AGA - Dine Around Program (Aruba)

[dioxide45]

We are looking at dining options for our Aruba trip this may. On our last visit in 2011 we got the Visit Aruba Plus Card which provided discounts for many Aruba restaurants and worked out great. Looking through the discounts offered for the card there was a 5% discount on the AGA (Aruba Gastronomic Association) - Dine Around Program. So this got us looking in to that program and it seems that several of the restaurants that we were looking at are available in that program.

The program offers either three, five, or seven dinner packages where you get a three course menu at certain restaurants. Here is a PDF with the complete list. There are also breakfast, lunch, dinner packages available.

Does anyone have any experience with this program? Any issues using it or issues with the restaurants not knowing what it was or attempting to limit the menu options when trying to use it? I do see that some locations provide a special menu, but there are others where you order from the regular menu. It also appears to include

 

[ilene13]

We are looking at dining options for our Aruba trip this may. On our last visit in 2011 we got the Visit Aruba Plus Card which provided discounts for many Aruba restaurants and worked out great. Looking through the discounts offered for the card there was a 5% discount on the AGA (Aruba Gastronomic Association) - Dine Around Program. So this got us looking in to that program and it seems that several of the restaurants that we were looking at are available in that program.

The program offers either three, five, or seven dinner packages where you get a three course menu at certain restaurants. Here is a PDF with the complete list. There are also breakfast, lunch, dinner packages available.

Does anyone have any experience with this program? Any issues using it or issues with the restaurants not knowing what it was or attempting to limit the menu options when trying to use it? I do see that some locations provide a special menu, but there are others where you order from the regular menu. It also appears to include

I do not have a problem with the idea of the program, but IMHO I think the restaurant choices are poor. There are some fantastic restaurants in Aruba and none of them are offered on the program. I would rather pay a bit more and eat at the best. Here is a list of our favorites:
Madame Janette
Yemanja Grill
Chalet Suisse
Amadeus
El Gaucho
Blossoms
JH Yees
Smokey Joe's
Screaming Eagles
Carte Blanche
Two Fools and a Bull
Anna Maria's

Have a great trip

 

[amycurl]

When my daughter was 10 months old, my spouse was offered a two-week business trip to Aruba. To sweeten the deal, they paid for a plane ticket for me, and put us up in a one-bedroom at La Cabana. Because we were there nearly 16 days, we purchased one of the smaller Dine-Around plans. Food was our only expense, and dinner was the only meal we all ate together during week days. I think we might have done the 5-night one. We figured since we were there so long, it was a nice incentive to discover new places.

I can't remember all of the restaurants that were on it, but it did help us try new places--my memory is of The French Steakhouse and the Flying Fish being two. I found it easy to use, and a pretty decent value. No hassles at the restaurants. Some did have "excluded" items, but they were just a few things here and there, no big loss.

We certainly have our favorite Aruban places, and I might not do it again if I was there just for a week. But if you are looking to try some new places, I think definitely one of the smaller options would be worth your while.

 

[m61376]

None of our favorites are on the list. Besides the ones that Ilene mentioned there are other really excellent choices. There's nothing like dining on the beach (IMHO) and you can enjoy that at Passions, flying Fishbone and Barefoot, amongst others. Wacky Wahoo is terrific as well.

I would pass and make sure to try some of the restaurants we've recommended.

 

[infamazz]

I do not have a problem with the idea of the program, but IMHO I think the restaurant choices are poor. There are some fantastic restaurants in Aruba and none of them are offered on the program. I would rather pay a bit more and eat at the best. Here is a list of our favorites:
Madame Janette
Yemanja Grill
Chalet Suisse
Amadeus
El Gaucho
Blossoms
JH Yees
Smokey Joe's
Screaming Eagles
Carte Blanche
Two Fools and a Bull
Anna Maria's

Have a great trip

I second that opinion. There is only one restaurant on the dine around list that I try to visit every time I'm in Aruba - Ventanas del Mar.

As for ilene13's suggestions, they are fantastic and I would also add Papiamento, Flying FIshbone, and Gianni's to the list.

 

[ezrv]

With such a rich choice of restaurants in Aruba, why limit yourself to this list? IMHO, the incentive is not large enough to limit the choices.

 

[vicky464]

Agree with the others, so many good choices in Aruba, and with a timeshare you may not feel like going out every night, so I would like limit my options.

I agree with Irene on the restaurant list. Definitely some good ones in there.

 

[dioxide45]

Thanks for the info. We opted not to go for the AGA program. We just renewed our Visit Aruba Plus and will use it a few times and try out a bunch of other places.