Ruinas del Mar — Restaurant in Aruba

Simply wonderful. The food was great, which is exactly what you would expect given the kind of restaurant it is. What makes it excellent is the service.

Our main waiter was Anthony and he was perfect, as was his assistant whom I'm ashamed to say I cannot name. We had a group of 6 (three couples). He was knowledgeable and informative, patient and responsive. When the table needed a bit of time to decide on our drink order, he stepped back and waited for us to indicate our readiness. When we wanted wine, he was ready with several excellent recommendations. When we ordered, he made sure to explain each person's choice and make sure we knew what the menu meant, as well as to give us each an opportunity to change our minds or customize. Our glasses were never empty, but neither were we ever feeling over served or hovered over.

Dinner would, I think, be best described as on a European time table. Appetizers arrived in good time, but it took long enough that we were able to enjoy some good conversation first. Dinner, too, took a bit of time to arrive and that was perfect. The food was done better than we asked for and we had plenty of time to let the appetizer set in and talk, before tucking in.

When it came time for dessert, he not only had recommendations for what we should order, but he also had suggestions on what port to have with the order and how to make a drink better. He did all of this while presenting nothing but the impression that he wanted only the best experience. If we did not take his recommendation, the was no "are you sure?" They were nothing but suggestions and he was exceedingly happy to take care of us.

I noted, above, the fact that we were a group of three couples, because I was impressed by his ability to deduce who the couples were just from our interactions. He did this, despite our seating arrangements being a little confusing.

All in all, an absolutely wonderful experience from start to end and I cannot...

This is a MUST GO to restaurant when in Aruba. My mom and I had no issues making reservations the day of and were seated right on their lagoon filled with koi and ducks. We got the cheese bread as an appetizer that was warm and tasty. For dinner, my mom got the Frutta del Mar, which was pasta with shrimp, calamari, and bay scallops; it was AMAZING. I got the linguini with clams which was buttery and perfect, with a ton of steamed clams on top. However, dessert was the best part!! My mom loved the pear and pistachio pastry and the flourless chocolate cake with ice cream was quite possibly one of the best desserts I've ever had. Our dinner was SO GOOD that we actually came back another time just for dessert.... and then again for dinner and dessert. Yes, 3 times we ate here!!! It was...

I can't say enough good things about the food, experience and people that work at this restaurant. Hands down the best breakfast buffet on Aruba. We come back every year and are greeted with hugs and a friendly "welcome home" from the staff. This morning we lingered for 2 hours over coffee and great food while surrounded by beautiful scenery, swans, turtles and other wild life. Comfortable breeze is the icing on the cake for the great atmosphere. I never thought I would miss a breakfast place, but I will be eagerly looking forward to returning next year for fresh waffles, pastiche, made to order eggs, all the wonderful surprises and the friends we...