a time saver too (we don’t because Steve refuses to).

I cannot stress this enough. There were people very unhappy who got to the airport two hours before their flight and had no chance of making it. One family paid another family $100 to take their place in line. I kid you not. Hey, a way to make money if you did not budget!

After you complete your airline check in, you will then meet all of your fellow passengers in an even longer line, sometimes snaking around the airport terminal, to have your passport and boarding passes reviewed by Aruban Security. This line can take upwards of an hour.

From this point you are approved for processing through Aruban Immigration (Departamento di Integracion, Maneho y Admision di Stranhero or DIMAS). After DIMAS you will go through Aruban security screening and into the terminal.

In the terminal you will find duty free shopping and food courts. I found them to be expensive – expensive even in Aruban terms and definitely for any other airport. We went to Sbarro and spent $40 for pizza for three people.

You will also find more lines. Oh you just only completed Aruban processing now you are in the hands of the US Customs. You will have to find your checked baggage, each airline is kept separate so there should not be an issue. You and your bags will then join a line for US Customs processing. The one great thing about this is there is no customs once you get back into the United States.

After clearing customs you, your carry on bags and your checked bags will go down a hallway and at this point you will deposit your checked bags onto a conveyor belt to meet you in your airplane. The conveyor belt has, you guessed it a line!

Your lines are not done because you then have to go through US security screening. This is your final processing line.

So to review you have the following lines:

* Airline check in for you and your bags
* Aruban passport and boarding pass review
* Aruban Immigration
* Aruban Security Screening
* United States Customs
* United States Security Screening

I am tired just typing it out.

For more information on Aruba, Aruba Travel Site is a new website with up to date, comprehensive information on everything you need to plan your trip to Aruba.