Aruba… crystal clear waters, pristine white beaches, and year round sunshine. The island is located outside of the hurricane belt, making it a good choice during the summer months when the storms can ravage other Caribbean islands. The island is pretty arid, generally covered in desert-like environments. As with many other island nations, prices for general goods are quite high since everything has to be shipped in. Aruba’s motto, One Happy Island, rang true as almost everyone we encountered had a wide smile chiseled across their faces.
Main takeaways from a week in Aruba:
- Choose an AirBnB with a kitchen if you don’t want to spend an inordinate amount on eating out
- Rent a car to get around to other parts of the island
- If you have it, bring your own snorkeling gear
- Sunset cruises are a win
I found a gorgeous AirBnB in the Malmok part of the island, which lies northwest of the capital of Oranjested. We were informed that is considered the rich area, and that belief appeared to be true given the homes we saw. If you’re looking for a peaceful place to stay away from the bustling resort area, this neighborhood is perfect. The home had a private pool, and featured an open living and kitchen with three bedrooms and three full baths.
The townhouse was down the street from a small beach that jutted out in to the turquoise waters. Surrounded by coral rock, the beach was teeming with fish and a prime snorkeling spot. While it was relatively crowded since the oceanfront on that part of island is mainly coral, it was still pleasant enough to find a shady spot under a tree for all six of us to relax.
The husband and I considered our abode walkable from the resort area, but only if you can handle 45 minute speed walks along the coast. We elected to walk from town to the house two nights in a row, almost beating our vehicle-aided counterparts by mere minutes! It got toasty, but the strong breezes helped significantly.
Eagle Beach is an iconic, white sand, very wide beach in Aruba. It is often ranked as one of the best beaches in the world. A gnarly tree adorns the shore. It was difficult to find any shade, so the sun was a little unrelenting while we lounged there. Parking can be a challenge even though a long parking lot borders the beach. On a weekend, be prepared to circle for a spot a few times.
Baby Beach, yet another iconic shorefront in Aruba, is horseshoe shaped with adjacent bars set along it. Located on the southern-most tip of the island, Baby Beach has pristine waters lapping calmly against the shore. Again, the beach was packed with humans, but we were able to secure a cabana for shade. The beach-going dogs found us intriguing, and lounged under the canopy with us. Unless you want to pay the outrageous prices of the surrounding restaurants for lunch, bring your own snacks and drinks for the afternoon.
Palm Beach lines the resort area, and it’s covered with umbrellas, chairs, and people. Restaurants, bars, and tiki huts form a barrier between the sand and hotels. While we didn’t actually spend much time on this beach, we did mosey out it to get to the dock for the sunset cruise I had arranged. Palm Beach does offer insanely good views of the sunset each evening!
As I mentioned one evening, I arranged for our group of six to partake on a sunset cruise around the island. Red Sail Aruba offered one such cruise that included hors d’overs and an open bar during a two hour tour along the western side of the island. The catamaran took off from a hotel just before sunset. Passed snacks were available, as were drinks. They packed people onto the boat from all walks of life. It was worth the expense, just make sure to get your fair share of appetizers to get the money’s worth – it was definitely enough to fill me up for dinner.
While I will spend money for trips, I draw the line at footing the bill for a three bedroom luxury townhouse for just the husband and me. We switched locations and turned in the rental car for our last few days in Aruba. We stayed at Mangel Halto and Pos Chiquito Beach Park. The apartment was across the street from some of the clearest water and short coral “cliffs” that fell down to the calm water. Mangroves line part of the beach with trails weaving through them. Continuing with my trend of trying to larcen animals while traveling, I coerced one of the apartment cats into our first floor space with bacon of all things. Of course, we decided to name him Bacon after that. Bacon, the guard cat.
We had been responsible humans for most of the trip, cooking and eating meals in the sparse kitchen. As a reward, we ate out on our final night in Aruba – at a Venezuelan restaurant around the corner called La Tavola. Given the more local area we were in, the establishment was not at all packed. We did not let that fool us – the food was delicious!
Renting a car and driving in Aruba is incredibly easy – no wrong side of the car and/or road. It was simple and painless grabbing it from the airport, and dropping it back off was also seamless. It was actually more expensive and complicated taxiing to our second accommodation, and then we had to walk quite a distance to get to a market, and that market was a far cry from the huge grocery store we visited on day one.
Unfortunately, we traveled to Aruba with some very sedentary coworkers. The only physical activity they agreed to take part in was some light snorkeling. However, for more active people there are a boatload more options – ATV rides, snorkeling excursions out to sea, desert hikes, diving, cave adventures, kite and wind surfing, and even horse back riding.
June 2024