Aruba is a tiny 70 square mile island (20 miles long, 6 miles wide) that is located in the 
Caribbean, just 18 miles from Venezuela. Also known as “The Happy Island”, it is a Dutch island owned by the Netherlands, which makes it part of the “Dutch Caribbean”. It’s capital is the colorful city of Oranjestad, which boasts Dutch-inspired architecture and colors, and the weather maintains a pretty consistently amazing 82 degrees year round. About 75% of Aruba’s gross national product comes from tourism, so you will find plenty of resorts, casinos, restaurants, shopping, and taxis. The locals are all extremely friendly and willing to help, and pretty much every establishment will accept US dollars and speak English. My husband and I visited Aruba for 3 days and 2 nights in February 2017 and had a blast! Fair warning though, I wouldn’t classify Aruba as one of our cheaper destinations. Being that they rely on tourism, they are used to tourists spending money, so prices aren’t overly friendly. I think of all of our travels over the past year and a half, we spent the most per meal on food in Aruba than anywhere else. Still wasn’t bad, just not as budget friendly as other places we’ve visited and we weren’t necessarily aware of that when we booked it. There are, of course, ways to MAKE it more budget friendly, but just a head’s up, it may require a little more research and creativity! Below is a list of some our favorite parts of Aruba!
1.) Eagle Beach – chances are, you’ve seen photos of this beach whether you realized it or 
not. This is one of the most popular beaches on the island, characterized by its white sand and beautiful turquoise water. However, the unique feature of this beach are the trees that appear sporadically throughout the beach. These famous divi-divi trees are common throughout the Caribbean, but the uniqueness of the Arubian divi-divi tree is the fact that all the branches of these trees in Aruba point southwest due to the constant trade winds that blow across the island. The trees are a popular photo subject and are also a common place to post up for the day for whoever gets there first, so you may have to try a few times before you’re able to get a photo without anyone else in it! However, other than the trees, this is a gorgeous 
beach that surely won’t disappoint. Most hotels/resorts have a block of lounge chairs and umbrella huts that you can use, however, they fill up quick, so you’ll need to get down there early to claim your spot (early like 6am!). There are also several beach bars spaced throughout the beach where you can get drinks….be sure to ask about Happy Hour to get that BOGO pina colada! Just a head’s up, if you’re looking for seclusion and privacy, this is probably NOT your beach. It isn’t the most crowded beach we’ve ever been to, and you can still find plenty of room to walk and swim, but it is a popular beach. If you are looking for more seclusion I’d recommend walking down the beach away from the resorts, however, there won’t be chairs for you there, so you’ll have to prioritize what’s more important to you. We stayed right next to Eagle Beach, read more here.
- Passions on the beach: This was a fancy little pop-up beach restaurant where you literally sit at tables in the sand. The combination of the sand, sunset, ocean and glow of candles and tiki torches definitely make this the most romantic place we’ve ever eaten! It is a bit of a nicer place, and you usually do need reservations otherwise you won’t get in until it’s dark out. We had reservations for 7:00, which was perfect since that was right at sunset. I would recommend going for a 6:00 or 7:00 dinner, but no later, as it does get dark pretty quickly. It’s still very fun at night with the fires, but if you’re paying for the view then make sure it isn’t too dark to see the ocean! Also, make sure you have reservations, because those prime ocean-viewing hours are busy! We shared a $40 plate of the mixed seafood sampler and everything was AMAZING! Some of the best mahi-mahi I’ve ever had! Check it out here.
- Red Fish Restaurant: Amazing fresh seafood, friendly staff, and great atmosphere!
More of a local place, so it’s not overly “touristy”. My husband and I shared the seafood paella plate which was wonderful!! Would definitely recommend! The owner actually goes fishing every morning so the seafood is super fresh! If you’re looking to eat with a view this is not the place, as it is right off the road and the view is a road/parking lot, but they have dressed it up as nice as you probably could! It is covered seating but you’re technically outside, but it is flourishing with greenery everywhere which makes it a really cool spot! Would absolutely go back! For more info visit here.
