Aruba|images
Why Aruba?
Best beaches in the Caribbean and it rarely rains.
Explore
There are three main areas in Aruba:
Oranjestad - Main town with lots of shopping, restaurants and nightlife. This is where Cruise ships stop so expect an influx of tourists on port days.
Low-Rise area - This is where you can find most of the smaller independent hotels. It is a contrast to the High-rise area because the hotels are only a 2-3 stories tall here. In our opinion, this area is the best place to stay for couples without children. The white sand beaches are long & wide and there is always a palapa available for some shade. There are several beaches here (Manchebo, Druif, Bushiri & Eagle Beach) but most just refer to the beach as Eagle Beach. It is one of the best beaches we've ever seen.
High-Rise area - This area begins after Eagle Beach ends and caters to families. Here you can find your large global resorts. There are also a lot more tourist activities that can be found here (parasailing, snorkeling trips, tons of restaurants & bars). While there is a lot to do close by, this area tends to be very crowded with tourists.
We stayed in both Oranjestad and in the Low-Rise Area. We also spent time in the High-Rise area (dinner, activities). Our recommendation would be to stay in the Low-Rise area, rent a car and visit Orenjestad for dinner and the High-Rise area for activities (ie boat trip). We went for a relaxing beach vacation and the Low-Rise has the best beaches hands down.
If you have a car it's also worth driving to the north side of the island to see rough coast and the natural bridge.
We highly recommend taking a snorkeling boat tour. We did our with Octopus Sailing and loved it! Capitain Jethro was a lot of fun and he served delicious Gouda sandwiches with rum punch!
Oranjestad - Main town with lots of shopping, restaurants and nightlife. This is where Cruise ships stop so expect an influx of tourists on port days.
Low-Rise area - This is where you can find most of the smaller independent hotels. It is a contrast to the High-rise area because the hotels are only a 2-3 stories tall here. In our opinion, this area is the best place to stay for couples without children. The white sand beaches are long & wide and there is always a palapa available for some shade. There are several beaches here (Manchebo, Druif, Bushiri & Eagle Beach) but most just refer to the beach as Eagle Beach. It is one of the best beaches we've ever seen.
High-Rise area - This area begins after Eagle Beach ends and caters to families. Here you can find your large global resorts. There are also a lot more tourist activities that can be found here (parasailing, snorkeling trips, tons of restaurants & bars). While there is a lot to do close by, this area tends to be very crowded with tourists.
We stayed in both Oranjestad and in the Low-Rise Area. We also spent time in the High-Rise area (dinner, activities). Our recommendation would be to stay in the Low-Rise area, rent a car and visit Orenjestad for dinner and the High-Rise area for activities (ie boat trip). We went for a relaxing beach vacation and the Low-Rise has the best beaches hands down.
If you have a car it's also worth driving to the north side of the island to see rough coast and the natural bridge.
We highly recommend taking a snorkeling boat tour. We did our with Octopus Sailing and loved it! Capitain Jethro was a lot of fun and he served delicious Gouda sandwiches with rum punch!
Eat, Drink, Be Merry....Snooze
We stayed at the Manchebo Beach Resort and loved it mainly because of the beach. It's spectacular. The staff was also very friendly. The rooms were not fancy, but they were comfortable and we had stunning views of the beach from our balcony.
Next door was the Bicuti Resort which looked very inviting. If we go back we would consider trying this resort because it's on the same spectacular beach but looks like the rooms might be even nicer with better views.
We also spent one night at the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino in Oranjestad. We wanted to have one night out in town and we were intrigued by the private island beach the hotel advertised. Basically if you stayed at the hotel you could catch a ferry to a private island beach for the day. While the island was pretty and full of flamingos, it paled in comparison to Eagle Beach. It was also full of people and waiting for the ferry was not relaxing.
Try these restaurants:
Most Romantic: Simply Fish. Reserve a table on the beach. We dined here before Chris proposed on Eagle Beach.
Best Food: Cuba's Cooking in Oranjestad
Best Ambiance/View: Trattoria Faro near the Lighthouse - Amazing views, especially at sunset.
Next door was the Bicuti Resort which looked very inviting. If we go back we would consider trying this resort because it's on the same spectacular beach but looks like the rooms might be even nicer with better views.
We also spent one night at the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino in Oranjestad. We wanted to have one night out in town and we were intrigued by the private island beach the hotel advertised. Basically if you stayed at the hotel you could catch a ferry to a private island beach for the day. While the island was pretty and full of flamingos, it paled in comparison to Eagle Beach. It was also full of people and waiting for the ferry was not relaxing.
Try these restaurants:
Most Romantic: Simply Fish. Reserve a table on the beach. We dined here before Chris proposed on Eagle Beach.
Best Food: Cuba's Cooking in Oranjestad
Best Ambiance/View: Trattoria Faro near the Lighthouse - Amazing views, especially at sunset.
Tunes
Is this love - Bob Marley
Touch of Grey - Mighty Diamonds
Right Me Up - State Radio
Amber - 311
The Swan Machine - Butcher Blades
Sace E Boem - Claudius Phillips
Heaven - OAR
Casey Jones - Wailing Sailors
Natural Mystic - Bob Marley
Hold You - Gyptian
Touch of Grey - Mighty Diamonds
Right Me Up - State Radio
Amber - 311
The Swan Machine - Butcher Blades
Sace E Boem - Claudius Phillips
Heaven - OAR
Casey Jones - Wailing Sailors
Natural Mystic - Bob Marley
Hold You - Gyptian