LGBT First Timers to Aruba
By Matt Lowe
The first time I ever heard of Aruba was about 17 or 18 years ago as it was the place where Rachel and Barry were supposed to go for their honeymoon on Friends and this always stuck in my head. Little did we know that many years later we would take our first trip to the island.
A year ago, after much research and deliberation, we made the decision to book our holiday as a special trip for Mark’s 30th birthday. We considered many of the Caribbean islands but had a feeling there was something special about Aruba, and we were not wrong!
We work incredibly hard in high-stress work environments, and every penny we earned to pay for this trip came with blood, sweat, and tears. With one breath of Aruban air, all our worries and stress disappeared, if only for a week, and for the first time in forever, the demands of life and work were pushed to the back of our minds.
I’m not sure that we can find the adequate words to describe the beauty that exists within this island. It wasn’t just a holiday for us, but an experience that we will remember for a lifetime.
There is beauty in the crystal clear waters and bright blue skies, in the wildlife and nature that engulfs the island, in the rich culture and architecture, and in the people who are residents of the island.
We laughed until our sides hurt, ate until our stomachs hurt, drank until our heads hurt, talked until our throats hurt, smiled until our faces hurt, and danced until our feet hurt.
We made friends with people we feel we’ve known for a lifetime and who enriched the experience we were lucky enough to have. From our fellow Brits to the Americans, Swedes, and Dutchies, not one person was anything but kind and welcoming.
I learned many things from our trip:
1) There is a reason I made a decision years ago to never drink Sambuca.
2) Iguanas will do almost anything for food.
3) Americans really, really want to know who the “f#$k Alice is.”
But most importantly,
4) You haven’t lived until you have experienced Aruba.
We cannot imagine holidaying anywhere else in the future, and Aruba will most definitely hold a special place in our hearts. The next time we return will be in 2019 to marry, and we couldn’t think of a more perfect place to profess our vows of commitment to one another.
For those of you who continue to visit year after year, we truly understand why, and for those of you who maybe haven’t visited but are thinking of doing, DO! I can safely say it will be the most magical experience of your life. Book, pack, and don’t look back. Do everything we did and more!
Much love from one very happy couple who LOVE this very happy island.
Matt and Mark