2.) Palm Beach – arguably the most popular beach on the island, Palm 
beach is definitely more crowded than Eagle Beach, partly due to the fact that there is a pier jutting out from it and a boardwalk directly behind it. We only stayed long enough to eat our pitaya bowl lunch since crowds aren’t really our thing, but it was still worth going if not only for the pitaya bowl and for seeing more of Aruba. The boardwalk behind the beach is great for little bars and dives, and the town behind the boardwalk is great for shopping if you’re wanting to shop! There’s also a Starbucks in the town area if you’re one of those people who just HAVE to get a Starbucks country mug for every country you go to 🙂
- Eduardo’s Beach Shack: Literally the BEST thing I ate the entire trip. If you don’t try anything else from this post at LEAST do yourself a favor and try this one! This is a tiny little beach shack right on the Palm Beach boardwalk area that is some type of
vegan-ish establishment. I’m not vegan or vegetarian or anything, so I don’t know which one this place is, but it’s one of those super healthy places. I got a pitaya (dragon fruit) bowl and my husband got an acaia bowl. Pitaya bowls have been my new favorite thing since Feb. 2017. I came back to the states and found out the closest place to me that makes these asap! It’s basically a smoothie blend (mine was dragon fruit, his was acaia), topped with granola, honey, all kinds of fresh fruit, and raw coconut. SO AMAZING! And such a refreshing treat/lunch right at the beach! Fairly cheap too compared to other island food…”fully loaded” bowls (the ones with granola, honey, and coconut) were $10 each, but cheaper options are available if you’re looking for something smaller. The bowls are big enough to share though depending on how hungry you are! Do yourself a HUGE favor and check it out!
3.) Oranjestad – as the capital of Aruba, you will probably drive through this main city as 
you go to and from the airport, but if you can fit it in, you should absolutely make plans to walk around and visit this incredibly fun little city! With it’s Dutch architecture (maybe it’s just me, but I’m a sucker for cool and unique architecture, so this may not actually be a selling point for everyone else) and vibrant colors it’s definitely something you’re not going to want to miss! We aren’t city people by any means, but we were so glad we spent an afternoon here. It was honestly like what I would imagine visiting a little beach town in the Netherlands would be like. Not that I would know, but one day I’ll find out for sure 🙂 If you’re a shopper then this is probably your best one-stop shop, with lots of convenience stores, boutiques, touristy stores, and designer stores as well. We just took a few hours and walked around the city, eating dutch pancakes, admiring the awesome buildings and visiting the blue horses.
- Notice the different 8 blue horse statues displayed throughout Oranjestad as a tribute to the past and the important role that horses played on this tiny island. A vast majority of Aruba’s rich history is centered around horses and the thriving horse trade that was the main economic source of the island. Horse Bay was where shiploads of horses were flung out to sea to swim to shore. The deep blue color is symbolic of the water on their skin as if they had just emerged from the bay and trotted into town. Be sure to find all 8 horses in the city…if you’re interested in the story, there are reading plaques next to each of them which tell different stories (we didn’t read them all, but it’s an option for those who will!). Each horse is in a different stance, has it’s own name, and represents something unique!
- The Dutch PancakeHouse: Dutch pancakes are a real Dutch specialty, so we couldn’t
NOT try one, especially if it has nutella and strawberries on it! There are several well-known pancake houses that the web will point you towards, but this was just the one we happened to walk by and stumble upon first, so that’s how we chose this one. I’m sure they are all pretty much the same though! Not fluffy and thick like our pancakes in the US, but more like a cross between US pancakes and crepes, and absolutely DELICIOUS! Honestly, this was more of a dessert than a brunch, but they have so many options that can be more breakfast OR lunch based, including savory and cheesy options! We just split the one because we really just wanted a taste and didn’t want to spend money, but it was HUGE! So I’d recommend splitting one for sure. But a DEFINITE must-try! The mimosas and Arubian ice coffee sure weren’t too bad either 🙂 Read more here.
