A trip for two to Aruba ... just you and your mom

My mom called me at work one wintry weekday and suggested we take a four-day trip to Aruba together - just the two of us.

As she spoke, I glanced out the window and saw it snowing for the 800th time. I looked at my pasty white skin. I felt a wave of tired roll over me from working two jobs and raising two little kids with no real break. Before I knew it, I had uttered the word, "Sure."

Then I hung up the phone and panicked.

Could our very different personalities coexist 24/7? Would I be able to relax and enjoy a beautiful Caribbean island with my high-energy, high maintenance, wacky, talkative and brutally blunt mother alongside me?

It'd either be quality time together and a much-needed sun-drenched getaway, or a fight-filled weekend that would land me in therapy for years.

It didn't start out well.

On the 4:45 a.m. ride to O'Hare, my mom was chatty and upbeat. I, on that other hand, was half-asleep and annoyed by everything she did (must we discuss the war in Iraq before 5 a.m.?).

During a layover in Atlanta, at 9 a.m. Chicago time, I bought a Chick-fil-A sandwich and fries which prompted a nasty lecture about my bad eating habits.

"This is going to be four long days," I thought, rolling my eyes.

Things took a significant turn for the better, thanks to Delta Air Lines in-flight trivia game. On the screens in front of our economy seats, we became entrenched in a fun but competitive rivalry with each other and the history buff in seat 19A.

Still, I wasn't convinced this trip was a good idea until I breathed the tropical air and walked through the automatic sliding doors of the newly renovated Marriott Aruba Resort and Stellaris Casino.

I instantly went from being unappreciative and bratty to grateful and giddy.

This is one of those resorts that gives you little reason to venture out: it has a spa, a casino, shopping, and houses several restaurants, including a Ruth's Chris Steak House, a sushi bar, an enormous buffet, and a 24-hour counter where I could get a cookie or a can of pop and sign for it.

It was like an upscale cruise ship minus the tiny cabins and seasickness.

For those unfamiliar with Aruba, there are a few important things to know. First, it's always windy. That's good for mosquito-haters, but neat hair is out of the question. Ironically, the island rarely experiences hurricanes.

Second, Aruba is only a few miles off the coast of South America (Venezuela, to be precise). So, unless you catch one of the rare nonstop flights, plan on at least seven hours of flying time.

It doesn't feel much like a foreign country because everything is written and spoken in English, and there are many familiar American chains. But the island is actually Dutch, which is obvious in the architecture of downtown Oranjestad, the capital city where most commerce exists. The old-world European styled buildings are punched up with bright Caribbean paint colors like pink, yellow and orange.

The island faced some bad publicity from the 2005 Natalee Holloway murder, but natives insist it was an isolated incident and Aruba is safe. It certainly feels safe. People are genuinely friendly, and not in that wanna-buy-a-souvenir? kind of way. Rarely do you see ne'er-do-wells lingering around the beaches or tourist areas. My mom and I found ourselves worrying far more about sunscreen than safety during our long weekend there.

Our first mother-and-daughter activity was a Snorkel Catamaran Cruise with DePalm. The three snorkeling stops included a close-to-the-surface German shipwreck, and we spotted everything from cool coral to scary-looking barracudas in the warm, clear water.

Mom and I swam as buddies, and when we encountered choppy water, we continued to snorkel holding hands.

My legendary seasickness threatened to ruin our fun outing, but my mom sat alongside of me at the edge of the boat and kept me company until I felt better. Once on dry land, we hunted for a good restaurant to dine at and did some shopping, although we didn't find much other than the $32 T-shirt I bought.

While we got acclimated, my mom chatted with everyone from the doorman to the other tourists, and in the process, found other mother-daughter travelers. It's not surprising, given that girls-only and multigenerational travel is booming, according to travel industry experts. Dozens of new women-only travel companies have sprung up in the past few years, and many of those women leave their husbands behind, just as my mom and I did.

Colleen Malone, of Cranberry Township, Penn., came to Aruba with her daughters Shannon, 26, and Casey, 24, to celebrate her 50th birthday. Together, the girls shopped, sunbathed, talked, and sat in chairs at the water's edge to enjoy the sunset with tropical drinks.

As I talked with the daughters, it was clear how much they were enjoying this rare block of uninterrupted time with their mom. And, to my surprise, so was I.

Later, my mom and I plunked ourselves down on the beach. I dug my bare feet into the warm, white sand and stared at the waves softly hitting the shore. People in nearby beach chairs had fallen asleep with books on their chests. Others strolled up and down the pristine shoreline, occasionally bending down to pick up an interesting-looking shell.

Everything was quiet, as late afternoon crowd readied for the nightly sunset-watching ritual.

The beach was a delight. However -this might sound odd -but one of the best aspects to this trip didn't take place near the water. It was indoors. My mom and I slept almost 10 hours every night, which is double our usual amount. It was thoroughly rejuvenating. One morning, we laid lazily in our comfy, pillow-filled beds and retold "Remember when?" stories that made us laugh so hard we gasped for air.

Then we took advantage of the resort's Mandara Spa, where we had long, relaxing massages.

"Don't you feel like a slug?" my mom asked afterward.

Yes, and it felt great.

Suddenly, I was eating healthy, enjoying my mom's talk-to-everyone personality, and realizing how lucky I was to have her as a mother.

One morning, we decided to go our separate ways. She went on a bumpy Jeep tour of the island while I laid motionless on the beach with my iPod. I also sneaked into the casino to play craps - something my anti-gambling mother would have forbidden.

The nights were low-key. Romantic island activities - like watching the sunset and taking post-dinner walks along a moonlit beach - felt a little awkward with my mother. But one night, before our beach walk, we cracked ourselves up by snapping more than a dozen pictures of ourselves drinking wine at our resort's beach side seafood restaurant, Waves.

Not only did I survive the four days without any serious emotional trauma, but my batteries felt recharged. My mom and I had made some special memories that I will always cherish. And - who'd have thought? - we had so much fun, we might even do it again.