Four Things You Need to Know about Aruba

Hi everyone! It’s Shannon! I just returned from a lovely four days on the beach in Aruba. And yes, before you ask, we can book a trip to Aruba for you. Aruba is part of the ABC islands in the Netherlands Antilles, which means they are outside the hurricane belt in the Caribbean, and that translates to it being an amazing destination year-round. The weather in Aruba is basically 85 and sunny every day.

Here are some things that you might not know about Aruba:

  • There is so much to do! If you aren’t a lay-on-the-beach person, you will not be lacking something to do in Aruba. Two of the best beaches are Eagle Beach and Palm Beach, and most of the major resort chains have hotels on these beaches. You can paddleboard, kayak, kite surf, parasail, and sailboard…they even have a big inflatable couch name Big Mable that you can sit on while a boat pulls you around. Snorkeling and diving as well (there are several shipwrecks). Many hotels have casinos and shopping malls with many American restaurant chains. Additionally, Aruba has a lot of history, with sites dating back to World War II.
  • The beaches are stunning! White sand, very little coral, you can sink your toes right in. And in many places, the water is shallow for quite a ways, so you can easily walk and swim from the beach. Or just grab a floatie and a drink and bob around in the ocean.
  • There are amazing restaurants. Lots of times on a Caribbean island, you don’t venture outside of the resort much for food. But my partner and I love ethnic food. And with Aruba being so close to Venezuela and Colombia, there are some wonderful local restaurants. However, you have to look for them. We asked our servers for good local places. Some places we recommend: Don Jacinto, Lima Bistro, and Atardi were three restaurants we tried.
  • You can walk on the beach with Flamingos! The Renaissance has a private island where the flamingos reside in a sanctuary. It is not open to the public. However, if you stay at the Renaissance, you can schedule an excursion for free. If you don’t stay at the Renaissance, you can book an excursion for USD 125 per person. You do have to take a water taxi to get there.

My partner is a drop-and-flop kind of guy on a beach vacation, so we didn’t venture out much. But we did have an opportunity to go scuba diving and the water was so warm, we didn’t need a wet suit. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton, which is at the end of the hotel string on Palm Beach. The service was amazing. We sat by the pool and had drinks and food brought directly to us.

American and United fly to Aruba, but connections can have some long layovers, so make sure to review your best options. You do have to take a COVID test 72 hours prior to departure to arrive in Aruba, but the system at the airport is very easy, and we were through in 20 minutes! We loved our little four-day short trip to Aruba.

If you are interested in the Caribbean, give me a call! I have been to 7 of the Caribbean islands, so I would love to help you! Give me a call at 312-951-8517 or email at sbradley@downunderendeavours.com.