Side Note: If you’re looking for Aruba’s famous flamingo’s keep reading! Aruba’s pink flamingos live on Renaissance Island, which is owned by the Marriott. If you stay at the Marriott you get free access to the island, where you can spend the day on their private beach and mingle with flamingos. However, if you are not a guest of the hotel, you can buy tickets to go out there for the day for about $90 per person. We thought about staying at the Marriott, but ended up finding a way better deal elsewhere (read more here), and in the end we decided that $90 per person was just way too much to pay to lay on a beach. Come to find out, there’s really only like 6 flamingos on the island, and there’s a chance they won’t even be out that day. We asked our cab driver about the island and he advised us not to bother, saying it wasn’t worth it. In the end, a beach is a beach, so we certainly weren’t disappointed. If you’re on a budget, I’d recommend forgoing this excursion and sticking to the free beaches. We plan to save the flamingo-visiting for other islands like Bonaire where they are more abundant!
* Disclaimer: all photos and opinions are my own, for which I received no compensation or discount
swim-up bar), along with a pizza joint, 2 bars, and yard games. Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin’ Donuts are located in the hotel lobby, along with a small convenience store. The 2 bars have different happy hour times where you can get 2 for 1 drink specials, so definitely work around those hours if you’re on a budget! The casino itself is located in an entirely different building, so you are able to avoid that crowd and noise if that’s not what you came for. Side Note – the resort is home to a LOT of iguanas…they won’t bother you, but you can see them wandering around the pool area and the walkway to the beach often.
location, but it is only a short 2 minute walk to the beach where you get ALL the views 🙂 They also have beach chairs/umbrella huts on the beach (Eagle Beach) that you can use free of charge for the day, however they do fill up pretty fast….if you want to take advantage of that benefit, you really need to go to the beach early in the morning to claim your spot (early as in like 6am). We (“we” as in my husband) got to the beach early to lay out our towels and claim a spot for us until we were ready to actually come out and start our day. Also, the hotel does provide beach towels, which you can exchange for fresh ones as often as you’d like. Eagle Beach also has several beach bars, which again, offer happy hour specials to take advantage of 🙂
Everything was very clean, and if you’re up early enough you can see employees cleaning all over campus for several hours. The staff was super helpful and accommodating as well. Our check in time wasn’t until 4pm, but they stored our luggage for us so we could change and hit the beach right away. The concierge service was amazing and helped us often in recommending dining and calling cabs for us since we don’t have an international phone plan and couldn’t use our phones for much. Check out was at 11am…heads up, if they are able to give you a late check out it will cost an additional $70 or so, BUT there is a hospitality room that you can request to book where you can shower before a flight if you plan on spending the day and flying out later, which was SUPER helpful (and free)! The hospitality room wasn’t as nice as the room we actually stayed in, but we only used it for 30 minutes to shower and change, so who cares! They’ll even house your luggage for you after your room check out if you plan to hit the beach again.
The most unique thing about this little island is the fact that is is owned by two nations. The top half, known as Saint-Martin, is owned by France, while the bottom half (Sint Maarten) is a part of the Netherlands. The two nations share the island with a border that runs horizontally across the island dividing it almost in half. We didn’t have a chance to try, but from what I hear you can cross the border easily and without a passport, although you DO need your passport to get on and off the island itself, regardless of which side you fly into. Being two countries, there are, of course, two capitals: Philipsburg (Dutch capital), and Marigot (French capital). From what we experienced and heard, both sides speak English and accept US dollars without any issues. Unfortunately, we literally flew in for only 27 hours, so we didn’t get a chance do much more than beach and eat, but we would definitely return and do more exploring! Keep reading to find out our favorite things to do on the island that we DID have time for!
some locals, but is not crowded like the beaches of Maho or Orient. As a head’s up for those with kids – we did see a few topless sunbathers, but that was not the norm as most beachgoers were fully clothed, which is not the norm for some of the other beaches on the island 🙂 Our first day there the water was calm and warm, our second day there were some great waves to play in, so I think the water itself gives you a little variety as well. As a bay, Simpson Bay is home to a variety of yachts, catamarans, sailboats, and other vessels that dot the water. Our one day there we could see as many as 40+ boats!
part that you’ve heard about. Maho beach feeds right into the Princess Juliana International Airport runway, making it perhaps the most unique airports in the world. Jets on their final approach fly over the beach at altitudes less than 100 feet above the ground, and the beach is directly under the flight path. Any of the photos that you’ve seen of people at the beach with a huge jet right overtop of them was taken here, which is what makes this beach so famous. Unfortunately, there were no arrivals or departures while we were at that beach so we didn’t get a photo, but we’ll make sure to plan it better on our next visit, which, hopefully we won’t be in as much of a time crunch for! However, I CAN testify as to the beauty of the arrival from the airplane seat view 🙂
situated outside with picnic tables right underneath umbrellas. We went for dinner at night and really enjoyed our food and drinks! They make a great pina colada and lamb schwarma pita sandwich! The sandwich was huge and only cost $6, so if you’re looking for a budget-friendly place to eat this is it! It is often visited by locals and looks/feels/tastes like something you would see on “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives”. Planes fly right overhead, so be advised that it can be loud, but again, that’s kind of the attraction of Maho Beach 🙂 Check it out 
about $75/night, check it out 
rooms ocean front. The room included a full kitchen, so if you are trying to save money and cook your own meals that is definitely an option! The rooms themselves were very clean and included a King size bed in the bedroom, a foyer area, kitchen with table and chairs, living room area with TV and futon, shower room, bathroom, and an outside porch area. To be honest, it is really more of a small condo than a hotel room! Another plus is that it is only a few miles from the airport on the Dutch side ($10 for a taxi), which was big plus for us since we had very limited time on the island. Being right next to the airport and Maho Beach, you do hear planes a good bit, but they don’t generally start until 8am and they don’t usually fly past 7:00ish, so they don’t fly throughout the night, although if you’re in your room, the sound is pretty blocked out anyway. The room includes a wireless phone as well with the taxi number programmed into it so you can call your own cab if you need one (also a plus if you’re like us and don’t have an international phone plan). Azure also has free wifi that is great in your room and on the beach right outside the hotel, which is super convenient! Check in is generally at 3 and check out is at 11am, however, we were able to get into our room upon arrival at 1:30, and we asked for a late check out since our flight didn’t leave until 4:00 the next day, so Mike graciously allowed us to stay until 2:00 at no additional charge! HUGE plus for us since we literally only had 27 hours on the island and we were trying to make the most of it and fit as much as we could in!
family friendly beach that is also used by some locals, but is not crowded like the beaches of Maho or Orient. As a head’s up for those with kids – we did see a few topless sunbathers, but that was not the norm as most beachgoers were fully clothed, which is not the norm for some of the other beaches on the island 🙂 Our first day there the water was calm and warm, our second day there were some great waves to play in, so I think the water itself gives you a little variety as well. Azure provides beach towels, lounge chairs, and umbrellas right on the beach for their guests as well, so you really don’t need to leave the hotel. If you’re looking for bars and food there are several along the beach that only require a short walk of a quarter mile or so (we loved Karakters, although it is a little pricey for entrees), or you can go into the town of Simpson Bay and find restaurants, bars, and supermarkets there. Mike and his wife are very friendly and will recommend places to you if you ask! The views are spectacular, as the hotel itself is flourishing with beautiful greens, flowers, and palm trees. They even have coconuts growing on the trees and an outdoor passion fruit canopy. As a bay, Simpson Bay is home to a variety of yachts, catamarans, sailboats, and other vessels that dot the water. Our one day there we could see as many as 40+ boats! We would absolutely recommend Azure Hotel and would definitely return! Plus, it is probably the absolute best bang for your buck if you’re working with a budget!
Pilot Life for Me 